Archive for the ‘Personal Development’ Category

About twelve years ago we stumbled upon a certain understanding of life that really cleared up things for us.

This was during a time that we were reading every single real estate, sales, motivational and “self-help” book that we could get our hands on.

We were both pretty frustrated with the idea of working for someone else for the rest of our lives.  Things like dental benefits and “matching RRSP contributions” just didn’t excite us – AT ALL.

So we began reading every single money making and motivational book under the sun.  We still have a ton of them lying around.  One of us even “invested” $5,000 in a set of tapes (yes, not CDs or MP3s but old-fashioned cassette tapes) from a big real estate guru so that we could learn the art of buying property with “no-money down”.  

And we’ve both spent tens of thousands on various boot camps and seminars.

Although some of the material we were studying was a waste of time the process wasn’t.

The frustration that we were was feeling propelled both of us to take action.  We actually now like it when we get extremely frustrated because we realize it’s a leading indicator for making some new and big changes in our lives.

Our goal now is to harness frustration, not prevent it.

One book that we stumbled into, that we can’t find any longer or we’d share it with you, outlined a very simple but profound way to look at your life.

The author explained that to deal with anyone … your spouse, you kids, your friends, your boss, anyone … all you have to do is figure out what their values are and then speak to them with those values in mind.

The key is to figure out the priority of their values so that you can speak to them in their language.

For example, if your spouse’s values fall into this order:

1. Family
2. Health & Exercise
3. Friends
4. Stress Free Relaxation (TV, Social Media)
5. Career & Wealth (Making Money)
6. Leisure Time
7. Self Development

And your values are in this order:

1. Career & Wealth Creation (Making Money)
2. Family
3. Self Development
4. Friends
5. Health & Exercise
6. Leisure Time
7. Stress Free Relaxation (TV, Social Media)

Then you’re likely always talking about your career, investing and making money and your spouse is always talking about taking care of the kids, the house and the family.

In order to really understand and relate to your spouse you’ll have to focus on their values, not yours.

In the book the author was an extremely successful Chiropractor who traveled around the world giving lectures.

This often upset his spouse because he was constantly away from the family  -  which was her top priority on the value list.  So he would always break the news about his next business trip by including some sort of family trip immediately afterwards so that he was taking care of her values as well as his own.

And he would always highlight how that, although not initially obvious, his trip had very specific benefits for the family and weren’t just about progressing his career.

She would always respond to this because he was talking to her with her values in mind.

To really relate to people you need to talk to understand what they value and what they don’t.

But this wasn’t the biggest eye opener for us, it was this next concept…

The author explained that there was no such thing as time management.  There was only “priority or value management”.

If your values are in this order…

1. Family
2. Friends
3. Health & Exercise
4. Career & Wealth Creation (Making Money)
5. Self Development
6. Leisure Time
7. Stress Free Relaxation (TV, Social Media)

Then you may *think* that you’re focused on “building your own business” or “investing in real estate” or “advancing your career” but we’ll let you in on a little secret.

It will take you a very long time to accomplish your “Career & Wealth Creation” goals.

Because when there’s an opportunity to advance your Career and/or Wealth Creation you’ll very often be interrupted by something higher on your value list.

A family event interrupts your agenda or, a long lost friend calls and wants to grab a drink or the gym has a new Pilates class … something higher on your value list will always take priority.

Because all of those things are higher on your value list you’ll throw your day timer out the window and juggle your schedule to accommodate the values that are more important to you.

So if you find yourself questioning why “time management” doesn’t work and questioning why you’re not getting the results you want in a specific area of your life it’s likely because that particular area is too low on your priority list.

Other things are more important to you … end of story.

The best online calendar or iPhone App won’t help you achieve more.  Only moving that area of your life higher up your priority list will.

It may take a major life event to do it.

Maybe a boss upsets you long enough and you get so frustrated that “Career & Wealth Creation” jump to the top of your value list.  You’re going to focus on building your own business like never before.

