Charles Schwab is noted for saying, a man, to carry a successful business, must have imagination. He must see things as in a vision, a dream of the whole thing.
As a new or experienced real estate investor, do you have a clear vision for your future? Or are you just waiting for something to happen? You work hard every day at a job, but you don’t always see the fruits of your labor. You give more, dream big, but cannot get ahead. You feel like your life is a treadmill. You go, pick up speed along the way; however, when you look around you are in the exact spot that you thought you were leaving even though you have a burning desire for so much more.
One similarity among all human beings is that we want more and dream about a better future. The difference: Successful people act on those desires. Successful people live their dreams by taking needed actions to accomplish well thought-out, measurable goals. Others just daydream and wait for something to happen. These are the ordinary ones: those who want their lives to be different but are not consistent in acting in ways that are positive and progressive to change their situation. Assess your current state to see if you are capable of living a different future.
Are you really all that unhappy with the way things are? Are you searching for a feeling instead of a state of mind? These questions are important, because in order for you to thrive as a real estate investor, you have to able to handle uncertainty, ridicule, and much discomfort. Any time a person experiences new situations that are difficult or unfamiliar, it is human nature to resort back to familiar patterns or an environment that is comfortable even when it is self-destructive.
Trying something new is challenging enough. But when you add the negative comments of friends and family along with self-doubt of wondering “should I be happy with what I have because I am really blessed,” you may continue on your path to nowhere. I am sure you have done it countless times. You decide you really want to improve your fitness level, so one evening you start out on a brisk walk. Just as get into your stride you approach a steep hill. Your confidence and determination gets you up the first 200 feet of the incline. Halfway up, you feel the sweat dripping in your eyes, your heart is racing, and your shoes feel like they’re glued to your feet. You can feel the calf muscles tightening and your arms struggling to swing to give you the momentum you need to keep going. This is the time that your mind tries to soothe your aching body. Your mind tells you that in this hot weather you can have a heart attack or nobody is watching so you can stop when you want or you can always just try again tomorrow. What you decide in that instant will determine whether you make it to the top of the hill where you will have a new sense of accomplishment. At the top of the hill, your view is a clear picture of how far you have come and the newfound strength you have to get you over the next hill. On the other hand, in that instant you could decide to remain at the bottom of the hill, where a lot of people attempt to make the climb but remain in the same spot for whatever reason holds them back.
Successful people have a vision. Forming and focusing upon a clear vision helps you choose which opportunities to pursue. A clear vision means you don’t waste time on things that don’t fit with your goals. Vision-driven real estate investors have discovered that there is a good, bottom line reason for charting a direction. They are improving the odds that they will be successful. Having a vision will help you to choose among many paths and make faster progress toward your goals.
