Darren Gussick - Your Mortgage Pro - NMLS # 122481

08/29/2024

Ask Yourself... Part 3

Now that you’ve reminded yourself of things that went well (even if most of the day was a stinker), and then you’re listed the things that could have gone better, you’ll now want to make adjustments so you can IMPROVE on those things that could have gone better.

So the last question to ask yourself if, “What will I do differently to improve on what could have gone better?”

Again, another simple question, yet incredibly powerful. By looking objectively at what could have gone better, instead of subjectively with emotions, you can make micro adjustments to improve. Your continual, micro adjustments over time is what turns you into the Best LO & YOU You Can Be.

Far too often people think they need to make big, dramatic changes all at once. And that’s why those changes never last because it was too big of a jump all at once. Micro adjustments, consistently done over time, is how lifelong improvements are done.

Think about this... how much would you grow if you made daily, micro adjustments to your actions/inactions? If you were to just improve by 1% every single day, at the end of the year you’d improve not 365% but 3,678%!

But even if you don’t get to that 3,678%, you’ll certainly A LOT further along than where you began.

People tend to “poo-poo” small, incremental growth, but they fail to realize, or just are not patient enough, that small daily growth becomes exponential growth. That’s why it’s so important to live TODAY and do TODAY what you need to do. The results will follow.
Now what would some micro adjustments look like?

Let’s use a few examples from the second question:

“I didn’t do any prospecting” ---> I will start prospecting before I jump into files

“I ate a whole bunch of junk food” ---> I will throw out the junk food so I can’t eat it

“I woke up later than I wanted” ---> I will read a book instead of watching Netflix at night

As you can see, none of the adjustments were huge. They’re all simple things, however, they definitely will improve what could have gone better.

08/23/2024

08/23/2024

There's been a lot of hoopla regarding interest rates, and yes, rates have gotten lower.

But they've gotten EVEN LOWER with us. Let me explain in this short video...

https://www.loom.com/share/d95852cfe0654876b4df98bb4330ee8e?sid=37f20fff-6b45-4a9f-99d8-c5fd4d46ebe3

08/22/2024

Ask Yourself... Part 2

Constructive criticism is healthy. Unfortunately, most people who provide constructive criticism don’t do a good job of it. Instead it comes off as simply criticism without much help on what to do to improve.

People can be so critical; however, the worst critic is usually ourselves. We condemn ourselves for making mistakes, for not doing something we know we should do, or telling ourselves we’re not good enough. This has been a struggle for me for years.
(Now there are some who think too highly of themselves and believe they have it all figured out. But I doubt that is you if you’re reading this book)

The thing is, if we DO want to grow, to improve, to be the Best YOU You Can Be, you MUST ask yourself constructive questions that address areas where growth is needed.

The question that works well for this is, “What could have gone better?”

It’s a very simple question, but notice what it doesn’t ask… “What sucked today?” “What went wrong today?” “What was bad today?” Those types of questions are simply negative with no hope of optimism.

However, by asking What could have gone better?” you have left the door open to the possibility of things improving. And that’s what you want, Constructive Criticism. Not just Criticism.

So you can be honest with yourself of what didn’t go well such as…..I missed a closing date..I didn’t do any prospecting..I ate a whole bunch of junk food..I skipped my workout..I woke up later than I wanted

Those are just examples, and I’m sure you can list more that would fit you. The point is to list off the things that didn’t go well, assuming they are things you actually want to improve.

Now once you’ve listed the things that could have gone better, you’ll want to ask yourself the last question which is covered next.

08/12/2024

I only got 6 points. Guess I have done a lot over the years. How about you?

08/05/2024

Ask Yourself... Part 1

Dr. John Demartini, renowned human behavior specialist says, “The quality of your life is based partly upon the quality of the questions you ask yourself…”

Powerful questions have powerful results. The only problem is we tend to ask questions to other people, but we don’t ask ourselves questions...at least not powerful ones that will invoke positive change.

There are a lot of great questions we can ask ourselves daily or weekly, and what I’d like to do with this Tip is to spread it over 3 Parts with each covering one question you can ask yourself daily that will help you improve in any area of your life.

Question #1 “What went well today?”

This might seem like an odd question at first to ask yourself if you’re looking to IMPROVE, but asking yourself “What went well today?” has at least three very powerful benefits which aid in your growth.

1. Reminding yourself of went well will help reinforce the positive behaviors that resulted in what went well. Thus, you’ll WANT to continue doing those specific behaviors

2. As you continue doing this, what will also start to happen is that during the day, even the bad ones, you’ll start to notice the little positive things that do happen. They could be very small things; however, those little things will elevate your mood even in the midst of the difficulty.

3. Not every day is going to be a wonderful day. Some days will be very tough... especially in the mortgage industry. By reminding yourself of what DID go well, even if it’s a tiny thing, it gives you positivity and breaks up the negative cycle for the day. Negative days stacked on top of each other without breaking up that negative cycle develops into bitterness. And then even days that aren’t that bad are viewed as negative because all you end up seeing is the negative.