And when that happens, all of sudden you find all sorts of time to focus on this area of your life.

And it may not be “Career & Wealth Creation” that moves up your list.  Maybe you’ve been focusing on that particular area too much and a family event happens that really makes you rethink your priorities … and then “Family” moves up the value ladder.

Recently we’ve been working with a couple of real estate investors that can’t understand why they’re not achieving as much as many of the other investors we work with.

Upon discussing their lives with them it’s obvious that although real estate investing is high on their value list … leisure time and relaxation are actually a notch or two higher.

So every time there’s an investing activity that needs to be done they drag their feet a little, move a bit more slowly than they need to, and as a result their results suffer.

If you can’t figure out why you’re not achieving as much as you want to be.

Or if you’re struggling with time management.

Examine your values.  What are your priorities?

Career & Wealth Creation may be very high on your list.  Maybe #2 even.

But perhaps #1 on your list is Stress Free Relaxation.

Guess which one will get more attention and more time?

Until next time … Your Life.  Your Terms!

Last week we were chatting with someone who was pretty frustrated with their accomplishments.

More specifically, their recent lack of any.

They had read “The Secret” when it first came out and had believed they were practicing the art of affirmations and positive thinking aggressively but weren’t seeing any change in their circumstances.

They had studied the classic, “Think & Grow Rich”, by Napoleon Hill.

They had read, The Power of Positive Thinking.

They had scoured the bookstores for hours trying to find something that would answer the question, the one question, that was haunting them, “Why weren’t they were they wanted to be financially, mentally and even spiritually?”

We’ve been fascinated by personal growth for years and are students of it.

And a few years ago we realized something.

Personal growth wasn’t enough.  We need systems that produced consistent results in the real world.

We could “think positive” as long as we wanted but we didn’t actually achieve very much.

Ultimately you need to play ball and enter the marketplace.

You need to pick a niche to serve.

Then come up with something to offer that niche.

And then, figure out how to get your message in front of them.

That’s where real estate came in for us.

When you buy a property you’re forced into action.  You have advertising to get going.  You have leases to sign and money to collect.  And the interesting part of this?

You can be the grumpiest person in the world and the results will still come.  The mortgage will be paid down, equity will build, cash will flow.

You didn’t even need to think positively.

It was almost a disappointing realization for us.

But it was an important observation.

We were in shock when we met so many grumpy, frustrated, even angry, landlords but they were all making money.

And many of the happy, “positive thinking”, people we knew were broke.

Didn’t seem fair.

At that point we became convinced that hard work and systems were more important than “The Secret” and positive affirmations.

Business was done in the real world after all, not some fantasy land.  

After spending a few years fixing up properties, managing them, and profiting we began to notice something.  

The landlords and property owners who survived the longest and profited the most had two things:

Financial Capital and Emotional Capital.

The most successful investors had more than just money.

They were able to deal with almost any foundation problem, roof leak, eviction or contractor much better than the others.

They were very resilient.  Nothing got them off track.

When we started our real estate brokerage we found that it was important to have systems for our business but also important to build up our emotional capital.

To make deposits to our emotional bank accounts regularly.  That’s why we travel, attend mastermind meetings and take the time to read good books.

Each of those are big deposits into our emotional bank accounts.

It’s this combination of financial and emotional capital that really makes you powerful.

A few years ago we learned about the Stockdale Paradox, in Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great.

In the book Jim talks about a Vietnam prisoner of war James Stockdale.  He was held for seven years and was beaten repeatedly but refused to succumb to the demands of his captors.

He was eventually removed from the other prisoners and placed into solitary confinement for his refusal to cooperate.

When he was released he could barely walk or even stand.  He went on to receive a Medal of Honour and eventually ran for Vice President next to presidential candidate Ross Perot.

Jim Collins recorded a conversation he had with Stockdale.

