We’ve all heard the cliché expression: “it’s not about the cards, but how you play them.” Like most aphorisms, this is true.
I’m not dumb, but God, sometimes it feels like it. I have a really hard time paying attention, even in simple conversations about the most mundane things. Someone could be telling me about their weekend, and how they spent it painting Easter Eggs with their grandmother, something so incredibly easy to follow, and I just zone out, and can’t hear a word of what they’re saying. If I’m not zoned out, then I’m paying extra careful attention to every word they’re saying, which leads me to not understanding what it is they’re telling me, because it’s like I’m paying attention to the words they’re saying, but can’t string them together to understand what they actually mean. This probably doesn’t make any sense to most of you, but maybe one of you out there knows what I’m talking about.
Another thing I struggle with is mental math, and math forced to be performed on the spot. If I am left alone with a tutor, and really shown how to do math, I can tackle even the most difficult problems. But if someone said “quick, what date is 60 days prior to February 28th?” I could not perform that math mentally. Even if I had a calendar nearby that I could actually count the days, I would still struggle with it just because there’s pressure from someone watching me do it.
My brain is very analytical, and my head instantly fills with thoughts like: “do I count the 28th?” or “wait, how many days are in January and December?” My brain sort of locks up, and with the pressure of having someone there watching me, my brain starts throwing out thoughts like “this person probably thinks I’m dumb,” which locks me up even more. When it comes to math, I don’t perform well under pressure.
I want to get into real estate, I want to break into the industry. I’m doing a lot of action faking now, just reading about wholesaling, and its moving parts. But as I struggle with mundane tasks such as listening to people talk to me, and simple mental math, it’s like I’m fighting an uphill battle, and those doubtful thoughts keep springing up: “how are you going to be a solid real estate investor if you can’t even follow mundane conversations, or perform mental math?” “If I’m going over a contract with a buyer or seller, and I keep zoning out, how the hell is this going to work?” And hundreds of other thoughts just like this I’m constantly fighting off. There are countless bright and sharp investors out there who do really well for themselves, and some not so well for themselves. What chance do I have of competing with them?
Great question, I have no idea. But I must figure it out. What’s the alternative, not getting into real estate because I feel I’m not smart enough?
I may be a F*cking social retard. I may have to read a contract 10 times just to get a very basic understanding of what the hell it means, I may lock up a bunch of times in a conversation, or have some seller repeat what they said three times to get what they mean (I’ll probably lose a lot of deals because of it), but I can’t give this up. Christ, I can’t give up on this. I’ve got too much of a long past of quitting to give up like I always do.
So, I’ve looked back and gathered three big things I have accomplished, three things that I have successfully committed to that I haven’t given up on (despite how much I may have wanted to). They aren’t much, but they’re something. They prove that I can commit to something through the good and the bad, and for now that’s got to be good enough.
I’m going to commit to this, and I’m going to get a deal. It might take me a while (one because I’m out at sea right now and won’t be on land again until the 9th of July), but I’m going to get a deal, and I’ll keep you guys posted. Anyone who reads this, you are my accountability. Don’t be afraid to ask me if I’m still F*cking off, or if I’m actually working towards my goals.
The point of all this is to simply tell you that whatever is holding you back from getting started, figure out a way to get past it. If you lack in brains, make up for it in persistence, or balls, or resourcefulness. It might take you twice as long to do something as someone “sharper” than you, but maybe you’re the guy who will stick it out that extra mile, when the smarter people are dropping like flies.
If I’m going to break into a field like real estate, you can break into whatever field you want to. But, everything I wrote today is completely void until I break into real estate. I’m going to prove it to you just so this post has credibility.
Message me if any part of this post rubbed your gonads in all the right ways.
I’m not dumb, but God, sometimes it feels like it. I have a really hard time paying attention, even in simple conversations about the most mundane things. Someone could be telling me about their weekend, and how they spent it painting Easter Eggs with their grandmother, something so incredibly easy to follow, and I just zone out, and can’t hear a word of what they’re saying. If I’m not zoned out, then I’m paying extra careful attention to every word they’re saying, which leads me to not understanding what it is they’re telling me, because it’s like I’m paying attention to the words they’re saying, but can’t string them together to understand what they actually mean. This probably doesn’t make any sense to most of you, but maybe one of you out there knows what I’m talking about.
Another thing I struggle with is mental math, and math forced to be performed on the spot. If I am left alone with a tutor, and really shown how to do math, I can tackle even the most difficult problems. But if someone said “quick, what date is 60 days prior to February 28th?” I could not perform that math mentally. Even if I had a calendar nearby that I could actually count the days, I would still struggle with it just because there’s pressure from someone watching me do it.
My brain is very analytical, and my head instantly fills with thoughts like: “do I count the 28th?” or “wait, how many days are in January and December?” My brain sort of locks up, and with the pressure of having someone there watching me, my brain starts throwing out thoughts like “this person probably thinks I’m dumb,” which locks me up even more. When it comes to math, I don’t perform well under pressure.
