When you feel like you are facing headwinds in your business and life, survival might be the only thing on your mind. Yet, those who create successful businesses, significant lives and a legacy of impact for those they love… also face headwinds. But they approach these headwinds differently than those who don’t.
Today, we discuss the path from survival to stability to success to significance and on to legacy… with one of the most influential people in Justin’s life: his high school football coach, George Crace.
Coach Crace has impacted the lives of countless players and professionals on and off the field, and we’re sure he’ll do the same with you today.
Are you ready?
Elevating both your business AND your personal life begins with being in the right community of leaders who want to help you and have the ability to help you.
Schedule a consultation with Stephanie Peck to see if you are in alignment with the Think Bigger Real Estate Group.
**Stephanie prioritized her faith, family, fitness and finances while running a relationship-based real estate team that sold 93 homes in 2022 and 87 in 2023.
Full Transcript
Do you feel like you’re in survival mode? Do you feel like you’re just working so hard as a real estate agent to keep your head above water? And you’re wondering, is there a way for me to actually get ahead? Is there a way for me to not feel like I’m drowning? I’m suffocating. Because, as we all know, interest rates aren’t quite what we’d like them to be. The inventory isn’t quite what we’d like it to be. Well, today, we’ll walk you through a path by which you can begin to think bigger; regardless of your circumstances, you’ll realize that the most successful real estate agents in the world also have headwinds. They also feel at times like you’re feeling right now. And we’re going to share expertise from somebody who’s very near and dear to my heart on how you can begin to think bigger and think about having a legacy. Maybe at this point in your life or career, and maybe the furthest thing from your mind. Stay with us is going to be a great episode that will change how you think about your business and your life.
So the big question is this. How do you, those of us in the real estate industry who have crazy amounts of ambition? How do we think bigger than the building of our own empires? How do we create success, significance, income, and impact? My name is Justin Stoddart. This is my co-host, Stephanie Peck. And together, we bring you the big, bigger real estate podcast. Alright, welcome back, everybody. First and foremost, I am excited to introduce my lovely co-host. Thanks, Stephanie. How are you?
Hello, doing great. I have a feeling today will bring out all the feelings.
You got that right. I’m so excited to introduce you to those who may know me very well and recognize this incredible man here for others. Let me introduce one of my dearest friends and greatest mentors, Coach George Crace. Coach Crace, it’s so good to have you here on the bigger real estate podcast.
It’s great to be here with you, Justin and to meet Stephanie. I’m looking forward to spending time together today, and I hope it’ll be fruitful for many people.
Let me paint a picture for the listeners of the audience as to why this man was so impactful for me. I was a junior in high school. And my team in another city had just won the state championship game. My parents came to me and said, we’re moving halfway through my junior year; I must move to a new town entirely. And I was setting up for my senior year like we would win the state championship again. And it was like, wait, what we’re moving. And they introduced me to this man. He was the saving grace for me when he became a dear friend because you don’t just make friends right away when you’re a junior in high school. He became somebody whom I respect and admire deeply to this day. His background is that he graduated with a degree in psychology. Cum Laude from Harvard, with his graduate degree at Stanford, has coached both at the high school level all the way to the state championship. And now also at the collegiate level. So he has coached more people than then he nor I can probably count and impacted just as many. So with that today, again, our topic today is going to be changing your mindset to think bigger, change your mindset from survival all the way to success, significance and leaving a legacy. And so, Coach, let’s dive right in. I know that, at this time, as I mentioned in the opening, that the real estate market, for some has been very tough, it’s been very challenging. And for many, they feel like they’re underwater, and they’re, and they’re struggling to get ahead. And there’s almost a hole or a lack of hope that things are going to get better anytime soon. What would you say to somebody who’s very much living in survival mode to help shake them up and get them out of that, even to believe that there are and will be brighter days on the horizon?
