New Year’s resolutions are nice but rarely achieved. Goal setting is a better choice. SMART goals are much more effective than ordinary goals. Big rocks are very cool, but TARGET goals are genius! Let me start with my story.

Written by: Candy (CaZ) Zulkosky

In each issue of this magazine, we introduce women leaders who hold and share a strong vision for the future of our industry. The ability to communicate her strong vision is a key qualification we look for when selecting who to profile. Kelsey Rauchut is such a woman. She has twice received the Women With Vision Award, is a President’s Club winner, and focuses every day on presenting, preserving, and promoting the corporate vision of her employer, AnnieMac Home Mortgage.

Kelsey is a visionary who executes. She passionately shares her vision to help herself and others pave a path to their greatest selves.

Not long after graduating college, Kelsey joined AnnieMac where her strengths were quickly recognized, as was her commitment to learning everything about the mortgage business. She counts herself fortunate to be part of the AnnieMac nucleus and for having worn many hats throughout the organization. In 2016, she moved into a leadership role as the national business development manager and growth coach.

The role and the company have proven to be a great fit. Kelsey’s natural ability to make genuine connections to the job is recognized and valued as a strength she employs every day. She believes one of her greatest successes came with the decision to be true to her faith in business and personal relationships. Kelsey looks for the good and finds simplistic beauty all around. Learning, asking questions, and being willing to show the vulnerable, human side while making real ties to real people is how she chooses to live her life. Keeping her own dreams and vision alive is what allows her to bring the same vision to others.

This is evident in her comments about the company she promotes, “AnnieMac’s top priority, and mine, is to always serve others. We bring on highly productive mortgage producers filled with good character, rife with genuine intentions, and holders of hungry hearts to serve our national communities. I am a gatekeeper of AnnieMac. It is part of my task to protect the energy and culture we’ve worked hard to create. Mortgage is a flight or fight industry and I have front row seating to ensure our producers are here because it is their passion. We constantly help them hit new levels of growth.”

Certainly, AnnieMac President Joe Panebianco agrees. When we sat down to talk with Kelsey, he expanded on the vision he sees so clearly:

“COVID-19 has accelerated, in some cases by as much as five to ten years, the adoption and broad acceptance of technologies to streamline the home buying and mortgage origination process. The most obvious example of the former is the percentage of buyers who purchased homes through virtual tours and limited access to desired properties. This was almost unimaginable 12 months ago.

An example for the latter is Digital Closings (e-closings). States and investors fast tracked this technology during the initial months of COVID. It is a process (especially for certain states) which would not have become a reality in a non-COVID world. It is an example of human ingenuity and adaptability at its finest.

Having said that, some things are still so ingrained (after millions of years of evolution) inside human DNA that can’t be digitized. Trust, acceptance, and relationships are integral to human survival. These qualities, the option for human contact, becomes even more important as technology overtakes even more aspects of our life. Those who believe you can shortcut your way to relationships, be forewarned.”

Kelsey agrees saying, “We are creating mega producers. Even more important, we release top performers from the chains of the business and create space for self-discovery and time with their families. As an industry, we are on a technology journey. Technology cannot replace human interaction. However, we can use technology to cast a wider net and improve the lives we touch.”

The mortgage industry is a lucrative business offering, for many, virtually unlimited earnings ceilings. This is not a secret. Kelsey is proud of the role she plays in taking hard workers off their hamster wheels and setting them on a scalable path.

She is a big believer in emotional intelligence and encourages learning and using proven techniques to open minds and hearts. By studying the behaviors and best practices of the superstars in the industry, it quickly becomes clear it’s not superpowers they possess, rather smart work habits that win the day. Kelsey believes people do business with people, not companies. When we are authentically and genuinely ourselves, the right people are drawn by the positive energy and strong foundation laid by self-belief.

Kelsey is on a journey to find balance and inner peace. On a personal note, she hopes to be the same kind of amazing mother she credits her own mother with being and to “experience and live my moments and follow God’s purpose.” For now, she is happy being a Toy Poodle mommy, a sister, a daughter, and a fiance. As the eldest of three siblings, she counts on family as her center. Just for fun, she enjoys writing guided meditations, learning Portuguese, giving time in missionary work, being physically active with boxing, cycling, and Tabata, and she admits to a secret passion for interior design.

