The Recipe For Energy | 5 Keys to Breaking the Tired Cycle

By: Coach JoAnna Burks www.coachjoannaburks.com

Nearly all of our time and attention in the rental world is directed towards one thing, our units; they are the profit center. Having spent a decade in both commercial and residential real estate, I understand that our properties have the ability to drain our time, money, energy and health if we let them. Post-recession real estate however, is stepping into a whole new era by embracing a paradigm shift; serving your needs first so that you not only survive in your business but THRIVE in your life as well. Are you ready to shift from reactive to proactive and rock your real estate game?

Property ownership doesn’t come with the luxury of set hours or consistently routine days and it doesn’t slow down when we need to catch up. Under the best circumstances we are pushing our limits in our professional lives if we aren’t careful. Let’s be honest, living a ‘tired’ life is just bad for business and bad for our bodies. We don’t get more time. We have to focus on making more energy. I am here to help you restore balance with the use of science. Let the shift begin.

I am going to refocus and restructure 5 elements of your personal life that will restore a sense of balance to your professional life as well. The changes are simple, yet powerful: Increased energy, elevated mood, decreased stress and weight. A healthier work / life balance may previously have seemed impossible, but are now within reach. You already hold the power to produce maximum energy in your body, life and business, right now. These are the secrets you’ve been looking for all along.

Our Goal: Restore Balance
The key to restoring balance is to create a work schedule that serves your life instead of just your properties. Prioritizing your mental and emotional wellness, before your properties, makes your career feel less demanding and more rewarding. Property ownership is full of uncontrollable situations which could consume all of our time and energy if we let them. You can begin to arrange your schedule from the inside out, rather than the outside in. Your quality of life and profitability are the driving force here; let’s schedule accordingly. Remember, we are in control not here our properties.

Our Plan: Homeostasis
The human body requires certain conditions in order to perform at its maximum potential. When REST, STRESS, NUTRITION & FITNESS are all in proper balance, the human body is able to maintain internal stability; resulting in true optimal health (Homeostasis). With every internal system working in harmony, as it is intended, energy, body weight and radiance all take a healthy turn. We wake up feeling rested and refreshed, maintain consistent energy throughout our days and stabilize our weight. What we are after here is your body’s maximum energy potential, naturally.

With this in mind let’s apply this logic to your daily work SCHEDULE. It is possible to reorganize your current schedule to achieve this balance so you too are in a position to produce energy naturally. I am about to merge wellness into your real estate schedule in order to create energy and vitality on every level. Do I have your attention now? A few shifts here and there in the way you run your daily schedule and we can change your entire energy game.

It’s as simple as arranging the balance of:

  • Sleep
  • Hydration
  • Fuel
  • Stress Relief
  • Gratitude

This calls for a paradigm shift in your business plan. You must understand that YOU are your most valuable asset, not your properties. The shortest, fastest way to increase the profitability and sustainability of your business is not through investing in the building, it’s though investing in yourself. Increase your focus, clarity, energy & attitude and the results will flow into every aspect of your life, including your business. Transform yourself into a real estate rock star by putting yourself first.

Key #1 Sleep | 7 hours
Sleep is massively underestimated in today’s society yet has an enormous impact on our daily lives. We can optimize our internal performance without the use of stimulants during the day or aids to help us sleep at night simply by respecting the importance of sleep. Time and time again I work with high level professionals that are striving for the best in life yet missing the sleep component. That extra focus is all it takes to build a habit with huge rewards.

Don’t panic, you need consistent sleep, not necessarily more sleep. You need to be in the ballpark of 6+ hours to be operating in the near optimal capacity. There are a million reasons why this may seem impossible to accomplish, but I promise you, NOTHING could improve your ENERGY & WEIGHT more than a structured bedtime. You may be surprised by how difficult this simple task can be compared to the huge feats we accomplish daily. On the upside you will also notice the improved feelings instantly. The results never cease to amaze people. I see as much a 5 lb. weight loss in my healthiest clients when they adhere to a bedtime. Set a bedtime Monday-Thursday and stick to it for one month. I dare you.

To help ensure you get the recommended seven hours of shut-eye:

Key #2 Water | Instant Energy Booster
You many have noticed by now we are sticking to the basics. That is actually the great news. As I mentioned we are going to rock your real estate business by raising your wellness to refined levels. Instead of adding more pressure and more work, we are simply honing in on only what IS necessary. Eliminate distraction so we can increase the action.

Increase your water = Increase your wellness.

60-70% of the human body is made up of water. EVERY system in our body runs on it. It is scientifically proven that we are MENTALLY & PHYSICALLY stronger when we are properly hydrated. Signs of decreased performance are apparent with as little as a 2% dip in hydration levels. Let that soak in… Science tells us we are smarter and stronger when hydrated. So simple. So powerful. More water equals more energy, it’s not as hard as we imagined. All you need is a plan. “Drinking more water” is not a plan. ‘More’ is not measurable. You need to get very specific. Establish your daily consumption goal and hold yourself accountable.

Be sure and keep one eye on the scale as proper hydration also melts the pounds away!

