I was teaching a class on Lease Options a while back and one gentleman was asking me why someone would ever sell a house on a Lease Option. As I was answering he said, “but… ” and then I answered his new questions and he said, “but… “. My daughter does this same thing. What he and my daughter have in common is they are looking for reasons why something won’t work. I stopped teaching the class and focused on this gentleman. We had a quick discussion where I pointed out what I had noticed, and that I felt he was choosing to look for things to prevent his success. If you focus on why something won’t work, it won’t work. If this gentleman can shift his thoughts and his choices, it will change his life.
I remember when I was getting started in real estate I decided to quit my job and go all in. I thought I could make it work without steady income. It was true, I could have made it work, but I didn’t. I started running into trouble. I had tenants not paying and I did not have enough cash reserves. Things started getting hard and I started doubting my ability to make it. The more I thought about my trouble, the more trouble I found. It got so bad that I was forced to go back to Corporate America. I continued to work my real estate business part time, but it was a much needed break from the stress of not knowing where income was coming from. After about a year and a half, I felt like I was ready to commit and try again. Some people function better with a job where they have steady income and no work stress once they leave the office. I understand that and can relate to the benefits. For me though, it was not a good fit.
The second time I went out on my own, my real estate company was doing better and producing income again. I was also getting started as a lender. The second time felt much different, because I had already tried and failed. I knew what it was going to take to be successful and I made a decision that day to be successful. With a child on the way at the time, it was scary, but I knew it was going to work. It was an easy decision for me to make.
I have not looked back and have reached many of my financial goals. I now have a fantastic life and am able to help others reach their goals. The choice to quit my job the second time is not why I am successful today though. The reason I was able to succeed the second time, when I could not the first, is the choice to focus on the success. I did not allow failure into my mind and I never looked for a reason why my company would not be successful. Sure I had some ups and downs, but I never allowed myself to focus on the failures, like I did the first time. A choice is a very powerful thing. Today when I start to have a bad day, I am aware of that and can choose to change my day. I can choose to have a good day, even when things are not going well. It is all about my thoughts. It is really a powerful thing when you are aware of it and able to make a choice to change your thoughts.
If the gentleman that I spoke with in that class reads this, I hope that he understands that I really do want to see him, and everyone in that class, successful. I hope that I was able to make an impact by simply pointing out something that I have learned and experienced in my professional life. I hope that he now can see that it is not always easy, but it is possible to be successful and reach your goals by choosing a different thought pattern. It takes work and awareness but it is the only way to consistently have great things come into your life. I hope that he now sees the point I wanted to make and that he starts a new journey.
You can make a choice. Choose to be happy, choose to be successful!
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