How To Feed Your Confidence Not Your Fear
Q: Gerald, I really enjoy listening to your real estate podcast. I’ve been trying to do my first real estate deal done for a while, but I’m a newbie and I’m afraid of making a big mistake. Can you give me any advice? Jason, Kenilworth, NJ
A: Since you already listen to my real estate podcast, then I’m sure you’ve heard me say that the key to getting real estate deals is making purchase offers on a regular basis and then following up on those offers—-that is easier said than done. Your mind is a powerful machine that can work to your benefit or work against you. Sounds like you are letting fear get the best of you. Most of us begin to let fear drive our decisions and actions when we’re children especially in school trying to avoid criticism from teachers or ridicule or rejection from our peers. One of the main strategies people use to avoid ridicule and rejection is avoidance or inaction, which people mistakenly believe is a way of ‘playing it safe’. This is the equivalent of the animal that tries to blend into the background in hopes that a predator won’t notice them. The problem is that we don’t achieve safety, security or self-confidence through inaction–the opposite is true. You can train your mind to think positively. I do affirmations every morning and it makes a big difference. It’s just as easy to think about positive outcomes as it is to imagine negative outcomes–your subconscious mind will act on either positive or negative inputs. Movement is the key to achieving results and your actions reinforce your thoughts. Inaction breeds doubt and fear but action breeds confidence and courage. In your case, rather than focusing your attention on what could go wrong, think about what it’ll feel like to complete your first real estate deal and then take action every day to make that happen–market, make offers and follow up….rinse and repeat–as long as you don’t stand in your own way, eventually your persistence will pay off. Thanks for your question, Jason.
For more real estate tips and information visit my blog at geraldlucas.com.