I wasn’t planning on crying.

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But it happened.

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Not like an ugly face cry type situation, but some tears.

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A few weeks ago, during a live virtual masterclass, I talked about where I came from and my upbringing. 

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My parents, their sacrifices, and our family journey that got me here.

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And I choked up.

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Because sometimes, when you finally take a second to step back and really look at what you’ve built…

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You realize just how far you’ve come.

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See, my parents and I emigrated from Iran to the US in 1985 during the middle of an eight-year war with neighboring country Iraq, where it’s estimated that a million people died. 

We left our entire extended family for London, then San Francisco, and then finally settled in Chicago, where my mother couldn’t even get a job at McDonald’s and my Father was a shoe salesman making $3.75 an hour. 

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They worked hard, day in and day out, to give me a chance at something better.

We lived in multiple tiny apartments before buying our first home in 1992 when I was 12.

I don’t have the fondest of childhood memories, to be honest.

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I was learning English, getting bullied, and always struggling in school. 

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And if you would have told that kid…

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The one who barely graduated high school with a 1.7 GPA, dropped out of college and worked as a car dealership porter and apartment building janitor that one day…

…he’d be living a widely abundant life while being the CEO of a top Loan Officer Coaching Community and a C-Suite Executive at a national independently owned mortgage company…

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He wouldn’t have believed you.

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But here’s the thing: 

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It wasn’t luck.

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It was a decision.

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A decision to stop making excuses and having pity for myself. 

A decision to seek out coaches instead of figuring it all out alone.

A decision to start doing the required daily work for years and years.

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And that’s what I want for you, too.

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Because I know a lot of LOs are waiting for something to change.

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Waiting for mortgage rates to drop to 5% or less. 

Waiting for their phone to ring by staring at it harder. 

Waiting for the “right” time to hire their first assistant. 

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But let me tell you -- there is no perfect time (for ANYTHING in life).

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The only difference between those who win and those who “lose”?

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The winners do the following:

1. Seek clarity 

2. Increase energy

3. Raise their standard

4. Focus on ONE thing

5. Develop influence

6. Demonstrate courage
 

And if that sounds like you…

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Then make 2025 the year you stop waiting.

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Whatever that might look to you. 

Whether it’s finally hiring that loan assistant, launching that webinar, or joining a community that pushes you to grow (I’ve got one in mind 😉)… make the decision now.

If I could do it, you could do it.

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Now lesssGO get it.

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