077: Personal Wellness with Christine Hansen

Center for REALTOR® Development

As a REALTOR®, there’s always more we can be doing in our job. When we aren’t actively selling, we’re working on marketing, getting new business, or planning our systems for improving our work with our clients. We will never be completely finished with our work; our to-do list.

We are entering into a holiday season with a different, changing market after some challenging times. The change just continues to swirl around us, doesn’t it? Are you taking care of yourself? It’s a serious question that you should pause and consider. If you are not being intentional with your relationships, your stress level, and your plans to manage your business (instead of your business managing you), then I encourage you to have a listen to my conversation with Christine Hansen about taking care of yourself and managing your life better.

Christine Hansen, a REALTOR® for more than 30 years, has been active in local, state, and national association leadership for many years. In 2018, she was the REALTOR® of the Year. Christine is also a life coach and a trained mediator. Let’s hear how she has figured out some ways to take care of yourself in real estate!

[6:10] Christine explains what wellness is. Wellness is about priorities and making sure that the first thing you prioritize is yourself.

[7:06] Christine explains why wellness has become a hot topic.

[9:44] Christine has always felt she wanted to help people to be the best version of who they are. Wellness is a journey, not a destination.

[11:44] Because you are on a path, you may take some missteps. You can always evaluate if the path is right for you and make new choices to correct your path. It’s believing in yourself and trusting that you are complete as you are.

[12:56] A lot of our choices are based on pleasing others. We say yes to things because we don’t want to let people down. We have to choose to prioritize ourselves.

[15:12] Christine explains the effect of guilt and how it leads to self-sabotage. You take away things that could be victories for yourself and you add heartbreak.

[16:56] It takes being intentional. Christine says to give yourself “intention time” every morning. Christine welcomes in the day by saying she is healthy, whole, and complete. Then she looks at the intention of her day.

[18:28] Instead of labeling yourself a workaholic, say you get pleasure from doing things that you love. You are passionate about the things you get to do each day. Have a pre-set answer for when people ask you to do something.

[21:39] If you want to do volunteer work, but the timing is off, answer with confidence, “Not now.” Don't allow yourself to be spread too thin, it will lead to feelings of guilt and letting yourself and your family down.

[25:01] Christine asked a leader in a leadership training course, “When do you get to be able to just breathe and be happy with where you are?”

[26:33] Christine has noticed that REALTORS® living in the present, that are “taking stride,” are better connectors. They’re giving people an experience. Clients want to be around agents that are at peace, not hectic agents.

[27:26] You need to do a self-check and make whatever shifts are necessary for you to live your best version of yourself.

[27:53] Instead of thinking you “should” do something, consider that you could do something, or could choose not to do it. It gives you more focus and power.

[29:41] Don’t tell yourself that tomorrow you will do something if you already know you won’t do it. Be careful with what you say to yourself. Own what you say.

[33:11] Go back and think of things you were told or that you believe and ask, “Is this still true to me, today?” If not, reframe it to what is true to you. Reframe how you see yourself.

[37:10] Let your feelings be the compass to direct you to make healthy choices. Disconnect. [43:29] The holiday season is rushed and busy, and then we crash into the winter months of January and February, that are often not busy for real estate agents. Christine says you want to pace yourself for the holidays. Don’t try to do everything and be everywhere.

[49:45] If you are feeling overwhelmed about decluttering, one quick and easy thing to do is declutter your car. Get all the stuff out of it and get it cleaned. It will make you feel better. Clean up your workspace, home office, or office in your brokerage; you want it to be a positive reflection of your intentions of being successful and enjoying your work.

[50:50] Have a place set aside for meditation or special quiet moments and sit at peace as you transition from the holidays to the winter. What would some change create for you? Would it give you joy?

[52:41] REALTORS®, you know what you have on your plate for the holidays with family expectations or travel. Prep things now to leave at the office to be mailed on certain dates, while you are traveling. When you are celebrating, you won’t be worried about mailings but you can be present because you’ve prepped.

