When I embarked on a new chapter in my professional life and transitioned from my business in wellness to real estate, I had no idea how much I would learn and grow. I had my own business in wellness coaching for about 15 years and in that time I learned all aspects of wellness, from nutrition to fitness to spiritual growth. But I noticed one aspect was missing: financial wellness.
I wanted to not just learn and understand the principles behind financial wellness, but I also wanted to be good at it. I wanted to empower myself and the people around me, so I started studying and after a year and a half of preparation, I got my real estate license and began working in Toronto.
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Navigating Real Estate with a Mindful Edge
Launching my career in real estate has been full of learning and excitement. Coming from a completely different industry, I was surprised by how many skills I could leverage from my career in wellness coaching, including developing trust in relationships, self-care practices, breathwork strategies, negotiation, empathy, and social connections.
I found that real estate, much like wellness, is a journey from point A to point B, so I always ask clients what their final goal is. For some, it might be passing down a home to family members or building wealth and re-investing, but whatever the answer, there is always motivation. I used to say the same thing in wellness, what is your goal? Why do you want to be healthy? Many clients come with a small goal and then I try to simplify the steps for them and help them see the big picture.
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For people to connect with me, heart to heart, it starts with breathwork, which is why every morning at 5 a.m. I wake up and meditate. I practice breathing consciously, connecting with myself, and addressing any stress in the body. From there, I set my goals for the day and embrace my role as a community builder. I’ve learned that if I’m relaxed, then the client will feel relaxed and feel I am coming from a place of honesty and trust.
My Advice to Agents Just Getting Started: Put in the Work
If you want to get fit, you have to train your body, no one else can do it for you. This same logic applies to success in all industries, especially real estate. This means you have to do the work and you have to make yourself accountable. When I started, I created a system that works for me, based on my metrics and my goals. Tracking is a very crucial part of any system to see real outcomes. I dedicated a minimum of two hours a day to calling and eventually increased to six hours. This hard work allowed me to have around 50 open houses in the span of just four months. I worked the hardest I ever worked in my whole life, but I like to push my limits because I know I can do it. That being said, it’s also important to dedicate time to rest and recharge so I also push myself to take a vacation every few months.
Additionally, as a self-employed person, you have to have awareness of the capacity of what you can handle. You need to get a sense of what your maximum hours of work are so that you set boundaries with clients and that you don’t burn out.
My journey in real estate has been so powerful for me so far. It has given me the ability to connect with and empower more people, but I’m also able to give back and connect with my community. Specifically, through my community-building events I help support non-profit organizations, such as Bandazul, which provides education to 1,500 kids in my homeland Venezuela.
