I have a confession to make…

‍

I feel a little burnt out.

This has been one heck of year. 

‍

And I am looking forward to strategically “slowing down” this holiday season. 

‍

Fewer meetings, fewer client calls, and maybe even a day or two where you I do absolutely nothing. 

‍

BUT, these quieter weeks can set you up for maaaaajor success in the new year.

‍

A head start, if you will. 

‍

Instead of simply coasting, here’s how you can use downtime to sharpen your edge:

‍

1. Reflect on Wins and Lessons from the Year

‍

I just finished reading Benjamin Hardy’s incredible book: “The GAP and the GAIN”.

Wow, what an impactful concept.

Essentially, he describes how most high achievers measure their success against a mirage of ideals (where you want to be), which causes unhappiness as the ideals are always changing (the gap). 

‍

I know this first hand because the year I hit $50M in personal production volume, I discounted that feat by wanting $100M.

And then when I hit $100M in 2019, I wanted $150M.

Terrible treadmill to be on.

Rather the key is to focus on the progress you’ve made, comparing your present self to your past self (measure backwards). 

Take an hour to sit down with a notebook (or a blank doc) and look back at the past year, 180 days, and 90 days. 

‍

What were your biggest wins? 

‍

Where did you feel stretched? 

‍

Write down specific things you did well, and a few areas you’d like to improve in 2025. 

‍

This kind of reflection gives you a clear direction for growth and helps you start the new year with purpose.

‍

2. Invest in Self-Development

‍

“It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste.” - Henry Ford.

‍

Ohhhh, those words are so true.

For me personally, I was able to lap all the other telemarketers at my first job by gaining on their wasted time. 

‍

Dialing one hour earlier and then one hour later during the weekdays AND 6 hours EVERY Saturday.

GO! Coaching was created from 5am-8am and then from 7pm-9pm weekdays and 8 hours on Saturdays. 

‍

When things are quiet, there’s no better time to brush up on your skills. 

‍

Dive into that sales book you’ve been putting off, listen to a podcast on negotiation, or watch a webinar that could help you with industry trends. 

‍

These small time investments are often overlooked but can pay off in a big way, especially as we head into Q1.

‍

The harder you work on yourself, the smarter you’ll work on the business. 

‍

3. Conduct a Team Tune-Up

‍

If you’re leading a team, use this time to connect on a deeper level. 

‍

Schedule a low-key meeting to review what’s working, what could be better, and where you’re all heading in the new year.

I just assigned many of our Level 3 Elite Community Members to have their team complete a “Team Pulse Check” document.

This document asks every team member to rank their respective LO, the operations process and few other questions on a scale of 1 to 10.

Success is simply a well paved road from well received feedback. 

‍

The insights gained from their respective teammembers will help them adjust accordingly for a better 2025. 

‍

4. Organize for Efficiency

‍

A cluttered desk, a disorganized inbox, or a chaotic CRM slows you down in the long run. 

‍

Use the slower holiday days to organize your workspace and streamline your systems. 

‍

Clean up your lead database, unsubscribe from emails you never open (not this one of course), and create templates for tasks you’ll repeat in the coming year. 

‍

And most importantly, dissect your time blocking. 

‍

Start Q1 feeling organized and efficient—it’s worth the effort now to save yourself time later.

‍

5. Do 100 Spontaneous Gratitude Calls. 

‍

Pick 100 people and make “spontaneous” gratitude calls (notice how didn’t say emails, text messages or handwritten notes).

PICK UP THE PHONE and let the other person HEAR your voice (sorry, I am not yelling at you…well, maybe I am). 

‍

“Well Amir, who do I call?”

‍

Underwriters, Managers, Closers, Processors, Current Client, Past Clients, Preapps, Leads, Family, Friends, Neighbors…the MAILMAN.

You have 100 people.

Say this:

“...In spirit of the holidays, I felt compelled to call you and to thank you for supporting me this past year. I need to do a better job at expressing my sincere gratitude to the people that matter to me, so thank YOU.”

Voila.

That’s it.

H2H: Human-to-Human connection. 

‍

SO, with all this being said:

Thank you, sincerely, for being a supporter of these email newsletters. 

They take work and sometimes I wonder if anyone outside my wife and mom reads them.

So if you read this far, can you reply a simple “Hi Amir!”

It would make my day. 

‍

Here’s to a productive holiday season,

Amir

‍