“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” – The Great Gatsby

Jay Gatsby spent his life chasing a past that no longer existed. He stood on that dock, staring at the green light, convinced that if he could just recreate what once was, he’d finally be happy.

Sound familiar? I see real estate agents doing the same thing all the time.

• “My best year was 2021—I’ll never top it.”
• “I had a huge deal fall apart last year, and I can’t get over it.”
• “I used to be a top producer, but now…”

But here’s what Gatsby didn’t know—your brain is wired to overvalue the past. It’s called rosy retrospection, the tendency to romanticize past successes while forgetting the struggles that came with them.

The problem? The more you believe your best days are behind you, the more you make it true.

What to Do Instead

When agents get stuck in the past, I ask them a simple question:

“If I took your entire database, your knowledge, and your experience and handed them to a brand-new agent today, do you think they could build a bigger business than you have right now?”

And you know what? Most of them pause. Because deep down, they know the answer is yes.

Not because that agent is better—but because they’d come in hungry. They wouldn’t waste time reminiscing about 2021. They’d get to work.

That should be a wake-up call.

You already have everything you need to make this year your best year. The problem isn’t what you’ve lost—it’s where you’re looking.

If you’re staring at an old lucite award or trophy, it’s time to put it on the shelf and start playing for the next one.

Final Thought: Your Green Light Is Ahead of You

Gatsby thought his best days were behind him. But here’s what he never realized: the green light was never in the past—it was always in front of him.

So the question is: Are you staring backward, or are you building what’s next?

Let’s go. 💥
Molly B.

Founder & CEO, Molly B. Townsend Coaching & Consulting
[email protected]