Well, you mentioned the word hope. And I think that’s where it all starts without hope. It’s very hard to get out of burning and do any work. One of the organizations I’ve worked with as a football coach is called three-dimensional coaching. And the three dimensional coaching refers to a physical set of things that you can do a mindset, and then also a heart set. And so I would say hope is directly related to your heart. And so you have to take a look and go deep into what’s really at the core of your being in your heart. We, as coaches, always love to coach athletes who have great hearts. And we always had a statement that said when a coach puts a tape measure on you, very few of them measure your heart. They measure your Speed, height, size, weight, strength, and all those things. And I would imagine that in the real estate market, you use certain skills that you measure and train. But is there a way to get at the heart of the people that you’re working with? I know Stephanie has a team with which she works. And Justin, you do, too. And so one of the things that I always do with my team, I coach about seven or eight guys a year right now, in the game of football, what I always do is I end our group with a countdown, you know, in the old days, Justin, we used to go count up, ready 123, and everybody would yell something like, you know, Wildcats, because we’re the Wildcats. And now what I do is I count down, three, two, and then on when we get to the one, everybody goes one heart, but they yell it, and I don’t want to yell it on the podcast, but a three to one heart. And that’s how we leave the practice. And then, at the beginning of the practice, what I do is I will interview the guys, and I’ll be basically asking them, tell me where you’re at on a scale of one to 10, where you’re physically Oh, coach, I’m sorted to him, like a 510s. With the best, he said, Okay, well, then where are you at mentally? Well, let’s see. I guess I’m up for practice today, so mentally, I’m dialed in; I’m at an eight. And then I hit him with this question. So, where’s your heart scale of one to 10? And when you start to scale out, and I know, on that level of coaching that I do with other people, it’s always good to quantify because it really causes a person to pause and reflect. So, for example, if I were to ask you and Stephanie today where you are physically, mentally, and at heart, you know, the total would be 30. Some people say I’m adding an 11, which is one above a 10. So that would be a 33. If you’re down and you’re gonna, I’m a five, five and five-person today 15. I’m kind of in the middle of everything. All right. So the question then becomes, how do we move you from a 15 to a 16? How do we move you from a 25 to a 27? And so we’re starting to ask the questions that allow you to develop some hope that I can make progress and move forward in these three dimensions.
Boy, what a profound answer; I shouldn’t have expected anything less. It’s definitely what shows up for you. Right? I mean, again, you’re extremely successful, both in business and in life. And yet, probably there are times when you don’t feel like you’re 30. Right? And all those areas of life, how does this help? Would you say even the successful real estate agents may sometimes feel like they’re in survival mode, even on a particular transaction, right? It’s like, Oh, my goodness, this is just killing me. Right? How do you? How does what the coach just taught us there? How can you apply that, whether it’s by yourself or even your kids or teammates, to how you think a little bit bigger?
And I really liked that we’re looking at ourselves in those three categories because it can feel like we’re winning sometimes, because we’re saying, you know, oh, I just got that listing, or I beat out multiple offers, I am winning. But if we’re not winning in our hearts and not winning physically, then that win can feel so fleeting. It’s short-lived; it’s a short win. And as soon as that win is gone, our significance is lost. So, checking in on all three things is a great concept. And it is almost like building our identity around that, not building our identity on that, that quick win. I got the offer accepted, or we closed the deal today. I’m winning at a 30 because that goes away so fast. And then that’s where we’re left, as you know, as a top-producing agent. That’s where we can be left feeling deflated. And like we’re starting all over again.
Yeah, boy, that’s an interesting way to look at it; we can have these these highs and lows if it’s tied to only what’s on the exterior, right? What is this metric? That is, how many homes have I sold? That can flow, but what I hear you coaching coaches is this concept of looking deeper than that, right? How many yards do I have in this game? Right? But how am I feeling right? How’s my how’s my heart? How’s my, how’s my, you know, how are all the different areas of my life?
