Who doesn’t want to do their best? Or, better yet, be the best?

Many of us want the best for ourselves and to succeed in everything we do – the problem is, not everyone out there is willing to put in the hard work that is often necessary to become the best. Not everyone is willing to put in hours of effort and to sacrifice certain things – free time or sleep, for example – to get the results they want. Let’s face it: people want to know if there’s a “secret” or a shortcut to success in just about anything – losing weight, making money and getting consistently top-notch results from their real estate career. Shortcuts would be helpful, but if there were shortcuts, it’d be way too easy to be successful. Meaning, everyone would be successful…and no one would really stand out. Where’s the satisfaction in that?

There is no easy way to get to the top, especially in real estate with current market conditions, but it can be done, as several top producers have proven. In our cover story, they told us not only how they attained their status of “top producer,” but also how their experience, knowledge and quick thinking enabled them to close difficult deals. Our cover girl, Debora McKay, says that continuing to learn about the market and all its trends is important – top producers should be experts in the field, and should know how to handle just about anything.

Adaptability goes hand in hand with education. Think about it – in this day and age, when last year’s iPhone is out of date by the time a year rolls around and Facebook and Twitter are constantly changing their looks, feels and uses, it’s vital to stay on top of what’s the latest and greatest, and know what technologies can help your business and which are better for personal use. Read more in our cover story on page 14.

With hard work and a willingness to learn, we’ll all eventually reach success in whatever it is we’re trying to achieve. Chicago Agent can help with the education part, but the hard work? That’s up to you. How badly do you want to reach your goals?

-Stephanie Sims