I want to get into real estate, I want to break into the industry. I’m doing a lot of action faking now, just reading about wholesaling, and its moving parts. But as I struggle with mundane tasks such as listening to people talk to me, and simple mental math, it’s like I’m fighting an uphill battle, and those doubtful thoughts keep springing up: “how are you going to be a solid real estate investor if you can’t even follow mundane conversations, or perform mental math?” “If I’m going over a contract with a buyer or seller, and I keep zoning out, how the hell is this going to work?” And hundreds of other thoughts just like this I’m constantly fighting off. There are countless bright and sharp investors out there who do really well for themselves, and some not so well for themselves. What chance do I have of competing with them?
Great question, I have no idea. But I must figure it out. What’s the alternative, not getting into real estate because I feel I’m not smart enough?
I may be a F*cking social retard. I may have to read a contract 10 times just to get a very basic understanding of what the hell it means, I may lock up a bunch of times in a conversation, or have some seller repeat what they said three times to get what they mean (I’ll probably lose a lot of deals because of it), but I can’t give this up. Christ, I can’t give up on this. I’ve got too much of a long past of quitting to give up like I always do.
So, I’ve looked back and gathered three big things I have accomplished, three things that I have successfully committed to that I haven’t given up on (despite how much I may have wanted to). They aren’t much, but they’re something. They prove that I can commit to something through the good and the bad, and for now that’s got to be good enough.
I’m going to commit to this, and I’m going to get a deal. It might take me a while (one because I’m out at sea right now and won’t be on land again until the 9th of July), but I’m going to get a deal, and I’ll keep you guys posted. Anyone who reads this, you are my accountability. Don’t be afraid to ask me if I’m still F*cking off, or if I’m actually working towards my goals.
The point of all this is to simply tell you that whatever is holding you back from getting started, figure out a way to get past it. If you lack in brains, make up for it in persistence, or balls, or resourcefulness. It might take you twice as long to do something as someone “sharper” than you, but maybe you’re the guy who will stick it out that extra mile, when the smarter people are dropping like flies.
If I’m going to break into a field like real estate, you can break into whatever field you want to. But, everything I wrote today is completely void until I break into real estate. I’m going to prove it to you just so this post has credibility.
Message me if any part of this post rubbed your gonads in all the right ways.
BECAUSE YOU HAVE IT BACKWARDS...
I've noticed a trend. People read the book, they get excited about all the things they want to HAVE, and then they come to this forum asking some version of "What's next?"
If you look deeper, you see that they are thinking in terms of: Have. Do. Be.
HAVE: They want to HAVE things. They want the car or the house or the pool or the fabulous vacations or the amazing partner or the bank account with a lot of zeros.
DO: Then they ask... What do I need to DO to HAVE all those things? Sell products on Amazon? Invent something? Create a sales funnel? Find a product on Alibaba? Crack the code? Get in the Fastlane? Find a Vehicle?
BE: Then, they say.... If I HAVE all those things by DOING the thing I'm going to do, THEN, I will BE happy... successful... amazing.... giving...
Sorry to break it too you, but that is exactly backwards.
If you are thinking this way, then you are CHASING MONEY. You are NOT creating value, and your desire for happiness will elude you.
What is the solution? FLIP IT ON ITS HEAD...
FIRST: BE
BE the person you want to be.
BE happy by deciding to be happy. It doesn't take the house or the pool or the vacation. It takes you choosing happiness, in that moment. BE an entrepreneur. It doesn't take owning a company you will be taking public next week, or launching a kickstarter campaign, or getting onto shark tank. Sure, those things may come... but that doesn't make you an entrepreneur.
BE an entrepreneur by deciding. Decide to wake up, each and every day and making a decision to RUN your business, or LEARN something that will improve your business, or TAKE the next step - even though it is hard.
BE a philanthropist or missionally oriented by looking at a homeless person in the eye, or taking in a foster child, or giving a loan on Kiva or volunteering for your favorite charity.
The list is endless. WHO do you WANT to be? WHO do you know you are... deep down? Forgiving? Understanding? Motivating? Strong? A leader? A generous person? A compassionate person? A happy person? A family person?
DON'T WAIT to be the person you are meant to be. DO IT NOW. The only thing holding you back is THE DECISION TO DO IT.
THEN: DO
Only when you know the person you ARE. Only when you are BEING the person you are, can you EFFECTIVELY DO.
When you ARE an entrepreneur, then you wake up every day and DO THE WORK of entrepreneurship. You make the calls, solve the problems, develop the systems.
When you ARE giving, you take the time to volunteer at the charity, or listen compassionately, or love deeply.
The act of DOING flows easily from the person you ARE.
The DOING will be creating VALUE, because you are not chasing the all might dollar. You understand that the dollar will come to you when you provide value.
FINALLY: YOU WILL HAVE
Having.... they money, the things, the cars. All these "things" will flow naturally out of your DOING. They will never come to you if you are chasing them with no other motivation or understanding. Or they may come to you temporarily, but they will leave you again soon enough - if you haven't build the foundation you need.
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