How To Stay Motivated In Real Estate

Getting started in real estate can be an exhilarating process. And while we absolutely love the industry, we know things aren’t quite that easy. So as time goes by and reality sets in, that initial level of excitement and motivation can start to wane. 

We learn that success in real estate requires constant and sustained effort, spending countless hours prospecting, reaching out to clients, easing the fears of our clients, and filling out paperwork…so much paperwork. 

Is there a way to remain motivated and excited about real estate day in and out? How can you make sure you always give your 100%? 

Why Did You Get Into Real Estate?

Before we get to the motivational stuff, think about why you got into real estate in the first place. Thinking about why you got into real estate in the first place is key in identifying your motivation.

While every real estate agent has their own reason for choosing this line of work, a large percentage of them do so for the following three reasons:

• They love the idea of becoming their own boss.
• They hate their current job, and real estate looks fun.
• They want to make a lot of money. 

It’s easy to see why you would want to become your own boss. Not having a boss or manager micromanaging you is certainly appealing. And when you’re your own boss, you don’t have a salary cap. Your income is dictated by your productivity.

Real estate can certainly be fun. And it’s way more mentally stimulating than a lot of other jobs out there. 

But the most common reason people want to get into real estate is the third one. The potential to make a lot of money.

There are lots of HGTV shows that make it seem so easy to make a ton of money in real estate. And it seems as if everyone has a relative or acquaintance in real estate that seems to be doing quite nicely for themselves.

Is Motivation Absolutely Essential For Your Success?

No. But it sure helps.

One of the most difficult issues that all entrepreneurs (real estate agents included) need to overcome is doing your best even when you REALLY REALLY REALLY don’t want to. 

Sure, you probably have read feel-good, easy to share inspirational quotes from celebrities going on about how passion is absolutely essential for success.

But those quotes don’t really tell the whole story. 

No one wakes up DYING to deal with difficult clients, get countless doors slammed in your face while canvassing, sitting through another boring training session in the office, or filing paperwork.

Sure, some people DO love those aspects of real estate, and to them, I say more power to them. But you don’t NEED to be passionate about every single task in real estate to be successful. And even when it comes to aspects that you really like, it’s impossible to maintain a heightened level of enthusiasm day in and out for the next 20-30 years.

So, before getting into the key to staying motivated in real estate, you need to come to terms with one essential reality: you need to embrace the boring portions of your real estate responsibilities. 

Why?

Because typically, it’s the boring parts that end up paying your bills.

That’s right, we’re talking about prospecting, following up on past clients, calling FSBOs, and updating your CRM. Repetitive and boring, but essential stuff. 

Look For Purpose

Motivation is sexy and exciting. It powers a multi-billion dollar industry of motivational speakers, books, seminars, etc. When you’re motivated, you feel like you are unstoppable.

But motivation fades over time. It needs to be renewed over and over.

But there’s something far more powerful than motivation, and that’s purpose.

To identify what really drives you, you need to identify your big why.

Why do you get up early each morning to do real estate? Why did you choose this career, instead of a safer salaried position elsewhere?

Money is often cited as the big why. But money is a poor motivator. Why? You don’t really want money, you want the things that money can get you.

And buying physical goods will only bring temporary happiness. Sure, it may feel super exciting to buy a brand new car, iPhone, boat, etc. But after that initial dopamine hit wears off, little by little you’ll go back to your normal level of happiness. And then you’ll want to buy the next thing, which repeats the cycle.

Of course, that’s not to say that material things aren’t essential. Money lets you buy groceries. It pays for your rent or mortgage. It lets you invest in your children’s education. It can finance vacations where you can build pleasant memories. 

So why should you want the money that real estate could provide? Because it allows you to do the immaterial, yet essential we all care about. It lets you provide for your family. It can make sure your children get the best education. It serves as protection if anyone you love needs medical attention. It allows you to donate to causes you care about. 

But your big why doesn’t have to be exclusively about you and those around you. You could also make it your mission to provide the best real estate advice in the market because you’re sick and tired of so many swindlers taking advantage of people.

Perhaps you love your community and wish to bring more investors in through real estate to help grow the local economy. 

Or maybe you want to be an inspirational example for your community about what can be accomplished if you put your mind to it.

Identify your purpose, keep it front and center, and constantly remind yourself about it. And once you have a purpose, motivation will follow and push you forward even when you feel tired, bored, and ready to give up.

