An investor’s tale, A journey to the top of the mountain, and back down again.
This was originally posted to my blog on http://www.biggerpockets.com hope you enjoy
After a morning of opening Christmas presents, and eating some genuinely delectable food on Christmas day, I felt the random urge to get away to be alone with my thoughts, and get my 2015 plan organized inside my head (yes I have it on paper too) I have a very active brain, it is always racing, and I find that alone time to truly analyze my thoughts and plans helps a great deal to stay focused, motivated, and helps me be honest with myself, which in turn, helps me realize when something, or someone is not helping me progress to my goals…and it, or they, get cut from my routine.
I routinely like to travel to remote scenic locations to just hear the silence, the sound of the silence is a trigger that helps me get lost inside my brain, I can visualize my plans, everything slows down, new ideas come to me, and I am able to give meaning to all my actions. I have never meditated before, but I imagine this is what it must be like. I am going to share some of my observations as I made my way up and down a mountain, and explain how I apply them to real estate, to help motivate myself (and hopefully whoever reads this) and keep myself focused on the big picture.
I began my journey by picking an area that I had never been to, it was easily accessible and offered a couple of attractions that I wanted to see. I traveled there, and began to explore. The area was small, and I quickly found what I wanted to experience, I was not entirely impressed… So I quickly began to look for other activities. I found a hiking trail that led to a high plateau that offered a view of the entire valley. I made the hike to the top; I found that I was alone with an amazing view all to myself. I could see everyone below me, but I could not hear them… I sat on a provided bench, and I let the silence engulf me. I sat with my thoughts, while at the same time observing those below me. After a time atop this plateau, my attention drifted from those below me, to the majestic snowcapped mountains across the valley from my location, and at that instant, what I had was not enough for me, I longed to be on the peaks of the mountains……
Analyzation— The minute you and I made the choice to become real estate investors, we were not content with what we saw around us, we sought out another way to improve our lives, just as I set out to improve my view, but once you reach the top of that plateau, sometimes distraction comes from those below us. This may come in many forms. We have all heard someone say “Why buy that house when renters will destroy it” or (Fill in the negativity you have heard here) The instant you ignore those who are negative, or distracting you will turn your attention to those snowcapped peaks across the valley, and you can focus on planning how to get to there, instead of being distracted by what you see below you.
After staring at the peaks for a few minutes, my mind was made up. I had to be there. I made my way down to my vehicle, and commenced my journey. The road across the valley was longer than I had expected, but soon I was at the base of the mountain, and my accent was underway. As I made my way up I passed pockets of people, all having fun, and looking completely satisfied with where they were at. I kept pressing up. As I continued on with my journey I saw countless road signs warning me of severe weather, and road conditions ahead…as well as may other warnings that were meant to dissuade me from making my trip to the upper most regions of the mountain. I did not stop. Before long, I was above 6000 feet, and the people became fewer, and the hazards increased. The first hazard I encountered was a sheet of ice that spanned almost the entire roadway, I slowed down, and moved my vehicle over so that at least 2 of my wheels were on solid pavement. I traversed the ice successfully, I rolled down the window, the air was ice cold, and I realized I had not seen a soul around for what seemed like miles, the familiar silence was there. At this point, I experienced a flood of emotions, and thoughts. I was scared, I was second guessing my choice, my thoughts were telling me to turn around and go back, and how my ambition had again landed me in a situation that was not only uncomfortable, but potentially dangerous, as there were no guard rails on this small two lane switchback road. One misjudgment could send my vehicle, along with myself over the edge, all this is racing through my mind…and just as I came to a safe area to turn around, something in me said “why turn back now, you wanted to see the top” and without hesitation, despite the other overwhelming emotions, and thoughts, I cautiously continued upward. As I approached every turn ahead, I would try to anticipate the sharpness of the turn…but most of the time I was wrong… When I anticipated a slight turn it would be sharp, or the exact opposite. I crossed over many ice sheets, similar to the first I had encountered, because I had navigated the first, and others ,I was confident crossing them at this point, until I came to a thick ice sheet that spread across the entire road. I stopped and got out of the truck. At this point I was above 7500 feet, and turning back was not an option (In my head, others may think differently). There was no planning my way around this ice safely, the only option was to continue over it, and to not stop, because obviously if I stop, or go too fast, I will lose traction, and slide down the mountain, and over the unguarded cliff. I continued on successfully, and after another 2000 feet of upward progress, I was at around 9500 feet, and the highest point I could reach because of a locked gate that closed the road off for the last twelve miles.
