Some people think success is about making a lot of money, until they meet a top producer that has no life. Others think it is having lots of free time, until they meet the retired person who is essentially “waiting to die.” True business success, what I refer to as a “Fabulous Career,” requires three things to be in place at the same time, otherwise you will always be left wanting.

Abraham Maslow's famous "Hierarchy of Needs" simply, yet elegantly states that we human beings can focus on higher-level needs only after our base needs are taken care of first (i.e. food, clothing, shelter, safety, etc.).

We see this expressed all the time in the real estate business. For example, a new sales associate with not a lot of money to spare (thus somewhat wanting in the food, clothing and shelter area!) will focus intensely on generating sales so that money becomes less of a concern. Having a "life" during this phase is not really an issue.  However, after they have been in the business a while and learn how to generate sufficient income consistently, the complaints of "I'm working all the time" or "I don't have a life" start to become louder.

People in the business who have successfully addressed the concerns of income and free time have done so because they learned how to run their business like a business. As a result they make a great living and enjoy loads of free time. They have it made, right?  Not necessarily. You see, if the time they spend at work includes doing a lot of things they don't find fulfilling, then that becomes the next higher-level complaint (i.e. "I'm bored," "This isn't fun anymore," etc.)

All human beings seek fulfillment and meaningful purpose in their lives —once their lower level needs are met.  Maslow referred to this as the need for "Self Actualization."  Within the context of business, I refer to it as the need for a "Fabulous Career."

There are three necessary and sufficient conditions to having a fabulous career:

1. Doing primarily what you love to do

2. Making a great living doing it

3. Having all the free time you want to enjoy your success

Nothing more, nothing less —it is not any more complicated than this. Since most people in the real estate sales business struggle with lower-level needs (i.e. money and free time), very few give thought to the big picture.

Benchmarking Your Fabulous Career

Fortunately, there is an easy way to measure how close you are to your "Fabulous Career" and you can use it to track your progress over time. Just RIGHT-CLICK here to download a PDF of my "Fabulous Career Planner."  It is a very simple tool that will help to keep you focused on the big picture regardless of where you currently are on your "hierarchy of needs."

By the way, while defining your fabulous career is an important first step, you still need a reasonable plan to achieve it. Should you need help in defining what it is you love to do most in the business, and/or how to delegate the rest in a powerful way that doesn't require management or hassles, the 10-Week Telecoaching Program is for you. Just send an e-mail to Vickie Smith (vsmith@russer.com) with "Tell me more about the 10-week Telecoaching Program" in the subject line and she will get right back to you.

We really have control over very few things in life. In fact, the choices we make are about it. Yet our free will to make choices is one of the most powerful forces in the universe. It is what sets us apart from everything else. Use this God-given power of yours to make the choice that you will not be stuck in a life of quiet frustration. Instead, choose to be responsible for the direction and focus you take in your life. For when you do -  fabulous things start happening!