Maintain A Healthy Routine

A purpose is a solid foundation for motivation. Now we need to build on it. 

No matter how motivated you feel and how strong your purpose is, you won’t be able to do anything if your health fails. You need to take care of yourself.

In real estate, stress is unavoidable. But learning how to cope with it is crucial.

Stress isn’t always bad. A little bit of stress motivates you to get stuff done. But if you’re excessively stressed out, your body will inevitably feel it.

One of the best ways to manage stress is by exercising regularly and eating properly. It’s very easy to neglect your physical health, especially when you have tons of deals pending, responsibilities that have been neglected. 

And with the added concerns of COVID-19, it’s even easier to become sedentary.

Make sure you schedule regular exercise and set aside time to eat at regular times each day. 

It may not be the best idea to go to a crowded gym right now, but there’s a lot of choices available. Yoga, pilates, home workouts, jogging, cycling, etc.

Additionally, you MUST schedule some time for yourself away from work. Not time to spend doing chores, or stressing over something not work-related. Some honest to goodness time off.

Finally, make sure you get ENOUGH sleep each night. 

For some reason, entrepreneurs love to brag about how little sleep they get. They love seeing the reactions of people dropping their jaws in disbelief when they tell them they only got 3 hours of sleep each night in the last 2 weeks.

Sleep is extremely important for your physical well being. It also allows you to have mental clarity, have more motivation, and be more detail-oriented with your tasks. Your body repairs itself when you sleep, and your brain stores all the information you gained throughout the day.

Never neglect sleep for the sake of getting one or two more tasks done. If you want to increase your productivity, learn to delegate tasks, and get yourself a virtual assistant.

Study Successful Entrepreneurs

Reading about how other real estate agents have found success is not just a great way to help you stay motivated, but it will also help you learn from their mistakes.

Make a list of the top 10 real estate professionals you admire, and spend some time researching their back story. If they have a blog or podcast, follow them, and consume their content regularly.

Many top producers end up becoming real estate coaches and consultants, making it even easier to learn from them.

Of course, this shouldn’t just be an exercise in collecting biographies, listening to them for entertainment’s sake, or living vicariously through the success of others. 

Your goal should be to learn about what they did, how they are regular people just like you, and why they became successful. 

Reward Yourself

Give yourself incentives to reward yourself for a job well done. Whether they’re big or small, your real estate milestones towards your success should be celebrated. 

Some motivational rewards could be:

• Go out for dinner at your favorite restaurant (if safe in our current COVID-19 reality).
• Buy yourself something you’ve always wanted.
• Celebrate with friends, coworkers, or team members.

Of course, you need to remember that these are REWARDS for your hard work. Make sure you’re not spending ALL of your hard-earned money in rewards, and you fail to do your financial duty and fail to save.

Organize Your Life

It may not be the sexiest, nor the most eye-catching tip out there. But if you MUST follow any tip in this list, follow this one.

When you organize your life, you get more done, you have more time to do the things you like, and you’ll get a better sense of accomplishment.

Start by keeping a schedule. Schedule all of your meetings, marketing tasks, client follow up efforts, CRM data entry, interviewing of new assistants, etc. 

When you schedule your daily tasks, you will always know what to do next, and you’ll have something to work towards. And as you accomplish more and more of those necessary tasks, you’ll feel better about yourself, and more content with your level of productivity.

But don’t stop with organizing your work schedule. Take a look at your office, car, bedroom, home, and all the spaces where you spend your time. Keep them clean and neat, and arrange your tools, furniture, and everything to optimize your time.

Share Your Goals With Your Coworkers And Loved Ones

By sharing your goals with your coworkers and loved ones, you’ll place an additional incentive to accomplish your goals. That’s because you wouldn’t want to look bad in front of them.

Also, your loved ones will be incentivized to assist you when they can if they know exactly what you’re trying to accomplish.

Establish A Routine

Plan ahead what your week of activity will look like week after week, write it down, and stick to it. 

For example, you could plan that on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays you’ll spend 2 hours prospecting each morning and that on Tuesdays and Thursdays, you’ll spend 2 hours reaching out to contacts you haven’t reached out to in a while.

Surround Yourself With People With A Drive For Success

When you surround yourself with people driven to succeed, you’ll encourage each other and help everyone stay positive and energetic.

Avoid spending too much time with people that love coming up with excuses for their failures, blame everyone else, and never take any personal responsibilities. People like that are energy vampires that will drag you down.

Conclusion

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