Here’s a small end-of-day routine that helps me stop bringing the business to bed with me (so I can actually sleep at night).

Years ago, I’d lie there at night, staring at the ceiling, running through every task I didn’t finish:

Did I return that agent’s call? What if the Smiths’ appraisal comes in low? Should I have followed up with that hot lead?

One night around 2:30am, I got out of bed, opened my laptop, and the lovely Mrs. White, half-asleep, asked:
“Are we really doing this again?”

That hit me.

I was never shutting off.

Now I’ve learned something:

High performers don’t just start strong — they finish well.

So here’s my shutdown routine I do every day:

1. Write down the 4 most important things for tomorrow
(I pull these off of my Brain Dump Daily sheet)

Not a full to-do list — just what moves the needle for me the most.
I do this before I log off, so my brain doesn’t have to keep track overnight.

2. Clear the digital clutter.
Close out all browser tabs.
Log out of email.
Power down if you can.

It’s a signal that the workday is done.

3. Send one thank-you message.
A borrower. A realtor. A teammate. Doesn’t matter.
Ending the day with gratitude resets everything.

Is this a cure for stress and sleepless nights?
Not exactly.But I’ll tell you this — I sleep better now.
And more importantly, I show up stronger the next morning.

You did enough today.
You are enough.

In this blog is a simple email for you to swipe and send to your list of Realtors that you want to work more with.

Let me give you the backstory first…

Years ago, I was meeting a Realtor for our first “coffee meeting”. 
At one point she said, “I’ve got a pile of old leads, but they’re probably dead.”

I said, “Mind if I follow up on a few of them for you?”
She laughed—”Knock yourself out, they’re all ghosts.”

So initially, she sent me 10 of them, and I called them.

And you know what happened?

A few were duds.
But two of them—TWO!—got pre-approved and closed within 60 days.
She handled the buyer side on both deals…
And even landed a listing from one of the referrals.

Let’s just say… I had a new best friend.

And yes, she sent me the rest of her old leads, and all of her new ones going forward ☺

That one simple act turned into a long-term referral relationship—
And a steady stream of closings I would’ve never seen otherwise.

Here’s how you can do the same thing, starting today:

Send this message to a Realtor you like working with (or want to):

——

Subject: I’ve got an idea for your old leads

Body:
Hey [Agent First Name] — do you have a list of leads that ghosted or fizzled out?

If so, I’d be happy to follow up on your behalf and see if I can warm any of them up again.
I’ll be professional, helpful, and if I get anyone re-engaged, I’ll hand them right back to you.

It’s just a simple way I can help you close a few more deals this quarter.

Want to give it a try?

– [Your Name]

——-

That’s it. Nothing fancy.

–Quick win
–Zero cost
–Zero pressure

And it positions you as the kind of loan officer every agent wants in their corner.

Do it today. Be helpful. Play the long game.

Let me know how it goes.

When I was a kid going through school, I had a speech impediment.
I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t talk like the other kids.

Every week, I’d get pulled out of class and taken to a special room where a kind teacher used flashcards to help me learn how to talk.

I’ll never forget her encouragement, support, and kindness.

What pushed me to keep trying wasn’t just the lessons—
It was one of my good friends, Rory.

See, I couldn’t say his name.

And as a kid, that hit me hard.
I wanted to say his name like everyone else.
I wanted to call out to my buddy without feeling different.

So I practiced.
I worked at it.
And one day… I finally started to overcome this handicap!

I’ll never forget the day I said “Rory” the right way—
And could do it on demand from that day forward.

And now… here’s the rest of the story.

That little boy with the speech problem?

He grew up to make his living by speaking.
How ironic is that!!

Today, I talk with loan officers.
I lead masterminds.
I teach to tens of thousands every month.
I coach. I do podcasts.
And it’s led to building a business that’s brought in tens of millions of dollars—and continues to do that today.

All because I kept going—

Even when it was awkward. Even when it was uncomfortable.
I pushed through the fear, with the help of my mentor, that special teacher.

I share this with you to encourage you to keep on keep’n on.

So here’s my question to you:
What’s the thing you’ve been avoiding?

The one you know deep down would grow your business—or even your life…

If you just leaned into it?

• Making calls?
• Following up?
• Doing the uncomfortable?
• Starting conversations with referral partners?

We all have our “Rory moment.”

And your breakthrough might be waiting on the other side of it.

You’ve got this.

I got a great text the other day from one of our Alliance members, Glenn Siaumau.

I wanted to share it with you, not just because it was a smart question, but because it opened the door to a BIG opportunity that most loan officers overlook.

Here’s what Glenn texted me:

“Carl, good morning. A member of my church is the CEO of the Postal Credit Union here. What is a good approach for her? What type of business should I be looking for from a credit union?”

Great question, right?

Here’s what I shared with him:

“Hey [CEO’s Name],
Hope you’re doing great! I was thinking—it might be helpful for your credit union to have a trusted mortgage partner you can lean on when your members are looking for home loans.

What we’ve seen is that when members call the big banks for a mortgage, they often end up moving over their car loans, credit cards, or even checking accounts.

I help credit unions protect those relationships by giving your members great mortgage service, without ever trying to take any of your other business.

If you’re open to it, I’d love to have a quick chat and see if there’s a way I can help you all out.”

Here’s what I want you to know:
This is one of the biggest no-brainers for credit union leaders, but most of them don’t even realize this is a problem.

They’re focused on taking care of their members day to day, and they don’t see that when a member calls a big bank for a mortgage, it could cost them the whole relationship.

Unless you reach out and show them how you can help protect that member base… they may never know the risk, or the solution you bring to the table.

You’re not taking anything away from them—you’re helping them keep what they’ve already earned. And when they see that, you instantly become a hero.

So here’s your takeaway:

**Credit unions can be an incredible referral source**and the opportunity is wide open. Most loan officers never ask.Sooooo…

Call the credit union managers or CEOs in your area, reach out. Use the message above, adjust it for your style, and have a quick chat. You might just open the door to a powerful long-term referral relationship.

I’ve closed hundreds of loans using this one little trick.

Just a quick note to help out… because that’s how all this works!