“My mother,” Kelsey says, “was a stay-at-home super mom! She’s my best friend and the most selfless person I know. Because of her, my faith was developed at a young age and I quickly learned the power in mindset, the law of attraction, and how God moves in our lives. One of my biggest whys is to give back to my family, just as they have given the world to me.”

Kelsey credits Gercino Soares, her partner in love, with providing a solid life anchor. Their shared passions for personal development and assisting others along the trail to success translate into a foundation built on shared ambition, loyalty, and love. He is Kelsey’s biggest fan. As a Real estate investor and business owner, he understands the demands of this business. “The opportunity to build the AnnieMac Kingdom with the man of my dreams,” Kelsey shares, “ has matched every vision I’ve ever had for myself and a future partner. God willing, we tie the knot in May of 2022 and continue our happy ever after!”

On the business side, Kelsey defers to the boss she greatly admires, Joe Panebianco, who had this to say when asked about the importance of goals in business:

“The common answer when asked about goals for a business is to say something like, ‘To create shareholder value by providing the best experience possible for our borrowers and referral partners,’ or some comparably familiar CEO quote. While this is a noble and important statement, I’d challenge your readership to educate themselves on and to consider the benefits of the Conscious Capitalism movement. This philosophy is best demonstrated by the classic debate (easily available on YouTube and well worth the watch) between Whole Foods founder John Mackey and the great economist Milton Friedman.

This school of thought states companies who focus their efforts strictly on shareholder value are missing critical stakeholders. As such, the main goal of business is not profit, it is the consideration of all your stakeholders which include but are not limited to your employees, your business partners, your clients, and all of society.

This is not a new concept; in fact, 2,000 years ago the stoics understood this well. Its benefit is best exemplified in Marcus Aurelius’ long lost sentiment, ‘What is not good for the hive is no good for the bee.’

The direct and indirect benefits of this approach, when accurately measured and given the proper values, are far superior to the profit-at-all-cost approach.”

As we continued discussing AnnieMac and the industry, Panebianco continued, offering these words of advice:

“This might bring a smile to your face. I recall watching Mike Tyson in an interview being asked about how an opponent might best plan for a fight with him. The memorable response this elicited from the former and possibly best heavy weight champion ever was this: ‘Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.’ The mortgage industry is a near perfect analogue of boxing. You prepare, you go in with a plan, you think you’re going to do X, Y or Z, and then the market, your competitors, the industry, the Fed, and Mother Nature all have the ability to punch you in the mouth. You plan of course, but those plans need to include what you do when the inevitable punch hits you square in the jaw. This dimension of business planning, what I call the pre-mortem, is what distinguishes the winners from the losers in this business and in this life.”

Clearly words to live by in both business and life and advice worth taking. Kelsey’s advice centers taking action to achieve the success you desire. She shares these three tips with our readers:

1. Happiness is the real rich, health is the real wealth, kindness is the real cool, and peace of mind is the real bag.
2. Listen to your intuition. Inner peace is the key to your success. Practice prayer or meditation near personal development books, they hold energy.
3. Give yourself grace. Perfection doesn’t exist, and besides, the climb makes the view much better from the top.

“I will act now…” is a quote from Og Mandino. His words awaken my spirit! Action kills all anxiety, doubt, and fear. I have a passion for the unknown. Every unopened door leads to a new path. This quote reminds me of how blessed I am, and how we are all able to build the kingdom existing in our wildest dreams. Those who receive it are the ones who believe it, “This is the time, this is the place, I am the person.”

Kelsey believes in repeatedly pushing through the walls of resistance to act and make it a habit, as essential to life as breathing.

“I will act now. I will act now. I will act now. Henceforth, I will repeat these words each hour, each day, every day, until the words become as much a habit as my breathing, and the action which follows becomes as instinctive as the blinking of my eyelids. With these words I can condition my mind to perform every action necessary for my success. I will act now. I will repeat these words again and again and again. I will walk where failures fear to walk. I will work when failures seek rest. I will act now for now is all I have. Tomorrow is the day reserved for the labor of the lazy. I am not lazy. Tomorrow is the day when the failure will succeed. I am not a failure. I will act now. Success will not wait. If I delay, success will become wed to another and lost to me forever. This is the time. This is the place. I am the person.” Og Mandino

Written by: Executive Coach, Ray Befus

New Year’s resolutions are nice but rarely achieved. Goal setting is a better choice. SMART goals are much more effective than ordinary goals. Big rocks are very cool, but TARGET goals are genius! Let me start with my story.

