I came across this article today by Liz Henry, co-founder of Fizara. (this is not an endorsement or ad for this company, but merely context to the author who wrote this. I feel it reinforces the ideas and philosophies of this community and thought someone else in this community might benefit as well. ----------------------------------------- by Liz Henry: .... A few years ago, one of our mentors asked us: “Why is it that no matter how many times babies fall, instead of giving up they continue to try walking over and over again?”. The answer to this question was mind blowing for me, yet so simple. He said: “It’s because everyone around them is walking...so it’s normal to walk.” Omg, this is so true! If we surround ourselves with like­minded people who are where we want to be, we will see it as normal to achieve their level of success. And no matter what obstacles we may face, we must get up, dust ourselves off and try again. Difficulties and failures are the necessary steps to get us to where we’re going and with each obstacle, there is a lesson to be learned. We’ve learned that in life, one has to be willing to at times risk it all, travel the road less traveled and throw caution to the wind. And more often than not, we are crippled by self-imposed limitations that could be the very reason our dreams don’t come to fruition. These realizations led us to change the way we were thinking about our life and our business. We started to ask ourselves: “What if we put our customers desires FIRST, by finding a way they could easily create our top selling product ­ wedding albums and family photo albums, without having to pay us the fees we charge to do it for them?”. We started to shift our focus from: “Why we couldn’t” to “What if?” and “Why not?” ...It’s amazing how when we changed what we focused on, the things we saw changed. What we once thought was difficult to do, became so easy. We began to realize that the doors we thought were closed for us, had been open all along, simply waiting for us to step in.

If you’re a loan officer who wants more consistency, more conversations, and a predictable way to close more loans each month, I’d love for you to join me tomorrow, Thursday, at noon Central. I’m teaching How to Predictably Close 10 Loans a Month in Any Market and walking through the framework we’re using to create more opportunities and closings from the relationships you already have. If you haven’t joined the 5-Day Challenge yet, this is a great place to start. Give me an hour. It’ll be worth the time investment. Register here: https://loanofficerleadership.com/webinar/

If you're new here, this is the free room for loan officers who want to run their year on a system instead of on hope. I run two things. Pro Lending Mortgage, where I originate loans every day, and Loan Officer Leadership, where I coach the producers who are done leaving their income up to chance. This community is the front door to all of it. Free, public, and worth your time. Inside, the Producer Captains and I drop the same frameworks I teach inside the paid Predictable Producer programs. The math. SWET. Database to Dollars. The Three Signature Asks. The Friday Five. Three things to do today: 1. Introduce yourself in the Welcome thread. Where you're based, why you're in the room, and one thing you hope to take from it. 2. Catch the latest Loan Officer Leadership Podcast episode. Listen at loanofficerleadership.com/podcast/ or watch on YouTube at youtube.com/@loanofficerleadership. New episode every Tuesday, sometimes Thursday. The room reacts to what drops each week. 3. Post your daily call number in the Wins thread by Friday. Doesn't matter if it's 5 or 50. The math doesn't care about your start. It cares that you start. You are going to get there anyway. The room is here so you get there faster, easier, with less headaches, and not alone by yourself. Welcome. Steve P.S. New podcast and YouTube drop every Tuesday. Drop your reactions in the room.

Jamie Hartley asked a question in the community a few weeks back that I could not stop thinking about. "What do you actually say when something goes wrong on a file?" Such a great question; I did an entire episode on it. Episode 508 is live. We break down the VEI Framework, a three-step repeatable system for every hard call you will ever make on a file. Validate. Educate. Instruct. When you do it right, people are disappointed by the situation, and they admire your leadership. That is where the real partnership gets built. Listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/508-when-the-deal-goes-sideways-how-to-lead-the/id1018262895?i=1000785753962 And as a gift to the community, I put together a free three-page resource that includes all three scripts. I have attached it here for you. BETTER TOGETHER, Steve

Hey everyone! I’d love your help. I’m planning the next 90 days of the Loan Officer Leadership Podcast, and I want to make sure we’re covering the topics that would be most helpful to you right now. What are you working through in your mortgage business? What are you struggling with, trying to improve, or wanting to figure out? It could be anything around getting more referrals, converting leads, agent relationships, follow-up, database, time management, building a team, increasing production, mindset, systems, AI, or growing your business. Drop your ideas or questions in the comments below. Give me the topics you’d love to hear us break down on the podcast over the next 30, 60, and 90 days. The more specific you are, the better. What would help you close more loans and build a better mortgage business right now?