Almost every agent in real estate would like to be making more money than they are right now. For successful business people, increasing our income over what it is now is very often a barometer we utilize to determine what our next level of success will be. This is very normal, but we also have to watch out.

Sometimes we can get overly wrapped-up in the ongoing idea that our success lies completely in what we still haven't accomplished yet, not in what we've already accomplished. And when it comes to making money, we have to watch out that we don't discount what we've already achieved in this arena, and think that our true success lies in the levels of income that we still haven't achieved.

While this approach can lead to constantly increased levels of production, we can oftentimes be left with the ongoing feeling that we're never achieving the level of success we've wanted in our lives. With respect to this concept, I heard an interesting quote from Ted Turner that I feel definitely applies here. On the subject of money he said, "When it comes to making money, you always want more. I mean look at Bill Gates---even he feels he's having a tough time getting by."

At first glance this quote can seem like something to just be laughed at. But there's a lot of truth to it. People like Bill Gates are constantly driven to continually outdo themselves in business. And when it comes to people like you and I, our incomes and levels of success are not followed under the microscope of the international media every single day. There are probably some days when Bill Gates wakes up, looks at the latest stock market report, and realizes he's just lost tens of millions of dollars in his personal net worth due to fluctuations in the market. I don't know about you, but I think this would take its toll on just about anyone at some level. Plus, if any competitors launch a serious charge to Microsoft's domination of the software market, this may also have an impact on Bill Gates' net worth, not to mention the field day the media will have in talking about what has happened to him. So in many ways he's probably continually driven to do what he can to keep any of this from happening, in addition to having his own internal motivation for success also.

Can you just imagine what it would be like if the media knew what your income was every year in your real estate business, and continually reported this as front page news to the world along with their own opinions on what they thought you should be accomplishing instead? Do you think this would add even more stress and/or motivation for you to perform at an even higher level in your real estate business?

As a real estate agent, you want to make sure you're not caught up in the grind of continually discounting the level of success that you've already achieved. While it's great to constantly work at improving your results and your income, if you've been in this business for years, have seen your income grow substantially during that time, and you still don't feel like you're the successful agent you want to be, you may be being a bit tough on yourself. If you think back a ways, there was probably a time years ago when you thought that if you were making the money you are right now, that you'd be successful. But somehow that level of thinking no longer applies. The income level that represents true success to you now is probably a lot higher in your mind than it was back then.

When someone sees their income grow from $25,000.00 a year to $50,000.00 a year, then to $100,000.00 a year, then maybe to $250,000.00 a year, $500,000.00 a year, and then perhaps to over $1,000,000.00 a year, if they still don't feel successful as a real estate agent where's the "win" in their career for them? People oftentimes get into real estate because they want to become successful. But if their income continually increases and they still don't feel successful, what's the point? When will they ever get to feel successful?

When you find your income increasing in this business, acknowledge the success, let it sink in, and feel good about it. Then, while already feeling successful, continue to move yourself in the direction in your real estate career that you feel passionate about.

Published: July 23, 2004

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

Jim Gillespie, Ph.D., is America's Premier Real Estate Coach℠. He has over 20 years of experience in real estate sales and is a past president of three different real estate companies. His FREE real estate E-newsletter with tips and creative ideas to help agents make more money is now read by over 35,000 agents nationwide. You can subscribe to his FREE E-newsletter by visiting RealEstateSalesCoach.com or contact him at Jim@RealEstateSalesCoach.com.