As we navigate through 2020, real estate coach and mentor Claudio Encina has rounded up real estate agents and leaders within Sydney and the ACT to dive in and take part in the 2020 Winter Challenge.
With a flair for the socials and a bravery of the winter chill, Claudio is on a mission for himself and those in the industry to step outside of their comfort zones and soak up the benefits of a cold morning swell.
Through rain, hail or shine, Claudio developed a 90-day challenge which would push himself and those who stepped up to the plate to the next level.
For the duration of June, July and August, the challenge was to remove all comforts of warm clothing and dive into Avalon Beach Rockpool at dawn (when temperatures drop to almost zero degrees).
“Initially, I read all these amazing benefits of cold water a few years ago and I thought to myself, ‘well it has to be good for you, if 007 has a cold shower to make him more alert and the ancient Spartans thought it made them tougher-I needed to do this’,” Claudio said.
From boosting the immune system to increasing muscle recovery and even multiplying the reproduction of red blood cells, the science behind the positive benefits of cold water has been studied and proven fact.
Although the physical benefits speak for themselves, the Winter Challenge was developed as a mental, emotional and somewhat spiritual activity to re-connect to a person’s well-being and sense of self.
As a 20-year performance coach in the industry, Claudio decided to disrupt agents’ comfort zones and harness the power of navigating emotional and mental self control in challenging situations.
Plunging into cold water and controlling your body’s reactions and your mind’s emotional state is no easy feat, but learning to dominate it is the lesson learned.
“Controlling your emotions in cold water is no easy task,”Claudio said.
“Learning to breathe in cold water and your state is key. Many of the challenges salespeople face day-to-day they wouldn’t know how to deal with it.”
Real estate agents, including Ewan Morton and Ian Qiu from Morton Real Estate, Jonny Warren from White Rhino Property, Georgie Kelly and Christine Haywood from Recollective Estate Agents, and Alexander Anlezark from inStyle Estate Agents were among the brave few who took on the challenge and benefited from it greatly.
“Ian and I decided to do the Winter Challenge for a number of reasons,” Ewan said.
“The first was that we like and respect Claudio. Claudio has coached Ian for years and both of us are grateful for Claudio’s input.
“The second reason was for Ian and I to do something together that was fun, out of the box and celebrated the success of Q2. Ian was Morton’s top sales person for the quarter.
“The third reason is we wanted to do something signifying a new way forward.
“Real estate sales has been difficult for the past two years and then a pandemic came along, adding to our stress. The ‘plunge’ was part of ending the old and starting the new.”
The Winter Challenge is about experience and revitalising one’s health and wellbeing. Whether you’re a real estate agent, property manager, leader or property enthusiast, embracing risk can lead to real personal growth and Claudio embraces just that.
“It made me feel alive, I thought of it more as the winter ‘experience’ than challenge,” said Alexander.
“It was a really good time. To start the day surrounded by positivity and a beautiful sunrise, that’s an experience I want to start every day with.”
As the Winter Challenge draws to an end for 2020, (it will be back in 2021) let’s challenge ourselves to step our own comfort zones and take risks and find experiences that will open ourselves up to greater fulfillment and improved well-being.