He said, “I never lost faith in the end of the story.  I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.”

And when Collins asked who didn’t make it out alive, Stockdale replied, “Oh that’s easy, the optimists.  Oh they were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go.  Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’  And Easter would come, and Easter would go.  And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again.  And they died of a broken heart.”

Stockdale then added, “This is a very important lesson.  You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end – which you can never afford to lose – with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”

The Stockdale Paradox: Faith you will prevail plus the discipline to confront the brutal facts.

How insightful.

Positive thinking is not enough.

Problems happen.  In business and especially in real estate.

But that’s OK.

It’s the way you deal with them that makes things more bearable.

A blindly optimistic real estate investor thinks that eventually they’ll collect their rent.

A disciplined investor says, “I don’t have the rent, I’m going to deal with this right now.”

We now believe that you need three things to carry you forward in real estate and in business:

1. An underlying positive belief system with regular emotional deposits to it.
2. You need to be accurately assessing the facts of a situation.
3. And you must take action and work hard – and you do it, not out of frustration, but because you want to, it’s part of your mission.

Although real estate on its own offers a very effective system for acquiring wealth in your life.

You can accelerate your growth and success with accurate thinking … the Stockdale Paradox.

Positive thinking alone is not enough.

We searched high and low for a quote that would summarize all of this, here’s the closest we’ve found so far:

- Mahatma Ghandi

Everything single person we’ve met that has had any type of success with Real Estate Investing has had to face “the test”.

It’s almost as if the world is out to verify that you’ve got what it takes to succeed by throwing you a hard curve ball.

What the heck are we talking about?

Over the past couple of days we’ve been out here in Calgary at Greg Habstritt’s Simple Wealth conference.  It’s one of the highest level real estate conferences you’ve ever seen.

No “hype”, no “quick fixes” … just the honest truth about real estate and what it takes to make money in this business.

And there’s a common theme flowing through every successful investor’s story…

Here it is:

There was at least – AT LEAST – one point in their investing lives that they were so seriously tested that they almost quit the business.

They questioned what they were doing.  They questioned they value of what they were getting in return for their efforts.

Their family questioned what they were doing.  Their spouse questioned what they were doing.  Their friends questioned what they were doing.

They questioned their ability.  They questioned their skill.  They questioned everything.

They were experiencing “the test”.

Don Campbell described how the windows were stolen out of one of his multi-unit buildings (the windows of all things!) .

Greg Habstritt described how early in his career he was on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor in rental property after a sewage backup.

Two other investors described how they paid a contractor 80% of his fees right upfront and only saw him again when they were face to face in court.

This is not an easy business.  Simple, but not easy is a phrase thrown around a lot.

And there’s a very high probability that if you get into real estate investing in a serious way you’ll have more than one of these “tests”.

But if you have the guts, the drive, the work ethic to stick things out magical things begin to happen.

Let me share a story of our own to illustrate.  We’ve shared this story a few times with some investors but we’ve never revealed how close we came to quitting everything because of it.

We were attempting to fill a single family home with a tenant/buyer using a lease/option strategy.  
We were working with another investor on this deal and because of various financial considerations (he needed the money) we were under intense pressure to fill this home quickly and for top dollar.

This investor we were working with needed to get some money back from the investment quickly or he was going to be some financial trouble (long story).

And because we had some experience behind us at this point we bit off more than we could chew and promised that we could raise $10,000 in upfront money from a tenant in 7 days.

Before we continue there’s two HUGE lessons right here.

Number One:  Never get yourself in a position where you NEED a return on your cash in a short period of time.  It makes you desperate and as we’ve shared before money has a way from running from desperation.

Number Two:  Never “over promise”.  Always under promise and over deliver.  I learned that in my software sales days and it holds true in any business.

Back to the story…

For anyone familiar with lease/options you may know that to get $10,000 plus first and last month’s rent on a vacant home within one week of closing is a fair sized task.

