Do you ever feel like you're on autopilot? You get up in the morning, go to work, perform the same tasks day in and day out, go back home, and then get up the next morning to do the same things all over again. I think most of us get caught up in this cycle from time to time—like we're running on a hamster wheel, just working and working without any idea of where we're going. The problem, I think, is that we often fail to ask ourselves why we're doing what we're doing in the first place.
In the mortgage industry, this is as much of an important question to ask as it is in any other field. Many of us in the industry may have simply stumbled into this line of work, and we simply work in the mortgage space because it's where we've found a niche. It's fine if it started out that way—everyone's got to find work somewhere. But, it can't stay that way. If you really want to be successful in the mortgage industry, "just because" is not a sustainable reason for doing what you do. There's got to be more to it.
So, why do you do what you do? What motivates you? What drives you? What larger purpose do you have for working in the industry? It could be the satisfaction of helping people get into homes. It could be the role the industry plays in strengthening the economy. It could be the opportunities you have to mentor people. It could be a great number of things. But, it's not a question I or anyone else can answer for you. You have to find the answer for yourself. But you've got to find out what it is because, if you don't, you'll lose interest and fall into mediocrity. So, the time is now to discover your purpose: why do you do what you do?
David Lykken, a 43-year veteran of the mortgage industry, is president of Transformational Mortgage Solutions (TMS), a management consulting firm that provides transformative business strategies to owners and “C-Level” executives via consulting, executive coaching and various communications strategies. He is a frequent guest on FOX Business News and hosts his own weekly podcast called “Lykken On Lending” heard Monday’s at 1:00 p.m. ET at LykkenOnLending.com. David’s phone number is (512) 759-0999 and his e-mail is [email protected].
