If you’ve been with me for a while, you know I'm a golfer – I love the game, and work at improving every time I play.
One thing I've learned is that there's a rhythm to it, just like dancing (which I also love!). And when your swing is smooth, you have a better chance of hitting the ball cleanly, and having it go where you want it to.
But if you start your swing and then hesitate – well, you might hook it, or slice it, or even top the ball and watch it dribble just a few feet from where you started.
When you're dancing, if you start a turn and then hesitate, you're liable to end up tripping over your own feet… and “sitting” not very gracefully on the floor.
Not a pretty picture, and certainly NOT what you planned!
Just as hesitation in golf and dancing can cost you strokes or cause you embarrassment… hesitation in your business activities can cost you clients, sales, and income.
Here are some suggestions to help you get “back in the swing.”
The Flaw:
Hesitation!
The Clues:
Do these describe you?
- Hitting the snooze button on your alarm clock of life.
- Stuck in your comfort zone, just getting by in business and life.
- Putting off, procrastinating, delaying, doing what you know you ought to do, telling yourself
- "I'll do it later."
- "I'll do it when I get the money."
- "I'll do it when I get the time."
- "I don’t know how."
- "It probably doesn’t work anyway."
Sometimes when we are looking for a person to blame for our problems, we just need to go to the closest mirror and we'll find 'em. Ouch!
The Mess:
You may relate to this story. 
I’m currently coaching someone who is not on track. She’s working really hard but clinging to doing what she's always done. This agent knows that she needs to change how she prospects to ultimately achieve the goals she so desperately wants for herself and her family. So together we created a plan.
She said she would start and didn't. She keeps saying she will start "today," then never does, always with excuses why she doesn't.
What it really comes down to is that she is not comfortable doing the new actions that her plan requires. She's comfortable with what she knows, and needs practice to master the new way of doing things. But she is so afraid of looking like a fool that she won't even start, she won't even try
I told her, "You miss 100% of the opportunities you don’t take advantage of! You always have at least a 50/50 shot at success when you start. You can either practice and get better, and take the risk of losing, or lose because you don’t give yourself a chance to win!"
After much kicking a screaming, she decided to take me up on my gentle challenge.
To her surprise, this agent was much better at her presentations then she gave herself credit for, and started converting listings and sales almost immediately! I still have to push her out the door from time to time, but she is at a much different level now, having tasted success.
The Cleanup:
There's no substitute for taking action. We know nothing happens until we do something, and that reaching our goals won't come from sitting on the sidelines.
The first time you swing a golf club, take to the dance floor, or make a listing presentation, you are stepping outside of your comfort zone. But you are moving in the direction of something you want, and that desire will carry you a long way.
But you must take that first step!
Get your hands off your snooze button and get your butt into the game. - Work with a plan and be accountable, preferably to someone like a coach, who can help keep you motivated and moving toward your goal.
- Create an environment in which you and your business can not just survive, but really thrive. Give yourself the tools and support you need.
- Be aware of those psychic vampires that eat away at your confidence. They are the voices that tell you that you don't know enough, you're not good enough, and it probably won't work anyway. Nonsense! Don't let them talk you out of the success that you plan for, work for, and earn. Look to your plan, your support system, and your own strength… knowing that your have everything you need for the success you desire. It takes practice, and commitment, but it is within your ability and reach.
- You have opportunities to make choices daily. Each choice takes you either toward your goal, or away from it. If you see a choice taking you in the wrong direction, choose again!
- Remember that your old ways have to die off. As you allow them to die off and replace them with new more successful ways, you WILL get uncomfortable! It’s a part of life. Change is not easy, but it is necessary to get where you're going.
- You've often heard that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. You are your own chain of skills and desires and goals. Some of your links are stronger than others. Pushing beyond your comfort zone can help you strengthen those links that will carry you to the goals you desire. The new and the unknown are scary, but conquering each step takes you where you want to go.
Caution is fear's little sister; feel the fear and do it anyway! Don't look back to where you have been - keep your eyes on where you are going, and enjoy the success you build for yourself.
I'd love to hear about how you have overcome hesitation and procrastination, so before you go please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
And if you’re ready to squash your fear, procrastination and hesitation for good, you’re in luck! Because the next Live session of my personalized 20 person coaching program for agents… The Real Estate Game®… is kicking off next Monday, February 28th.
(Deadline to register for this session is Saturday, February 26th at Midnight PT.)
The Real Estate Game® is guaranteed to eliminate fear, procrastination, hesitation, and a host of other “bad habits” and constraints holding you back from the success, income and lifestyle you’ve always dreamed of.
Find out more about The Real Estate Game® at this web page.
And if you’re ready to work on that swing, so you can make a “hole in one” the next time you step up to the Real Estate fairway, I’ve got a spot for you.
About Coach Patti Kouri:
Coach Patti the owner of Accelerated Performance Coaching Inc., and The Real Estate Game®, strives to maintain an atmosphere of community, connection, and harmony by becoming your resource base to enhance and enrich your personal and business life. Coach Patti was voted one of the ‘Top 50 Most Influential Women In Real Estate Leadership in 2008’ by the 2008 edition of the Swanepoel Trends Report. www.CoachPatti.com www.TheRealEstateGame.com
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