Hakuna Matata: Setting Intentional Goals Without the Worry in 2025

And Steven, maybe you should tell us about what your theme is for 2025. Kuna matata. And what does that mean for those that don't know? Well, I mean, it's off of the Lion King, right? Like with Pumbaa and what is the other one's name? But Akuta matata. Like, means no worries. Like it. You know, I think it was really funny. I think Ben actually said it when we were in a pool and I was like. It was like one of those little light switch moments that I have of, like, man, I haven't heard that in forever. And we don't need to worry about everything. I. I know that I personally am somebody that I. I try not to, but I gotten a lot better. But, you know, constantly worrying about the what ifs and the future and how is this going to go, how is that going to play out? And really all that is doing is it's creating more anxiety for me, and I don't want that. And so the once he said that, I was like, that's going to be my word, my phrase for 2025. Hakuna matata. But no worries. Let it be, and everything's going to work out. Welcome to the Leading Lane podcast for Real Estate Pros by Real Estate Pros, with your hosts, Ashley Frederick and Steven Burch. If you're looking for an honest, authentic, and raw perspective, you found it. Welcome, everyone, to the Leading Elaine podcast. It is our first podcast of 2025. Also, believe that this would mean that we have been doing this podcast for one full year, which is insane to me because I remember that it was kind of like a. So what do you think about this? Should we try it? Here we are a year later. I think we've had some great conversations. Um, I appreciate people that reach out with, you know, things that have meant something to me or meant something to them. I know you just sent me one that you saw last week, so keep those coming. If you relate to something that we've said or you think there's something that you'd like to hear, we'd love to hear those things. Steven and I also just were able to spend some time away to ring in the new year. And, Steven, maybe you should tell us about what your theme is for 2025, and what does that mean for those that don't know? Well, I mean, it's off of the Lion King, right? Like with Pumbaa and what is the other one's name? But Hakuna matata. Like, means no worries. Like it. You know, I think it was really funny. I think Ben actually said it when we were in a pool and I was like, it was like one of those little light switch moments that I have of like, man, I haven't heard that in forever. And we don't need to worry about everything. I know that I personally am somebody that I try not to, but I gotten a lot better. But you know, constantly worrying about the what ifs and the future and how is this going to go, how is that going to play out. And really all that is doing is it's creating more anxiety for me and I don't want that. And so the once he said that I was like, that's going to be my word, my phrase for 2025. But no worries, let it be and everything's going to work out. And, and I think that's really something that kind of overcompasses a lot of different aspects of different goals or New Year's resolutions. Like just kind of is the overall arching theme for me. Awesome. So New year, what does it say? New Year, New me. But what is, what are some of your goals for 2025? You know, do you believe in goals and these different types of New Year's resolutions? Like what do you think is going on here? Yeah, you know, I think that it's important to have goals throughout the year. So for me it hasn't always just been a January 1st thing. Like I think that you have to set goals throughout the whole entire year. I think that goals can change dramatically. You know, for us it's kind of a guess of what the market will be every year. You know, we try to guesstimate if it's going to be a similar year, an up year, a down year. So we try to gauge that or making office goals or personal goals. But I'm sure as you can relate many times halfway through the year that did not look the way that we were going to either good or bad. And you have to readjust and sometimes I think it was last year, I think it was last year we reduced our company goal by 20%. I think like three months in I was like, no, we're not. Market's not the same. But. Right. And the reason for that I think some people ask like why did you do that? Because you know, do think the fact of having an unattainable goal is basically like not having a goal. Because I think when they're too far fetched, people just give up too easily. Where if it's kind of like we've done this before, we're within reach. I think people strive a little bit harder. I need to check our numbers, but I. I think that we ended up maybe like two transactions over our goal. So again, like, that was like, right a. A stretch. So I definitely think that it's a matter of fine tuning throughout the year. But one thing I think that'll be important for me this year is pro. Probably getting on some stages. I think that I have a lot to share as far as, you know, being a woman in the industry, just in business in general. Life experiences, good and bad, real estate experiences, good and bad, and I think just