Putting In The Work Needed!

Did you watch the Oscars last night?

It was a great show! Glamorous, with lots of beautiful gowns, and inspiring with quite a few first time nominee, first time winners with thoughtful acceptance speeches.

When Lady Gaga received her award for Best Song, she talked about just how much work had gone into not just this project, but in what it took for her to get there, period.

There is often a tendency to look at successful people and somehow discount the work it took for them to get there. Are things easier for her now? When she writes a song or has a project in mind is there likely a line of people who want to work with her? Without a doubt.

But what about all the years it took for her to get to this point? (Who remembers the “meat dress”?) The years and years of hard work, sacrifice and frustration when no one was looking and seemingly no one cared.

It is the same in our industry. Yes, today, 17 years in I do win the majority of the listing appointments that I go on. It feels easier to me to command my price and I have the confidence to try, say and do things that others may not feel or be able to right now. Sure, there are things right now that are probably easier for me, but that is because I EARNED IT.

I have worked hard and diligently for getting close to 2 decades now. I’ve sacrificed time with my family, sleep, vacations, peace of mind and more. I’ve invested so much time AND money into my craft in educational opportunities, courses, books, conferences, testing and trying new things that if you were to add it up it would make your head spin.

I’ve failed over and over and over again. I’ve lost listings, I’ve lost buyers, I’ve made costly mistakes (that I had to rectify out of my own pocket), and I’ve hosted open houses and brokers opens where no one showed up. But it is because of all of those failures and experiences and my decision to keep going and keep learning that there are many aspects of what I do that is easier for me today.

Even just last week I lost a listing from a past and repeat client that felt especially painful and frustrating. I felt defeated and used and questioned what I did (am doing) wrong. But then I look back through my list of appointments from this year and realize that two months into the year and this is the first one I’ve lost all year. So I’ll take the lesson (there is always a lesson) and move on to the next one.

This is a lot of words to say this … don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle. When you see someone else succeeding, don’t assume it must be easier for them somehow and discount their success. They are likely where they are today because they have failed more times that you have even tried … yet.

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