This past quarter, I lost three mortgage loan deals to competitors, had a large deal fall apart at the last minute, had one person talking behind my back who I thought was in my corner, and I was trolled on social media more times than I could count. The loans that should have been easy had many twists and turns. I read many articles and attended a webinar where I was told AI is going to take away mortgage jobs in the next two years. I am sure there are many other things that happened to me. That is just the business side.
On the personal side, my wife had knee surgery, my son had an unexpected surgery, and my daughter’s high school graduation happened. We also had to help her get squared away for her freshman year of college when some unexpected things came up.
All of that in the same three months while still trying to co-operate and grow a mortgage business. You might say that I am completely stressed out, having panic attacks, and have lost confidence. That was the me of five years ago. Sure, going through all of that in the past quarter was stressful, but it is the mindset I have in my life that gets me through anything.
Here are three mindset tips that I use and I believe will help get you through anything:
Attitude
A realistically positive attitude is what got me through the last quarter. I say “realistic” because just having a positive attitude can be misleading. Many people try to think happy thoughts and visualize that nothing bad will happen, but that is not realistic.
You first need to accept and realize that issues and problems come up all the time and are part of life. No one is immune to problems. It is not all sunshine every day. Rain and storms occur all the time. My mind sees problems as opportunities to get better every day and grow from those experiences. I attack problems as soon as they come up. Most people’s first thought when a problem comes up is frustration, and then they dwell on it and say why does this happen to me. They will then go for a dopamine hit and start scrolling through social media. I look at problems as a gift, not a curse. When you can do that consistently, your whole world changes.
Physical Resets
When we are working, we are head down and grinding through the work in front of us. We can go for hours and hours working away. I have talked to people who are at their office all day and have not moved from their desk, maybe briefly for a break. They DoorDash food and continue working like it is a badge of honor. I have even seen some of our industry leaders do this and vlog about it! That mentality is unsustainable.
You need a physical reset. When I start to feel stressed or overwhelmed, I stop and take a few minutes to do a physical activity. I go for a short walk outside, stand up at my desk and do a goofy dance, go for a drive, and have even done push-ups on the floor at my desk.
What these physical activities do is reset your mind. These activities put you in a different mindset. You will immediately feel better when you do physical activity. I have trained myself now where I work for an hour and take five minutes to change my physical state. This simple activity has allowed me to better focus on the tasks at hand and make better decisions. I feel confidence come over me when I do physical activities.
You cannot stay in one state for long. Taking these short breaks will go a long way for your productivity and health.
Put In The Hard Work
To be successful in our business, it takes hard work. There are no shortcuts or magical formulas that will make you successful. You must truly understand that last sentence. I attend many networking events and conferences, and I am always amazed to overhear people talk about what they are going to do, or if they could just find the formula to get more deals in.
You must put in the hard work. Hard work is preparation and doing things the right way every single time. It is about improving yourself every day. It is the discipline to study your business, understand the guidelines, products, and market shifts that most people skip, so you can become the go-to person in your area. The hard work is showing up early to understand a loan file before it becomes a problem. Hard work is putting together a solid loan application the right way the first time and asking questions about the file so you have a clear picture of that loan file.
Anyone can grind and hustle. Fewer people are willing to actually do it right, to slow it down a little and get the details correct. When you put in the hard work, you will fail, you will fall flat on your face, people will troll you, and it will not always be fun. But you will learn something about yourself. Every failure teaches you something. You will gain confidence every time you go through tough situations. Build the kind of foundation for yourself and your business that holds up under pressure.
Attitude, physical resets, and hard work are the three core principles of how I conduct myself every day. That is the whole formula. Attitude gets you moving, physical resets keep you sharp, and the hard work makes it all come together.
