Tom Brady, who just retired as the Tampa Bay Bucs quarterback at age 44, can teach everyone in the real estate a great deal. While Brady is an extreme example of hard work and obsession with his craft, there are four traits that he has that you can work on to better your craft. They are confidence, hard work, fearless and obsessed.
Believe in yourself
To have the level of success you want; it all starts with the confidence you have in yourself. You must believe 100% in your abilities to sell real estate. Even when Brady was a nobody at the NFL combine, he was 100% confident that, if given the change, he would succeed.
Improve your confidence by identifying an area in your career that you don’t do well. Be honest with yourself, recognize that area needs to be improved, and then attack it. Find a mentor, research others who do it well, take classes in that subject. When you do that, you build confidence and momentum.
Another way to improve your confidence is to surround yourself with positive people wanting to achieve the same goals. Stay away from colleagues who constantly complain or gripe about things.
Don’t be afraid of hard work
Short cuts and procrastination are easy traps to fall into. It may seem like you’re making things easier on yourself, but that’s not true. Brady is known for the long hours and preparation he puts in to his football career. He was always the first one ready to practice, and the first one at the stadium on game day. He was seeking ways to get better.
You must put in the hard work to become successful. There are no shortcuts or magical formula. It is the long hours at the office, resolving problems and getting transactions back on track that help you succeed.
Be the first to start work each morning. You can’t work a few hours a week in this industry and expect to be successful. Talk to the top 1% of real estate agents or loan officers in the country, and you will see very clearly how hard they work.
Be fearless
Brady is not afraid of anything on the football field — it shows in his eyes. He’s not afraid to take risks and make mistakes. More importantly, he never backs down when the game is on the line. According to BucsNation, Brady has 53 career, game-winning drives, and that puts in him first place.
When the client’s purchase, sale, or loan application is on the line, do you rise up? How do you differentiate yourself as a real estate agent or a loan officer? So many real estate agents and loan officers I meet are afraid to create video content and put themselves out there for fear of making mistakes or looking dumb. Make mistakes, learn from them and improve for the next time.
Make real estate your obsession
Many people believe their love of what they do will get the job done. You have to be obsessed with your job and career to have the ultimate fulfillment. Brady was obsessed with improving his performance. He never stopped working on his craft, and it showed.
You can love something and not succeed. It is the healthy obsession that will carry you to success. When those tough days happen, the obsession will carry you through it. You will stop at nothing to achieve your goals. If what you do doesn’t get you up out of bed every day, then you are not obsessed with your career.
It’s the “why” you do what you do. Ask yourself, why am I in real estate?
Most people go through life only hoping to have a level of success that Brady has had in his career. It all starts with something that you’re obsessed with — helping clients buy and sell homes.
Joe Rychalsky is co-founder and senior loan officer at All In Mortgage Inc.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of RealTrends’ editorial department and its owners.
To contact the author of this story:
Joe Rychalsky at joseph.rychalsky@gmail.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Tracey Velt at tvelt@realtrends.com