Navigating These Uncharted Waters
By Amber De La Garza
We are all facing a situation that is unfamiliar to us. We have zero experience and we don’t know what will happen. We are in uncharted waters and circumstances are outside our control. The question is how are you going to react? Are you going to rationalize why it’s okay to not show up for your business? Or are you going to take a stand, fight for your business, and ensure its survival through this global crisis?
If you want to come out victorious on the other side of this, mindset is the name of the game. That’s because even if I could wave a magic wand and give you the perfect, customized strategy to get your business through this storm, you could still very easily fail if your mindset is not protected. Make the claim today that you will come out of this storm successful. Hold that affirmation sacred as you go about your days and make decisions for your business. Look for positive proof in the past to help you affirm that it’s possible to make it through this successfully. Did your business make it through the Great Recession of 2007 or another tumultuous period in the market? Also, look for positive proof in yourself. Consider all the obstacles and adversity you’ve overcome in your life to get to where you are today. Lean into those victories as proof that you can get through this, too.
By strengthening and protecting your mindset, you will be able to effectively navigate these troubled waters and keep your sanity while keeping your business afloat during these uncertain, unprecedented times.
Strategies To Strengthen & Protect Your Mindset
- Permeate your mind with everything you’re grateful for. Your family. The roof over your head. Food in the pantry. Flowers. Books. The list goes on. Throughout your day, look for reasons to be thankful. Commit to journaling or keep adding to a gratitude list. Focusing on appreciating the small things will aid in keeping your mind in a positive, grateful space that allows room for growth.
- Adapt and overcome. It’s such an important skillset. The goals you had set for this time period months ago may not make sense now but that doesn’t mean you need to trash them entirely. Look for ways to adapt your current strategy and continue progressing toward your goals. Equipping yourself with these tools will serve you now, and in the future, because there will always be struggles. There will always be opportunities to adapt your strategy and overcome your situation. Believing in your power to adapt and overcome will unlock opportunities currently unknown to you.
- Double down on your routines. When facing a crisis, there’s a huge temptation to throw our routines out the window but those are the times when structure and a sense of control are needed most! Routines help you work toward your goals incrementally, step by step. The routine you had a month ago is likely not going to serve you well considering everything going on. Tweak it to allow for not being able to do in-person showings, kids and your spouse being at home, working strictly from home, homeschooling, not being able to have the escape of going to the gym or Friday nights out. Find a new way to work out each day. Make a candlelit dinner every Friday. Call a sector of your SOI (because they are home!) to build stronger relationships every morning at 10 am. Stick to routines that work with your new normal so you can still be productive and fulfilled.
- Reclaim control. You don’t have control over everything happening in the world but news flash: you never had that control to begin with. What you do have control over are your thoughts and actions. Identify what you can control in your personal life and your real estate business. Can you control pouring love into your kiddos? Reaching out to your friends? Showing up for your business every day? Starting your day at a specific time? Exercising? What you eat for each meal? How your desk is organized? Recognize that you are still in control of many things and reclaim control in those areas with renewed fervor so it has a rippling effect throughout your business and life.
- Move through decision making. The tendency in times of uncertainty is to freeze because you’re not clear what the right next steps are, making decision-making feel especially overwhelming. You can’t stay in limbo because it creates stagnation in your business. You also can’t allow yourself to panic and make knee jerk reactions like deciding to let go of all your employees without putting much thought into it. Identify what decisions need to be made and when, then move through making those decisions thoughtfully, taking all the information you have into consideration. Don’t fear the possibility of making a wrong decision. There are few decisions that are a one-way door. If you make a decision and that outcome isn’t working for you, walk right back through that door and make a different decision that could produce a better result.
- Put boundaries into effect. They’re your best friend, even more so now that everyone is at home. Your new normal requires new boundaries, both physical and emotional. First, get really clear on what boundaries you need to succeed. One hour of working out a day? Three hours of distraction-free time to work on your business? Your loved ones are not mind readers. Verbally communicate your non-negotiable needs and lovingly communicate them. Share why they’re important so everyone’s on the same page. Once you’ve identified and communicated your boundaries, Hold. The. Line. You might be the first one tempted to trample your boundaries. If your family catches you scrolling social media or watching a YouTube video during your “distraction-free work time” even once, you lose all credibility. If you’re not respecting your own boundaries, how can anyone else be expected to? Hold your boundaries sacred and keep communicating them as necessary so they become clear to everyone else.
- Invest in your business. Surely, you used to feel like you didn’t have enough time to do everything you wanted to. Now you just might. What are you going to invest your additional time in to serve your business in the future? Get excited about what’s now possible in your business. What projects can you pull from the Someday/Maybe pile to the here and now? Make a strategic pivot in your strategy so you’re not going off course, just taking a different route to get to the same goals. You can invest your time in learning a new skill set so you can show up for your business and your clients in a different way. Facebook ads. Project management software. CRMs. Real estate photography, lighting, and staging. The possibilities are endless and e-learning enables you to attain these new skills from the safety of your home. Make investments in your business now while you have time so that they become assets in your business in the future.
All of these strategies will help strengthen and protect your mindset because they keep you focused on and working toward a bright future, one in which you and your business can thrive. The waters we currently find ourselves in are inarguably troubling, even terrifying, but they’re also navigable. You owe it to yourself, your employees, and your business to take a stand, keep steering, and fight for your business.
Want additional strategies to keep your sanity while also keeping your business afloat? Access my FREE Masterclass PIVOT: Navigating These Uncharted Waters In Your Small Business.
About the Contributor
Amber De La Garza is The Productivity Specialist! Amber is a sought-after coach, trainer, speaker, writer, host of the Productivity Straight Talk podcast, and creator of the S.T.O.P. Leverage Formula. She works with driven real estate professionals to execute actionable solutions to maximize profits, reduce stress, and make time for what matters most!
