Real estate is changing fast, and so must you. Inman Connect San Diego is where you turn uncertainty into strategy — with real talk, real tools and the connections that matter. If you’re serious about staying ahead of the game, this is where you need to be. Register now!
In real estate, skill is only part of the game. The rest? Mindset, clarity and daily habits. That’s why The Success Principles by Jack Canfield continues to be one of the most valuable personal development books I’ve ever read — and one I recommend to every agent I coach or manage.
Canfield breaks success into 64 principles (yes, 64), but the first 20 are foundational. They’ll change how you work, how you lead and how you live. And when you apply them through the lens of real estate — where rejection, risk and rollercoaster commissions are baked into the business — you gain more than inspiration. You get a tactical advantage.
20 foundational Success Principles
Here’s how each principle applies to your real estate journey:
1. Take 100% responsibility for your life
You can’t blame the market, your clients or your broker. If your listing didn’t sell, ask yourself: Did I market it well enough? Did I manage the seller’s expectations? Taking responsibility gives you control — and control is power.
Real estate tip: Own your outcomes. When deals fall apart, use it as fuel to refine your process.
2. Be clear why you’re here
Why did you get into real estate? Money? Freedom? Helping people? Your “why” is your anchor when a transaction falls apart or a client ghosts you.
Real estate tip: Revisit your mission. Align your prospecting, marketing and branding with that core purpose.
3. Decide what you want
Winging it won’t cut it. Want to close 25 deals? Move into luxury? Build a team? Decide — and get specific.
Real estate tip: Don’t just set income goals. Set unit goals, listing appointments and calls per day. Effort creates opportunity.
4. Believe it’s possible
If you don’t believe a $2 million sale is possible for you, you’ll never do the prospecting strategies to land it. Belief precedes behavior.
Real estate tip: Study agents doing what you want to do. If they can, you can. Success leaves clues.
5. Believe in yourself
Confidence shows up in your listing presentations, your pricing recommendations and your negotiations. Self-belief is your competitive edge.
Real estate tip: Revisit your wins often. Keep a “success folder” with past testimonials, photos of closings or thank-you notes. Practice and hone your skills consistently, and that will give you more confidence, which strengthens your belief in yourself.
6. Use the law of attraction
Your energy is magnetic. If you walk into every open house drained and discouraged, guess what you’ll attract? Disengagement. But if you lead with enthusiasm and value, you’ll start pulling out opportunities.
Real estate tip: Start your day with visualization. Picture the ideal client conversation, showing, signed contract or a well-presented homeseller marketing presentation.
7. Unleash the power of goal setting
Goal setting isn’t wishful thinking — it’s strategic universal command. Agents with written goals earn significantly more. Period.
Real estate tip: Write down monthly transaction goals, then reverse-engineer your daily activities to support them. Knowing how many pipeline leads you need to attain your goals is crucial to the process.
8. Chunk it down
That $500,000 income goal? It’s overwhelming until you break it into daily calls, weekly appointments and monthly closings.
Real estate tip: Use tools like Follow-Up Boss, Bold Trail (kvCore), Trello or a simple Excel tracker to chunk and track your pipeline stages.
9. Success leaves clues
There’s no need to reinvent anything in this business. Follow the top producers, mimic their models, then put your own spin on it.
Real estate tip: Shadow top agents. Read their bios. Analyze their listing photos. Model what works.
10. Release the brakes
Your limiting beliefs are the brakes on your Ferrari. If you don’t believe you’re worthy of big success, you’ll sabotage yourself every time.
Real estate tip: Watch for self-talk like, “I’m not a luxury agent.” Eliminate it. Replace it with, “I’m becoming a top luxury expert.”
11. See what you want, get what you see
Canfield says that your brain doesn’t distinguish between real and vividly imagined experiences. So if you consistently visualize selling oceanfront property in Laguna Beach, you’re training your brain to find the path.
Real estate tip: Create a vision board with your dream clients, commissions, homes and experiences. You attract what you emit.
12. Act as if
Start acting like the agent you want to become. Dress like a $10 million producer. Learn your market, and speak eloquently to it. Lead with that confidence. Remember, perception is reality.
Real estate tip: Show up to every appointment prepared and polished — like your dream self would.
13. Take action
You can work for the best brokerage, have the best CRM, listing presentation or brand — but it’s meaningless without action. Action is the key to lead generation and conversion.
Real estate tip: Prospect daily. One conversation can lead to a deal that changes your year. Persistence pays!
14. Just lean into it
You don’t need a five-year plan. Just take the next best step. Success has many twists, turns and failures — it’s a series of course corrections and being able to pivot.
Real estate tip: Lean into learning and being a better version of yourself. Don’t overanalyze every step. Make the call, show the home, send the mailer. Analysis paralysis is the killer of many a great agents.
15. Feel the fear, and do it anyway
Fear is your green light. That luxury listing pitch that scares you? Do it. That video you’re afraid to post? Post it. Growth lives on the other side of fear.
Real estate tip: Start each week by tackling the one thing you’ve been avoiding.
16. Be willing to pay the price
Real estate isn’t a 40-hour-a-week job. It’s a commitment. Open houses on weekends. Prospecting before 9 a.m. Mastery demands sacrifice.
Real estate tip: Create boundaries, but don’t expect balance 24/7. Hustle now, harvest later.
17. Ask! Ask! Ask!
Ask for referrals. Ask for the listing. Ask for testimonials. Closed mouths don’t get fed.
Real estate tip: End every client conversation with: “Is there anyone else I can help this month?”
18. Reject rejection
No is just one more step toward a yes. It’s critical to understand that the rejection you receive is not a personal rejection; it’s just that they are rejecting your proposition or your timing. Never take it personally, but realize you either need to have a better value proposition or a longer follow-up process.
Real estate tip: Track rejections. Celebrate them. They’re proof you’re doing the work.
19. Use feedback to your advantage
That client who said your listing photos weren’t good enough? Gold. Use it. Upgrade your service. Feedback isn’t failure — it’s fertilizer.
Real estate tip: After every close, ask, “What could I have done better?” Then do it.
20. Commit to constant and never-ending improvement
Real estate evolves. So should you. Mastering contracts, pricing, marketing and technology is a lifelong game.
Real estate tip: Read daily. Attend coaching. Stay curious. Every bit of knowledge sharpens your competitive edge and helps you differentiate yourself from other agents.
Real estate is personal growth in disguise
The truth? Real estate isn’t just about selling homes — it’s about growing into the kind of person who can handle the volume, pressure and income you’re dreaming about.
The Success Principles is a reminder that there’s no secret sauce — just consistent, intentional habits. The agents who rise to the top aren’t necessarily the smartest or most experienced. They’re the ones who believe, act and grow daily.
If you take even five of these 20 principles and implement them with discipline, your business — and your life — will never be the same.
See you at the top.
Terry LeClair is a seasoned real estate professional and trainer with over 30 years of experience. Connect with him on Instagram and LinkedIn.