Well, you know, the measurement of a person can’t be taken just from their physical output. Okay, who you are, and this is my belief; this is where you have to go inside and say, Who do I believe myself to be? And Stephanie mentioned it, you know, if your identity is tied to your job, well, you’re gonna have some struggles because I’ve had several jobs since graduating from college. But one of the things that’s been with me since then is an ongoing question. That is, what is my ultimate goal in life to be? What is my true intention? Where do I see myself going? So, looking ahead to the future is created by what you do today. Because the future will show up tomorrow, but today is the only thing that you have to work with. So by giving yourself a total release, okay, we’re talking about body, mind, and spirit today. It will show up tomorrow. And the one thing I do know for sure is that yesterday ended at 12. Midnight. So today is a new day. And again, I go back to where I am. What do I want to accomplish? What is my intention for today, and then, can I give it my best shot today with faith, hope, and love deep in my heart? Then I will have a super day. And who knows what’s going to happen during the course of the day? You know, you will meet people you’ve never met before; I’ve never met Stephanie before. So a word of a smile, just a word of encouragement, can change a person’s life that day. And I know that you’ve talked about success to significance, the next aspect of it is getting to legacy, because every day you are creating your legacy, whether you believe it or not. Either you intentionally create your legacy or your legacy is created by something else. But at the end of the dash. And there’s a great poem that was written called The Dash. And that’s that little spot between being born this day and then passing away the next period of time. So, everybody’s dashes are different in length. But at the end of the dash, you know, what can you say that you have intentionally brought forth during the course of your life? And that’s, I think, a mindset and a heartset that if you adopt and make it a habit, then you can stack day after day, moving towards the end goal, which is, in my opinion, the Legacy I’ve been blessed with. I will be 74 years old in maybe two weeks from now, July 13. And we’re here on the 24th. Is it 2024? So, for 74 years, my legacy has been set by 74 years of whatever has happened in my life and whatever I’ve impacted with others in my life.
You know, something that showed up for me, Coach, when you were talking about this is that I think all too often, often on the days where I’m not my best, it’s either because I’m living in the past, with regrets of what I haven’t done or didn’t do or didn’t do. Or I’m living in the future of things that may be anxieties of potential pitfalls. And I heard you tell us that there is power in recognizing that tomorrow will be created by the activity I do today. And I focus on what I can do right now to make the most intelligent and impactful moves to create the best tomorrow that
you’re right on spot on. Yeah. And having a morning, start to your day, that you’ve developed good habits in the morning, start, get you off and get you going. And there are various ways that you can do that. There are various routines that you can create for yourself. But it’s the consistency that makes things happen. And I encourage your audience to take a look at creating the perfect start for themselves. That really gets their mind, their heart, and their body going. And good things will happen.
What I hear from that and stuff, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this as well, is that we can’t necessarily control everything that happens during the day. But we can control what our morning routine looks like and the fact that we get up. We connect with God; we connect with our loved ones. We have good exercise, like good physical habits of movement, and we have things that inspire us. When we start with those things in mind and have control over them, it sets the foundation to allow us to have the most influence on what happens the rest of the day. Right. Stephanie, what are your thoughts on that when you think about how your day starts?
Well, you’re right; it’s the one thing we can control before all of the other things start to try and control Our day and our outcome. Because there are no interruptions in the quiet of the morning, I can choose to check my email at 6 am. Or I can put on my shoes and work out because no one is expecting a response at 6 am. But if I’m choosing to do that, at lunch hour, people expect a response, and people expect me to show up for them. So I, I can control the times that the expectation is only on me. I mean, what’s standing out to me right now is when are the times that I’m expected to show up for myself? Versus when are the times that I’m expected to show up for others? Good.
Coach, no, go ahead, you’re gonna say something?
