As I speak and coach agents across North America one constant surfaces. There is apprehension about the radical changes that are going on around us. We have seen more changes in the last 36 months in real estate than we had seen the previous 36 years. We have seen massive consolidations. We are seeing the strong influence of technology in our business, such as the Internet influence, stronger contact management software, and the advent of one-telephone number systems that follow us anywhere. The changes have only begun. We need to embrace these changes and act upon them.

Let me give you a few steps to help ease the process of change.

1. Create your future:

   Some people make the future…most people wait for the future to come to them. We have to create the future. If we are waiting for the phone calls of life…. they never come. We have to break down what we need to do each and every day to move up the mountain of success. Then we must go do it. Too many of us are waiting for other people to participate in our success. We cannot afford to wait. The measure of a truly successful person is the ability to evaluate and to act decisively. Let me repeat that so it sinks in, the biggest waste of time in life is the period between the moment you know a decision must be made and when you finally make that decision and act on it.

   Create your future by adhering to your daily disciplines of business. The daily disciplines include prospecting, lead follow up, listing appointments, showing property, writing and negotiating contracts. If we do these activities and are really diligent in prospecting and lead follow up we will always create the future we desire.

2. Enhance change:

   If you’re not riding the way of change you’ll find yourself beneath it. Spend time daily, weekly, monthly evaluating and analyzing the change in the real estate industry. We need to invest time in the new technology that we can implement into our business. How effective are we with our contact manager i.e.… Top Producer, On Line Agent, ACT!. Do we have the ability to use these tools at full capacity? Do we have a website that generates activity or is it just an electronic business card? We must spend time daily to embrace and master the technology curve.

3. Envision the future of our business and life:

   Invest time into planning for your eventual success. We have to conceive what the future will hold for us. We must create the target at which to take dead aim.

Walt Disney said, “The future is not the result of choices among alternative paths offered in the present. It is a place that is created - created first in the mind and the will, created next in the activity.” Walt had the vision for Disneyland and Disney World long before they were built.

When you look out ahead for your life and real estate business, what do you see? If you see nothing, that’s what you will get. If you have a sharp picture of the future and where you are going, that’s what you will get. The first step is the picture. The next is to do the activities that will make the picture a reality. Change is a major part of creating that picture; embrace it, enjoy it and attack it. Implement the mindset of change and you will implement a grand future.

Published: January 31, 2002

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Dirk Zeller is a sought out speaker, celebrated author and CEO of Real Estate Champions. His company trains more than 350,000 Agents worldwide each year through live events, online training, self-study programs, and newsletters. The Real Estate community has embraced and praised his six best-selling books; Your First Year in Real Estate, Success as a Real Estate Agent for Dummies®, The Champion Real Estate Agent, The Champion Real Estate Team, Telephone Sales for Dummies®, Successful Time Management for Dummies®, and over 300 articles in print. To learn more regarding this article, please visit www.realestatechampions.com.