January 12th, 2026

Disenthrall Yourself

Why This Market Requires a New Version of You

In December of 1862, Abraham Lincoln stood before Congress while the nation was fractured, fearful, and exhausted.

The Civil War was raging.
The economy was unstable.
Nothing felt predictable.
Nothing felt safe.

And in that moment, Lincoln didn’t ask the country to work harder. He didn’t tell people to stay positive. He didn’t promise things would “go back to normal.”

Instead, he said this:

“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present… As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves.”

When I read that I said WOW!  Nothing fancy about it. That wasn’t poetry. That was leadership under pressure.

I feel, what Lincoln was really saying was deeply uncomfortable:
The things you did before are no longer enough to keep you moving forwad. 

Quiet Markets Create Comfortable Thinking

For years, real estate operated in what Lincoln would have called quiet times. I have recently heard an agent call them the "good ol" days. This agent received thei license in 2019. Realy, those were the good ol days? Well they did have-

• Low rates
• Easy demand
• Forgiving consumers
• Mistakes masked by momentum

That market built a version of many agents. It rewarded familiarity, not mastery. Presence, not precision. Activity, not effectiveness. 

If you are an agent today, maybe that version of you may have worked really well then.

Twenty-four months ago. Even twelve months ago, many were still trying to understand why their old ways had stopped producing the same results. This lead to a mass exedous of  many those agents in the last 24 months. 

I'll say it, since this is the part no one likes to say out loud:

What worked before, 100% built who you were.  But it won’t shape who you need to become in 2026.

The Market Didn’t Turn on You. It Changed the Rules.

Today’s market isn’t cruel. It’s clear.

It asks better questions. It demands better explanations. It exposes weak follow-up, shallow knowledge, and borrowed confidence.

This market didn’t betray agents. It simply stopped compensating outdated habits.

Those methods were designed for a different market, with different rules.

And clinging to them doesn’t make you loyal. It makes you stuck.

Disenthrall Is Not a Buzzword. It’s a Decision.

When I use the word disenthrall, I don’t mean motivation.

I mean choice.

To disenthrall yourself is to admit that comfort can quietly become captivity.

It means letting go of:

• Scripts you repeat but don’t truly understand and are not benefitign the client
• Systems you defend but don’t execute well enough for you to know why you are defending them 
• Strategies you hope will come back instead of the skills you should be building now to up your level of service

Disenthrall is not abandoning the past. It’s refusing to let the past dictate your ceiling today.

Thinking Anew Is Humbling. Acting Anew Is Rare.

Thinking anew is uncomfortable. Acting anew is uncommon. Being uncommon is the point.

Many agents say they’re open to change. Very few are willing to be bad at something again.

Thinking anew means relearning how to:

• Explain value instead of assuming it
• Lead clients through decisions instead of rushing them
• Negotiate with clarity instead of avoidance
• Build systems that survive slow weeks, not just busy ones

Acting anew means practicing before you feel ready. Choosing reps over readiness. Execution over ego.

This market no longer rewards intention the way it once did. It rewards evolution.

The Real Parallel Between Then and Now

Lincoln wasn’t trying to preserve the country he inherited. He was trying to build the one that moment demanded.

That’s the exact crossroads real estate professionals are standing at today.

You can wait for familiar conditions to return. Or you can disenthrall yourself and become effective and relevant again.

Because the agents who do won’t just survive this market. They’ll be forged by it.

Sharper. Stronger. More capable than before.

And history, inconvenient as it is, always remembers who adapted when it mattered.

~Big Ern

About the Author

Ernie “Big Ern” Becker is a Broker, Owner of United Real Estate Queen City, and a Master Sales & Negotiation Strategist (MSTC) serving Charlotte, NC and Fort Mill, SC. He helps buyers, sellers, and real estate investors make smart moves with strategy-first guidance and negotiation-forward execution.
Work with Ernie: Contact Big Ern Today!

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