The Philosophy of Painting & Life

Today I did some painting in my own home. I actually really enjoy painting, but only because I do it on my own terms.

OK, before you yawn and click away, let me tell you a little about how I paint. There is no tedious taping. no drop cloths. No pushing all the furniture into the middle of the room. No messy rollers and trays. Just one gallon of paint and a stubby paint brush. I may paint for 20 minutes or 3 hours, the point for me is that I am doing the painting. The project is getting done.

I have freinds who have lovely houses with not a lick of the walls painted since they moved in years ago. Usually they say its just such a big task to tackle, they never have enough time, energy, or motivation to undertake such a big project. Well, I have an acute lack of all three of those as well, and yet my house is slowly becoming a cozy, colorful abode instead of keeping that stark white institution look.

I have a sort-of philosophy in life. Nike stole it from me about 15 years ago but I still hold it as mine... Just Do It.

If there's one thing I can't stand its wasting time to get something started. I have a motivation problem (do they make a support group for that?), so when I get in the "mood" to do something, I need to do it NOW. To me, all the set up that most people think is necessary to start a paint job is a non-issue. Just grab a brush and get going for God's sake! Or else you may never find the time to go through all the steps you supposedly need to get to the final result.

The thing is, this philosophy holds true in so many other areas of life and business. We hear all the time about "analysis paralysis" and "fence sitters" and people who get lost in the prep work only to give up and never make it to the actual meat, the fun part of the project. Why in the world would anyone beat themselves down on the minutia of start up details when really all they need is a good brush and a bucket of paint?

Of course, it is true that I have painted a wall or two, or several dozen, before. True, someone who's never held a brush should absolutely take more precautions and do some practicing. But this is not rocket science, and the things most of us do in life and business are not either. It shouldn't take too much prep for even a newbie to be ready to dive in and get started. Anyone who does suffers from one of the two other afflictions that should also have support groups: Fear and Laziness.

Keep it simple, people. Most projects and business endeavors need not be so monumental that you just don't want to think about getting started, and so never do. Do yourself a favor. Buy a little paint, dig out your brush, do a quick test run or research if you feel the need, and then JUST DO IT. You'll figure out the best methods and your own style as you go, and you'll actually be making progress as you figure it out instead of waiting for everything to be set up just right before you even begin.

Oh, and yes, sometimes my walls are half-painted, a project in limbo, for days, months, even (my dirty secret) years, but at least I made progress. I got started. That's more than many of my friends can say, and more than so many others out there can say about starting any number of things. If you wait for everything to be ready and perfect, you're probably going to be waiting a very, VERY long time. Action, even action that may be a bit messy and unprofessional in the beginning, is better than inaction. Everything else can be learned or fixed as you go along.

Great Potential Deal Up In Smoke... Literally

Last week I got a submission to my website for a lead that sounded great. After talking on the phone with the seller a couple times and driving by the house to check it out, I was sold on the deal. It was the best deal I've come across in many many months, possibly ever. I would buy this lovely tri-level 4 bedroom home on a cul-de-sac in a wonderful family neighborhood for a bargin price, and the seller was perfectly happy to sell it to me Subject-To, meaning I basically would just take over his low mortgage payments, with no cash to his pocket. From what I could tell from my snooping, the house only needed some paint, carpet, and maybe some minor updates. For the $55k in instant equity I'd be picking up and $400 a month cash flow I'd have by renting it, those minor repairs were well worth the cost!

The family was going out of town last week on a little vacation and we agreed for me to meet him at the home this week to take a look inside and sign all the paperwork. We'd pretty much came to an agreement over the phone already. They came back Monday night and I called the owner today to confirm our appointment. He said they'd had a lovely vacation, but yesterday afternoon his wife called him at work to tell him the house was on fire. No joke. More than half the house burned completely down.

Of course, after my initial shock and finding out that his wife and their 3 children are just fine, my first thought was "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" My awesome deal had just went up in smoke, too literally. Funny how selfish human beings can be. I surpressed that selfish reaction and talked to him at length about his family and what they were going to do. I told him about some rentals I knew of in the area (none were mine) and offered him some of my kid's outgrown toys and clothes if they needed it.

As I look out my window now at the foot of snow on the ground, I can't help but imagine what it must have been like for that family, standing outside in the snow watching their house burn down. Sure, they were going to sell it and were having some problems of their own, but no one could have anticipated they would loose all their personal items and a place to live before then. I again recall how thankful I am for what my family and I have.

Now I try to force down my dissapointment for loosing a great house and remember that it could have been worse. I could have bought the house and then had it burn down, possibly even with tenants inside. Or, it could have even happened here, to my family. Unthinkable, but certainly not impossible.

I just hope it doesn't take a couple years for a great deal like that one to come along again. The thought of it whetted my appetite, and suddenly I'm feeling hungry to buy. Ah, but at least I've learned that the good deals are worth waiting for. And this scenario isn't very likely to happen again... right?

Stay tuned for the next episode...

Alright, I've been debating for months if I should restart this blog. After my world sort of fell apart last September, I thought it would be useless to post all the whining and blubbering that would inevitably come out when I sat down to write. Suffice to say that nothing I was working on previously actually ended up closing, and I spent the last few months of the year wondering what in the world I was trying to do with my life, both in business and personally (which for me are so intertwined its hard to separate anyway).

But, here I am, writing the next installment. This year, in 2010, I am learning to work and live a different way. Some of the crazy passion for life and work has somehow gone out of me, which was scary and dissapointing at first. However, I have come to realize that being more level headed and less emotionally involved in everything gives me the distance to hopefully make better judgements. We'll see how that turns out, won't we?

So hello again to all my friends that were following my expolits. I'm still here! And I'm back in the saddle, although I'd say I was easing into it this time and not hitting the road at a wild gallop. On the business front, leads are still coming in and I'm still looking at houses and small multi-families. None have been that interesting... yet. I've decided to operate under the guise that I don't NEED my next deal, I can be picky and wait for the right one to come along. Its a good feeling, one I believe will work to my benefit in the long run. I hope you'll all stay tuned in for this new season of Investor in Limbo. I know I'm anxious to see the outcome of the next few episodes!