Learning from 2020 to Lean Into 2021
As we move through the holiday season, my hope is that all of you are enjoying time at home with your families. This is a good opportunity to take some time to recharge, reconnect with your mission and plan for the year ahead.
Part of my planning process is always a reflection on the lessons I’ve learned getting to where I find myself today. Here are some of the things I’m taking away from 2020 in pursuit of a better year ahead.
Lessons from 2020
We live in a fast-changing society. It seems like things change more quickly every year. We have to change, too, to have any hope of responding to the opportunities we will see next year. Fear of change will derail more careers next year than anything the market throws at us.
Second, being a self-starter will continue to be a requirement for success. I’m not just talking about getting out of bed and getting to work, but about knowing what work you should be doing.
In my mind, this doesn’t require you to become a workaholic. That’s fallen out of fashion, and for good reason. I’ve always marched to my own drum and you should, too. If your goal requires you to work hard, do that just not at the expense of your health or family.
What you do in 2021 should be your decision and not the result of what someone else tells you to do. On the one hand, people will tell you to work all the time and succeed -- just don’t enjoy more success than them. On the other hand, others will tell you that doing the minimum required is the key to a good work-life balance -- after all, the world owes it to you.
They’re both wrong, of course. Previous generations of Americans knew that the keys to success were strong families and hard work. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is the work we do.
We have more control over our careers than at any other time in history. We can choose the work we do, where we do it from and how long we do it. And our kids are going to have it even better. Of course this comes with risk. Making poor choices will carry stiff consequences.
Preparing for success in 2021
As I plan to take my team into the new year, I’m thinking about two things. The first is something one of my first bosses taught me. I was tasked with sweeping the floor and thought I did a passably good job of it. After inspecting my work, he took my broom and swept a surprisingly large pile of dirt out of the corners of the room.
“Anyone can sweep the big open areas,” John Wilcox told me, “but only a real professional will sweep the edges.” I never forgot that. Going the extra mile will always be the mark of the true professional.
The other thing I’ll keep in mind as we enter 2021 is that because mortgage interest rates have been so low for so long, there will continue to be fewer refinance transactions. Eventually, our business will be made up primarily of purchase money mortgage loans. Are you ready?
My team will be ready thanks to our Built for Purchase? program. If you’re a mortgage loan originator, you owe it to yourself to find out more about it by giving me a call today. Happy New Year.