Sure. I was gonna say that you set the tone in the morning; you have, you know, the ability to have this is my intention. These are my goals that I want to accomplish, I have bigger goals. But these are on my on my way to those bigger goals, these are my to dues. But then what happens is you get interrupted. In today’s society, you’re interrupted a lot because of a thing called a cell phone; push notices come to you, and anybody that you have on your cell phone can contact you. And even if they’re not in your cell phone, they can look you up and contact you. So there’s a formula that I’ve been working on, Justin, even before I met you. When I was coaching at another high school, a lady came in and talked to us about this in a PTA meeting about all things. So, I went to the PTA meeting that night. And I’ve learned this formula is called E plus r equals O. It’s not a unique formula that has been around, like I say, probably for 4050 years. But the E stands for the event. As you leave your house, start to go to your office, or pick up your phone to do business, events start to happen. And there can be, hey, I’m not buying the house that you and I just spent time with. Wow. And that’s already happening at 801. This morning. So the event happens. And then what comes next? This is from my study in psychology, which is a reaction. I used to do this when I was teaching psychology class, and at some point in the class, I would scream as loudly as I could. And then you’d watch the kids react. Usually I’d wait, well, they’re not paying attention to anything I’m doing. Then, bang. Suddenly, you get that reaction, and your eyes pop open. And they’re looking at what’s happening. You know, my teacher is going crazy in class. So, the reaction happens. But then, here’s where the wisdom comes in. Can you turn your reaction into an intentionally chosen response? So if you can visualize the letter capital letter R, you know, if I’m diagramming it, it’s got a circle on the top and a straight leg and then another leg that comes off of it. And in between the straight leg and the other leg is Reaction Response. So it looks kind of like this straight there. Well, that leaves a gap right inside there. What I do in that gap makes all the difference. Because my response will then influence the outcome. So when someone tells me, Hey, we’re, we’re not going to hit with that sale. You know, we found another realtor. What do you do at that point in time? and you can train yourself to respond in a way that will produce a better outcome, if not that day, a better outcome in the future, a better outcome where that client says to somebody else, well, you know, I had to go with this other realtor for whatever reason, but gosh, I really liked Stephanie Peck. And you know, when I told her she was able to handle that, like a professional, I felt really good. So much so that I’m giving you this referral. And, you know, if I get a chance, I’m going to certainly go back with her and check on real estate purchases in the future. So E plus R equals O. I’ve been teaching this for umpteen years, and I guess this is my 49th season coaching football. And very few of my players, when I check back with them 20 years later, remember that E plus r equals O. They’ll remember, you know, hey, I got a reaction, and I need to change my response. And I can do that. So, I tried to come up with a way to make it more memorable. So if you put an h in front of E R O, what is this spell? Hero. You can remember that concept. So I want you to be a hero or heroic if you will. The H stands for the state of your heart. So if the state of your heart is good, then no matter what the event happens, we know you’re going to have the reaction. But because of the state of your heart, which you lead within the morning, as you’re getting into that heartset, then you have a chance of influencing a better outcome. And of course, outcomes all become events again, and the cycle continues all throughout the day, then at the end of the day, you can do a little scorecard with yourself, how did I react? How did I respond? What does the outcome look like? Then, remind yourself that that day will end at 12. Midnight, and you’ll get another opportunity the next day? Ah, plus E plus r equals O.
Stephanie, how does this help you, whether in your most important role as a mom or in your next very important role as a leader of great real estate agents? You see some applications here. I’d love to hear your thoughts because that was really insightful for me.
Yeah, I knew this one was gonna get me. Yeah, I mean, we’re, you know, in my team and in my business right now. And I’m always transparent. I know that, just like in sports, what we see on TV is the game, and we see the win. And I know that I am giving an image of many wins. And I also, as a real estate agent, have a lot of losses, and we’re dealing with some of those right now. One thing that we will my husband is always saying to our teenage son, who’s an athlete, is you never lose, you always learn. And I’m having to remind myself of that right now and remind myself that, you know, I’m not, I’m not just here for that transaction, that, you know, if I, if I lost that one, they’re terminating, or they’re going with another real estate agent, that’s okay, I have an opportunity to learn and to grow. Because I’m not just here for that transaction. I’m here for the long run, I’m here for I’m, I’m looking for that championship ring. And every team will lose some games, and every player will miss some shots during practice, and we have to keep going. And yeah, Hero heroes gonna stand out to me now. And I think that as we’re we’re really talking about the mindset around our business, it’s asking ourselves, where’s my heart in this? Because I actually had to reset my mind and say, you know, maybe there’s somebody else that’s better for that client right now. That’s hard. That’s hard to say because I like to think that I’m the best, but maybe not the best for everyone. And also seen, you know, maybe that real estate agent that got that business over me, you know, she’s a single mom on the brink of giving up. And this was the thing that was going to keep her in business. So that is more important because I’m here for the long run, not just for that one transaction. That’s thinking big right there, Stephanie.