more so trying to have some positivity in the world, letting people know that, you know, you're right. Like, it's easy to worry, but you have to surround yourself with people that are also going to, you know, call you out, make sure that you're not dwelling on things. You know, we had a situation even while we were on vacation that could have, you know, consumed my whole time. But good friends were like, we have to let it go. There's nothing you can do about it now. And between then, I think that was a really good realization for me. Even getting back, like, will it matter a year or two or three from now? Like, you know, don't know. But I can't, can't dwell on it because it doesn't help and it takes away from, you know, what you're currently trying to work on. So I think I'm getting on more stages. I definitely think I'd like to have a book out there. I think that there are a lot of life experiences too. I started doing some book mapping. Thanks, Valerie, for that idea. But it is really interesting when you start to just think about topics of things that have happened in your life and how it's related to where you're at today and just very strange things that I don't think that maybe at the time when you were like, in second or third grade and someone made a comment. But how those comments, you know, stick with you. Like, I think one, I don't know if we ever talked about it, but we had a small Christmas tree. So someone said that we were, you know, poor white trash and like second grade. I don't know like how kids can think like that. It's probably worse today than when it was when we were growing up. But it's always resonated, you know, with me for some reason. Right. So it's funny how at the office we have like four Christmas trees, and at home we have four Christmas trees, and they're nine foot and they're ten foot and they're eleven foot. You know, it's. It's weird. You think about, like, is that a. Like an F you to those people, or is that just. It stuck with me and I want to not have that, you know, so it's just funny when you start mapping those out, what that means. You know, one thing that I'll. That I'll share that I guess I'm probably surprised that I'm sharing. But, you know, in the poll we talked about that sometimes I feel lost. I think that we can all feel a little lost at times when you're doing so many things and there's so many directions to turn to, and you're not sure if you're doing the right thing or whatnot. And we're talking about coaching and therapy, and I do believe in having a coach. We've talked about that. We've talked about it on this podcast. I think it's the Relentless. Is that the book? I know we were struggling with the title last time, you know, but it's, you know, just about like, Kobe and Michael Jordan. And, you know, you look at them and they were like, the best of the best, but they still had a coach the whole time. And I haven't had a coach. I think now, for gosh, I think it's probably been almost two and a half years, and I feel how that has changed or maybe when there isn't someone on that level that's like a weekly, like, pushing, you set those goals. I feel that difference. But then also, I think with the struggles and, you know, leadership, those types of things, there's probably some therapy that has to be had. I think it was important, you know, that both you and Ryan. It's funny, Ben left for, like, 10 minutes and he missed this whole conversation. But there is a difference between coaching and. And therapy. And so I. I actually, like, signed up for some online therapy this year, and I'll be excited to see what that unfolds. But I. I think that it is more of a. I think it's still a taboo. I think that people are still ashamed to talk about it. I think that when people tell me that they're in therapy, I think it's great, but I think that it's all just to, you know, make us better people all around. Maybe you know, how to deal with some of those stresses better. So I've had, like, my first back and forth with her, and I think, for me, we've talked about this, too, is just the ability to Never be like off, like I can't turn it off, can't turn my mind off. You can't leave the country, you can't do anything. And it's just this overwhelming like fear of maybe some post traumatic of what's happened when I've been gone before or whatnot. So for me it's, I need to find a way to be able to turn off and maybe that will, will lead to some, you know, other progressions, if you will. So I think that those are probably my three, you know, biggest things. And I think you're gonna help with some of the coaching aspects, putting me in touch with someone we already know. So. Yeah, coaching, therapy, books. What's my other one? Books, stages. And then obviously continuing to do what we do every day, which is, you know, real estate, helping people make those life decisions and helping other agents become good agents. Coaching on that part. All the fun things we have planned for leading Lane. So that's what 2025 is going to look like for me. And some great vacations. That's right. We have to put vacations in there, right? Yes, we do. Yeah. I need to clarify those days with you for March. But anyway, what is your 2020, you. Know, and