Why Was Walking 60 Miles Good For Business?

I started walking to get in shape.  And to support breast cancer research.  And because it sounded like a challenge. BUT I thought it would take away from my business.

Instead it ended up being GOOD for business!  How did that happen???

Last January I agreed to walk in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day walk in San Francisco - 20 miles a day for 3 days in a row. How will I do that, I thought.  And how will I find the time to train, while selling houses?  I work full time... and more!

But I was willing to sacrifice some business, to make it work, because I knew this was important.

Instead, I more than doubled the houses I sold in 2013, compared to '12 - from $6M to $13.9M!!!  WHAT????? HOW????

Maybe it's because people like to do business with people who do good things.  Or maybe it's just a cooncidence, as our market changes.  I'm sure both of those ideas a partly true.

But I think it's something different. 

I started a training regimen, walking at 6 in the morning with my training partner, on incrementally longer walks each weekend.  In the summers we started walking at 5:30 am to beat the sizzling Sacramento heat.  We joined a gym, and went M-W-F at 6am - still do.  Then we started going to bed earlier - 9pm and it's lights out, for me.  That means I no longer watch TV from 9pm to 10, and no longer spend early mornings sleeping. By 7am I am home, after having done a grueling workout. 

So now I am up, focused, and ready to hit it early, having already accomplished a ton.  I've lost weight, gotten into great shape, and feel good about the laser-like focus it has taken to stay on the walking schedule.  The discipline has carried over to everything else in my life.

 So what I think is that when you shape up in one part of your life, the other parts fall into place. I am sure there are self-help gurus who have said the same thing, and have told me to do this in my life, but I just discovered it on my own.  MAKE ONE PART WORK WELL AND IT ALL GETS BETTER.

The amazing thing is that Becky Lund and I, my walking partner and fellow Realtor in my office of 100 agents, ended up #1 & #2 in our office for 2013.  All while walking 500 - 600 miles in training! Amazing, and NOT what I predicted.