Real estate professionals and leaders are told to “grind through, push through and break through your challenges,” said Jay Shetty, host of the On Purpose podcast and the keynote speaker at the NAR NXT conference in Orlando.
And, in this slowing housing market, that message is everywhere. Be resilient, push through, work harder than ever… However, he said, “When you are trying to get through something really tough, you actually lose part of yourself. Often we’re holding on to ideas, values, mindsets and habits that are holding us back, even those they got us to this point.”
Shetty highlighted four values and habits that are “practical and simple, as well as tried and tested that will allow you to keep a strong foundation even in the face of adversity,” he said. “So often I say to people, if you want to know what your values are, all you have to do is look at how you spend your money and how you spend your time.”
Here are the four habits that help you set you up for the day ahead. “I use the acronym TIME,” he said.
T = Thankfulness
“Research shows that when you are present in gratitude, you can’t be anywhere else. So, if you are having a thankful thought, you can’t have a worry-filled thought at the same time,” said Shetty. The key with gratitude is that it must be expressed, specific and personalized.
Shetty’s Action Item: For the next seven days, pick someone personally or professionally in your life and send them a note of gratitude. “It can be a video or voice message, a text message, an email, whatever. It should take you 60 seconds to craft and be specific and personal. Share how thankful you are for that person and watch how your life changes.”
I = Inspiration
“We all need to find some level of insight and inspiration on a daily basis,” he notes. “Rather than bombard your brain with news, notifications and emails first thing every morning by picking up your phone, start your morning reading your favorite quote, or a paragraph from a book, or your favorite podcast,” says Shetty. “When you start your day with some insight, inspiration and something positive and calming, you start your day with energy and life, rather than setting yourself up for failure by starting with something that drains your energy.”
Shetty’s Action Item: The first five or 10 minutes of each day, avoid the phone and, instead, reach for something positive, like reading a scripture or favorite quote or listening to an inspirational message or podcast. [If you subscribe to the Calm app, Shetty has a 7-minute meditation and message called the Daily Jay. Listening to it is the perfect start or end to your day.]
M=Meditation and Mindfulness
“Mindfulness is scheduling a meeting with yourself — five minutes in the morning, five minutes in the evening, you check in with yourself and ask, ‘how am I doing?,’ ‘What do I need?,’ ‘What is the one thing that I can do for myself today that’s going to help me have a great day?'” says Shetty. “We would never cancel an important meeting with someone else, do why don’t we make time for ourself?”
Shetty’s Action Item: Schedule time on your calendar every morning and evening where you can sit by yourself and do a check in about how you’re feeling, what you need and what you can do to set yourself up for a positive tomorrow.
E = Exercise
Move your body every day. “Movement is powerful for the body and mind,” says Shetty. “Everyone thinks they don’t have time to exercise not realizing that exercise actually creates time. How? It changes your level of clarity, it changes your level of productivity. You’re more focused and alert, so a problem that may take you an hour to solve regularly, may take you 10 minutes when you are focused and alert,” he said.
Shetty’s Action Item: Move your body everyday, whether it’s a 15 minute walk every morning, or a gym workout at the end of the day.
“Thankfulness, inspiration, meditation and exercise — four habits, core values — that allow you to create a foundation of connection in your life. You won’t feel lonely, you won’t feel lost, you won’t feel disengaged or disconnected,” says Shetty.
“When you are sharing gratitude, you will feel closer to people. We need closeness to get through tough times. We need a sense of unity and community to get through difficult times. Thankfulness gives you that.
“Inspiration gives you that boost of motivation that you need. Mindfulness gives you that check in with yourself, make sure you get what you need, that extra bit of sleep or that weekend off. And, exercise makes you more alert and focused,” says Shetty.
Real estate professionals, in general, are burned out, feeling uncertain and not sure where to go. Add these to your schedule. They’ll actually give you back more time and lead you to a live of purpose and mindfullness.