It just doesn’t make sense to guarantee that to anyone.

But we did.

So we began to advertise the home and get appointments lined up.

On the first day out at the property we had about 4 people show up.  This was on Sunday, two days after closing.

We had a decent turn out but there wasn’t anyone who was a right fit for the property.

And then the fun really started.  It was the middle of winter and it snowed hard for the next day so we didn’t make any appointments to show the home.  We kept thinking the snow would stop and we would be able to get out to the property shortly afterwards.

By the time Wednesday rolled around we realized that the snow might never stop.  Ever!

So we began hitting the phones and asked anyone who would listen to meet us at the property that night in the middle of the storm.  They thought we were crazy but we were running out of time – we needed to collect some cash.

Somehow four very brave souls ended up meeting us at the home.  And because of the snow I left my car at home and drove my wife’s SUV out to the property.

The snow was so bad that everyone who arrived just stopped their car in the middle of the street in fear that they would be stuck if they pulled off to the side.

It felt as if there was literally no one else out on the roads but us, those four possible tenants and the snow plows.

So I jumped out of the car and greeted everyone in the middle of the street.  On my way over to their cars I noticed that there was a five or six foot snow drift in front of the house.

The drift thing was huge!  

My heart sank.  

These people had risked their lives driving in these insane conditions and we couldn’t even get them into the house!  

Just as I was about to break the bad news one gentleman says “Look, someone is blasting through that snow like a hot knife through butter!”.

I turn around and see Nick clearing a two foot path from the street to the door with Superman speed.  To this day I’ve never seen so much snow cleared so quickly.

And then it hits me like a ton of bricks.

I could not believe it.  

I frantically stuffed my hands in every pocket possible looking for them but came up empty.

I had forgotten the keys.

In my rush to take my wife’s car I had left the keys in mine.

Ouch.

Big ouch.

It felt like the proverbial rug had been hanked out from under me.

So standing right there in the middle of the street I went up to each person’s car and let them know that I was a fool and had forgotten the keys.

You should have seen some of the expressions on people’s faces.  

It was classic stuff.

That day it wouldn’t be the snow that stopped us – although it should have been – it was my lack of organization that sealed our fate.

When Nick turned around from shoveling and asked why everyone left I think his heart hit the ground as I explained what I had done.

We were emotionally pummeled at that point.  Nick was handling the situation better than I was…I was a puddle on the ground.

Feeling embarrassed and disappointed I couldn’t figure out I was going to explain to the investor we were working with that I had forgotten the keys.  I felt like I alone was the reason he may have to make some serious financial decisions in about 3 days.

With nothing left to do we stood there for a while and then began shoveling the driveway.

I’ll never forget that shovel.

I remember throwing the snow and beating myself up inside with each toss.  I was questioning what I was doing.  How could I promise someone something and then handle the follow-up so poorly?

How could I even call my self an experienced investor?  These were amateur mistakes.

I vividly remembering debating, right there on the driveway, if I should just get out of this business.  It was too emotionally draining.  There was too much responsibility.  There was too much hard work.

Why was I about an hour away from home shoveling a driveway when I had a beautiful family at home?

What was I doing promising such things?  I knew better.

And then something just came over me.  I have no idea what it was.  But I recall throwing the snow farther and farther and screaming inside that I was not going to give up.

That no matter what tests were thrown my way I was going to come out the winner.

I would face any battle head on.  I was not walking away and I was not going to lose.

At that moment something literally snapped.  I was emotionally and physically different.

Somehow a new level of energy and focus had come over me.  

I know this sounds completely ridiculous but it’s the truth.

It’s almost as if the moment I decided that I was not going to give up things magically changed course.  

On the drive home I was determined to win.  I don’t know if I’ve ever had that much determination ever again.  It was a unique experience.

