By Megan Anderson, Vice President of Public Relations
Have you ever talked yourself out of reaching a goal you set for yourself?
This was a question keynote speaker Les Brown asked the audience at Vision Summit 2022, which was an event hosted by industry veteran Christine Beckwith that I spoke at earlier this summer. Les' question had a profound impact on me and many others in the audience.
Les started by telling us a story about his daughter, who was doing sit-ups while working out with a trainer. Though she had set a goal for herself, she was struggling and asked how many more she had to do. The trainer replied, “As many as you can.”
Then Les Brown bellowed out, “HONOR YOURSELF!”
His daughter did just that and ended up completing over 50 sit-ups.
Les’ story made me wonder. Why do we have times where we choose not to honor ourselves? How can we best align with our goals? How do we empower ourselves to achieve what matters to us?
In this article, I will answer those questions by sharing more highlights and takeaways from this year’s Vision Summit. You’ll also learn about a crucial mindset shift, making empowered choices, and a simple exercise you can do to help you focus your time and energy on the things most crucial to you.
Why We Chose Not to Honor Ourselves
One big reason we fail to honor ourselves is because deep down we don’t believe we can achieve a goal that matters to us. Tom Mancuso’s speech reminded me of this.
Years ago, he was in a motorcycle accident and was told he would never walk again. That news sent him into a deep depression and to cope, he started drinking too much and telling himself he can’t.
But one day he was tired of being told he couldn’t. He was tired of living his life by the limitations that others saw for him. He changed his belief from “can’t” to “can.” This shift in his beliefs allowed him to reach goals he didn’t think were possible.
He began to honor himself.
By honoring himself, he was choosing self-love. And the thing about loving yourself is once you do, it creates the space to give others the opportunity to do the same.
Tom could have let that accident limit his entire life. But he didn’t and once he got to the point of honoring himself, he became selfless and started to share his story. I watched hundreds of faces in the room glued to Tom as he spoke and shared the good, bad and ugly about his struggles. His talk encouraged those of us who were listening to identify where we struggle and where we limit ourselves.
Tom's example of overcoming gave everyone permission to step into their own personal power. I have never seen so many audience members with tears in their eyes. Sharing your story and living by example is one of the best ways to give back to the world.
I had the chance to interview Tom after he stepped off stage – watch it HERE.
Know Your Values
Making choices that align with our values, beliefs and purpose are a crucial way we honor ourselves – and give back to the world. All of these take time to learn and they are always taking on new meaning the more experience we gain.
If you’re feeling stuck with how to align with what matters most to you, try this simple exercise. At the end of every day, write down what tasks you did that brought you joy. Focus on those tasks that made you feel empowered and capable. Note the things, people and events that lifted your energy and those that didn’t.
Over time, and fairly quickly, you’ll begin to see what you need to do more of and what or who you should let go of.
Making Empowered Choices
Honoring ourselves doesn’t just involve big decisions. Our daily choices are how we honor ourselves enough to reach our goals. As mortgage originators, one of the most crucial choices we can make is to equip ourselves with the knowledge and analysis that can help our clients make the right financial choices for their families.
I understood this when MBS Highway’s CEO, Barry Habib, stepped on stage. He talked about the housing market, both where we are and where we’re headed. After all, the media has been sounding the alarms on a potential recession this year, which has many questioning if it’s a good time to purchase a home.
When people hear about recessions, most remember the sharp decline in home prices during the housing bubble and 2009 recession. Many often mistakenly believe that the recession caused the housing bubble, but it was quite the opposite – the housing bubble led the U.S. into a recession.
Looking back at the other eight recessions since 1960, home prices significantly increased or at least remained stable each time during and after the recession. One of the reasons this occurs is because interest rates significantly fall during recessionary periods.
During the housing bubble, risky, non-verified mortgages were commonplace. There was a glut of supply in the real estate market along with much lower buyer demand. Today’s housing market is much stronger – there are 3 million fewer homes for sale compared to the housing bubble, and 14 million more households. Strong demand and tight supply should continue to be supportive of home prices.
Being equipped with crucial market knowledge and analysis like this gives you the power to answer your clients’ questions with confidence – and it’s a daily choice you can make.
In MBS Highway’s daily morning update video, we cover anticipated market and rate movements, economic reports and media-driven objections so you’re always up-to-date with the latest news and most crucial analysis.
Sign up for a free 14-day trial of MBS Highway to check out our daily morning update video, as well as our most popular tools like our Bid Over Asking Price, Buy vs. Rent Comparison, Loan Comparison tool, lock alerts and more. These tools will empower you with the knowledge you need to turn prospective homebuyers into clients and become the type of advisor they need to guide them in today's market and for years to come.
You Are Not Alone
This event reminded me that we are never on this journey alone. Take some time to think about people in your life who have helped you along the way and remember to hold them close. One person I’ll continue to keep close is Christine Beckwith and I look forward to her new book, “Finding Honor: The journey to truth.”
And remember, MBS Highway is here for you, too.