It may be that the key to your effectiveness in 2006 is what you should stop doing, rather than what you could be adding to an already full plate.

Napoleon Hill in his famous book, "Think and Grow Rich," writes that what you focus on becomes bigger than the idea itself, meaning if you are focusing on there being too much to do, it is unlikely you are going to attract much new business. The message you have sent out is that there is just no room for more clients or activity or sales.

In the same vein, if you have bought into the belief that the only business out there these days is with people who want you to cut your commissions, it is unlikely the ones who are willing to pay a premium price for outrageous service will knock on your door. We always find "evidence" to prove what we believe.

But your unexamined beliefs can limit you. To be most effective this year, you must ask yourself, "What are the "truths" that may be holding me back from reaching my full potential?"

Make a list. Think back to what believes you've held in the past. Ask yourself, "What this belief true." For example, you may have believed that being a new agent in the field meant that no one would want to work with you. Was that true or did you set yourself up for failure?

• Do you believe it is hard to get listings in this market?

• Do you believe that everyone wants a discount on their fees?

• Do you believe that there isn't enough time in the day for you to get done what you have to do, much less grow your business?

• Do you believe that you can't be successful without buying a lot of new equipment or getting better at negotiating?

• What are the other limiting beliefs of your belief system?

Here is the good news. By simply becoming aware that you have unconsciously been buying into this limited way of thinking, it will begin to have less impact. You can now question whether certain ideas are actually truths. You can recontexualize it for yourself by coming up with other possible ways of thinking. A good way to do this is to come up with 3 or 4 alternative ideas and then decide which empowers you the most.

Let's look at an example one of my coaching clients shared with me this week. She said she felt like a slacker because she hadn't done much business in January, whereas her desk mate had business coming out of her ears. So her belief system, it seems, was telling herself the that the fact someone else was doing a lot of business was because she was lazy. What would some other conclusions be?

• Perhaps, that there really wasn't all that much business out there.

• Perhaps she needed to clear her plate to attract some of that business.

• Perhaps she needed to examine her strategies for the year to see if they were still relevant.

• Perhaps -- insert almost anything you could make up.

Was she just believing she was lazy? Probably not. She just needed to address the root of the issue instead of the symptoms.

So what can you do to clear your head and start fresh -- with no preconceived notions of what you are or are able to do?

Clear your plate. There are, no doubt, activities in your day that are not the highest priority or best use of your time. The Pareto Principle says 20 percent of your actions produce 80 percent of your results. The flip side of this is that 80 percent of what you do is only responsible for 20 percent of your results. Have you taken a look at where your time goes? What should you stop doing?

While spring weather isn't quite here in most areas, a gardening analogy may help. When you plant a lot of seeds, you get many seedlings all crowding each other for the same nutrients. Left crowded, the plants will be stunted. If you carefully thin them, the remaining plants will thrive and grow strong. It's hard to pull up those plants and let them die. It may be hard for you to let go of some commitments or goals.

You will find, however, if you thin your focus to 3 or so areas you are determined to thrive in this year, success will come more easily.

By examining your limiting beliefs and clearing your plate, you will feel lighter and find yourself able to create a flow you can go with instead of struggling at trying to make things work.

Choose the beliefs that excite and empower you and make the space to stay focused. You'll find 2006 will be a very good year!

Published: April 7, 2006

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Joeann Fossland ePRO, GRI, MCC, PMN, SRS is a dynamic, international speaker and business coach. She personally coaches a small number of extraordinary agents who want to leverage their production results and have a life they love! She was recognized as one of the 25 Most Influential Women in Real Estate in 2008 by Stephan Swanapoel. Subscribe to her free Tuesday Tips, attend Fossland's Forums, free monthly tele-seminars, and find out about classes delivered by email and personal coaching by visiting Joeann.com or email her at . You can also connect at Facebook and Twitter.