Over the next two days we called every single possible tenant that had left us messages multiple times.  We did reminder calls on Friday night for our Saturday appointment.  We left no stone unturned.  We were going to win at this game.

On Saturday we drove back out to the property and greeted possible tenants as they arrived.  The snow had stopped and it was a beautiful and sunny -10 degrees

The third person into the house walks directly up to me and pulls out her cheque book.

She speaks these words,

“I have $10,000 and I want this home.  I make good money but have run into some credit issues.  My kids go to that school around the corner and my parents are willing to co-sign on lease if necessary”.

WoooHoooo!

Can you believe that?  I had never heard sweeter words in my life.

She wrote out a $1,000 deposit on the spot and we sealed the deal a few days later.  Those people went on to purchase that house.

I drove home like a proud warrior coming off the battle field.  I was unstoppable at that moment.

It was amazing.

Looking back I obviously would have done things a lot differently.  You never want to get involved in a situation where the pressure to make money is unreasonably high.

You never want to promise something in too short of a time.

But we survived.  It felt like we had stared into the eyes of defeat and won.

That experience gave us enough confidence to know that if you stick with things … if you have the passion and the work ethic – anything is possible.

That day I almost gave up investing in real estate.  No one knew how close I had come throwing in the towel.

Over the next eighteen months we successfully worked on over 100 properties.

And we’ve had other tests thrown our way.  But now we know that if you stick with things you’ll always come out a winner.

So expect your own test.  And if you haven’t had one yet then it’s coming.

Be prepared.  Real estate investing is more a battle of the mind than anything else.

You can do it and you will!

Until next time … Your Life. Your Terms!

We’ve been mapping out a plan for the next stage of growth in our portfolio and our business.

Choices have to be made.  Do we pay down existing mortgages or purchase new properties?

Do we expand our business into other areas of the province and other areas of interest or do we focus on expanding the core?

This discussion got us doing some serious reflection.

With some startling observations.

Let’s begin…

How did we get to this point?

Why is it that years ago we had big goals but didn’t get anywhere fast but in the last three years we’ve accomplished more than in the previous ten.

Please understand that we’re not coming from a place of arrogance here.  We have a lot more to accomplish and others have certainly accomplished much more than we have.

But we’re still proud of where we are.

So how did this happen?

And what can we learn from it?

Here’s what we’ve learned…

When a young boy/girl starts playing street hockey with their friends they may start having dreams of playing professional hockey.  The NHL even.

And they may start talking about scoring 50 goals in the NHL.

They’re “thinking big”.

And as parents we willingly encourage it.

They then start playing organized “Timbit” hockey in the local arenas.

They practice skating, shooting, passing, puck handling and learn the game.

Year after year they get better and better.

The competition gets stronger and stronger.

And if they’re able to stand out from the crowd they eventually get a chance to be drafted by a professional NHL team and to play in their “farm team”.

They continue to learn the game, hone their skills, add muscle and stamina to their bag of tricks.

Then, with hard work and luck, they get a crack at the big club and play their first NHL game.

Perhaps their first goal is aired on CBC right across Canada or becomes a “TSN Highlight of the Night”.

And with continued hard work, focus, practice and discipline they may have their annual goal total rise from 20 to 35 to 50!

They may stay in the league for 5, 10, even 15 years.

They’ve done it.

Their big goal was accomplished.

So what does this have to do with real estate and your goals?

Stick with us here.

For years there’s been a lot of banter in the adult learning community about “Thinking Big!”.

How you should have an “abundance mentality” … that there’s more than enough opportunity for everyone.

The sky is the limit for you.

And we couldn’t agree more.

There is no limit for you.

But by analyzing this stage of our own journey … we’ve noticed something.

Thinking big is great.  Setting huge goals is fine.

But this process also can set you up for disaster.

Let us explain.

If you are making $25,000 per year today and want to get to $100,000.

Or if you’re making a $100,000 per year and want to get to a Million.

