We live today in times that are inarguably more competitive than ever before.  When victory is gauged by millimeters or by hundreds of a second and success is frequently measured by minuscule variances, then finding ways of standing out, being noticed and presenting obvious differences are requisite factors if we wish to achieve any level of victory in our attempts to build successful lives and careers.

Becoming complacent, maintaining the status quo and believing that what has worked in the past will work in the future is not only delusional, it will ensure a fate no one wants to think about.

The Habit of Always Being Current is not optional if we wish to be competitive and prosper in these challenging times.

Our clients and customers have far more choices than ever before and to stand out from the pack requires an ironclad commitment to always being on top of your game.

The world body of knowledge is growing at a dizzying speed, technology is advancing at an unprecedented rate and if we don’t stay current then we are falling further and further behind.

This means it is necessary to devote time and effort to The Habit of Always Being Current. It also means that being unprepared and “winging it” is a new guaranteed way of ensuring failure.

I recently read an article on the daily study and work habits of one of the most successful realtors in the US. This lady is reputedly an icon, has blazed new trails and single-handedly raised the sites of an entire industry.

When asked her secret she has a simple response, “I am always better prepared and far more current than any of my competition.”

Her immense success has enabled her to hire a team of researchers who provide her with daily briefings that ensure she is always current on what has sold, what has just come on the market and what prices are being realized. Her team constantly, throughout each day, checks mortgage rates and notify her the second anything changes.

She is a walking, talking encyclopedia of knowledge of everything pertaining to real estate in the areas in which she works.

The only difference between what she does today and her early years in the business is that in those years she had to put in countless extra hours doing her own research.

The day she began her career she made a vow to herself to never be unprepared for any meetings with a client and always be equipped with the most current data available.

This level of preparedness speaks to her dedication as a professional and also signals for us the critical need to adopt The Habit of Always Being Current as an important factor in our lives.

We cannot be prepared if we are not current. Another master of this was the legendary Ben Feldman who did much the same in the life insurance industry as this lady is doing in real estate. He raised the bar of possibility and did so by dedicating enormous amounts of time to studying and ensuring his preparedness for every meeting.

These levels of commitment to The Habit of Always Being Current do not only apply to sales people, they apply to us all.

And committing ourselves to always being current should, for us all, be a commitment we gladly undertake because we are all professionals, aren’t we?

Let’s make a habit of meeting like this.