There are times when our interviews cover a topic that deviates from how agents invest in their real estate businesses. Today, for instance, we are talking about the importance of investing in ourselves. Taking the time to explore the whole person is an essential part of the Pivot: Shift Ahead community. After all, to instill the right habits to build our businesses we first need to build the right habits that help us as individuals. 

With that in mind, we’re digging into “Sober October.” What first started in 2014 as a challenge to raise money for people with cancer in the United Kingdom has become a worldwide movement. During the month of October, people who undertake Sober October step away from alcohol for the month.

And whether you’re interested in giving yourself a personal health goal or have other reasons for being interested in abstaining from alcohol for the month or even longer, we’re bringing you the story of Chicago agent Meg Daday today. She’s going on two years without alcohol. That’s no small feat! And this life change hasn’t just positively impacted her life, but her business as well.

Alcohol and the real estate industry

As Meg discovered firsthand, our industry is one where alcohol is a large part of the culture. Whether it was treating herself to drinks after a long day, hosting events for her sphere, or networking with other agents at educational events – alcohol was everywhere. And while she didn’t think her relationship with alcohol was much different than the people around her, when she started putting more of an emphasis on personal development in her life, she realized she needed to make a life change. This became especially apparent when she joined a personal accountability group in her office around the book, The ONE Thing.

Personal accountability and goal setting

Meg named two main goals upon joining the personal accountability group: to get out of debt and get into the best shape of her life. As she set out to achieve these goals, she tried to do so in moderation. For example, when it came to getting in shape, she worked to eat and drink clean four days a week. She set rules for herself and tried to commit to this tactic for a year. But for Meg, this approach didn’t work.

Then, on her last coaching call of 2022, she got real. Her business had plateaued and she knew what she had to do to move forward. But in reality, she wasn’t doing what was necessary. She understood that her own personal lead domino – the thing that once she accomplished it would help to set everything else in motion – was to get up early, work out and get on the Pivot: Shift Ahead daily mastermind calls. But what was stopping her from creating a habit around achieving this first domino was the habit she already had in place around her evening routine. In other words, the habit of drinking in the evenings gave her a morning hangover that made the essential daily morning habits impossible to carry through on.

For Meg, looking this truth in the face was the reality she needed. She knew that she had been wanting to make changes. But saying it was something she wanted to work on and implementing the necessary changes were two different things.

Making the necessary changes

Some of the personal development books and activities led her to really start to think about what she wanted her future to look like. Her priorities, she realized, were about building relationships and community, biking, hiking, and working from anywhere. Nowhere in her future-self vision were wine nights.

So she took the first step and committed to “Dry January.” She never said she would give up drinking forever – and she still doesn’t. Rather, she started taking actions that were small steps toward her larger goals. She found others who traveled a similar road to her to emulate. She learned about the changes they made and adapted what they did for her own life. She started small – and tracked her progress along the way.

As Meg explained, once she got clarity on where she wanted to go and who she wanted to be, she was able to see how removing alcohol from her life helped her to do what was necessary to achieve her goals.

How to start your own personal sober movement

Meg’s advice for Sober October – or any month of the year when you might be considering a move like hers – is to make the decision first. Once you’re set on the decision you can spend time putting a plan in place. Within this plan should be contingencies for the various difficult scenarios you may likely experience along the way. As Meg says, knowing that she can keep this promise to herself has increase her confidence in her ability to follow through on other promises she’s made herself along the way.

Get support along the way

Shelly Seidemann, Keller Williams’ Clarity Community Leader, also joined us in this interview to reinforce that success is possible in this realm although it can feel scary at times. And first and foremost for anyone embarking on an alcohol-free journey is knowing that support and advice is all around. For example, the Clarity community is open to all who choose not to drink, no matter the reasoning behind it. And as Shelly shared, the movement of people who are abstaining from alcohol is growing. At the end of the day, Meg and Shelly both hope to make people comfortable with considering joining this movement. 

Want more information? Look into KW Clarity and access Meg’s Spotify playlist of alcohol-free podcast resources.

To access The DIRECT System Meg applies to her life and choices (and much more), join The Inspire Collective here.