Somewhere along the way it became a best practice in our industry to invest a significant amount of our time into social media, and to measure ourselves based on our number of followers, likes, and views. 

But if we're honest with ourselves, most of us don't enjoy the 24/7 self-promotion. It feels more than a little forced. And yet we do it anyway. The pressure to post is powerful and real. 

Fortunately we do have a better and more rewarding way forward from here: We can spend less time posting on social media and make helping others our primary focus instead. Be a professional who serves others, and serve in a manner that's true to our values and beliefs.

The path forward isn’t easy, but it’s 100 percent worth the effort. Slowly but surely, day

When we use these words often, every day, we give ourselves the opportunity to prosper as real estate professionals. We contribute to a culture where everyone on the team has the opportunity to prosper, too. 

Saying please

Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness. In the world of real estate, we can't possibly be the expert in every situation. We don't always have the bandwidth to do all the work that we need to do. We all need reliable colleagues we can turn to when we're in a tight spot. 

Saying thank you 

When we're in the habit of saying thank you, with sincerity, we show our peers that we value their contributions. It's a simple act of humility and respect. It implies that we'll be there to help our team members when they need help,

There is no better time than right now to promote and lean into our values, and investing some time to reflect on these three questions can help: 

1) Why is it that we have chosen real estate as a career?

2) What drives us to do what we do each day?

3) What is it about our value proposition that makes us unique in today's crowded market?

If we can clearly articulate the answers for ourselves, then we can do the same for the people who want and need to work with an honest and ethical professional.

It's gotten to the point where we no longer expect much from the typical business. 

But every once in awhile we're pleasantly surprised...when a business owner answers their phone and listens to us and seems to genuinely care. And we're even a little amazed when they proceed to answer all of our questions, follow through on all of their promises, and help us solve our problem. 

We need to get back to the place where competence is the standard, not a surprise. And the best way to get there, I think, is to model competence for each other, one interaction at a time. It's time we view common competence as both an obligation and an opportunity. Not just for better business, but for the betterment of our culture, too.  

Not too long ago, I published my 1000th article to the Mad City Dream Homes blog. As I reflect on my writing, I admit my first article was nothing spectacular, and I've published plenty of unspectacular articles since then. 

What I've learned, though, is that writing as a daily habit has served me well -- and in some subtle and surprising ways. Writing as a daily practice has forced me to ask questions, to think, to research, to struggle a little bit, and to publish. Most important, embracing my practice has helped me to clarify my philosophies and challenged me to keep learning. 

So, is there a daily practice that you've been meaning to start? I believe you have everything to gain by going for it. Just like me, you may not become world-class in

It happens all of the time. There's this trap that many realtors who go on a good run fall into: They relax. They develop a false sense of security. They forget about the focus and the habits that are required of them to enjoy a prosperous career. And before they know it, they're drifting, living paycheck to paycheck, wondering if they'll be able to stick with the real estate profession. 

Fortunately, for all of us who are in the profession, we can avoid this trap by remembering a few simple practices. If we embrace these practices day after day and year after year, we can enjoy a long and prosperous career. 

3 simple practices

1. Meet people. 
2. Help them. 
3. Stay in touch with them, and keep helping them, as the generous professionals that we

Hiring a small business to help you with an important project can be one of the best decisions you make. Think of the small construction company where the owner-operator is on every project, putting his stamp of approval on his work. You know you'll be happy with the quality and the craftsmanship of the finished product. And if something isn't done quite right, the owner will fix it. 

But sometimes small business owners encounter problems that negatively impact their service. 

For example, because they're part of a larger economy, they might struggle with supply chain issues, labor shortages, and rising expenses. And because they're human, they can experience the loss of a loved one or a health concern that impacts their ability to do their job

Many real estate training programs teach us to constantly ask for referrals...but are we worthy of referring in the first place?

People refer us when they know us, trust us, and appreciate who we are as people. But if we haven't yet proven that we can be trusted, for example, then asking for a referral can be counter productive and damaging to our reputation. 

Before we ask for a referral, we should seek to serve first, and demonstrate our value to our clients. In many cases we'll learn that we don't even need to ask for a referral. Our clients will refer us without our knowledge, without us even asking.

These can be career-changing questions for anyone in the field of real estate. When we become crystal clear on who we intend to serve and what we choose to stand for, then our path forward becomes clear and actionable. 

Who do we serve? 

At Mad City Dream Homes, we focus on serving clients who share the traits of our team. People who are generous, hardworking, and humble tend to be wonderful clients who appreciate the expertise and the effort that we bring to the table. 

This is why we approach all of our services and all of our marketing with a clear sense of generosity, hard work, and humility. When we consistently live out these traits, we tend to attract clients who are generous, hardworking, and humble, too. 

What do we stand for? 

At

Is to change the way we go about our work. We spend 8 hours each day at our job, sometimes more. So why not view everyone we encounter as an opportunity to serve?

We can choose to be generous, not competitive. We can be kind and helpful to everyone we meet. And we can model humility over individualism. 

We might just learn that we're able to accomplish our goals and enjoy our work. That we're able to connect with people and form long-lasting relationships. And that we're capable of being a positive influence in the business community and the larger community, too -- when we lead by example.