Ultimately, you control your own life, your own business, and your own time. There are a lot of tools out there and guidelines you can follow to achieve your goals or solve problems. But at the end of the day, you have to decide what will be best for you and your family and then do it. You have to ultimately make that decision and commit.

Here's a real-world example. Every year during the first week of the summer, Sarah's girls have dance recitals. It's an insane week every single year. Lots of running around, commitments in the middle of the day, long days, and things can be unpredictable. Instead of trying to force all those commitments, feeling like she has to make the first week of summer fun, AND staying on top of her responsibilities as Chief Growth Officer, the best way forward for her and her family is actually to take that week off from work every year. That week just needs to be re-prioritized and it's not a reflection of her abilities professionally or personally, it's just the decision she needs to make for herself and her family.

At some point, your success or lack of success is down to what decisions you make or don't make for yourself. Be critical of what needs to happen and what works for you.

How do you process and retain information? How do you keep things top of mind?

When Mark was a teenager, his first job was actually his own start-up business doing car care and detailing. He would leave flyers on the windshield of any fancy car he saw and over time, he developed a loyal customer base. He'd wash their car every week and even go so far as to clean between all the spokes on the wheels with a toothbrush. He was so successful that he even employed a friend to keep the business going while he was away at college.

What did all this teach him? Always use the toothbrush. Get gritty, get after it, and just hustle.

"Why?" is a conversation stopper. Instead, use "Tell me more." That's a conversation starter. Both are prompts to try to get more information from the other person, but "tell me more" relays more interest in what they're saying. It can also come across as less judgmental. Acknowledge, ask. Acknowledge, ask.

Here's an example. Someone says they're going to Six Flags for the weekend and you respond with "why?" That implies that maybe you don't like Six Flags or it's a waste of time, or whatever the case may be. Instead, acknowledge and ask. "Oh, I haven't been there since I was a kid! What is your favorite ride?" See the difference?

When a new lead comes in, look for clues first. What's their email address? You can learn where they work, if they're an educator, a hobby of theirs, a dog or cat lover. It is surprising sometimes what you can learn just from their email address. Follow the breadcrumbs. If you can see their search history, are they only looking in a specific zip code? What other common factors? There is so much you can learn before even making contact with a new lead.

If you've done your homework on the front end, use your newfound knowledge in your first conversation with that lead. Show them you were paying attention. Ask them about their job in the medical field if you notice their email is from a local hospital. Ask them about their dog if their email is "doglover etc." Ask them what they like about a certain area if they're searching in one or two zip codes.

It's important to remember though to ask, acknowledge, ask, acknowledge. You don't want your conversation to be more like an interrogation.

We hear all the time that agents just want more leads. You don't need more leads. You need more conversions. You need more meaningful conversations.

Let's dive deeper into the Mel Robbins 5-second rule. If you have an impulse to do something, you have 5 seconds to act on that impulse or your brain will kill that drive.

It all starts with getting out of bed in the morning. We've all been there...your alarm goes off and you just don't want to get out of bed. You hit the snooze button and before you know it you've hit the snooze button 3, 4, 5 more times. If you had just gotten up at the first alarm, you'd have kickstarted your day.

For Mark, he knows that if he doesn't work out in the morning before anything else, then it likely won't happen. Not because he doesn't want it to happen, but because things come up. He prioritizes working out first thing and then takes care of the rest of the day. It's the same principle as the 5-second rule. There are definitely days when he doesn't feel like getting up before sunrise to go to hot yoga. It's part of his routine now.

Flipping this around a little bit, that 5-second rule can be applied to other aspects of your life. If you're angry or frustrated while conversing with a loved one, colleague, or maybe the opposite agent, take 5 seconds before you respond. Give yourself that time to digest and cool down.

If you have a goal, start small and just do it. You have to start somewhere. If someone had said 2 years ago that we'd someday have recorded over 70 podcasts, we would have thought you were crazy. And yet here we are.

You just have to start and be consistent. Even if you're taking small steps, they build up over time.

If we relate it to social media: imagine you're posting reels all the time. 2-3 a week, but none of them have gone viral yet. Most are getting between 150 and 250 views. That's okay! You know why? Because those 150 people that are watching are just as important. Just keep after it and you'll find your audience.

If you're an agent and you're feeling insecure or uncertain about the future given the NAR settlement, what are you doing to prepare?

Start by asking yourself: what is your favorite part of this career? What do you love doing? Then prioritize that activity.

For Sarah, she loved previewing. Consistent previewing brought consistent results. She was finding houses that worked for her buyers that they had written off for various reasons. She was gaining market knowledge. She was gaining more clients by just having her feet on the ground and meeting neighbors or other people at showings.

If you're presenting yourself as an expert, but you've never been to the house, or the neighborhood, or the area...then not only are you doing the client a disservice but also yourself. There's not enough inventory right now for you to not be able to preview the homes in your target area.

Action begets action. It's not luck when you successfully sell a house. It's preparation and knowledge. You did what you needed to do to find that home that fit for your buyer and you got the deal done.

Also keep in mind that you need to be versatile. Cast a wider net. It's important to specialize and become an expert in your area. But in this market and with low inventory, do you really want to turn down business? You have to go where the homes are and where buyers are looking. Start where you know, but then branch out. Preview, doorknock, converse with other agents.

There are unknowns in the real estate world right now. You can't control that, but you can control your activity.

Sarah's two oldest children are very active in sports and she's noticed some common traits of good coaches: they instill confidence, they hold you accountable, and repetition.

Coaches see our potential and push us to reach the highest level. Just like in real estate, there is no magic button that will get you to your goals. You have to practice and go through all the steps to gain the skills to get there.

If you're a coach or a leader in real estate or in your life, be careful not to overthink things. You might think you need to always be looking for that next best thing or the newest technology. But really, those same three key aspects are all you need: instill confidence, accountability, and repetition.

"The biggest communication problem is that we don't listen to understand. We listen to reply." - Steven Covey

Remember: conversations are a gift. They're a chance to learn about the other person. When you interrupt someone you're not only derailing their train of thought, but you're also proving that you're just listening to reply not understand.

One of our agents recently said that some of the biggest problems he's experienced in the business have happened when someone is listening to defend. It's even more critical when you're at odds with another agent, your client, or anyone in your life, and you're listening to defend not listening to understand. Ultimately, you want everyone to win at the end of the day.

All of these podcasts connect. Take a moment, listen to understand, have an abundance mentality, and things will work out the way they're meant to.