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Key Takeaways:
- Conduct an evaluation of your business to uncover new strategies and plans that are needed for improvement.
- Prioritize communications in your business relationship and ask for changes if they're needed.
- Establish a culture at your brokerage that expresses to everyone that mental health is not taboo and taken seriously.
When Laura Berg decided to find her birth parents a few years ago, she never expected them to reject her. She went through an emotional and difficult time, eventually turning to YouTube to tell her story. With more than 500,000 views so far on that video, the response has been cathartic for her.
“So many people thanked me for sharing and told me they thought they were the only ones to go through this experience,” says Berg, author of the new book, “Thriving Life: How to Live Your Best Life No Matter the Cards You’re Dealt.”
Berg works as a psychotherapist and professor. Plus, her YouTube channel, Laura Berg Life, has become a top-ranked family channel with more than 100 million views.
“Bad things happen in life, but they do not define who you are or the greatness you are capable of achieving,” Berg says. “Each new day offers up a chance for you to not just survive but thrive in life.”
With the entire world dealing with so much over the past two years, she wanted to give people a boost and offer advice on how to make their lives—both personally and professionally—more fulfilling.
How to Transform Your Real Estate Business
The business world has evolved since the start of the pandemic. Brokers should take the time to re-evaluate how the wants, needs, and values of their agents, clients, and themselves have changed, Berg says.
She suggests performing an evaluation of your business: What does your daily work life look like? What do you enjoy? What’s working and what isn’t? What will help you do your job better? Write everything down. Do the same for your agents or ask them to write their own evaluations. These will uncover where new strategies and plans are needed to help everyone thrive.
“I’m a very visual person, so writing a list and prioritizing that list helps me,” she adds.
Define what happiness is to you on a personal and professional level, then explore and experiment. Don’t get frustrated by how long it takes, or obstacles that stand in your way. Take one step, then another, and another, Berg says.
End the negative thoughts. When you focus on what your life or business is missing, it distracts you from the steps you need to take to reach your goals, Berg says.
If your list becomes overwhelming, Berg suggests breaking it out into smaller segments or tasks.
A quote that Berg lives by each day is, “If you do nothing, nothing happens.”
Build Stronger, Healthy Relationships
“We all get stuck and go on autopilot,” Berg says. That’s why it’s important to stop and analyze where you are now, even in relationships.
In three chapters of her book, Berg examines friendships, romantic involvements, and family relationships. She explains how to set boundaries and achieve what you want from those relationships.
Even in business relationships, it’s important to have open communication and ask for changes if needed, which she admits can be one of the hardest things to do. Most likely, the person on the receiving end may not like it. They may even see it as an attack. But you must do what’s right for you, she explains.
“Many people don’t put themselves first. You have to put yourself first, then you can be that good business leader, friend, or spouse,” Berg says. “If you feel stuck in a relationship that doesn’t make you happy, it doesn’t have to be that way. We don’t have to stay in those relationships, or we can continue and set better boundaries.”
It’s also important not to take everything personally and approach situations with empathy. If an agent, client, or someone in your personal life is short with you or makes you upset, it might be because they’re stressed or experiencing something difficult in their own lives. Talk to them and ask if they are OK. Start a dialogue.
Opening Up Can Make You a Better Leader
By sharing struggles about her past in the book—being adopted, abused, attempting suicide, and more—Berg believes it helped her heal. Others suffer in silence, just as she had done for many years.
If you have a friend, family member, or colleague who is struggling, it can be incredibly difficult to watch. She knows too well the alienated feeling that comes with that. But forcing them to talk also doesn’t work, she says.
She suggests this approach: Choose the right time. Find time a place where both of you can relax with no distractions. Be patient if they’re not ready. Let them know you are there to listen.
Be present and validate their feelings. If they open up about what’s going on, listen actively, maintain good eye contact, and use body language that is welcoming.
Share your own vulnerability. When someone is feeling bad or sad, sometimes sharing something you’ve experienced in the past can help. Empathy and commonality let people know you understand.
Establish a culture at your brokerage that expresses to everyone that mental health is not taboo. Explain that the company recognizes the importance of valuing mental health, and offer resources, such as a list of places to call for help.
And above all else, love yourself. This is mental work that you must do every day to fully believe in yourself and feel that are you worthy of love and success, she says. It also sets an example for those around you on how thrive.
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