This post originally aired as a podcast!
🎧 Listen to the show on Apple Podcasts | Spotify

Real estate is an industry that is constantly moving and never stops. If you're a real estate agent, you don't have a traditional nine to five job, which might be what drew you to real estate to begin with. 

But it also means that seven days a week, 365 days a year, you're thinking about your business and your customers. 

Let's stop for a moment and think about you. In the spirit of the holiday season, I invite you to give yourself a gift that will grow your business.

When it comes to holiday shopping, I'm a mix of old-school and new-school. I purchased many of my Christmas gifts online and had them mailed directly to my family. I also took time off during the week to avoid the weekend crowds and do some shopping in the stores. And if you're anything like me and millions of others during the holiday season, you also devoted time to gifting others.

My challenge for you is to take that same dedication and thoughtfulness and channel it into gifting yourself. Now, I don't mean buying things you want on the way to the checkout counter. I'm talking about being intentional with your mindset and your time.

So, here are five gifts to give yourself that will empower you to grow your business.

1. Give yourself the gift of rest to refuel your business

The first gift you can give yourself is the one that's most often disregarded because you get busy. But the reality is that you cannot constantly burn the candle at both ends. By going, going, and never stopping, you're leading yourself to burnout. And a stressed-out, exhausted version of yourself won't be able to show up and be the best agent you can for your customers, your marketing, or your business.

So, schedule and set aside time for rest.

This might be as simple as setting a time to turn off your electronics every evening. If the last thing you do before going to bed is check and return emails, that doesn't help you unwind from the day. Likewise, you can make a point of adding to your calendar when you'll take vacations and time off throughout the year. It doesn't have to an expensive vacation to help you unwind. A two or three-day mini-staycation throughout the year can help you recharge and come back to your business re-energized.

Rest doesn't mean that you aren't passionate or dedicated to being successful. Taking time to rest is being self-aware enough to know that the best version of yourself isn't an over-committed, tired version of yourself. Instead, know that recharging can refuel your business!

2. Give yourself the gift of grace to write your own story

What would your life be like if you weren't comparing it to others? It's so easy to become discouraged when you see other people achieving "it all" so effortlessly.

I want you to pause the next time you feel like you're in the comparison trap or you feel discouraged with your own progress. Give yourself the gift of grace to write your own story. It doesn't matter how many transactions another agent sold or how many Instagram followers they have compared to you.

Their story isn't your story. They might not be in the same chapter as you, and you can't see all the challenges behind the scenes in their own journey. We can be so unkind to ourselves in the rush to reach "perfection" that we lose sight of what matters along the way. So, put your blinders up and give yourself the grace to figure things out, make mistakes, and improve in your own way. Your marketing will be better, your business will grow in a way that's sustainable, and you'll be happier along the way.

3. Give yourself the gift of education to improve your skills & boost your confidence

I already know that since you're a podcast listener, you're proactive about learning new skills, improving your marketing, and becoming a better agent. Don't lose that focus and enthusiasm for ongoing education!

By continuing to invest in yourself, you're investing in your business. Even though I'm a professional real estate marketer with over a decade of experience and a degree in marketing, I still make it a point to advance my craft. I'm constantly listening to podcasts, reading blogs, watching videos, and I even took several paid courses this year.

When you invest in yourself, you're not only learning new strategies and skills, you're also giving yourself a confidence boost. So, keep on learning, and consider setting aside time (and potentially money) to give yourself the gift of education. I know that one of my goals for my IG Unlocked students (in my Instagram marketing course) is to gain foundational marketing knowledge and the confidence and motivation to succeed.

{Click here to learn more & join me inside IG Unlocked for Real Estate!}

So, find sources where what you learn is not only practical but also motivating.

4. Give yourself the gift of compassionate self-reflection to improve

You can't grow if you don't challenge yourself to improve. Yet many times when we set out to better ourselves, but we end up beating ourselves up to get there.

Instead of coming from a place of "I'm not good at this," I want you to flip the script and be compassionate to yourself. You can be self-aware and think critically about where you can improve without being negative. So, instead of thinking, "I'm not good at this," simply think, "there's room for me to improve here."

This simple mindset shift can set you up for success instead of weighing you down with negativity that can lead to failure. Instead of being "bad" at social media, you have room to improve your social media strategy. Instead of recognizing that you're "no good" at video marketing, think, "if I practiced video and got more comfortable, I could connect with more customers."

It's healthy to improve ourselves, but do it with compassion.

5. Give yourself the gift of belief in yourself to propel you forward

Lastly, one of the most powerful gifts you can give yourself and your business is simple. Believe in yourself. 

If you want to be a top agent in your market or attract more customers through your marketing, it all starts with believing you can do it. If you believe you can, you're already halfway there. We can figure out the exact strategy and steps to take for you to reach your goal. these paths might change, and it can be flexible, but what must be a constant is your belief in yourself.

When I started Ideas for Real Estate, I wasn't sure exactly of all the moving pieces of launching my business, but I believed in myself. And at the end of the day, that's what matters and moves me forward towards success.

If you're not quite there yet, take some of my belief to get you going. Because I know that you can do whatever you set out to accomplish. Take that belief and propel your business forward with it!
Moving Forward

Now, I know that the holiday season can get materialistic when it comes to gifts. So, I hope that today's episode inspired you to think about gifting yourself in a new way that's meaningful. The most impactful gift you might give yourself could be as simple as a mindset shift.

And to recap, the gifts I recommend giving yourself are to:

1) Give yourself the gift of...rest to refuel your business

2) Give yourself the gift of...grace to write your own story

3) Give yourself the gift of...education to improve your skills & boost your confidence

4) Give yourself the gift of...compassionate self-reflection to improve

5) Give yourself the gift of...belief in yourself to propel you forward

They're gifts that might challenge you to step back and recognize that the road to success isn't always a constant grind. For sustainable business growth, it's important to focus on your mind as much as you focus on your strategy. And leading into the new year, I hope you give yourself one of these gifts that will grow your business in a way that works for you.

{Click here to join IG Unlocked!}

UP NEXT: