Episode 576: The Next 90 Days Can Change Your Next 10 Years with Chris Prefontaine

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Hey, it's Chris Prefontaine again, your host, with another solo cast, and I so enjoyed seeing so many of you at our recent 3 Paydays live event. And this is just the perfect, if I do say so myself, follow-up to that event. You do not need to wait until January to change your year. In fact, waiting until January may be exactly why you keep starting over. You're like, huh?

Yeah.

See, everybody loves the idea of a fresh start, a clean slate, a brand new goal. But your results on January 1st are already being created right now as you're listening to this solo cast right now.

How?

Well, they're being created by the calls you make, the conversations you're avoiding, the deals you follow up on, and the habits you either build or ignore during the final 90 days of this year. This final sprint matters. It really matters. Most people coast through the 4th quarter, right? You know they do.

Guess what?

That's good news for you, because while they're slowing down, downshifting, you can be building momentum. And this episode is not about finishing the year strong just so you can feel good. No, it's about using the next 90 days strategically to become the person who walks into January already moving. Let me change that— cranking by January. Let's dissect this a little bit on this week's podcast. Now, if you're new, first of all, before we dive in, we focus on what? 3 paydays, cash now, monthly cash flow, and long-term cash, long-term wealth. And today I want to talk to you about what I believe is by far the most overlooked opportunity of the entire year, every year, not, not January, Not New Year's Eve, not goal-setting season. Right now. October. Yep. October. Because every year around this time, I watch something happen. And this has been, gosh, far back as I can remember, all 35 years in real estate. People do what? They slow down. They stop mentally checking out. By the way, this hasn't changed. It's the same way when I owned my brokerage. I said all these in real estate. This is back in the '90s. And it was mid-'90s, actually. And they'd all check out, all the brokers in the business. You know, the holidays are coming, football season's in full swing, travel starts, family obligations ramp up. Oh, I'll start for the new year, blah, blah, blah. And people start telling themselves that lie. What's the lie? Let's just be clear. Well, the lie is this: I'll really get serious in January. I guess there's a little gut check built into that. Have you ever said that to yourself or to someone else? Ah, be honest here. We're at the beginning of the show. Maybe you're saying it right now. We are in October, right? The problem is January, surprise, surprise, doesn't create success. All January does is it reveals what you were doing in October. So important. And it's the truth. It reveals it. And today I want to challenge you to be— because the next 90 days can and will literally change the next 10 years of your life. Wow, big statement, right? 10 years, a decade. Yeah. And listen, it's not because that's some motivational slogan. I've been saying this for a long time. It's a fact. And I've actually watched it, not just in my life but with people in our community. I've watched it happen over and over and over again. Most people waste the most important quarter of the year. Think about this. Most people are already writing off the year by the time they coast in right about now, if not a little bit later than now. They don't admit it. It might even be conscious, but they're doing it. Maybe they missed some of the goals for the past year that they're in. Maybe they didn't close as many deals as they wanted to in real estate. Maybe life got in the way in every way. Maybe they got distracted. Maybe They had setbacks. I get it. So instead of attacking the last quarter, like I'm talking double-down time, they start waiting for the first quarter. And so I'm like, well, I need to restart. And that's where they lose big time. That's where in fact 95 to 98% of the population hovers, in my opinion. And that's why 95 to 98% of the population doesn't accomplish all their goals. Now, I said hover for a reason. Because momentum doesn't care what month it is. No, it doesn't. Opportunity doesn't care what month it is. Frankly, more importantly for us in real estate, sellers don't care what month it is. The market doesn't care what month it is. Only people decide that October somehow doesn't matter in November. And that's a huge mistake. Huge mistake. Because while most people are slowing down, that's general society. At the exact same time, the same time, a small group of people, that other sort of 2, 3, maybe up to 5% area, they're accelerating. They're literally doing what I just alluded to. They're doubling down. They're doing everything they can regardless of how the rest of the 3 quarters of the year went, regardless of how great or not so great, no matter how hard or easy, doesn't matter. That's all in the past. So important. And that's where separation happens. Big word there, separation.

You know, it doesn't matter if you're brand new to real estate or if you've been doing this for several years or a whole bunch of years. I learned the hard way back during the crash that doing creative deals is much better. It's a much better path in real estate in general than let's call it the old way, getting paid once, using banks, signing personally, 3 paydays, getting paid 3 times on a deal. It's better 3 ways, not one. money now, money over time, and money long-term. And I don't care if you're in an up, down, sideways market, it doesn't matter. You can and should operate with the utmost confidence. There's literally nothing I love more than helping people create systems and simple systems and processes to become massively successful with our 3 Payday System. In doing so, in literally any market, and doing it geographically literally anywhere. So if you've been learning and learning and listening and studying and not taking action, I'm telling you after going through it myself, It's costing you tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, by not taking action on the 3 paydays the way you should be getting paid. Many of the people that were brand new, just like you, that joined our community have fast-tracked their startup. Now, I mean, wouldn't that be ideal if you said, okay, should I go fast or slow? Should I take action now or later? It's costing you too much money to wait. Each one of you are at a point in your life, I'm sure, Where you want things to be easier, you want things to be better for you and your family. You probably realize that you not only want more, but you deserve more in this life. So, to be able to give your family everything they want, build a legacy for you personally too, and to have time freedom to start enjoying life, frankly, whatever else you're seeking. And for some of you, now's the time, for example, to just focus on security. Maybe it's building a big solid bank account for retirement. We take these things super, super seriously.

And it's my life's biggest reward to help you achieve them.

I want to give you a free discovery session with our team. It's free. It's 15 or 20 minutes. You have zero to lose and everything to gain. And to understand how you might fit into the 3 Payday System that we've done now in over 80 markets as of this filming, go to smartrealestatecoachpodcast.com/discovery for a free call with our team.

smartrealestatecoachpodcast.com/discovery.

Because it's not whether or not you can do it or whether or not you fit.

You can do it.

It's whether or not you'll take action and do what it takes. And we can guide you through that process. smartrealestatecoachpodcast.com/discovery.

We'll see you soon. Here we are, a week or so past our annual 3 Paydays live event. I think it was the 11th one we've done. 11th. We started in the basement of a Chamber of Commerce in 2016. Not the business, just the events. And I know what happens after every event. I've seen it now 11 times. I see the same thing. What do you think that is? Ponder it for a second. People leave fired up, inspired, excited, focused. They have clarity, they have energy, their beliefs up. Ah, it's like the highest everything. And then something happens.

What is it?

Life. Life just kind of happens to all of us, by the way. Life starts pulling at them, their inbox, the schedule, the back to the reality trail, right? Distractions, obligations, family, financial, keep going. But little by little, the urgency they felt at the event, coming out of the event, driving or flying home, starts to fade. That doesn't make them bad people. I've been there many times. And it's not because they don't want it badly. I believe most of us do. No, it's just because that's what life does, right? That's what it throws at you. And that's why events don't change lives. I mean, we love our events. We very pointedly do them at a point where it gives you an opportunity to be in proximity with us. We have one next month. We have a Deal Lab. It's smaller, but it's more personal. It's in our office. Because we know implementation changes lives. Events do what though? They create awareness, sure. But execution creates a complete transformation, ideally. Execution. So the question isn't, what do you learn at the event? It's not that at all. The question is, what are you doing differently because you were at the event? That's where everything changes.

You were there, great.

You had the motivation when you left there at whatever level, great. I could tell you the biggest mistake entrepreneurs make. And how do I know this with certainty? Because number one, I made it myself. And number two, we've seen this for 11 straight years now, many, many times. They get excited, they get a little momentum that brings a little more clarity.

Great.

Not a bad start. But then almost immediately they start thinking too big. And I know that's a tough one because I usually tell people to think big. Think huge was my Slogan I trademarked. Creating all those extra goals. You know, let me be specific so you know what I'm talking about. I'm not just poo-pooing big goals. 20 goals, 10 projects. I got 5 or 10 priorities. And then just that overwhelm sets in. Again, predictable. I see it over and over again. So listen carefully here, please. You do not need a brand new 5-year plan. You're sitting in October right now, right? You don't need a brand new 5-year plan. You need a strong next 90-day plan, like a serious 90-day sprint. I used to operate the best with 90-day sprints. That changes a lot. I remember my wife started jogging. She'd be like, I just want to get to the next telephone pole, 100 feet, and then the next, and the next, right? 90-day sprints. That's it. 90 days. Because 90 focused days can accomplish more than 3 unfocused years. Did you hear that loud and clear? 90 focused days will, if done properly, accomplish more than 3 unfocused years. Think about something else. Did the last 3 years fly by for you? I've asked this a lot on this show. And are you okay if you're in the exact same spot in October of 2029? Only you know that answer. I keep saying that I've seen it, but I bet you've seen it. The people who make massive jumps aren't always the smartest. They're the most focused, laser-focused, like obsessed with where they're going and what they're doing. How would you like on this show a 90-day formula? Well, here you go. If I was to start from scratch today, or if I wanted to completely transform, change my trajectory over the next year for all of '27, I'll do a few very pointed, very focused things. Focus on activities, not outcomes. Activities, not outcomes. You can't control all the outcomes. I find myself coaching on my nightly accountabilities with my highest level people all the time on this. You can't control the outcome. Most people obsess over goals. Successful people obsess over actions based on a definitive, predictable plan. See, those would-be nice goals feel good. They might motivate you in the moment, but a predictable, proven plan with dates, guidelines, accountability, partners to help you, et cetera, That gets shit done. Here, I would ask yourself this for an example. In order to leave my W-2 in 12 months, 24 months, whatever it is, or in order to accomplish X, right? You fill in the blank. You're going to want to know in our world, how many sellers will I speak with? How many offers will I make? How many coaching calls will I attend? How many follow-ups will I complete in that process? How many opportunities will I create in that process? What are the odds? We've tracked this for well over a decade and a half now. We know. What part of my mental game will I work on during that process? That's why Dr. Joe Vitale and I and Nick and Zak, Joe's from The Secret, we filmed The 31-Day Billionaire. It's yours for free, by the way, if you're listening to this, my gift to you. Support's going to love me, but send an email to support@smartrealestatecoach.com. Tell them I said you can have it. It's called The 31-Day Billionaire with myself and Joe Vitale. Vitaly. You're gonna love it. And it works in the mindset. It's meant to listen to one a day for 31 days. All right, back to the plan. What skill sets will you need to get you there? See, end result stuff. And then you back it back to today and you fill in the blanks best you can. Because these activities you just fill in will create the outcomes that you're looking for. Not wishes or would-be nices, but true predictable outcomes. Not just vision boards, not to poo-poo that, but not just that, not just intentions. Those are fine, but not alone. You need more than that. You need what? Execution. I'm going to beat this to death, I think, on this one, because we're at a great time for you to hear this. And here's the beautiful part. You can control the execution, but you can't control the timing and you can't control the outcomes. As I tell my highest level students all the time, in addition to execution, what else can you control? Think about it. What else can you control? Well, you can control your effort every day, can't you? You could control your effort. Yes, you can. You can control your effort and your execution. Don't be tied to the result. You can control those and get some accounting built around it so you get the result you want. And with that proven and built-in accountability, you have a winning formula for your sprint, this 90-day sprint. So I mentioned a second ago, things like mindset, skill sets needed because I want you to be thinking, who will I be on January 1st? Yeah, like January 1st of the following year. Let's fast forward this thing. January 1st arrives. It's coming whether you're ready or not. And it's coming whether you change or not, right? So you might as well make the best of it, right? Okay, so fast forward there. Who are you? Are you the same person? Are you still just talking about your goals? Are you still waiting? Are you still in plan mode, prep mode? It's all a choice. Or are you totally different? Did you build some confidence? Did you build momentum? Such a short but effective 90 days, right? Did you build discipline? Did you work on the mental game during that process? Because it all matters. It's not just a skillset to do a deal. You could go to YouTube and watch all my deal structures and learn that. Did you add or refine some skillsets? Did you build a pipeline? Did you build a business? See, fast forward to yourself, to that beacon I talked about, and then back it up. Because here's something that I've also learned in my 35-plus years in real estate, and I alluded to it earlier at least once. Success is not built in January. It's built long before January arrives. Actually, a lot of it's built before now, before October. But January simply reveals the work you did. That, that is why I love October. Now see, we're back to that again, right? It's worth a constant revisit, guys. October is a cool month to think about this because most people don't see its value. And because they don't see it, they waste it. The opportunity is right in front of us, right in front of you. Look around. Think about what I said earlier and observe in your environment. Observe. Most people are probably slowing down. Most people are getting distracted. Most people are waiting. That's not your opportunity. I always think about this in gaps in a lot of different ways, like closing that gap always, right? Well, here's another one. Everyone around you being a complete slacker is not your opportunity, even though it sounds like I was working up to that. No, I was just telling you, observe that because that's reality. Your opportunity is that gap that they are creating. See, every time somebody quits, opportunity expands and opens. Every time somebody pauses, opportunity expands and opens. Every time somebody waits until next year, like when they're coasting for the next 90 days, big time opportunity expands. For who? You. If you choose it, it's your 90 days. And the people who understand that simple window, the people who keep moving, The people who keep showing up, the people who double down, like I said earlier, and lock arms with others doubling down, like in our community, like in our Smart Real Estate Coach family. Those are the people who change their future predictably and then be in a different spot when they look back in 90 days. That's the thing. There's a key word I said there— predictably. Now, doesn't that sound and feel great? Like a lot better than the coast? Like I'm going to coach for 90 days. Some nice, productive, fun, profitable predictability. That's cool. All right. I could keep going on this solo cast. So here's my challenge for you. I think, you know, by now, don't wait till January. Don't wait until the market changes. Certainly not. Don't wait until the media stops screaming. Certainly not. Don't wait until something gets easier. You decide that the next 90 days matters and you decide whether you get to change it or not, because they do matter. The next 90 days can change your income for a decade. It can change your confidence, your business, your relationships. Like literally you can design your future with this 90 days. And maybe most importantly, that next 90-day window, this next 90-day window after you get off this show can change who you become forever. Because I've said in a bunch of videos in the past, nobody can take that from you. Right? It's sort of that stacking I talk about here again. And once you stack, you don't revert to the old way, the old you, for the most part. In these 90 days, well, most people are going to waste them, sadly, like I said earlier. Call it 95%, 98%, whatever you want. A few people are going to use them to completely change the trajectory. The question is, is that going to be you? I invite you to carefully think about this now. Like when you get off this, if you're driving and maybe wait till a little bit later, but take some notes, journal what you think. The next 90 days should look like, and then get our help or get someone's help and then just decide which group are you in? Are you in the coasters or are you in the I'm going to change everything for the next 90 days and get off to the right trajectory? All right, guys, thanks for being here. If this helped you, make sure you subscribe. And if you're serious about doing deals the right way, head over to smartrealestatecoach.com. We're going to help you take the next steps. We'll see you next month.

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