Real estate agents treat burnout like a badge of honour. It’s time to flip that narrative. Energy, fitness and clarity are competitive advantages.

A sharp mind and healthy body sell more real estate than any CRM ever will.

I made the mistake early in my career of thinking I needed to put work first above everything else. What I discovered quickly was a sense of falling forward that caused me to feel stressed — it leaked into my personal life and prevented me from growing as quickly as I should have.

The good news was I found some great mentors early on, and here is what they taught me.

 

The hamster wheel of success

 

Most people work jobs they hate, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like. They do it because they’re on the hamster wheel of success — looking for validation in the next promotion, new car, or likes on their Instagram post.

Meanwhile, the most successful people focus on taking care of their spiritual, mental and physical health first. They prioritize their relationships — with spouses, kids, family and friends. They spend time having fun doing things that inspire them. Then they are laser-focused when it is time to work.

They fill their calendars with the things that really matter first, knowing that if those are taken care of, most of the stressful things that hit them at work bounce off them.

Think about it. When you meet someone who is burning the candle at both ends, you can feel it — in their posture, their franticness, their voice, their scattered thinking, not to mention their emotions. In business, the biggest deal killer is not being in control of those emotions.

On the other hand, you can become a slave to structure — having such a rigid schedule, diet and workout routine that if everything is not just right, you fly off the handle and your day is ruined.

 

Everything in moderation, including moderation

 

So what’s the answer?

The human body operates on energy stores. It typically burns fat or carbohydrates. Some fad diets have pushed people to massive carbohydrate restrictions because they can turn on fat-burning mechanisms and get results fast.

Consider a marathon runner versus a powerlifter. One has trained their whole life to run distance; the other to lift thousands of pounds. Two very different power systems, but focused training in one can achieve incredible results. If the marathon runner decided to stop running and focus on power, you would be shocked at the progress they could make over one to three years — and vice versa.

But how does this apply to your work-life balance?

 

The five glasses

 

My pastor told me once, when I was getting married, to think of life as five one-litre glasses of water: faith, family, fitness, fun and finances. But I only have one litre of water in a jug.

At different points in my life, I might pour the entire litre into the work cup to get the machine going. After a season of hard work, I may decide to split it between my family and some fun to reward myself — but when I do that, the work growth drops off. If I don’t make investments in my spiritual health or my financial literacy and long-term investing, different aspects of my life grow at very different rates.

The myth of work-life balance may be one of the most dangerous concepts out there. You will never achieve it. It doesn’t exist. Life just is. Your work is part of it, your relationships are part of it, and it is more integrated than you believe.

What you do to maintain health across these five areas will often determine the enjoyment you have in them.

You’ll notice I put finances last. The reason: if the first four are taken care of, I know I will enjoy doing the last. But if I make my entire life about money and career, I will resent it for preventing me from taking care of the things that really matter.

The good news is you can decide where to pour your water every day. It just takes a little intention and planning.

 

Your action item

 

Audit those five areas of your life. Rate them one to 10 — seven is not an option. If they are below a seven, ask yourself: what would it take to get to an eight or higher?

Then put it in your calendar and be intentional about it. If you review it regularly and keep making adjustments, you will be shocked at where you could be a year from now — not to mention a completely different version of yourself in three to five years.

So I’ll ask you now: what is one thing you are committed to improving in your life — the one change that will make you enjoy everything else that much more?

Comment below. It matters more than you think.