Your Future Self
In this episode of Do The Work | Mindset Mastery…
I took a minute to slow things down and reflect—not just on where I’m going, but on who I’ve become along the way. Life moves fast. Between running the business and being in Vegas last week for my daughter’s volleyball tournament, I blinked and realized I’d missed a Mindset Mastery. But that’s how it is when you're in motion. And when you’re moving fast, the one thing that’ll keep you grounded is clarity—clarity about what you want and who you need to be to get there.
Over the years, I’ve learned that real growth doesn’t come from new skill sets—it comes from shortening the time I spend in self-pity. I used to blame others every time something didn’t go my way. When deals fell apart, when people left the organization, when things just didn’t pan out—I’d focus all my energy outward. But I realized that the longer I stayed in that space, the longer I delayed my own progress. The real shift happened when I started asking, What could I have done differently?
That question alone has changed my life.
I talked about how disappointments used to knock me off course. But I’ve trained myself not to sit in that pain too long. I feel it. I acknowledge it. But then I go to work. Because staying in that negative headspace only drains your energy and blinds you from the blessings that often come from major shifts.
At the core of this episode was a reminder that changed everything for me: Know yourself. Most people think success comes from doing more. But what I’ve found is that it comes from understanding what you truly want—and being brutally honest about what you’re willing to sacrifice to get there. You can’t say you want to be a $20 million producer and then act like someone who’s okay with average. You can’t want big success and still insist on weekends off, early bedtimes, or reacting emotionally to every hiccup in a deal. It doesn’t work that way.
I called out the patterns I’ve seen in our industry—people getting thrown off by appraisals, lowball offers, or delayed closings. And the truth is, those aren’t real problems. They’re just part of the business. But if those things derail you, you’re not in alignment with the person you say you want to be.
That’s the key: Alignment.
If you’re not acting like the person you want to be right now—if your actions don’t match your desires—you’re not going to get there. That’s the gap. And closing that gap starts with studying yourself. Not just what you do, but how you think, how you respond, and what you focus on when things get hard.
I’m proud of what we’ve built at A.Z. & Associates. But I don’t take it for granted. I’m still in the grind. Still growing. Still analyzing my thoughts and adjusting my actions. And I want the same for every person who listens to this podcast. Because once you stop blaming and start owning everything—everything changes.
So here’s what I want to leave you with:
Study yourself. Know yourself. And ask the real question: Am I truly in alignment with what I want? Because if you are, the results will follow. If you’re not, it’s time to stop pointing fingers and start doing the work.
Reader Reflection Questions:
What is one area of your life where you're blaming others instead of taking full responsibility?
Are your current daily habits aligned with the results you say you want?
When challenges arise, do you dwell in the negativity or shift quickly into solution mode?
Who has what you want—and what are they doing differently than you?
What sacrifices are you truly willing to make to become the version of yourself you’ve envisioned?
Notable Quotes:
“When I was wallowing, I wasn’t growing.”
“It's not the skill set that got me here—it’s how fast I get out of self-pity.”
“Know yourself. That’s the first step to becoming who you’re meant to be.”
“You can’t want to be a $20 million producer and act like someone who doesn’t want to work weekends.”
“Am I acting like the person I want to be—right now?”
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