“I can and I will; Watch me”: Ditching limiting self-belief.

“If you’re stuck in life, it’s probably because you’re waiting for the big bang. The break-through moment in which all your fears dissolve, and you’re overcome with clarity; the work that needs to happen, happens effortlessly; your personal transformation rips you from complacency and you wake up to an entirely new existence. That moment will never come. Breakthroughs do not happen spontaneously. It’s a tipping point” –Brianna West, The Mountain is you.

Two and a half years ago I stood in front of an Everest of a challenge, starting my career as a Rookie Estate Agent, and had no choice but to face a climb that seemed overwhelming at best.

Just two months after starting my career as a Property Practitioner, and right after getting my first listing (and getting myself into the swing of things), our country was put in lockdown and I was stuck at home, anxious about the future and my career that was still in infancy at the time.

During some much-needed reflection time during lockdown (to drown out the panic and anxiety that otherwise filled the world), I recalled a conversation with an old colleague telling him confidently that I am set on earning a million a year by the time I am thirty. By his very vocal opinions over his lack of confidence in my ability to reach my (what seemed to be a far-fetched dream at the time, sitting in a call-centre), I realised that if I am going to make it happen, I need to stop taking other people’s limiting beliefs of what I can achieve to heart. I shrugged my colleague’s indifferent opinion off and replied with a cheeky “I can, and I will- watch me” and left it there. Fast forward 6 years, during a global pandemic and at the age of 27, I knew that I could and I should.

Lockdown’s tight grip on our industry slowly relaxed and with some fresh determination, a little bit of anxiety and a lot of tenacity, I decided that the time is now! I have reached my own tipping point.

As the charismatic TikTok sensation Elyse Myers says: feed your brain the smallest amount of evidence and you will actually start to believe that you can make a change in your life. I knew that if I wanted to succeed, I needed to feed my brain evidence that I am equipped and capable of pursuing this as something that’s been burning inside of me. A few valuable habits have been critical through this journey.

Begin with the end in mind

As luck (or destiny) would have it, right about the time that I decided to go for it, the Century 21 South Africa National Training Academy, now Century 21 University launched The Millionaires Challenge, and from the get-go, I knew that this could be the catalyst that could fuel my drive. I have always lived by the saying “Begin with the end in mind”, a term coined by Stephen Covey, and from the word go having a roadmap with clear goals and a vision for the next year, starting from where I am at the moment (Having had a few mediocre sales and an average pipeline), I knew that this would serve as the palpable evidence my brain needed to remind myself that I am wildly capable of achieving this goal. From there on I could calculate “WHAT IT TAKES” so that I could prepare to do WHATEVER IT TAKES, and I really have had to stretch myself to show up for the “whatever it takes” part of this journey, which I now know to be 121% RELENTLESS commitment.

Cash-up!

One of the best parts of my journey with the millionaire’s challenge was the fact that, for the first time in my life, I consistently kept myself accountable for the goals that I set; There’s no point in setting out to achieve goals and writing up elaborate action plans if you are not tracking your progress with measurable deliverables and knowing exactly where you are excelling and where you are dropping the ball; in Real Estate, the numbers are telling, and you’ve got to call yourself out on your own BS. What started off with being a weekly cash-up and check-in with myself, soon became part of my daily routine, tracking ALL aspects of my daily activities, including clients and deals that I lost, and things that didn’t go as planned. This also provides you with an opportunity to identify any weaknesses in your processes or skills, or possibly some knowledge that you have yet to acquire. There were many times that I missed the mark on monthly cash-ups and had to push myself a little extra to catch up, which pushed me even more towards levelling up in all aspects of my business.

Just show up.

This next phase in your life is going to force you to level up and show up in every and any way imaginable.

Whether you show up scared, anxious, or exhausted… JUST SHOW UP! (Preferably on time😉). 100% of my “lucky” days in Real Estate only happened because I dragged my butt out the door and showed up on the days I dreaded waking up, the days I could come up with a million excuses and even the harrowing days that I lost loved ones. On the days that I diverged from these virtues, my most valuable asset was being surrounded by people with extreme work ethic; yet again, another way to introduce some accountability to your day, and they MADE ME show up.

There are so many mediocre people living extraordinary lives because they have the audacity to show up and believe in their dreams. You’re the only one standing in your way!

I’d like to think that by reaching my sales goals during that one year I have given myself sufficient evidence that with a little planning, tracking and a lot of showing up, you can realise your biggest dreams. I have since reached a lot of other milestones in my Real Estate career and my goals have shifted tremendously, however, I still respond to all challenges in life with, I can, and I will, watch me, and you can do it too!

Author: Semoné van der Westhuizen – Co-Owner and Director at Century 21 Hartbeespoort and Century 21 Hermanus

19 August 2022