Being a member of this minority and talking to my friend about the column got me to thinking about my own experiences as a woman real estate investor. After some careful thought, I don't believe there is a true disadvantage to being a woman in this industry per se, I've had no more difficulties or challenges than many men I know have had. A different perspective, for sure, maybe a little more weeping when things go wrong (not me, but maybe some of you others, right?), but nothing is inherently harder from my experience. Perhaps, even, there are some actual advantages to having some feminine wiles in an industry of men. You know what I mean, Mr. Officer who let me out of that ticket [bats eyelashes coyly]
Instead of my gender being an obstacle in my business plan, I realized I have a much different "problem" that I work every day to over come. Its the particular stage of my LIFE that poses the biggest challenge to me. True, everybody probably thinks "if only such-and-such in my life were different, things would be much easier!" But I stand by my own claim as being fully legit, darn it!
Let me start by saying I don't regret starting down this path when I did, and I am a firm believer that its never the WRONG time to take control of your financial future. If you haven't started because you're waiting for the right time, STOP WAITING!!!
However, I can't help but think sometimes that if I had started 7 years ago I would have no children, less debt, and a much more carefree way of life as compared to my current situation. I would not have a problem loosing my house or eating ramen every night if something went terribly wrong, after all, it was just me and my husband, we'd manage and get through it just fine. Now, with the kids and nice house and standard of living to maintain, I do get scared of messing something up and ruining my family's lifestyle.
On the other hand, if I could pretend for a while that I'd never been exposed to the idea of financial freedom or alternative means of retirement planning, then I would be able to start down this path 7 years in the future, when my children are older and less needy, and my family is more financially stable.
Being at this very spot in my financial life, with the piled up debt of student loans from our youth, bad credit card decisions of the carefree days after college, expenses of the early children years (daycare, diapers, new clothes for every season) and the nice house and decent cars of the middle aged lifestyle we are entering into makes for some rather high hurdles to lift myself over.
Similarly, with my children still being quite young, they require a lot of my time and attention at this early stage in their lives. Kindergarten has been especially rough on my oldest this year, and I feel that I have not been there enough for him during this turbulent time. I've noticed especially that most of the women that ARE in real estate investing do not have young children, and I believe there is a good reason for that. Even in this new age of parenting equality, women still usually have a tighter bond with their children than men and desire to be with them more often than not. Starting either before kids or later when they are older and more independent would certainly have made it easier for me to focus on what I am trying to do.
But this isn't just about me whining and lamenting about my life as I know it. My point is that even though things do not seem like they are the most optimal time for me, even though so many things make me sometimes wonder what in the world I am doing, I'm still out there trying to do it!
So what is your "such-and-such" excuse for this not being a good time in your life? What obstacles do you feel like are holding you back? No, don't tell me, I really don't care. It doesn't matter what excuse you use, there will never be a better time than now to get started on the path to your dreams. The past is already gone, and you can't be sure that tomorrow will be any better than today unless you DO something today.
I can't say I don't sometimes let life get in the way. Suze Orman even tells us "People first." But hey, if I can manage to not stray too far off track and keep pushing forward then I fully believe that anyone else can do the same. My progress may be slower than some others, but at least I am pointed in the right direction and know where I'm going.
Whine with me if you need to, but I'll only sympathise with you if you're working on your own path too. Otherwise, you just sound like my kids who whine about everything.
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