I think a high school teacher might have been the first poor soul to persuade me to start forming personal goals and reaching for them. But who needs goals in college and graduate school? Teachers created my goals for me. Fortunately, I grew up with a strong work ethic so I spent most of my early career working harder than most of my peers and feeling good about my achievements. I wasn’t clear about my dreams though, and I wasn’t reaching for them in any systematic manner. I thought of goal setting sort of like a hobby I might get around to someday. I had no clue goals are the ladders we climb so dreams come true. I settled for other people’s vision of my success and worked extraordinarily hard to achieve it.

This did not change until I reached the top of that ladder and started feeling disoriented.

I didn’t feel the thrill of someone who had arrived. I was sure I should be thankful, but I wasn’t. I wasn’t where I had hoped to be. I felt cheated. I realized one day I had no one to blame. Upon the recommendation of a friend, I engaged an executive coach. His first step was to help me sort out my emotions and beliefs, uncover my blind spots, and come to grips with my limitless possibilities. And then, to launch me into an unprecedented future (no exaggeration), he introduced me to TARGET goal setting.

Before engaging with my coach, I had been muddled about what to do for several years. After setting a TARGET goal and going to work, within 90 days I was on the move again and created the turnaround experience that had eluded me for years.

Let me say it again, TARGET goal setting is genius. You can think of a TARGET goal as your dream or vision dressed in sweat-stained work clothes.

From my perspective, this single goal-setting system includes all the fuel we need to push past challenges, overcome threats, and take hold of a future worth living. Once you take hold of a TARGET goal, it won’t let you go! Your TARGET goal won’t just guide your daily activity; it will shape who you become.

TARGET is an acronym so let me walk you through the six distinctives. Several will be familiar; a few may be new. The combination is catalytic.

T stands for term. How much time will you need to accomplish your goal? What is the date for completion; the deadline? A goal without a finish line is just a wish.

A stands for attainable. Is your goal big enough to be risky and to inspire you to give your best effort? Great goals inspire us to become the best we can be! They scare us a little and excite us a lot. But great goals aren’t impossible. Ask yourself, “Is my goal really possible?” You don’t want to sabotage your effort by setting actions impossible to achieve. If you’re in doubt, you might want to ask a trusted friend for a second opinion.

R calls us to take responsibility. This is big! Are you ready to own your goal? Is it a “have to” or a “get to,” an obligation you feel forced to take on or an opportunity you are excited to seize? When you write out your TARGET goal and begin sharing it with others, you’re going to use the heart-felt declaration, “I choose” or “I will,” not “I really should” or “I have to.”  The words I will or I choose communicate you have freely chosen this goal as your own and are entirely committed to achieving it. Our words convey our belief systems and one of the reasons we do not follow through on our resolutions or complete our goals is a failure to take full responsibility for our choices, our time, our dreams, and our vision. People who adopt a victim mindset never reach their goals. Never.

G is for gusto. The word gusto describes “vigorous enjoyment.” Think of a party you’d give anything to attend. A party celebrating you! The room is filled with family, friends, co-workers, and gusto: big smiles, laughter, tears of joy, inspiring stories, crazy celebration for someone deeply loved and admired! 

Gusto is the gasoline empowering women and men, like me and you, to reach inspiring goals. From my perspective, I notice many well-meaning people launch into goals with gas tanks close to empty. This is to say many goals do not include a compelling emotional why. Why should I put in the hard work? Why should I make sacrifices? Why should I give this everything I’ve got?

Emotional engagement is the fuel we need for accomplishing great goals. So, the G in a TARGET goal prompts us to imagine a finish-line moment that deeply stirs our emotions. How deep? So deep simply imagining the moment can bring a tear to your eye or a shudder from deep within. Gusto calls us to drill down into our dreams or longings, deep enough to tap into personal passion.

Two generations ago, in his classic book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill wrote, “There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.” Underline those words, “…a burning desire to possess it.” That’s your gusto!

More recently, when writing his own book, Slight Edge, Jeff Olson echoed Napoleon Hill as he wrote, “Burning is not a comfortable thing.” “Wanting hurts.” “That pain of wanting, the burning desire to possess what you lack, is one of the greatest allies you have. It is a force you can harness to create whatever you want in your life.” “You can palpably feel your dreams…tugging at your present circumstances….”

When people like us start but don’t finish, try but don’t achieve, two ingredients frequently missing are the R and the G in TARGET goal setting: Responsibility and Gusto.

The E in TARGET stands for exact. You’re going to craft your goal statement with specific, measurable markers or milestones. Instead of expressing an undefined desire you’re going to be very specific. We often state nebulous desires, such as “I want to lose weight” or “I want to make more money.” Instead, be exact saying, “I choose to release 25 pounds by July 1st because…” or “I choose to earn an additional $25,000 on top of my present income by December 31st because….” As an old football coach once observed, “The trouble with a goal that isn’t exact is that you can run up and down the field all season long and never score.”

T stands for tactics. Right from the start, you are going to identify three or four strategic activities you are going to use to pursue your goal. Some tactics may be most effective in sequence. Other tactics may serve you well the entire duration of your journey. Effective tactics are vital, but they aren’t sacred. So be prepared to adjust or change your tactics whenever they begin to lose their effectiveness in moving you toward your finish line.

So, what does a complete TARGET Goal look like? If you were an agricultural salesman in Nebraska this might be the way you would write out your TARGET goal.

DECLARATION

By December 31, 2021, I will achieve $1.8 million in agricultural sales: $600K of fertilizer by the end of April, $600K of fungicide and growth regulator by the end of June, and $600K of lime, herbicide, and other products by December 31st. To accomplish this goal, I will:

TACTICS

1. Update and analyze soil samples of all my customers by February 24th.
2. Write up fertilizer blend recommendations based on soil samples by March 8th.
3. Make appointments with all my customers to present recommendations by March 10th.
4. Apply first round of dry fertilizer by March 30th.
5. Apply second round of liquid fertilizer by April 30th. 

GUSTO

Because I want to experience the thrill setting a new sales benchmark for myself and my career, strengthening a company I really love, enjoy increased income through commissions and bonuses, and see the smile on my wife’s face (and tears) when I tell her it’s time to begin drawing up the plans for the house of her dreams.

Do you think this fellow, not so different than you, has a great chance of reaching his goal? Yes, I do!

If you want help stepping into the discipline of TARGET goal setting, ask a coach for help. There are additional in-between-the-lines insights to support your success. Let’s give Andrew Carnegie the final word on creating our own TARGET for 2021: “If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes.”

It’s the time of year when we talk about personal and professional resolutions, goals, and things we want to change and accomplish. In the beginning, looking ahead with fresh hope for the coming year, we are energetic and filled with intention. How often have you (make that we) lost our good intentions within a short time? This is a sad truth for most of us, and one easily changed.

Turning resolutions into achievements begins with vision: the ability to see our path and our goals clearly. Vision drives our imagination which fuels inspiration and implementation. Why is it implementation often peters off to inaction? Action feeds our vision, our goals, our dreams, and enables us to achieve our aspirations.

At this time of the year, you may join the millions who make resolutions. Let’s take a moment to look at the word resolution. It’s often thrown around loosely in passing and not fully understood. At the core of the word is resolute, to make your resolutions come to pass, you must be resolute.

Resolve to set your intentions. Resolve to clarify your vision. Be resolute in acting.

Last year at this time, I knew I wasn’t living out my purpose. I knew myself to be blessed and happy to, seemingly, have it all. I have a wonderful, healthy family who love me to the Tetons and back. I’m healthy, growing stronger mentally, physically, and spiritually every day. Yet, I recognized something was missing. I asked myself, “What do you love to do?” In discovering the answer to this deceptively simple question, I decided to step out of my comfort zone into the blustery air, set my goals, and create a plan.

Early in 2020, about the time most New Year’s Resolutions devolve, I was contemplating my business life, not feeling fulfilled, and struggling with my plan. I decided to reach out to a friend who arranged for a conversation with the regional leader of a company I wanted to work for. It was a great meeting, but no positions were available. Two nights later I had a dream of me working alongside the company’s CEO, walking in dirt fields planting and harvesting, enjoying people’s smiles, and hearing echoes of rejoicing.

This had never happened to me before. I felt certain I was supposed to join this company. Over the next months, I reached out, knocking consistently, with no doors opening. The rewards weren’t instantaneous. Every day, no matter how I felt, I put myself out into the world, pushing against my doubts and fears, keeping the vision and the destination, clearly in view.

One morning I woke up with the word RESOLUTE stuck in my head. I got up and wrote it down and placed it on my vision board next to my desk. I continued to reach out to the company for months with barely a glimmer of hope. Then, in month nine, I knocked again and the door opened to exactly where I was supposed to be. It’s a beautiful thing when your passion and career come together.

Being resolute begins with understanding your why. When driven by purpose we have more success, personally and professionally. What drives your vision? Why do you get out of bed in the morning? How would the world be bettered by your purpose?

What sets your soul on fire? The more purpose the greater the fire. When our lives line up with our core beliefs, being resolute and continuing to act upon our values allows us to experience much more than a life of success; it will be a life of significance. Who must you fearlessly become and what must you fearlessly do to accomplish your vision?

The good news is no matter how far off track, how old you are, or how stuck you feel, it’s not too late to map out your purpose and fulfill it. Keep your destination firmly in mind. Define your path and when you stray off course, anchor yourself in resoluteness and perseverance.

My word for 2021 is RESOLUTE. If you make a resolution, be resolute and unwavering about your vision, your goals, and your aspirations. Act. Be resolute and stoke your fires continually. Here’s to a year of being resolute!

While much of the country, world in truth, has suffered a business drought brought on by the pandemic, the mortgage and real estate industry has experienced quite the opposite. Think back to March 2020 when the boat shook hard, we were definitely on alert. We were surrounded by unprecedented news: we must work from home, interest rates were volatile, and forbearance flood gates opening at the onset of COVID-19 forced unemployment. Every mortgage professional in our field was suddenly uncertain of 2020 and what it would bring, never mind the human fears we all possessed and still feel in a world surrounded by illness, death, and despair.

Fast forward to December and a bit of brow wiping in relief. For the majority in our business, we made the transition with little-to-no effect on the business. In fact, the mortgage industry has experienced record-breaking volumes due to Americans seeking financial support in the form of refinances for various financial solutions. Homebuying continued at a pace remaining so steadfast inventory continues to be unable to keep up with the millennial buying pool. By all measures, the mortgage industry has demand and that has left us, as investors of real estate and providers of mortgage finance, in a lucrative position.

Where will we be in 2021?

Here at 20/20 Vision for Success (VSC), we have left nothing to chance in providing our students and followers with the answers to this question. Recently, we were lucky to assemble an incredibly experienced group of leaders whose knowledge and experience we gave to our audience. This intense virtual workshop was designed to allow our students and any person interested in business building a look at all facets of their 2021 business. The annual event was labeled What’s the Big Deal? The speaker lineup was spectacular:

• Sales Strategy by Christine Beckwith president of 20/20 Vision for Success Coaching
• Marketing Strategy by Jason Frazier chief of strategy for EPM Mortgage
• Economic Strategy by Barry Habib CEO of MBS Highway
• Execution Strategy by Laura Brandao president of AFR Mortgage
• Competitive Strategy by Mike Kortas CEO of NEXA Mortgage

Without giving away what you will learn in listening to this amazing planning event, I will tell you it is hope and excitement for the year ahead, as well as solid, practical advice. Take a listen for yourself and experience the edge only 20/20 VSC students receive.

You’re invited to be our guest and please watch the highly acclaimed 2021 Planning Event sponsored and brought to you by 20/20 Vision for Success Coaching. Send us a note about your takeaway after listening, or post about it and tag us.

Coaching is about building a foundation for results and knowing how to step into action based on that foundation. Turning vision into reality requires trust that the bedrock beneath the vision is sound. Coaching with 20/20 Vision begins by building and strengthening your foundation and ensures you remain focused on the vision for success.

Vonk Digital, an industry leader in website and marketing tools for mortgage originators across America, is a proud sponsor and hosting partner of Women With Vision Magazine.

To learn how Vonk Digital can help you leverage the “New Way” to build your brand, authority & credibility with our website platform and tools visit us at www.vonkdigital.com