Life was a lot different five years ago when I weighed 245 pounds. I was tired, sad, irritable and just trying to survive my day, not living it.
Whining and complaining was doing nothing. Short term diets weren’t yielding any long term results. It was time for a change. But I didn’t know how.
My husband hired a personal trainer, scheduled my appointment and made me go. But I didn’t make it easy on him. I was grateful for the assist, but I was full of anxiety and more excuses. How could we afford a trainer? How could I fit a workout into my day when I was so busy?
My first appointment with the trainer was humiliating. We weighed in, measured, and talked about lifestyle and goals. He asked me where I wanted to be, and I said, while scoffing and rolling my eyes, “165, I guess.” He said, “Then 165 you will be.”
That was the first time I had hope. I now had a “coach” to lead me to success. And man, did it suck. The veins in my legs hurt so bad after each workout I had to wear compression socks. My shin splints came out in full force. My eating habits had to change so drastically that there were times I skipped lunch because I had no idea what I could eat. I had to fit my workouts in during the afternoon when the trainer was available, so I had to get over the idea that all my deals would die if I didn’t check my phone for an hour.
There were many frustrating moments and missteps. The day I told my trainer I had pizza for dinner the night before, he berated me until I had tears. There were many plateaus, like when I was stuck at 201 for six weeks and wanted to throw in the towel. During those tough times, I remembered the two promises I made to myself- never cancel a session and keep trying, no matter what.
And fifteen months later, I was 165. As a result, my entire life had changed. I no longer had sleep apnea. I had more confidence and focus. I felt better and had more energy. Basically I was enjoying life the way it was meant to be enjoyed. Was everything perfect? Of course not. But it was way more fun.
Something else happened, too- I had less time to spend on my job but yet I had my highest sold volume to date. Here I thought I would be sacrificing my income for my health, but the opposite happened. The only thing I can think is I had less time to waste, so I focused more on clients who would actually buy, and less on the tire-kickers. I tackled my to-do list with a vengeance and didn’t let up for a coffee break or water cooler talk. I was on a tight schedule every day and I made every minute count. And it worked.
And it continues to work as long as you keep at it. As hard as it was to get there, it’s equally as hard to maintain it. You don’t get to stop. You barely get to take a break. Of course, I’m just now realizing this.
After my trainer cut me loose and told me I was ready to go at it alone, I did fine for about a year, even losing another five pounds. And then I got a little lazy. One missed workout turned into another, and soon I was working out a couple times a week instead of six. Pizza was reintroduced, and alcohol became a nice escape. And gradually, my clothes were a little snugger, my posture was a little worse, and my confidence was starting to shift down.
And then I stepped on the scale.
Just like with my job, I don’t get to rest. If I take a break from reaching out to my database, my referrals stop. If I get lazy on advertising, the showings slow. If I don’t dedicate time to prospecting, my sales suffer. Having your best year ever doesn’t mean that from that moment on it will always be that way. You still have to work at it. 
So it’s time to get back at it; to dedicate myself to “me” to get to where I was the happiest. I’m dreading it because I know the work it will take, but I also know it will all be worth it.
My request for you, my fellow colleagues in this crazy career of real estate, is to think about what you can do- need to do, really- to make You a better You. Yes, it will be hard. It will probably suck and mess with your sanity, but I promise you will be better for it.
So what ONE thing do you want to change? What ONE thing can you dedicate yourself to? Once you have that in mind, think of what it will take to make it happen. For once, don’t over-analyze, overthink or make excuses for why you can’t do it. Make a phone call, set the plan in motion, and jump.
It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.
Amy Gilpin, Associate Broker, Manager, ABR, SRES.
Fourteen years of helping clients. Six years of helping agents. All for this crazy thing we call real estate.
Production Realty 517-879-4141 Jackson, MI Amy@ProductionRealty.com