It’s hard. I appreciate the reminders, Coach; you know, what stands out to me is that at any moment, whether at this moment you find yourself on the survival side of the spectrum or all the way on that and leaving a legacy, we are always faced with new opportunities to apply what was just said there. And you can quickly move yourself up that spectrum or down that spectrum, depending upon how you respond, how you react, how you respond in that moment. And it comes down to, I think, going back to what you said, coach, at the very beginning, if you can create a good foundation of that, have good habits that put your mind in the right spot. I’ve even become a fan of having a journal, which allows me at the very beginning of the day to review my goals and even write them out. At the end of the day, go back and review. How did I How did I do? How did I do my day? Did it actually reflect the fact that I had set out these intentions and not in a judgmental form? But I’m just checking in to see that I add so much more intentionality into my life and business. And I feel so much more empowered that it keeps me out of that mode of feeling like I’m drowning. Because I’m I’m, I’m in control, right? I’ve got, I’ve got the reins, and I can actually move this thing in the direction that’s positive for me as opposed to just being, you know, subject to whatever the circumstances are at that particular time, which I think is the most hope draining feeling is that like, I’m in a bad spot and I don’t have any influence over it. Right, that like tomorrow’s not better than today. That’s where it starts to feel overwhelmed. mean. So when you’re like, No, I can take small actions to move myself forward. Now, all of a sudden, hope is back. And you’re empowered to take life and business, whatever it may be that period of time, to the next level, again, at whatever score you’re at, it’s the next step forward.
You know, the greatest power, Justin, that I think all of us share is the power to choose. And we forget that you know, I spent two years part-time working in a psychiatric hospital. And the thing that I saw prevalent in that hospital was that people forgot their power to choose. And you know, some of them had, obviously, brain disorder functions that needed to be balanced out, but so many of them came in were in clinical depression. And they didn’t, they were not empowered, they had lost their agency. And, you know, our goal was to try to give them some sense that they can choose certain things and then build upon that. But I got out of that because I found that it was more empowering to work with young people like you. Justin, when you came into our school I loved that you had participated in a championship program, you obviously knew some of the skills already instilled in you through your previous coaches and players. That’s why I asked you to model that for our team. And we didn’t win any games that year, did we?
We did. Not as many as I did the year before. We’re undefeated. Sure. Yeah. But we won a few when we were three and eight, just so everybody knows how painful it was going from 13-0 to 3-8. But this man made it easier for me.
Yeah, well, well, we were on eight the year before, I think we didn’t want a game that was the first year for that high school. And then we ended with that high school with a perfect season, 13 or 0. And it just took time to do that. And so every day, you’re putting into place these habits, and you’re stacking success upon success. And then you know, you take steps forward, and then some things drive you backward. But again, what is your attitude? I wanted to share with both of you a formula that I picked up this Tuesday, the course I’m promoting: A times E times S equals P. Now, this is not a magical formula. Let me break it down for you really quickly. A is your attitude. We just talked about how you get to choose your attitude. E is your effort. And effort is a lot related to where your heart sets. If your heart is not full of hope, your effort will probably not be great. S is your skill set. He is the performance that you actually put out into the world. The Tick is about a person coming into a new job, real estate, and they show up. Let’s say they show up and have an attitude. That’s pretty good. Okay. They. So they’re going to make some effort, then they’ve got to learn some skills, don’t they? I mean, if you were training me in real estate right now, I don’t have many skills, but I have the ability to speak and talk, connect, and be relatable. However, I need some skills. So, if I increase my attitude, let’s say my attitude came in at a five on a scale of one to 10. And my effort that first day in your office was a five, well, five times five is 25. Suppose my skill set is one, five times five times, and one is 25. But because of how you are the leader of this group, I come in with even an empowered attitude the next day, and I’m a sixth. And so I put out an effort, maybe my effort, the next day is seven. All right, I’m six times seven is 42. But you taught me some skills by putting me with other people in your team who are successful and letting them pour into me what they do, and so I’ve learned maybe a new skill to take home that night. Six, seven times 42. And now I’ve got skill level. That’s a two, man, I want to what is it? 84? Well, multiply it out as your attitude increases and your effort increases. And as your skills increase, what’s going to happen to performance compounds? And I would bet that if you look at the highest producers on your team, attitude, effort, skill, great performance, and success are coming their way.
