Who doesn’t remember Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street?
It was one of my favorite shows growing up and one I studied as an adult. Bert and Ernie were complete opposites.
Bert was the negative one, always putting Ernie down for his enthusiastic and optimistic approach while Ernie persevered, overcoming his negative attitude week after week.
It was and still is a great lesson on the power of optimism.
Optimism in the Workplace
Everywhere you turn in life there is pessimism and the real estate industry is no different. You will always have negative people in the industry, or even in your own office. However, negative thoughts and a negative outlook are a choice and I made the decision as an agent not to allow anyone to influence the way that I ran my life or my business.
You see, I am naturally enthusiastic and excited about many things in life. As a real estate professional I was no different. I was excited to wake up every morning, go to the office, and make something happen.
Now I am not a huge advocate of The Secret. I don’t believe that just wishing positive thoughts will get you everything in life.
What I do believe is that hard work and dedication must be the cornerstones of your business. With that being said, it is also important to surround yourself with other like-minded professionals; ones that can help you persevere on those days when the negativity is swirling all around.
Create a Support System
I was very lucky to have Doug and Kurt start in real estate at the same time as me. We came from different points in our life, but had the same ambitions and goals. While there were a few other new folks in our office, they all wanted to make excuses. “The market is no good”, “open houses don’t work”, “I’m not making calls, and they won’t get you anywhere.” I didn’t want to hear it.
Although I could have gone it on my own, Doug, Kurt, and I decided to support one another in our efforts. We rode on caravan together, sat together at office meetings, made our calls together and grabbed lunch several times a week to talk about our success stories and our challenges.
They were an enormous factor in my success. They supported my vision and encouraged me to stay the course, especially on those difficult days we all face within the real estate industry. Their encouragement and faith in me is the reason I believe everyone needs to find their own Doug or Kurt. That person who will not only encourage, but help us watch out for the Bert’s in this world.
With the support of other like-minded professionals and an optimistic mindset, you can create your own positive ripple effects. Although you may not get the listing, perhaps the seller will recommend you to someone else because of your enthusiasm. Although the buyer decided to rent, perhaps he will buy in the future and remembers how hard you worked for them.
I remember as a new associate I would go on listing appointments and beat out top producers because of my enthusiastic approach. Sellers loved the fact that I loved what I did and that I was excited to help them sell their home.
If you let that excitement come through, people will pick up on it. Be an Ernie. But watch out…enthusiasm and optimism can be contagious.
See optimism in action! Check out one of my favorite clips of Bert and Ernie:
