Brian Cantrall's Top Tips for Handling Stress and Maintaining Balance
Stress: “A state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances”
Being in this business can bring great levels of achievement, freedom, income, success, and stress. Learning how to properly deal with stress is absolutely necessary to have a long and productive career in the mortgage business. My Top Tips for handling stress, and maintaining balance are:
Stay organized: Create a system to manage your workload easily and efficiently. Prioritize tasks, set deadlines, keep notes, and use technology tools like Total Expert, or other CRMs, calendar schedulers, loan comparison tools, or any other loan process management software to stay on top of your responsibilities.
Set BIG, but realistic, goals: Break down your goals into small, achievable targets. Celebrate meeting, or exceeding, these milestones along the way to stay motivated and reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed. Accept that you will not always meet your goals – life happens.
Practice time management: Plan your day effectively by allocating time for different tasks that are in place to help you meet your goals. Set aside dedicated time for prospecting, paperwork, partner/client meetings, and very important - personal breaks - to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Know your limits: Recognize when you need a break or when it's necessary to delegate tasks. Don't hesitate to ask for support or assistance when you feel overwhelmed. This is one of the hardest tasks for us all.
Seek professional development: Continuously invest in your professional growth by being coached and mentored, attending industry related events, workshops, and training sessions. Enhancing your knowledge and skills can boost confidence and reduce stress, and build relationships.
Implement daily stress-reducing techniques: Incorporate stress-reducing activities into your routine, such as taking walks, deep breathing exercises, meditation, prayer, or any other mindfulness practices. These techniques can help you stay focused and calm during challenging times.
Seek support and collaboration: Develop partnerships, and maintain open lines of communication with your Fairway/Ignite colleagues, managers, and other industry professionals. Openly share best practices, seek advice when needed, and learn from others' experiences, then apply that in your daily non-negotiables. We all succeed when we share.
Take care of yourself: Prioritize self-care to reduce stress levels. Make sure you get sufficient sleep, exercise regularly (even small walks will help), eat a balanced diet, and engage in hobbies/activities that help you relax and unwind.
Always try and maintain perspective: Remember the bigger picture and the positive impact you are making on people's lives by helping them achieve their homeownership or financial goals dreams. Remind yourself of successful deals and satisfied clients to boost morale. Remember the relationships you have developed.
Try these ideas, if you make them a part of your daily routines, you will find yourself better able to manage stress, improve job satisfaction, increase productivity, and continue to provide top-notch service to your partners and clients. Remember, the key is to find what works best for you and adapt those strategies to your specific circumstances, and daily life.
Written by Brian Cantrall
Brian Cantrall has been in the mortgage business since 1995. In that time, he has been: a Coach, a Regional Manager, an Area Manager, a Branch Manager, a Sales Manager, and a Top Producer for 15 of those years. As a producer, Brian has originated over $500,000,000 in loans. Since joining Fairway in 2019, Brian has focused on being a Coach with Fairway Ignite. In that time, he has been recognized twice as being one of the best in the group, most recently as MVP of 2022. He continues to find ways to enhance his skills and knowledge regarding Coaching. Brian is married to an amazing wife, a great daughter, and lives in Arizona. Brian was born and raised in Lakewood, Colorado, and is an avid Colorado Avalanche and Denver Broncos fan.