You have to stay focused on the day-to-day activities.

To much big thinking can hurt you.

The journey from $25,000 to $100,000 requires you practice the activities … the sometimes mundane activities … that will get you there.

You work hard, day-in-and-day-out, and one day you realize that you’re making $100,000 or even a Million.

It’s 100% possible of course.  Probable even.

However, what we’ve noticed is that people who get really excited about “big thinking” tend to get ahead of themselves and spend time imagining what it would be like to accomplish their goals.

Things then tend to fall apart.

You’re off balance.

How do we know?

Because we’ve been there.

And fight almost everyday to stay out of there!

For years we thought about buying more properties and starting our own business.

Planned it out on napkins, thought about it, dreamed about it.

But looking back over the years we’ve found that you have to concentrate day-in-and-day-out on the activities that will get you to your goal.

It’s only when we starting doing the little boring activities every single day, day-in-and-day-out, whether we felt like doing it or not, did we actually start to get anywhere.

Just like the Timbit hockey player did before he scored 50 goals in the NHL.

If you spend too much time “thinking big” you end up ignoring your current responsibilities.

We did anyway.

You’re not harnessing the incredible power of your concentration.

You’re living in la-la land.

When you concentrate on something with all of your being and get down to work , then, and only then, MAGIC HAPPENS.

Things fall into place.

The universe responds … you “get lucky”.

Your context and environment begin to expand.

You begin to change as a person.

A person who can handle more.  And the world responds to that.

To move from where you are today to where you want to be requires more concentration than anyone tells you.

We are now well aware of this ourselves.

And that’s why when we “dreamed big” we didn’t accomplish diddly until the rubber hit the road.

Until we got busy on the “day-to-day” stuff.

When you do this you gradually grow into the person that can handle your big goals.

You’re able to deal with the responsibilities that come along with moving from $25,000 to $100,000 or $100,000 to a Million.

Because the circumstances that you’ll be dealing with are bigger than the ones you’re dealing with now.

And you need to grow into it.

Just like the hockey player who scores 50 goals.

He grew into his bigger environment.  It was a process.

So the trick then, is to allow yourself to “think big” and set big goals while at the very same time you focus on the day-to-day activities that will get you there.

You need both.

It’s a delicate balance.  A dance almost.

Here’s the next part of the challenge…

The hockey player knows what his day to day activities should include.

Skating, shooting, passing and puck handling.

There’s a plan put in place for that path.

Do you know what yours should be?

Other than going to school our society hasn’t mapped out much of a plan for you.

My guidance counselor spent all of 5 minutes with me during high school (we’re not blaming by the way, just commenting).

If you’re investing in real estate there’s no path that society has mapped out for any of us.

Sure there’s the odd seminar in a room somewhere and books with all kinds of ideas.

The real estate industry is really good at the “big idea” and really bad at the “implementation” of it.

Implementation isn’t sexy after all.  It’s hard to sell it.

So most don’t.

It’s up to you to put things into action.

It’s up to you to decide to buckle down and do the dirty work.

Today decide that you’re going to do something different.

Let today be the day that you chart your own course and set your own sail.

Map out your “must do” activities.

What are they for you?  Grab a cup of your favourite beverage and give it some thought.  Reflect a little.

And keep things simple.

There’s no need for crazy marketing strategies with five different contracts and fifteen clauses.

Most things are much more simple than people make them out to be.

Most importantly, when you do decide what you’re map will be…

Stay the course.

Someone once told us that, for real estate, it’s “time in the market – not timing the market” and that serves as a guide for our decision making.

Concentrate on what you know works and then stick with it.

There’s no rush.

But by sticking with it one day you’ll look up and realize you’ve accomplished something.

And it comes faster than you think.

When you “stay the course” instead of running from one short term magic money solution to the next you’re automatically opposite of the masses – and that’s good.

Because very few of our own families and friends take control of their lives they’ll make you believe it’s a hard process and you’re crazy for trying to live life on your terms.

