My WHY…

Every year we reflect on the previous year and plan for the next. I coach agents at my firm to start that in October! I heard a great discussion recently about not setting resolutions but setting intentions, for the year, for the month, and even at the beginning of every week. I liked that idea so I am going to try that this year and see how it resonates with my personal and professional goals. But in all the research and learning (and teaching) that I have done about growth and business planning, there is one lesson that is worth the time, the read, the review, and/or the patience. The very first exercise you should do this January, whether for your professional self or your personal self, is figuring out your WHY.

It all started with me a few years ago when I was introduced to the book Start With Why by Simon Sinek. I had been in real estate for a couple of years and was doing okay, but really wanted to take my business to the next level. I had absolutely NO idea of how to do that! I was not brought up in an entrepreneurial lifestyle where you were granted freedom to dream or try or do. I was raised that you went to school, went to college, got a job, and eventually you got to retire so you could do fun stuff. (Bullshit! I wanted to do fun stuff right now! Why do fun stuff when you’re too old to enjoy it!) And real estate was beginning to show me that was a possibility. I just didn’t know where to go next. What I found from reading this book was not a magic formula for making money (pst…there are none of those), or all of the answers to “How to Build a Real Estate Empire in 30 days” (also not real). What I found was a deeply personal journey that forced me to get honest about who I was, what made me happy, and what I wanted to do.

Probably my favorite exercise that I coach agents to do when they start business planning and beginning to think about their Why or read the book, is an exercise called 7 Layers Deep. I heard it in a workshop with Dean Graziosi, Who is another author to put on your nonfiction playlist. Here’s how it works…

Ask yourself WHY you do whatever thing it is you do. “Why Real Estate?”

Answer that questions honestly. “Because I need to make money.”

Then ask yourself WHY to that answer “WHY?”

Answer that question honestly. “Because I have to pay bills.”

Continue that process for 7 LAYERS (the above being layers 1 and 2). By the time you get to the end you will have an answer that guides you in everything you do and every decision you make. For me it boiled down to my need to help people (and animals). So when I am making a decision about business or life or finances or anything really, I always start there… am I helping people?

When the Broker in Charge of my firm asked me to be Operations Director 2 years ago, I asked myself that question. The answer was yes. I would be helping other agents with their business. So it was easy for me to say yes to that opportunity.

I think your WHY can change over time. I think it is very important to revisit that exercise every now and then. I very much still want to help other people, but I am starting to want to help myself a little bit more. Maybe it’s my age. Or maybe it’s some Freudian reason because no one helps me. You know, that hierarchy of needs that have to be taken care of before you can take care of others. Wait, that’s Maslow. Anyway…

I am SUPER excited about 2025! Maybe because it is a great number (25 being 1/4 of the century). Or maybe it’s because I know what I want and I’m getting closer to figuring out how to get it! Either way, I hope that you can create a plan to get exactly what you want out of life, even if it takes another quarter of a century to do it. And if you need help creating that plan or want to bounce idea off of someone, you should reach out to me. Because, remember, I am here to HELP! Happy New Year!