The holidays are in full swing! Have you taken time to go over your business plan for 2020 yet? While you prepare for the next calendar year, real estate coaches also recommend reflecting on the past one, and adjusting strategies accordingly. You’ll take stock of what went well, where your time and energy was spent, and what you can change moving forward.

There’s another important piece of the reflection process that real estate coaches want you to include. It’s critical for ongoing success, yet agents are quick to overlook it and exclude it altogether from their reflection. That element? Celebration.

“When acknowledged, our wins—even very small ones—create positive energy,” Theresa Vavrek, a real estate coach at Buffini & Company, explains. “They make us feel accomplished and ready to do more and get even better next time.”

Celebrating achievements is one of the most productive activities real estate agents can do for their business at the end of the year; however, busy schedules make it the easiest step to skip, according to Rachael Yeaman, also a Buffini & Company Certified Coach.

“It takes time, and a lot of people don’t give themselves that luxury,” says Yeaman.

There are a few other reasons why people are so hesitant to celebrate achievement. Yeaman says many of us have a natural tendency to undermine our own achievements when we feel like we should be doing those things anyway—think going to the gym, delivering client gifts, reading more books, etc. Furthermore, many agents worry about showboating or being perceived as egotistical for drawing attention to their accomplishments.

In reality, says Yeaman, celebrating our own achievements actually means celebrating others.

“Nobody performs anything in isolation,” she says. “Every single accomplishment we have is representative of everybody that helped us achieve that goal.”

The Buffini & Company real estate coaches encourage agents at the beginning of the year to start a journal. This way, when it’s time to reflect, agents have an ongoing list of wins and the people who helped, so nothing slips through the cracks. Vavrek recommends scheduling some quiet time to go over that list in order to identify big accomplishments and develop a strategy moving forward.

“Give reflection the time it deserves, and make it intentional,” advises Vavrek. “Otherwise, we are looking at doing things the same and expecting a different result.”

Once you’ve spent time reflecting and you’ve taken note of your accomplishments, Yeaman says it’s time to have some fun. There are a handful of fun and stress-free ways to celebrate with your database, like throwing a small party for your strongest supporters.

“Many of my clients host gratitude gatherings where they honor the people who are there and acknowledge how they’ve helped them,” says Yeaman.

She also encourages agents to spend time with those closest to them. After all, she says, achievement is a collective effort.

“Go out with your spouse, significant other, family, parents or kids to celebrate, honor, acknowledge and thank them for the role they played in the year’s accomplishments.”

As you navigate the busy end-of-year time, remember the advice of the top real estate coaches. Reflect on the past year, but don’t forget to celebrate your wins and achievements.

To work with a Buffini & Company real estate coach of your own, visit www.buffiniandcompany.com/coaching/one2one/.