Finishing Strong-For Real!
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Let’s be honest, shall we? We all want to finish the year strong. While it sounds good on paper, when the rubber meets the road for some, or dare I say most of us, we’re just running on about a quarter tank or less left in the gas tank, right? “Coach, I want to finish strong, but I’m so worn out by the first three quarters of the year that how in the name of Joseph and Mary do I pump up enough energy to do so?!?!”
The end of the business year can feel like the final strides in a marathon when your body and your mind just want to escape and go to your happy place. Feeling “burnt out” is very common. A Gallup poll concluded that 87 percent of employees are either “not engaged” or are “actively disengaged” from their jobs.
Just like marathoners make it to the finish line strong, you can too. So what are the best ways to beat burnout and finish the year strong?
Here are 10 ideas that will work for you in the 4th quarter:
1: Create a manifesto-what will you do in the 4th quarter that creates an impact and allows you to work with a deeper sense of purpose & meaning day in and day out? How can you show gratitude to those who are less fortunate this Thanksgiving season and “give back” in a truly meaningful way? What will bring that focus you need? Call your shot and go after it!
To experience success in advance, start visualizing the best possible outcomes before they happen.
2: Reconnect with your favorite people-Take a genuine interest and get a little more personal. It’s been said that if you want to be considered interesting by others, take an interest in them first. This is not just anyone in your database; these are the people who really deserve your time and attention. Be intentional about carving out some quality time with your favorites over a pumpkin spice latte or another popular beverage. Talk with them about their passions and interests(for example, books they’ve read recently, movies they’ve seen, sports they’re following, teams they like, foods they most enjoy, favorite things they like to do, travel, museums or parks they have visited. People love talking about themselves and this is when the magic happens! Stay mindful and feel free to take a little more personalized approach over the holiday season.
3: Engage and encourage your clients’ Real Estate dreams. Let them know you want you to talk about their future Real Estate hopes and dreams. What do you hope for in the future? What do you want for yourself and for your family? Your education and your career? Let’s talk about it. The aspirations of your clients matter. You will find it valuable to learn what they think about their future and you can devote more productive time to helping your clients more realistically plan for their futures and understand the importance of turning their Real Estate dreams into reality. And you will find yourself re-engaged in why you went into Real Estate: to help make people’s lives better by serving them with their biggest financial investment.
4: Have some fun. The best anecdote to burnout is humor and having fun. Lighten up a little bit this holiday season and quit taking yourself too seriously. Laughter truly can be the best medicine so let your hair down and live a little!
5: Break projects into bite-sized pieces. Taking on a big task can be exhausting and provide little room for rest in between. Breaking up your projects into smaller chunks with their own deadlines provides a much healthier and easier way of completing a large project.
Deadlines can feel stressful at times however when you change your thought process a deadline can be viewed as a big time positive as well. Without a sense of urgency of a hard deadline pushing you it’s easy for anyone to lose focus and desire loses its value. Having deadlines that are way too flexible do not push us as human beings to get things done and move on…
6: Quit Comparing Yourself. It’s lethal, end of story.
7: Take a break. Recharge your batteries by making sure your recovery time matches up with your sprinting time, and incorporate recovery rituals into your schedule.
8: Develop your interests and hobbies outside of the office. Is your self-worth and identity solely based on your work? If so, you’re highly at-risk for burnout. Do something interesting! Having creative outlets keeps you engaged and motivated, and makes you a well-rounded individual. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once said, “Too many people die with their music still in them. ”Don’t be one of those people!
9: Put away your digital devices. Set boundaries to limit your use your digital devices, especially during non-work hours.
10: Pursue the optimal rather than the perfect. Perfection creates insanity! As Brian Buffini says, “excellence is doing the best you can with what you have in the time frame allowed.”
Lastly, make sure you increase your positive mindset-studies show that increasing your positive emotions builds your resilience, creativity and ability to be more solutions-focused.
See you at the finish line!
Darrin