Key #3 Fuel | Eating for Energy
My tone changes and my intensity picks up when I speak about nutrition to busy professionals. I will tell you nutrition turned from a mystery to a passion for me. In 2006, when I was in real estate, I weighed 43 lbs. more and was always exhausted. I was certain that eating less, meant weighing less and the key to more energy was caffeine. The Great Recession granted me the time to go to school to explore other passions such as fitness and nutrition. What I learned changed my life, body and business forever. I am back in real estate for a reason, I want you have the same information and transformation I did; from exhausted to energize.

Below I highlight the simplicity and value of eating for energy. Be advised: this is the exact same information that you would find published in a fitness or nutrition journal. I am a certified trainer and nutritionist with a real estate background. I am about to organize your food intake in such a way that your energy will skyrocket, your cravings will disappear and your weight is no longer an issue.

I am infusing wellness into your schedule so as to create a new energy that will flow naturally through you AND our business. Borrow this schedule and apply the logic and the results will take care of themselves. The key to eating for energy starts and ends with timing; its everything.

Rule number one: Don’t go hungry.

Key #4 Stress | Release it
We are addressing the topic of energy on every level. Energy is elusive and hides within the fibers of daily lives. I am here to help you extract it in the smartest ways possible. Let’s take a look at your daily stress behaviors. Most of us have some kind of time management system—schedules, lists, daily routines—but how many of us have stress management systems? That is, a system for identifying triggers throughout our day, as well as releasing stress from our bodies?

Studies show that job stress is far and away the major source of stress for Americans. According to APA’s 2012 Stress in America survey, stress keeps more than 40% of adults lying awake at night. Job stresses are increased by the perception of having little control and many demands. The longer the stress lasts, the worse it is for both your mind and body. Stress can wreak havoc on our lives.

Reducing your stress levels can not only make you feel better right now, but will also protect your health long-term. Taking time to be mindful of your stress intake and the care to step away from work to renew yourself will help you AND your business. A cluttered property is not a revenue producer, neither is cluttered mind. Your body IS your business, make sure are you have a business plan for your body.

Identify Your Stress: Monitor your state of mind throughout the day. If you feel stressed, write down the cause, your thoughts and your mood. Once you know what’s bothering you, develop a plan for addressing it. Know that you have more control over stress that you might think. Here are Coach B’s Stress Busters.

#1 Step Out: This coach is a firm believer in the power of fresh air and movement to reset the mind and body. Over worked is over rated. Our bodies and business are best served when we are in our energetic flow. Do yourself a favor, take an afternoon walk. Walking increases the production of endorphins, your body’s natural mood-booster, as well as release stress. This small step that can make a big difference in your business day.

Meditation: A guided meditation is my favorite relaxation tool for busy professionals. In a matter of minutes a guided meditation can relax your mind and body by directing your thoughts away from stress triggers and restoring your sense of calm and balance. Take the opportunity to turn your mind off by letting a trusted guide raise your metal outlook.

Key #5 Gratitude | Game Changer
I’ve addressed your fitness and your food now it’s time for your attitude. Your attitude plays a large role in determining whether you feel grateful in spite of life’s challenges or be overwhelmed by them. Gratitude is a mindset that offers you a powerful opportunity to direct your personal and professional energy to a higher level. Gratitude is defined by your attitude towards both the outside world and yourself. Leaders can become absorbed in themselves and their problems; gratitude breaks this self-absorption cycle by directing our attention purposes greater than ourselves. There is a discernable difference between leaders who run their lives and companies with gratitude and those who don’t.

Gratitude allows us to focus on what’s right, not what’s wrong. It makes a positive difference between what you look at in life and what you actually see. It literally infects (and affects) our attitude and the attitude of our team. The antidote to negative thinking is gratitude. Gratitude reminds us of what we value and where we should focus our time, actions, money, and attention.

I wonder how many leaders realize that gratitude builds their psychological and spiritual reserves. It does. We’ve have got to take the responsibility for our gratitude.

Once we truly start achieving balance, the results show up in more ways than one. We experience an increase is awareness and feel alert throughout the day. Our focus and creativity are also heightened but consistent natural energy. We also feel an emotional shift, a sense of empowerment and sound confidence in our ability to manage stress and weight during work hours. Knowing that you have the ability to drastically improve your quality of life, NOW, for FREE is a game changer.

Those five tips, all elevate your business day. Immediately. IF you let them

Make sure you are working in favor of your business instead of being a victim to it.

The reason you take the big risks in life is to reap the rewards. This is a gift to yourself.

Coach JoAnna Burks

Coach JoAnna Burks

Coach JoAnna Burks is a lifestyle leader, a former real estate executive turned nutritionist, trainer and corporate coach, who provides a “full service” concierge approach to achieving health, wellness and happiness. Called on by top executives for her one-of-a-kind champion talk and counsel, she has become the go-to resource for those looking to take their lifestyle to the next level. Whether she is in the board room, on the training floor or out taking clients for a run, she infuses the clarity and energy needed to keep people in their most productive space.

She considers herself more of a project manager than a life coach. She believes that we are stronger as a team as has spent the last 7 years cultivating that belief with her social media and in her private practice. She affectionately calls her clients and members “The A-Team” and under that umbrella she has turned total strangers into a supportive family for wellness.