I think that's something that you're talking about, this therapy journey and everything. You know, I used to feel guilty for scheduling out vacations and everything and, and really those vacations are my reset. And when we go to vacation together, like, yeah, we're somewhere tropical and nice in a pool and maybe have a pina colada or a Blue Hawaiian, whatever it's going to be. But like we're actually having planning sessions, if you will. Like we're, we're talking, we're having very intentional conversations, we're pushing each other, we're asking questions. And so to me it's work without work. And it really is the reset that I truly need. And I think something that we kind of declared, maybe we didn't say exactly, but instead of just doing a one year plan, let's do this on a quarterly basis to where we can have this reset. I know for me like it's crucial to have it and if I don't, then I get into this rabbit hole of things of like, I don't want to call it depression, but feeding for, for something more. So scheduling it out and let's look at it quarterly versus trying to do a big old chunk. Yeah, we can have that overall plan. And I think that's something else too that maybe before I am a planner and what, what we did was when we worked with Laura and when we went to Baltimore, we did her VIP strategic planning day and really we mapped out the entire year and looking back at this entire year visual plan, we hit almost every single thing that we mapped out on there. It may not be to the T of the date or exactly what it was, but like probably 90%, 95% of the things we accomplished. So I think it's important to have the overall plan, but then like you're saying, essentially being able to pivot and make those adjustments when need be, when you recognize that we may be having too big of a goal or aspiration, like, let's bring it down to reality that we can still hit it and maintain it. Um, and that's where I think those quarterly check ins are truly going to be able to help too. So. And kudos to you for even talking about going to therapy on, on a podcast. Right. This is all brand new. And I too, because you, you pushed me, signed up for, for therapy because there is the difference between coaching and therapy. And I think that you have to be able to hire those people and surround yourself around those people that you're trying to get to that level, whatever that level is or that area of life. And I want to be very intentional that when I meet with my coach that I. We're talking about coaching and performance and development. Yeah, there may be some difference of, you know, personal things that are over there, but I need a therapist to be able to truly help me on the personal side as well. And I talk about it all the time like I do not believe in work life balance. I think it's a work life harmony. And I think that because I have both spectrums, if you will, that is where the harmony is really going to be even, even better than what it's been in before. So yeah, for, for me, for, for my goals, it's. And it's kind of funny because before I used to try to stack all of up and say I have all of these, you know, you know, 20 bullet points. It's pretty small thing, quote unquote small. They're big projects that we are working on and we're slowly getting there to be able to work on a relationship with a company that we've been trying for quite some time. We finally secured a contract, so once that comes more public, then we'll share more information there. But being able to continue those goals and aspirations, and it's really funny when I look at the goals, my goals are a lot on the business Side are goals for other people. And I really have put a lot of my. My team and other people that are around me for a leading lane first, because once they get their goals going, like, then that frees up my time to be able to truly work on my different types of things. Like, I also want to work on a book, share my. My personal story. So I'm starting to. To write those out. And as I was saying, like, I need to find somebody to be able to help me in specific areas. So one of them is to hire and find or find and hire a speaking and book coach, if that's one in the same, you know, type of thing. So really, to overall, like, just sum it up for. For me, my goals is to be more present, kind of stealing that from. From you, my kuna matata. And then being on more stages in front of more people and then being able to continue the relationships and the contracts that I've been working on for quite some time to. To get those rolling and launched. Well, I think for us, too, we both have agreed that, you know, with these large goals that we have, we still have to take care of ourselves, you know, So I think I don't like to put a number of, like, I'm gonna go to the gym like, X days a week or whatever. Like, I just felt like that started to be almost like a monotonous, like, because life happens, and I don't think you should ever feel guilty for not going or whatnot. So I think, you know, for you and I, it's both a matter of, you know, being more active, eating healthier. Because really, if we're not fueling our. Our bodies, it's hard to fuel others. Right? Like we always talk about, you