Don't be a has-been, be a will-be...

“I am not a has-been. I am a will-be.” (Lauren Bacall), from Jack’s Winning Words.

Jack went on to talk about keeping a positive attitude about things and about cities like Detroit being on the come-back or will-be trail.

I had a tough year in real estate last year, but I don’t think of myself as a has-been just because of that. It was a tough year for many agents in my office, with listings way down and homes hard to find for the buyers that we had. It was also a year where many of my deals were short-sales, which meant increased work for decreased payback. So my production was down and my pay suffered for the loss.

Out of the adversity of 2012 I think I learned a bit about myself and grew a bit as a person. Now I’m more ready for what will likely be another challenging year and better equipped to deal with the real estate landscape as it exists. I can’t change the real estate environment that I have to work in, but I can and will change how I deal with it.

I don’t cringe at the prospect of yet another short-sale, because I’ve finally developed a very good approach to them and have a good team in place to help. I can’t make homes pop onto the market to meet my buyers’ needs; but, I have become much better at figuring out how to expand my buyers’ minds about the choices in the market that we have. I won’t win every listing that I compete for; but, I will sleep easy at night knowing that I gave it my best shot and was honest with the homeowners about the real market value of their home.

So, how do you see yourself in these tough times?  Are you a has-been or a will-be? Will you seize the day or let the pressures of the day seize you? You can start off by vowing that you refuse to lose. Even if you don’t win every listing or make every offer stick, that doesn’t mean that you’re a loser. Learn something from every setback and see the opportunity to make changes in how you do business based upon that new knowledge and your “will-be” will turn into I am. I know that I am.