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Ah motivation … when it strikes you, it’s a wonderful thing. It’s an invisible impetus to get up, get into it, and get it done.
You’re in the zone, you are fully focused, and boy oh boy when that motivation hits, there’s a lot you can achieve.
The trouble is motivation can be fleeting. It can come and go. Some days it’s there in spades. Others not so much.
In reality, motivation may or may not choose to grace you with its presence depending on a whole raft of things. Maybe you’ve just had a win and you feel unstoppable. Maybe you’ve just returned from a break and you’re champing at the bit to dive right on in.
But on the flip side, perhaps you’ve lost an important listing, have something else going on in your personal life, or you’re simply tired and running out of puff. Motivation is a fair-weather friend and at this stage, it’s unlikely to show up.
Because motivation ebbs and flows, I’m going to call it out. I’m going to come right out with a harsh reality that it is not an effective strategy that will underpin your career.
You cannot wait for motivation to magically show up and inspire you to take action. If you want to build something great, you can’t hold off until you feel ready to get productive.
If you are relying on motivation in order to get results, then that’s a big mistake. But the bigger question is, what should you be doing instead?
Systems eat motivation for breakfast
Something far less sexy than the magic of motivation is what creates truly outstanding real estate careers.
The secret? It’s systems. Yes, they’re not glamorous, they’re not exciting, and they’re not really even a secret at all.
Systems allow you to undertake the routine activities that get results. They enable you to schedule non-negotiable tasks into your weekly calendar and ensure those jobs get done.
For example, instead of waiting for the motivation to make your prospecting calls, schedule them into your diary, indicate you’re unavailable for anything else, close the door to your office and get them done. Don’t think, just do, and follow the system until they’re complete.
And here’s an interesting thing. As you tick off those systemised tasks, more often than not, motivation makes a welcome return.
You can see you’re making progress, and you find the drive and momentum to make even more.
In a nutshell, taking action is not an outcome of motivation; it’s a function of putting structure and routine into your day-to-day and week-to-week activities.
Motivation is for amateurs
Go on, think back to every real estate training session you’ve ever attended, every conference, every speaker you’ve heard.
What was the common theme? Was their success defined by boundless motivation, or was it the systems they put in place to actually get the job done?
No, those speakers and star agents standing in the spotlight do not have more motivation than you. There is not some magical driving force and unlimited energy level which impels them to succeed each day.
Instead, they’ve systemised their work and created a structure that ensures they do what they need to do each day, each week and each year.
Your energy is not limitless. Your motivation will never be infinite.
To scaffold you against the inevitable moment when that motivation ebbs, have good systems in place each day and each week that ensure you get up, get into it, and get the job done.
Every agent knows what they should be doing. The bigger question is, how can you plan and systemise your day and week to make these tasks non-negotiables that underpin an outstanding career?
Manos Findikakis is the CEO of Agents’Agency.
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