Connect Magazine January/February 2018 | Page 14

BY BETH CRAFTS, 4 SEASONS REALTY LLC Once again, the new year is upon us! It’s a time for starting over, rejuvenating our lives, and creating high hopes for the year ahead. It’s a time for making New Year’s resolutions - committing to quitting our bad habits, creating good ones, and being more well-rounded individuals. And in the air, there’s a feeling of hope! We are glad to rid ourselves of the prior year and all the tasks we didn’t complete, and begin anew. But often, we charge into January saying, “This year I’m going to (fill in the blank)…” And then, not even halfway into February, we either forget about our resolutions, ideas, or dreams, or just don’t have “time” to follow through. Then come next December we give up on them all together saying, “Well, so much for that idea!” or “I’m glad this year is over.” Or worse yet, “I’m just not going to resolve to do anything next year since I can’t stick with it,” and alas, January shows up and the vicious cycle begins again. So how do we stick to our goals? How do we follow through with them? How do we achieve the success we seek? One of the biggest challenges for Realtors® (or anyone for that matter) in creating and successfully achieving their goals is accountability, says Kendra Cooke, a Senior Real Estate Coach of The Core Training, Inc. based out of Huntersville, NC. “Since Realtors® are independent contractors, without a coach or mentor, no one is helping them write tactical goals, and then holding them accountable to get them where they want to go.” Indeed, whether your goal 14 RPCRA.ORG | JAN/FEB 2018 is to work a little smarter, increase your income, or even lose a few pounds, no main goal can be achieved without accountability and creating smaller or tactical goals to help achieve the main goal. “Without goals you have no accountability,” says David Oliver from Precision Title in Cape Coral. “Accountability and challenges are the keys to forward thinking, successful businesses, and self-growth.” “I set one major goal every year and then I make sure I set a goal or two every month that will help me achieve my main goal,” says Paula Dixon, Loan Officer at Union Home Mortgage in Fort Myers. “By the middle of every month I assess how my monthly goal is coming along and then I adjust accordingly to make sure I achieve that monthly goal.” As an example, Dixon set a goal in 2017 to boost her referral partners. “I wanted to add about 10 new partners this year,” she said. So, that being her yearly goal, she had to make sure she nurtured the partners she already had, which could bring her new referrals and introduce her to new people as referral partners. She worked on attending at least two networking events every week, made at least 10 phone calls a day, met three people face to face each week and made sure she had a meal with at least two. The result is that she surpassed her goal. “The biggest challenge is consistency,” she said. “In order to reach your goals, you must be consistent, follow through with your plan, and