have to pour into yourself before you can, according to someone else who goes back to the airplane, right? When they say, like, to put your mask on yourself first and then help others. So I think, you know, both going to work on some personal, you know, weights and eating healthy. And I'm excited to try your hydrogenated water. Yeah, the hydrogen water started that. So far, I freaking love it. I didn't think that I would be able to seeing or feel anything yet. And maybe it's all mental right now, but, I mean, what, three, four days into it, and I can see some differences. We started our. What is it called? The sheet. What is it called? Your grounding mat? Yeah, the grounding mat. There we go. But a grounding sheet. We put it on the bed last night. Last night, yeah. Ryan was not impressed with it by the way, but we'll see if it helps. And you know, it's those small little changes. It's nothing, you know, drinking lemon water with my Celtic salt and the first thing in the morning. It's very small little changes that I want to do. And I heard this interesting. I thought, I don't know who it was on things on TikTok when we were on the plane, but it was talking about like, diets and when. When is eating healthy considered a diet? Like, that is not the same. And so when I, when I heard that, that really resonated with me and I was like, why am I going to say I'm going to be on a diet and have all this, like, extra, oh, I have to prepare, you know, all these salads and blah, blah, blah. Like, no, it's eating healthy, it's doing small. And really, I think that compound effect comes in personal and business with let it be eating healthy or let it being working out, you know, consistently, or let it being doing those cold calls consistently. Everything is off of the consistency and making sure that you stick with it without getting overwhelmed and shutting down. Yeah. Help being healthy. And I think that being healthy mentally, physically, emotionally, right. It's. It's all, all together and we have to work on ourselves before we can serve others. Agreed. And I think, you know, just for anyone listening, I think, you know, if you have some really big goals, like, I definitely suggest just breaking it down a little bit and kind of, you know, like micro dosing those goals so that maybe they don't seem so overwhelming or even if you, if you don't. You know, I think that's another. We talk about, like the comparison game. You know, the people I think sometimes will watch, you know, Facebook and they'll see all these plans people have and, you know, whatnot. And then it starts to play this comparison game of maybe like, you need to do this or whatnot. So I encourage people too, to just focus on yourself. You know, comparison is the thief of joy. Is that the same joy? Yeah. So there's no point in comparison. Like, we're all uniquely ourselves and that's what got us to where we are. So if we can focus on that and really it's. It's not against. I mean, it's nobody else. It's you. It's you against you. And really, I think that I can really relate to, you know, the, the comparison there for the longest. I used to always, well, this person's doing this or how are they able to do this? You people ask me all the time. Like, how can you keep up with everything? How are you so organized? Well, it's taken me a long time to be able to do this. And then I look at other people, I'm like, how can they do it? And really, it's. You are. You have the power of your yourself and don't overdo it, don't underdo it. You have to make sure that you find your happy harmony and your what makes you enjoy it. Because if you're not going to enjoy it, you're not going to be sticking with it. Well, and I think with comparison, you know, people like, you only see like one side, right? So, like, somebody might look they're happy or whatnot, but, like, do we truly know what's going on, like at home or at the office or whatever? So I think that's where we have to remember, like, the things we see are probably just a slight glimpse and that, you know, probably no one lives in perfection. We all have our things to work on. So just, you know, remember to reach out if you need help and that there's always someone, always someone on that will be willing to pick up the other phone. Love it. Love it. Well, I'm excited for 2025. I'm excited to see even the opportunities that already have been knocking on your. Your door. And I can't wait to see what else we're going to be able to accomplish. So I want to bring everybody along with the ride or the ride with us, bring everybody up to wherever that may be for, for them as individuals and continue to impact lives and empower others to being possibly can be awesome. Looking forward to a successful 2025. Cheers. K Matata. All right, well, thank you everyone for tuning in. We're excited for all we have to bring to you in 2025. With some more amazing guests coming up, some other fun things that we'll have in store for you. So stay tuned. If you've enjoyed today's episode, please, like subscribe and share with others. Stay connected. For more genuine insights and strategies to boost your real estate career on Facebook or check out our website. We'll see you next time.