Today, I spent the first part of my morning at the office with John Maxwell. I’d love to tell you this was in person, but as you imagine, my relationship with John is completely one sided. I watched the first segment of a course called “Today Matters”. John was talking about many of the myths and controversies over the idea of success. Success is a ubiquitous word, thrown around everywhere with a thousand different definitions for each individual. One myth in particular grabbed me. There is much confusion between success and the recognition of success. Success is not at the moment of recognition, but in the days, weeks, months of preparation leading to that moment.
As you begin your career in real estate, you have probably already noticed that recognition is everywhere in Winnipeg real estate. Monthly top achievers, yearly awards, plagues, medallions are thrown at our industry’s top performers. At a smaller scale, our success is recognized when one lists a house and sees the sign in the yard. More recognition comes when an offer is accepted, then when it closes, when a sold sign is up, and again when the pay cheque finally arrives. If we take a moment to stop at each moment of recognition to gaze at our success, we will forget of the hours of work it took generating that first lead; the time spent in training, learning the skills it takes to bring buyers and sellers together; the money invested into the technology and systems that handle our clients; and the passion and drive it took to get started, to push, to network, to deliver an unparalleled customer experience.
Recognition is great, but regardless of the industry or profession, it’s today that matters. It’s the choices we make today that lead to the days of recognition. So, choose to be successful today, and I’ll look forward to seeing you on your day in the sun.
By Michael Froese