Mentor Mondays – Motivation and Discipline

About 3 or 4 days ago, I was having lunch with a buddy of mine who’s a real estate agent, and we got on the topic of motivation and discipline. It was really interesting that this topic came up, because currently I’m in the process of reading a book by John Maxwell. John Maxwell, amazing author, and the book is called “15 Invaluable Laws of Growth.” And in that book, there’s an actual conversation or a dialogue that he brings in to play regarding motivation and discipline. And basically what he says in the book is that motivation is what we have internally that gets us going. It’s what drives us. It’s what gets us excited about whatever it is we want to do. But the discipline that we provide in our lives, personal and business, is what helps us grow. So it basically says, “Motivation gets you going, discipline gets you growing.”

What was interesting about that is that I was reading this book, right around the same time I had this particular lunch. And this conversation came up. So, of course, we got to talking about it. And one of the struggles I think most of us have, and I had this discussion like I said, is that a lot of us have that internal motivation to get up in the morning, get excited about something, whether it’s in your business or your personal life, doesn’t really matter, but where we lack the focus, if you will, is on the discipline side.

How many of you out there can relate to this? You’re excited about the market, you’re excited every morning when you get up that you’ve got an appointment with a buyer, or you’ve got an appointment with the seller. And then you didn’t get the listing for whatever reason, or the buyer decided they can’t afford to buy a house right now, or they don’t qualify, or whatever the case may be, and then what ends up happening, frustration kicks in. You start beating yourself up, and you don’t maintain that discipline of having more conversations with more people because you’re so tunnel visioned and focused on the whatever that just happened that didn’t go your way. It happens to all of us in this business. You’ve got to get out of this mindset. You’ve got to let that stuff go. The more you concentrate on the stuff that didn’t work for you, the more you’re not going to be disciplined and grow your business and grow you as a person. If you’re constantly just focusing on nothing but the short sale that isn’t closing, or the seller who changed their mind for whatever reason, or the appraisal that came in low… If you focus on all that stuff, the motivation starts to die. The frustration level rises, the motivation level decreases. And the discipline starts to go away.

For those of you out there who have that discipline every day, you have a set calendar, you wake up energized every morning, you go to bed early, you wake up early, and every night you go to bed, you know that you had an amazing day. Even if you didn’t get a listing, even if you didn’t get a closing, even if you didn’t get an appointment, you know that you took those activities every single day and are leading you in the right direction, and tomorrow’s another day. So you go to bed early, you wake up fresh, rejuvenated, you have a good breakfast, maybe you go to the gym, and you get your day going. And you continue to do that, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year.

You know who I’m talking to out there, and you have the success and the business you want. The agents out there who don’t have that level of success are not going to bed early because they’re sitting up worried late at night because a deal didn’t close, or something’s going sideways and they may not get that paycheck that they were hoping on. So they’re going to bed at midnight, they’re sleeping in late, they’re not going to the gym, they’re not eating a healthy breakfast, they’re not taking care of themselves, and you know who you are out there. Because I’ve been guilty of that. It’s easy to get into that rut. It’s easy to get into that complacency, if you will.

The key here is: keep that motivation, drive, desire to get you going, but, the discipline is going, what’s going to help that business grow, and also help you grow as a person. So I hope you take this tip to heart, I hope you can make some adjustments within. Hey, Jeff’s kinda right here, you know. I have that motivation, I know I want to do this, I’m excited, I’m excited, and I want to go to work and do what I need to do to have a business that’s, that’s, that’s beyond what I’ve ever imagined. But the only way that’s going to happen, the only way that’s going to happen is if we maintain the discipline to help us grow. Because the motivation is eventually going to die if the frustration takes over. Ok?

I hope you found this tip helpful. Get out there, book those calendars, or book that calendar, book those appointments, get to bed early, get up early, get that, keep that motivation going, but also keep the discipline in place, and also get the book. I highly recommend it. John Maxwell, 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth. It’s probably a $15-18 book, you can probably get it on Amazon or wherever. I know I think I picked it up on Amazon and got it on my Kindle and got it on my Kindle or my iPad. Go out there and get the book, read it, I think it’ll change a lot of your lives. And until next time, remember, it’s your business, and what you do with it is totally up to you. See you soon.