Don’t buy into it.

The thinking of “the masses” isn’t going to help you so don’t buy into their fluff.

Find people who are accomplishing what you want and hang out with them.

It’ll change your thinking – it’s worked for us.  We have many “mentors” to be thankful for.

And now it’s time for you to make your mark.

Go get ‘em!

Until next time … be a Renegade!

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“Secrets to Enjoying Six-Figure Pain Free Real Estate Investing”
with Tom & Nick Karadza
Tuesday April 27th, 2010 at 8:00pm Eastern
Learn more about how this came to be and reserve your spot now by clicking here.
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 What if you are better, more creative, more accomplished, more talented than you ever thought you were?

I know there are some great quotes about this type of thing out there.  I was just reading one of them the other day that likely sparked this whole thought process.

So seriously,

What if you have the power within you to be the creative spark that brings new hope to someone?

What if you have the power to change the course of an entire family, community, generation?

What if you have more energy, more ingenuity, more skill, more poise than you ever thought possible?

What if you are much more cool than you think you are?

Well….

You are.

Seriously, you are a super star.

How do we know this?

Let me explain…

This week I asked my seven year-old son what he got on his science test last week.

He answered, “B+”

“Great job”, I said.

Then he said this, “There’s a girl in my class who cries when she doesn’t get an A – so she cried today.”

Holy @#!%!

Here we go, the day has come where I have to explain to my son how the world really works.

“Aidan, you know, tests are important, they’re very important.  But you know what’s more important?  Much more important?”

“What Dad?” … with a little hesitation in his voice.

“It’s how hard you try.  How much effort you give.  How much you commit to getting something done that really makes you who you are.”

“What do you mean, who I am?”, he says.

Oh boy, it hit me that I had “a lot a splaining to do”.

From what I can tell, grade school is grading my son using tests that mostly verify his memorization abilities.

You get an A and you’re good.

You don’t – you cry.

And I find myself falling into the trap of going along with that nonsense.

In the real world tests are only one small part of the battle.

Sure, we have to do our driver’s test and different professions have their “weed out the people who can’t memorize” tests….accounting, real estate, law, doctors etc.

But that’s only a tiny part of the battle.

The other part is how hard you try.

How much you commit.

How much focus and discipline and creativity you have.

Let me share a story from my childhood…

In Senior Kindergarten (yes, I’m going way way back!) I was appointed into the “gifted” group of kids that got to colour the super advanced drawings of Farm Animals instead of just the simple ones.

I don’t what’s more hilarious, the fact that I still remember that or that there really was a gifted program in SK.

In grade one I was removed from that group, apparently my colouring wasn’t up to snuff.

I have been forever scarred and don’t play with crayons to this day.

But a few kids stayed in that program all the way through grade school.

On tests, A’s came easy to them, real easy.

As far as I could tell they didn’t really even need to study for very much, if at all.

They just sat down and wrote the test.

This continued through high school.  

They just aced everything.

Even in University….same thing.  Almost unbelievable.

But then something happened.

At about the age of 24 through the door walks in “the real world”.

And the real world doesn’t give a rats tail how well you can write a test.

The real world wants results.

The real world spits out people who can only write tests.

The real world doesn’t care about theory.

The real world cares about implementation.

I’m sure we all know a “genius” lawyer, accountant, real estate agent who is just “so smart” but has all kinds of struggles.  Financial and/or otherwise.

The real world doesn’t acknowledge their “A” status.  

And that’s what I want my son to know.

He’s two scoops of awesomesauce because he tries hard.  He really gives it his best.

Sure, the marks are important but the effort is more so.

I love him a lot.  A real lot.

And I want him to know this.

And you know how I know you’re two scoops of awesomesauce too?

Because you’re a real estate investor.

Why does that give you “awesomesauce” status?

