Happy Labor Day! Did you hear that sigh of relief? It came from Realtors who just sent their kids back to school and finally feel like they have some time back to devote to their business!

Whether you have kids that just went back to school or not, no doubt you're thinking about the last push for sales that will close this year. You're wanting to have an abundant holiday season free from financial worry and you're wanting to end the year strong!

Then why are some people I talk to in more of a low grade panic than an a focused mental state ready to kick butt?

The answer comes down to 4 simple things I've been talking about in coaching calls all week. When they're ignored, anxiety is the end result. Luckily, anyone can implement them quickly.

Hiring a coach, especially the first one, is a big deal for most people. It’s exciting and also a little bit scary because you’ve probably just written a large check and are expecting the coach to push you out of your comfort zone.

To be sure, when I’m talking to a prospective new client, I can sense that mix of nervousness and excitement on the other end of the phone. And it won’t surprise you to hear that the most common questions I get are about how much I charge; what I will do to help them hit their goals; and how I will hold them accountable.

As a new coach, I was happy to take on a client and work to hold them accountable. Eventually, I learned experienced coaches understand they aren't really the ones holding clients accountable; certainly not in any meaningful or lasting way. These days if accountability is all a client wants, we have to part ways. In other words, I've had to fire clients who...

A few days ago, one of my most talented clients from central Texas called to tell me she took 15 listings - this week. 

You might be wondering: Is she super-well connected? Is she cutting her commission to the bone? Does she have a life? Did she just get lucky?

The answers are: She has a normal sphere of influence. She's charging full commission. She has a great life and two little kiddos. And she did not get lucky; she earned every single one.

So how then? How does one take 15 listings in a single week?!

The answer is not one you might expect and it's something everyone can do. Click to watch this week's message and I'll tell you just how she did it.

Why in the world did it take me 27 long years to realize my dream of moving to California? That's a question I've been pondering lately. Somehow, one life event after another led me to today, where I'm writing this to you from the beach. But why did it take so damn long?

It wasn't a lack of desire. It wasn't a lack of funding or opportunity. The real reasons, two very big reasons, were discovered on the long drive out here. As a performance coach, I talk to people daily about ways to get really good at selling. The whole point is to help people use their business to get closer to realizing their own dream. 

So, while it would have been easy to post one video about California then get back to some general real estate sales topic, I decided it could potentially help more people by sharing some of my own lessons that took a very long time to learn.

Watching this week could cut some of that time off of the path to realizing your own vision. Enjoy...and please let me know what you...

OMG I moved to Santa Barbara this week! Living in California is something I began dreaming of as a child. I even moved to Los Angeles when I was 17, right after being graduated from high school, but it didn't last long. Twenty seven years later, I've come full circle and am back on-track with this vision.

Living life on our own terms is something I believe we all want. One would think that after nearly three decades of life experience, moving to a new city would be relatively easy. Or at least low-drama. Compared to my 17 year old self, I have resources and knowledge that only come with the passing of time.

But for me, the move was neither easy nor drama-free. This was one of the most intense weeks of my life. I was pushed to the edge emotionally. I felt fear, loneliness, frustration, anger, loss and doubt - just to name a few of the negative emotions. I was reduced to tears at least once a day. I also felt excited, empowered, happy, enthusiastic,...

After buying something online, when do you expect it to show up? Thanks to Amazon‘s Prime Now app, the answer for many is literally "now"! Or at the longest two days; anything longer is simply irritating. We have become a pretty impatient society and that extends to relationships.

I recently sat at a restaurant bar and watched the young guy next to me pull up his Tinder app and swipe left on tons of profiles. Was it too much effort to try to start a conversation with any of those women? Was he secretly hoping Amazon would drop one in his lap within an hour or two? Maybe he had really high standards. Or he could've been a jerk. Or possibly just bored...

Ironically, if the answer for him was "just bored", swiping left was only going to isolate him further and contribute to the boredom.

I started thinking about my early experiences dating as a young man. The world was much slower and we couldn't "swipe left" on...

What if one day you woke to discover your website was removed from Google's search index or, that your Instagram or Facebook page was taken down? 

What would you do?

I know a Realtor who lost her Facebook business page because someone stole her identity and used it to spread hate speech throughout Facebook. All accounts with her identity, real and fake, were removed.

Have you heard of shadow banning? That's where it looks like your account is operating normally but you've been rendered invisible to most other people because you've broken a rule.

This happened to me recently when I used too many hashtags on my Instagram posts. Instagram allows a maximum of 30 hashtags, but apparently the rules are such that if you always use 30 and they are remotely similar, your posts will be banned from showing up on any hashtags feeds.

That meant while I was shadow banned, if I wanted people to find me with #realestate, I was out of luck...

My brother's first child is starting kindergarten this year and he told me they bought all the school supplies the other day! I was like: wait, summer just started!

Then I was asked on the blog for help establishing boundaries. When I spoke to the agent who posted the question, I learned she was feeling pushed around by her clients and the generally scattered, busy nature of summer.

By the end of my coaching calls this week, it felt like everyone was running around trying to do as much business as possible while managing the kids and trying to squeeze in some fun to boot. In other words, people I spoke with were feeling stressed because boundaries were being crossed all over the place.

Some people will tell you they have standards; others will say they have boundaries. From a coach's point of view, what you call them is far less important than deliberately thinking about them.

You didn't get into real estate to be pushed around....

The first time you turn down business is simultaneously terrifying and empowering.

Terrifying because as entrepreneurs, we instinctively understand that generating leads is our primary job. We see evidence all around us of agents who suffer from a  lack of consistent leads and walking away from even one can seem downright reckless.

Empowering because once our business is steady and consistent, we know we've reached the point where we're ready to choose. Choose the kind of clientwe want. Choose the area we desire to serve. Choose the type of housing we enjoy selling. Choose to focus so we succeed at a higher level.

I imagine some of you reading this are thinking: NO WAY! I'd never turn down a good lead. That would be okay because you have to reach a certain level of consistency before even considering passing up any lead.

Others are probably thinking: I totally remember my first time!

So, in whichever group you fall, today's lesson will inspire you....