Great insight, especially for a real estate team leader, right Steph? No, your wheels are turning over there. Got great people anyway; you realize just moving by moving the needle on any one of those categories has a compounding effect, the right attitude, effort and skill. That’s great. Coach, tell us a little bit more about that. I know that you continue to coach on the field, you’re a part time coach at PLU. You also coach people outside of football, giving them the tools and frameworks we’ve discussed. Talk to us a little bit about what it looks like to be coached by you.
Well, we go through a 10-to 12-week process, meeting by Zoom or whatever mechanism is available to see each other face to face, or just a telephone call doesn’t matter. Over those 10 to 12 weeks, we’re going to go through an entire process called Choose to Win. That is the best singular program I have ever encountered in my 73-plus years. Anybody can get the book, and you can go online and buy it right now. It’s called Choose to Win by Tom Ziggler. And read it, and then read it again, underline an outline. And I can show you my book has got footnotes everywhere in the margins, and so on. It’s a simple process that is profound. That’s all I can say. It’s got to unfold itself for you, though. So that’s why we go 10 to 12 weeks, taking a chapter at a time and letting people apply what they’ve gotten from that chapter and put it into their lives. Let’s discuss it. And let’s build on that. And so by the time you get to the end of this book, or the end of this process, I really believe you’re totally empowered, I’m working with a 31 year old right now. And he just finished the book. And he’s out selling it to as many people as he can right now. All his family, his friends, and his father, who has lost his job, are coming to visit us personally here at our house. The young man says Could you please get my father-in-law… this greatly adds to the thing in his life that he needs to go out and pursue the next job. Because he’s certainly got skills, and he’s got talent. But right now, he’s on the attitude and effort level, and you know, they’re less than what they can be. So anyway, that’s what we work on for 12 weeks. And then at the end of the 12 weeks, you know, we kind of part ways unless a person wants to retain my position as their coach, and I’m more than glad to coach people. One of the things I was going to mention, Stephanie, is important; I think when you’re talking with a person on the phone, and they cannot see you, what I do is I draw a heart on a sheet of paper, make the heart, put their name right in the middle of the heart, take your hand that’s not holding the telephone the other hand, and place it on that diagram of the person’s name inside the heart. What that does for you is it reminds you that you’re dealing with a person who is designed for accomplishment. They’re engineered for success. And they’re endowed with seeds of greatness, even if they don’t know that. Or they’re down on their attitude. But you’re always speaking into the hearts of people wherever you are. Then, there are transactions that we all do every day. You know, real estate is a transactional business, right? But then, as humans, here’s the other game to play. It’s called transformation. So, in our three dimensional coaching material, we challenged coaches to go beyond transaction Don’t be a transactional Coach, what have you done for me today? If you’re not doing anything for me today, sit on the bench or out of the game to become a transformational coach. Because transformational coaching leads to legacy because you’re empowering people that will outlive you. And if they truly understand the message, they will share it and give it away. Because that really is what significance is. It’s about assisting other people to be the best that they can be. So I have a poem I know we’ll run out of time here. So, I want to end with this poem because my favorite football coach, Grant Taff of all time, would end every clinic he gave with this poem called What is Success?
Let’s hear it, coach. I love it; this would be a great ending.
Success is how you walk the path of life each day. It’s in the little things you do and in the things you say. Success is not in reaching the heights of fame that all people want to claim. Success has been pure of heart and clean and broad of mind. Success is being faithful to your friends and to the stranger kind. Success is in the team, the coaches, the family you love and who loves you. Success is having character in everything you do.
Beautiful, and I think you recommend that people memorize that. Is that accurate? Absolutely.
They say that every day. If you’re interested, you can email me, and I’ll send it to you as well.
Coach, what’s a great way for people to contact you as you’re listening to this? They’re like, I want to have more coach Christ in my life. What does that look like? Is it just your email is that the best way to contact you?
The best way to contact me would be George@Cracecoachingconsulting.com.
Thank you so much, Coach, for not just pouring into my life way back when but doing it again today. Again, you’re one of my dearest friends. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to highlight you and let people know your impact on me. So Stephanie, thank you for your great contribution as well. And to all of our listeners here today, we have one final request: Go Think Bigger. Thanks for helping us do that today, my friend.