Who’s motivating you when you need it? Who’s motivating you? Maybe you’ve never thought about it, but, in attaining goals, having an inspiring mentor is a huge determinant. We think we can do it ourselves, but it is very difficult to self-motivate through tough times.
Motivation on Steroids: How a Homeless Girl Got to Harvard
Khadijah Williams’s mother was last spotted living in a storage unit in Los Angeles. But, Khadijah isn’t living there. She’s on her way to Harvard. What an improbable—yet inspiring—story. For as long as she can remember, she and her family, consisting of her mother, and her sister, have drifted from one homeless shelter to another. Yet, she’s still not drifting. And, she’s not just graduating from high school, or getting an entry-level job, or going to a community college, she’s actually enrolled in Harvard. (Don’t get me wrong. It’s a terrific feat to go from homeless to a job, or to graduate from anything. But, Harvard?…..)
Where did Khadijah Get Her Tenacity?
What aspects of Khadijah Williams’s life caused her to veer off the homeless, dependent path and toward higher education? Who inspired and motivated her?
Five exceptional points stand out from her story:
1. Hear the positive about yourself
Someone told Khadijah she was smart. In the third grade, she scored in the 99th percentile on a state exam. Her teachers told her she was gifted, and put her in special programs—even though her schooling was intermittent—and she moved schools constantly.
Question: Are you able to block out the negative and focus on the ‘positive you’? Who do you believe?
2. Believe in your unique talents and skills
Khadijah believed in herself because she believed what her teachers told her about herself—the positive.
Question: Do you have the tenacity to turn the positive comments into unshakable belief?
3. Seek out encouragement/inspiration from mentors
Khadijah realized she couldn’t do it herself, and sought out organizations and mentors.
Question: Do you seek out mentors who encourage and inspire you?
4. Never give up
Fueled by her belief in herself and the faith others had in her, Khadijah developed unbelievable tenacity to put herself into programs, stay in school, and ignored the taunts of the other students (you’re homeless, you can’t do this, etc., etc., etc.)
Question: How long are you willing to fail to succeed?
5. Create your own environment
Even though her mother and sister continue to live the homeless lifestyle, Khadijah has never blamed her relatives or her environment.
Question: How good are you at putting yourself around winners?
Yes. It’s a challenging market. But, if this homeless girl with absolutely none of the advantages almost all of us have can put these five attributes to work and step so very far out of her comfort zone, our challenges don’t look so huge, do they?
Who/what inspires you? Let me know who and what inspires you .
Managers’ tip: Why not do this as an exercise with your agents? You’ll inspire them and re-light the fires of desire so they’ll be eager and enthusiastic to do what needs to be done to get back into the action.
Who’s inspiring you right now? Maybe it should be YOU!
Motivation and Inspiration Built Right Into this Training
I know it’s difficult to motivate yourself. I also know we greatly underestimate the tenacity and ferocity it takes to succeed in real estate sales! So, I’ve built in lots of motivation and inspiration into my program Up and Running in Real Estate. I’ll coach you all the way through your 8 intensive weeks to success. And, there’s a component for your manager–she/he can coach you, too. Check it out here. Why not give yourself every opportunity to succeed?