You can do this right after work, before you leave for the day, or even in your head on your way home. Some may do it before they go to bed, but I recommend doing this BEFORE you get home to the family. The last thing you want to do is bring the negativity home.

So, ask yourself, “What went well today?”

08/05/2024

The ice cream truck rolls up playing that familiar tune...

The Chipwich was always my favorite.
..Which treat are you getting?

07/31/2024

Hey real estate agent friends!

We have our next, live and in-person Agent Immersion class coming up in early September.

Flights, hotel, transportation and most meals are covered.

Here's a short video of me explaining a bit more about it :)

If you'd like to attend, let me me know. VERY limited spots.

Hey there! I'm thrilled to share details about our upcoming agent event on September 5th in Michigan. Learn how to boost home sales and increase your income with ease. If you're keen on attending, let me know as there are a few details to discuss. Have a great day!

07/19/2024

You Catch More Bees With Honey Than Vinegar

Would you rather eat a spoonful of honey or a spoonful of vinegar?

I don’t think it’s even close. Honey wins every day and twice on Sunday. And that’s why the saying, “You catch more bees with honey than vinegar” is such a good thing to remember when you talk to people, email people, text people, make posts, etc.

Whether it’s during the course of business, or some other area of your life, someone will do something, say something, or message you something that upsets you. Maybe they’re accusing you of something. Maybe they’re mad at someone else and taking it out on you. Maybe you’re getting unfairly blamed.

Or maybe it’s not something they said. Maybe they dropped the ball on something they were supposed to do. Or maybe it’s a company that did a poor job. Or maybe someone made a post that drives you nuts.

At one point or another, you will encounter a situation where you will want to spew at them. You’ll want to say your piece. Instead, hold your peace. Don’t serve them vinegar. Serve them honey. Vinegar divides while honey brings together.

When you serve up honey when people expect to be served vinegar, it disarms them. Respect for you grows. And if even things don’t have the desired ending, you’ll leave that encounter viewed in a better light.

But this isn’t just for situations that are more contentious. You can use honey in all of your correspondence with people.

For example, when you email/text/call people, be overly nice and tell them you appreciate what they do. Thank them. Use smiley emojis often. Be sweet like honey! This may sound obvious, but it’s rarely done. That’s why people who are sweet like honey are beloved by people.

And when you’re beloved by people, you FEEL that, and YOU feel better too! People will be nicer to you, more willing to go out of their way for you, and want to help you. Now, that shouldn’t be the motivating factor of being sweet like honey, but it sure is one heck of a benefit.

Ask yourself… “Would I rather be known as the person that is acidic like vinegar or sweet like honey?”

If you’d rather be known as the person that is sweet as honey, then make sure to serve up honey at all times.

07/04/2024

Wishing you and your family a Happy 4th of July!!!

07/01/2024

It was my pleasure to rescue this client after being denied by Rocket Mortgage. :)

"Darren and Sarah are truly amazing, I cannot say enough good things about them!

If they are able to get a raise please do so because they are very valuable to your company. Its rare to find people who are so dedicated to their job that it shows.

Darren and Sarah made me feel important, answered my questions and when they said they would do something there was no waiting or guessing.

I absolutely love these two and can’t wait to refer people to them❤️"

Thanks Natalie!!!

06/28/2024

Be a Fire Truck

If you ask a young kid, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” you’ll get all sorts of responses like:
..A police officer,..An astronaut,..A doctor,..A teacher,..A pro athlete,..you can list a bunch more, of course

Well, I asked a 3-year old that question, and he said he wanted to be…
..A Fire Truck.

Not a Fireman. He wants to be the Actual Fire Truck.
Now you and I both know he cannot be a Fire Truck. No matter how much Grit he has, he cannot become a Fire Truck. But despite that, he LOVES Fire Trucks. He has a whole bunch of toy Fire Trucks and gets super-excited whenever he sees one.

I’ve thought about telling him that he cannot become a Fire Truck, but then realized that I would be squashing his current dream. Even though I know it’s physically impossible for him to become a Fire Truck, I don’t want him to become discouraged to pursue things he loves and dreams about. One day he will of course come to the realization that he cannot become a Fire Truck, but that passion of his could mold into wanting to become the Fireman that drives the Fire Truck, or it could morph into something else entirely.

The point is, as children we dreamed big. But along the way our dreams were smothered. We were told to be more realistic. Or told to adopt someone else’s dreams for our lives. Now as adults, we don’t dream big. Our dreams now are “realistic.”

The question I want to pose… “By whose standard do we base the realism of our dreams?”

Often, it’s based on what the herd believes is realistic. Mediocrity has become the realism of the herd. But here’s the thing... since so many people are believing and operating at a level of mediocrity, it’s easier than you think to transcend to greatness.

You just have to ignore the herd that tries to pull you back to mediocrity, set your sights on your goals, and have Grit.

So start dreaming big again!