Should Realtors take a sabbatical?

I used to be an avid tennis player before injuries and a serious illness stopped my play, but I still watch the big tournaments. Seeing Kim Clijsters come back from a two year layoff, having a child, playing two warm up tournaments, then winning one of the 4 biggest championships makes you wonder what she did to rebuild her game. Maybe Realtors should follow her lead. Maybe it would not be for two years, but are we taking the time to re-hone our skill set that this fast changing real estate environment requires? And do we have the courage to do it?

I have always been one who stresses education. I am currently signed up with Domus Consulting Group which now has Domus U that gives you 150 webinars a year divided into 3 skill levels. Often I see struggling Realtors who's lack of income cannot keep up with expenses. I ask them to come with me to a free meeting, or tell them that they can join me on a webinar about Twitter, or Facebook, or whatever, and the normal excuse is they are covered up. With what? The income is not there, so are you covered up with trying to do the same thing over and over with the same bad results. Do do know the definition of insanity don't you?

This brings me to a conclusion. Every once in a whil we need to stop, take a deep breath, and meditate on what changes we need to incorporate in our business. This is not to say that attending Inman News Real Estate Connect is the only answer. It could be that a week long yoga retreat is what you need to get your life centered and your career in balance. You just have to ask yourself what is needed.Ii spent 16 years owning retail stores before I became a Realtor. I know that feeling that if you don't work 7 days a week then you might miss something. The problem is that something might be your life, and the enjoyment of it.

Let me give you a personal example. I spent 3.5 months in Houston last year going through cancer treatment. Obviously I could not show homes, or make house calls back in Oklahoma. I was seriously focused and dedicated on following the protocol to get healthy again. Part of that was through surgeries and radiation. but also part of that was weekly acupuncture, yoga classes, and massage, to reduce stress and have the body promote healing too. The other thing that I did for therapy is pay attention to changing my work habits and my skills. On November 1st, 2008, I had about 1100 points on Active Rain. i got busy and now it is over 125,000 in less than a year. I got busy and learned what I needed to do here. I also took training with The Real Estate Tomato and Dakno about blogging, and today i am learning how to use Twitter. Yes I was somewhat forced into a sabbatical, but I also can tell you what a difference it makes.

If your business is not going well, or you have found that being in real estate is a drag, don't think that the answer is harder and work more hours. Don't compound the problem. Take some time off, ask yourself what the meaning of life is to you, and visualize the perfect business plan. No you won't ever be perfect, but fear and ignorance are killers spiritually and psychologically. Take some time off to learn. Your future is waiting.