Up ahead I noticed a few cars parked in a pull out area to the side of the road, which surprised me, because on my way up I had encountered zero point zero cars. I parked next to them, got my jacket on, and continued on foot. I met up with a group of individuals, (the introvert in me wanted to go the opposite direction) I walked up and introduced myself, and we chatted, of course real estate came up, one of the gentlemen was a real estate agent in a major city not far away. It was three separate groups of people, and one had brought enough food and drink to feed an army of Spartan soldiers. That group invited everyone else to have a bite to eat. After some time, I decided it was time to make my way down the mountain before dark, we exchanged numbers, and I was on my way back down the mountain, with more confidence on the decent.
Analyzation— On my way up the mountain I was looking at the road, thinking of ways this road to the top could be applied to my journey in real estate, and this is what I came up with. The road to great achievement in real estate (financial freedom) has been laid down by people before you and me. We just have to study them, and follow the path they have paved, don’t try to anticipate what is around every corner, progress at a steady pace, and you will be able to handle, anything that comes your way. (What could be easier than that?!) Just like on my trip up the mountain, you are going to hear “warnings” just like the road signs I encountered. These warnings will make some people turn back. (All the people at the lower levels of the mountain I passed)What separates the winners and the losers in real estate is the ability to keep pushing forward. That doesn’t mean to disregard the warnings you encounter. Take them in, and plan, so that you can mitigate your risk on your continuing journey upward. You WILL encounter hazards. When you get to one, slow down, evaluate it, and plan the best way to get through it, keep in mind, if you are not encountering new challenges on a regular basis, this means you are not traveling down the road. Don’t let adversity stop your progress. GET MOVING AGAIN!
You will encounter situations that you cannot plan your way out of, or even prepare for (The ice sheet that spanned the entire road) This is what real estate investors’ call “Risks”….every investor must take risks to get to the top. You must not be scared to cross that ice. The knowledge and reward you gain from taking risks can be enormous…or you can tumble over the cliff. If you tumble down the cliff, start the journey again. Do not stay at the bottom.
On our way to the top, it may seem like we are the only ones on this journey. It’s ok to be scared; it’s ok to second guess yourself, You may feel alone(Pre-biggerpockets haha) its ok to feel all those emotions, everyone on this journey has felt the same way. Listen to that small voice that tells you to KEEP GOING! When you get to the top, there will be other likeminded individuals waiting for you with free food! (Don’t hold me to that, the people you may encounter may be cheap, or antisocial lol) free food or not, you will be at the top and you will be liberated to enjoy the view with the confidence that you can travel up and down this mountain at will ,with the knowledge you have collected on the trip. Lastly, I can even learn something from a closed road. In real estate many riches can be attained from unethical or illegal practices, don’t be tempted by these practices, remember the closed road sign, it’s easy to cross, but the moment you cross over, you can’t come back, and you take the risk of serious consequences. Always be loyal, honest, and not greedy to strangers, and those around you, and by doing so…you will avoid the booty house…and we all know what they will do to you in the booty house….
On a side note, while I was at the top, I asked everyone why they did not turn back. The most common answer I received was that “Why be at the bottom with everyone else, when the view is way better up here” This inspired me on the way down, to stop and ask everyone I encountered as to why they had not travelled up the mountain. I heard “The warning signs made us stop” “It seemed to hard” “We didn’t know what to expect” (sound familiar?) Despite this, everyone I encountered was happy, and friendly.
Analyzation— Don’t waste your time trying to convince others to join you on your real estate journey. Everyone travels to where they want to be, and they are happy. If that means they are happy doing the 9-5 and living paycheck to paycheck until they die…let them be. While coming down share your knowledge of what it’s like at the top, share what it took to get there, share the mistakes you would do over, don’t look down on the people who choose not to follow the road you are on. By doing this you will attract others that want to journey with you, or give someone the courage to make the climb for themselves to see the view.
When I reached the bottom, I made the journey home in silence thinking about what had just occurred, and I could not wait to start typing about my observations. They assured me that I am on the right path, and if I stay focused, remain persistent, and ignore negativity, or discouraging words, I(and You!) will stand on top of that Real Estate Mountain, looking down with a smile on my face, knowing without question that my sacrifices were worth it.
Hope you enjoyed the story; please take a little time to share your comments or personal stories with me. I’m always looking to learn from others, and if you have any booty house tales…keep them to yourself, we already know what happened to you 🙂
homebuyerhelp.net 