[54:44] Please, please, please, stop watching the news. Don’t wake up in the morning and put the news on. You won’t have your spirit lifted up by negativity, sensationalism, and drama.

[55:27] Christine suggests some wellness resources.

[57:36] All of us need to have grace with ourselves, take it easy on ourselves, we need to be our best advocates.

Tweetables:

“[Wellness] is about making sure that the very first thing that you prioritize is yourself. And it’s not being selfish and it’s not negative. It is about taking care of who you are. Because … you cannot give what you do not have. And so you must give to yourself.” — Christine

“When did we stop living our lives in the way that we choose and start living our lives at the timing of everybody else? … We’re basically accessible 24/7 without safeguarding the things that we need.” — Christine

“We need to give ourselves permission to be curious and courageous and … able to make mistakes without beating ourselves up … about it. … It’s … having that belief in yourself and trusting that you are complete as you are. … That’s where the journey starts.” — Christine

“When you focus on true wellness, it’s about having a foundation of belief and trust within yourself; that you have the courage and the respect to be able to say, ‘Thank you for asking, but no.’ Or … to say, ‘If I say yes to this, I’m letting myself down.’” — Christine

“Often, we will say yes to good, and then we miss out on great.” — Christine

“When you have guilt, it always seeks some sort of punishment. And punishment always seeks some sort of pain. If you have guilt, you’re setting a path of self-sabotage because you will somehow believe you deserve to either be disappointed or hurt.” — Christine

“Give your family the best of you, not the rest of you.” — Past NAR President Ron Phipps, quoted by Christine

“When you’re feeling overwhelmed, I want you to take a breath and I want you to slow things down.” — Christine

“We ‘should’ ourselves to death. … I think we need to take ‘should’ out because ‘should’ is a guilt word.” — Christine

“We beat ourselves up way more than we ever let on. We need to give ourselves a break.” — Christine

“Stop lying to yourself. Make a deal that if you already know you’re not going to do [something] don’t say you’re going to do it. Start to be careful with the thoughts you think and what you say to yourself. … Own the things that you say.” — Christine

Guest Links:

Christine Hansen

You Can Heal Your Life, Study course by Louise Hay

Ron Phipps, 2011 NAR President

Stand Up For Your Life, by Cheryl Richardson

Dare To Lead podcast, by Brené Brown

You Can Heal Your Life, by Louise Hay

Episode 8 with Mark Given

Episode 9

Episode 36 with Keith Davis

Episode 63 with Brent Lancaster

Episode 46 with Sean Carpenter

Additional Links:

Micro courses found at Learning.REALTOR. Use the coupon code PODCAST to obtain 15% off the price of any online class!

Crdpodcast.com

Learning.REALTOR for NAR Online Education

Training4RE.com — List of Classroom Courses from NAR and its affiliates

[e-mail]

Host Information:

Monica Neubauer

Speaker/Podcaster/REALTOR®

[e-mail]

MonicaNeubauer.com

FranklinTNBlog.com

Monica’s Facebook Page

Facebook.com/Monica.Neubauer

Instagram

Instagram.com/MonicaNeubauerSpeaks

Additional Christine Hansen Bio:

Licensed in 1987, obtaining my Brokers license in 1989

2007 President of Great Fort Lauderdale REALTORS®

2009 NAR leadership team

2017 NAR Liaison of Member Communications

2018 Florida Realtor President

2019 Florida REALTORS® — REALTOR® of the Year

2019 NAR REALTOR® Party Director

2020 NAR Vice President of Advocacy

2021‒2022 NAR Executive Committee

Designations & Certifications: CRB/CIPS/GRI/AHWD

Licensed since 2007 to teach You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay

Broker/Owner Century 21 Hansen Realty which was established in 1977

2nd tier Hall of Fame RPAC 2021

WCR Member since 2003

Christine Hansen

Broker-Owner

Century 21 Hansen Realty

3010 E. Commercial Blvd.

Ft. Lauderdale, Fl 33308

Est. 1977

954-817-4881 call/text