It happens to all of us.

We get down.  Things don’t go our way.  Our spirits become a bit frayed.

None matter the size of your “company”, none of us are immune to the daily stress of running a business.

And yet some agents act as if this will never happen to them.  For many agents, stress is a dirty word—something that only happens to lesser humans.

Left unchecked, stress can destroy your life – and your business!  It is much better to admit that stress is part of your life in one form or another.  You know it’s going to invade your life anyway, so why not plan for it?  Agents who don’t acknowledge stress will burn out because that stress eventually catches up with them.

Winning the mental game in real estate requires that you have a strategy for stress.  You need to accept – and plan for – the fact that you’re going to have to retreat every once in a while from the stress in your life.

Professional athletes are the perfect examples of people who know they have to win the “mental game”.  In fact, many professional athletes have “mental coaches” they work with to help them overcome their fears and stress about the successful outcome of the event they are participating in.  Think I’m exaggerating?  Go to Google and search “mental game”.  Most of the entries on the first pages revolve around athletes!

Athletes, who must have amazing physical prowess, have also learned that they must manage their stress and emotions in order to achieve their goals.

It’s the same thing in real estate.  If you don’t take care of your mind and emotions, your attitude and your ability to concentrate will suffer.

Real estate can be very emotional for everyone involved—for agents, for buyers, and for sellers.  Every part of a transaction has the potential to trigger extreme highs and extreme lows.  Happiness, sadness, joy, and anger are all part of the equation – sometimes within the same hour!

Being aware of this allows you to keep the mental side of your “game” sharp at all times so that when stress creeps in, you’re ready for it.

So how do you do this? Here are some ideas:

1. The “Hour of Power”.

One of the ways I keep myself mentally sharp is to book an hour of time every day with my most important client—me!  I call it my “Hour of Power”.  This hour is my daily refuge from the world.  It is my solitary escape from all the interruptions of the day.  I use it to work on the parts of my business that cannot be given full attention at any other time.

It is an inviolable time.  I shut the door. I turn my cell phone off.  I do not check email.  Nobody can contact me.

It is amazing how much this one little hour a day helps me keep mentally fresh.  By allowing me an hour of solitude at the beginning of my day to focus, the Hour of Power recharges and reinvigorates me.  I highly recommend that you put this simple little stress reliever into practice in your business.

2.  No festering allowed.

One of the best ways to stay mentally sharp is to address negativity the second it arrives.  When something challenging happens, I get it out of my head and onto the table as quickly as possible.

Most people push negativity aside to deal with later.  They are faced with a problem and say, “Oh, I just can’t handle this now!  I’ll deal with it later.”

This is a sure-fire recipe for stress.  It is so much better to face problems head-on as soon as they occur.  Deal with them and get them out of the way.  You’ll avoid many hours of misery and worry by tackling your challenges in a timely manner.

3. A strong support team.

I have surrounded myself with the best and brightest people.  My team at The Lones Group includes some of the sharpest minds in the real estate business.  I lean on them – and they lean on me.  We help each other attain our goals, and we keep each other on track.  When one of us is struggling with a project, client, or concept the rest of the team is there to help.

Real estate can be a lonely profession—if you let it.  You spend a lot of time alone in your car.  You may feel isolated at your office.  This isolation can increase your stress.

To address this, put together a “master mind” team of people who you absolutely know you can call in times of trouble.  These are people who are essential to your success.  You help them with their struggles and challenges.  They, in turn, give you guidance on your own issues.

None of us can make it alone.  We all need a team.  If you don’t have one, then start building one today.  Network.  Make new friends.  Attend meetings.  Seek a mentor.  Offer to be someone else’s mentor.  There are many ways to build a strong network of like-minded compatriots who look out for each other at every step along the path to success.

Stress that sticks is stress that multiplies exponentially.  By talking about your problems and getting them out in the open, you are in a much better position to take action to get rid of them.

You need to be mentally sharp when selling real estate.  Your mind needs to be clear for the listing, the transaction, the paperwork, the closing, the marketing, the client care, the follow-up, and the lead generation.

Spend some time putting together your plan to stay sharp.  When you do, you will enjoy your job and your life more.  And you’ll also make more money!

By Denise Lones CSP, M.I.R.M., CDEI