Success & Happiness- How to get the most out of your working life
Success, happiness and business don’t always mesh, but our HR Manager, Virginia Sier , has acquired some excellent philosophies on the 3 in her time here at PhilipWebb
She spoke on these philosophies at this week’s REIV Young Real Estate Agent’s Conference and offered attendees great insight into how our agents have become successful in real estate. Her insights, however, aren’t strictly limited to the world of listing and selling, so we’ve removed the jargon and distilled her thoughts into a helpful post on how to be happy and successful in your own life.
Before you set out to be successful, you’ve got to decide what success is to you. It’s no good wanting the successes of Richard Branson or Philip Webb. We are all individuals with our own needs and values, our own definition of success.
A healthy model of success is finding total satisfaction in a number of different areas of life. Your focus should be finding achievement or enjoyment in work, education, finances, relationships and surrounding yourself with inspirational and motivated people.
40 years ago PhilipWebb Real Estate began as a two-man operation. Today, we are the largest non-franchise real estate firm in Victoria, employing over 110 people. This has all come about because Philip and the people he has chosen to surround himself with are clear on what success is for them. They set defined goals and then commit every effort to trying to achieve them.
Philip reminds us that “Hope is not a strategy”.
You need to be clear on how you are to set about achieving the things that you hope for. This is what success is made of. Goals allow you to carefully orchestrate all the steps on the way to achieving something you want. You must be specific, measurable and have a deadline. You say, I want to buy a house in Mitcham by 2014 , not I want to own a home someday.
Another Philip Webb catch phrase is be daring, be different, be first. Let quality differentiate you from the rest.
For us the 10 keys success through differentiation are:
1. Don’t be put off by a “failure” or challenge. Challenges are positive. They are experiences to learn from, they test your resilience and teach you how to be successful going forward. Believe in yourself – What you believe, you can achieve. Persistence beats resistance and wins the race.
2. Show people HOW you will get results, give them facts. People don’t care about features, sell them the benefits. Use this tactic to become the trusted advisor in your marketplace.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for the business. Be constantly looking for opportunities.
4. What’s the one difference in your branding, that someone else can’t replicate? What are you known for? Create raving fans who are bursting to tell others about you.
5. Step out of your comfort zone. When you see a successful person or business it is because someone once made a courageous decision.
6. Use your time and energy wisely. Don’t become a drama queen. Save that energy for your goals. Be thankful for what you already have.
7. Being proactive not reactive – plan for the unexpected.
8. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback. Ask for feedback every week from your manager, every month from your boss, and at least 2-3 times a year from clients.
9. Work with the right people. Surround yourself with good people who are a positive influence. Culture is everything, and it’s something you have to live, share, and show every single day. Find a mentor. Surround yourself with great people and BIG thinkers.
10. Reward yourself – HAVE FUN! A goal, once achieved, deserves to be rewarded.
Most of all, remember, success is not the key to happiness, happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. Don’t spend nearly 25% of your life doing something you don’t enjoy .