Let’s walk through a day in your world…

Financing changes and challenges – CHECK

Unruly sellers to negotiate property purchases with – CHECK

Advertising that just isn’t pulling like it should – CHECK

The odd tenants with a nutty and unreasonable demand - CHECK

In-laws who think you’re taking too much risk - CHECK

Friends who think you’re crazy and behind your back may smile if you fail - CHECK

Deals that fall apart b/c banks change their requirements after initial approval and you have to find a Joint Venture partner in 12 hours - CHECK and CHECK

Massive downpours that cause flooding, wet carpets, insurance claims and unbudgeted expenses - CHECK

Mortgage Insurance curve balls, Joint Venture agreements, having the pressure of silent investors on your shoulders - CHECK, CHECK and CHECK

Real estate agents that don’t present offers to their own clients - CHECK

Having co-workers roll their eyes whenever you talk “cap rates, cash flow and appreciation” - CHECK

Handling all of this while managing your 9-5 life, your family and maintaining a social life - CHECK

Dealing with stress, time limits and complaints - CHECK

Creating cash flow, building equity, gaining invaluable skills and creating a future that will provide more freedom and a greater lifestyle choice - CHECK, CHECK, CHECK and CHECK

Let us ask you this….

Where is the test that can prepare you for that stuff?

Real life is about creatively solving problems.

When a curve ball comes your way you adjust your swing and go for it.

Having faith when no one else does.

Acting when you have 80% of the knowledge instead of 100%.

Making mistakes, correcting them and then moving on.

Real life has lots of failing grades.  But when you follow-up on those challenging experiences like only you can with double the focus, double the effort and double the creativity that only you can bring to the table – then the F becomes an A.

Your unique advantage?

Your awesomesauce?

It’s the uniqueness you have inside of you.

It’s the way you look at a problem and find a solution that only you could.

It’s carrying the weight of others on your shoulders and getting the job done.

It’s flying in the face of the naysayers who sit still, gossip and talk behind your back.

It’s even surprising yourself with your own ability sometimes.

It’s the amount of time, effort and energy you dedicate to your cause.

Here’s my fear, my biggest worry…

That through social norms my son will have a sense of entitlement because he got an “A” on a piece of paper.

That things will be served up to him on a silver platter.

That he won’t have to get his hands dirty.

Don’t get me wrong, subjects like English, Math, History are all important.

And there’s some great teachers in the system.  I was fortunate to have a few myself.  It’s just that the “overall” system is designed in a way that ignores subtle but extremely valuable experiences in youth.

Things like conflict resolution at recess and talking things out inside of getting frustrated and conquering your fears?

The last time I checked there weren’t categories on his report card that read:

Overcame impossible odds and stretched himself/herself this semester.  A/B/C/D/E/F

Scared beyond belief of the deep end of the pool but jumped in anyway.  A/B/C/D/E/F

Had no idea how to get something done, researched it overnight, implemented something and failed to accomplish goal but learned how to get things done.  A/B/C/D/E/F

Didn’t let peer pressure to stop him/her from wearing that cool shirt that he/she designed by himself/herself.  A/B/C/D/E/F

Believes in himself/herself.  A/B/C/D/E/F

Got a C+ but worked hours on end, with integrity and helped his classmate gain a sense of confidence.  A/B/C/D/E/F

Helped the community in three different ways.  A/B/C/D/E/F

Here’s my question to you and I already know the answer:

What if you are more creative and more powerful than you ever dreamed?

Because you are.

You and I both know it.  

Here’s the bottom line.

I am proud to be associated with real estate investors and the community of them (us).

Thank you for having me.  You have given me more than you know.

And as for my son…

I will work hard to ensure he continues his journey without getting discouraged at meaningless milestones.

Or at least trying to instill the proper perspective about them in him.

I don’t want him crying when he gets a B+.

He’s two scoops of awesomesauce.

And so are you.

Until next time … be a Renegade!