Are you working on your financial Independence Day too?

Back in January I set a few broad goals for the year. Not too specific since I'm still feeling my way through this business and wanted flexibility to change things as needed. My two main goals were to quit my job and buy a multifamily building of 4 or more units. Hooray for achieving goal #1! Not exactly the way I had planned it, but still, I've been blissfully free to do my own thing for over a month now. As for goal number two... well, for it already being July and I've made nearly zero progress on that one, I'm not so confident it will happen. Don't worry, I'm not giving up. Not at all. Six months is still plenty of time if I buckle down. But I'm also okay with it if I fail to meet that goal this year. Things change and life sometimes creates new priorities, so I'm not going to beat myself up over not making my own self-imposed deadline.

With tomorrow being the 4th of July, America's Independence Day (how'd that get here so fast?), I'm sure many of you are reflecting on what we are doing with our own independence, or maybe how we're going to gain it. I know I am. I'm a voracious reader, and the more books I read on money, real estate, and personal fulfillment the more I strengthen my belief deep in my core that I must become completely free and independent of that which holds most of us back from achieving our dreams, MONEY. As Kiyosaki frequently tells us, money is just an idea, a concept. If we let something as easy to change as a concept hold us back from reaching our full potential, how will we ever be free from the more physical restraints in our lives?

My financial independence is coming. I know it will happen and feel it slowly happening every day. This second half of the year will require a lot more hard work in a totally new way for me, but with some diligence I should be well poised to make next year a spectacular one. And next year is my husband and my 10 year anniversary. A goal for next year is to take a great trip, preferably out of the country, like we did when we went on our honeymoon to China. A lot of groundwork needs to be laid this year for that to happen. Time to become a true mover and shaker and change my family's lives for the better. Buying a few rental properties is a good start and certainly helps the process, but I need to think about the bigger picture and how I can truly become free from the tyranny of money in the long run.

Who else out there is working on their own independence day? I hope you see the great things to come just as I do!

Time for some focus and *maybe* some guidance

I've been thinking a lot about my poor time management and how I'm going to overcome this insanely large hurdle on my own. I loved all the comments I received after my previous post, "So Apparently I Suck at Time Management." It would seem I'm not the only one! Yes, we all obviously get the same 24 hours each and every day, and its heartening to know that many of us still have not figured out exactly how to make the most of them.

I realize that first and foremost I must learn to focus better. With so many different things that need my focus, I have been crazily trying to do them all at once, which is only creating chaos and not results. A month of floundering is enough for me to know that things aren't going to simply fall into place on their own, I need to be proactive about setting specific times and days for each focus area. A written schedule (and maybe even a timer) will be my next order of business.

The second idea that has been rolling around in my head is the possibility of finding a mentor. It makes my insides recoil to even contemplate it, but the thought is there nonetheless. So far I've gotten in the game with no mentor, very little advice, and only a few books and home-study CD's. I'm the type who learns just a little, then hits the streets and gets to the fun action part of the game. I am a fiercely independent person and can not stand to be told what to do, how to do it, or to answer to anyone else. Gee, I wonder why I often didn't get along with my previous bosses! I also really like to pave my own way, learning from my mistakes and not buying into anyone else's "proven system for success." My success will be my way, not simply a copy of some other more successful person's.

But, with the clock working against me and so many other things pushing me back, I'm starting to think that having a little guidance and a little pushing from an outside source would be a big benefit to help get my priorities straight faster. I did manage to start my real estate investment business on my own and got my feet good and wet with all the mistakes and challenges that go along with that. Now that I'm in the water though, I think I'm realizing that wading into the shallow end and really swimming through the deep water are two very different concepts, and that I'll learn to swim much faster if I have a swim instructor standing along side of me.

So now comes the question of WHO I will choose to be my swim instructor. The choices are nearly endless, especially when I have several different interests within the field of real estate. Then there's the question of going with a well-known name or a local "Joe" who is doing well. I do have a short list of about 4 or 5 individuals, but which one at the top of the list varies depending on the day/week/latest webinar I've logged into. I'm very pleased to have connected with most of them through various social media, especially Facebook. I think that seeing the interactions of these people in their everyday lives and businesses helps show their true character and lets me know if they are someone I can A) get along with and B) respect and actually want to listen to.

I leave tomorrow morning for another long postponed trip to see more family this week. Next week (after my return) starts the new daily FOCUS plan and further decision making of engaging a mentor. Gonna be giving myself some tough love and really working to get my top three priorities some individualized attention. Call it my mid-year resolution!

Do we all really need our 15 minutes?

I'm sometimes perplexed with the way the entire real estate investing industry works. The more I network, both in person and online, the more it seems that everyone is out to sell you something and/or get their 15 minutes of fame out of real estate. Don't get me wrong, I love making money just as much as the next person, but I just can't identify with this phenomenon.



Anyone who has a few deals under their belt is suddenly planning a "training package" or offering to be a mentor (for a hefty fee) or is writing a book. There are plenty of people out there that have incredible experience and offer some really excellent services (Dave Lindahl, for instance, is the real deal with a great program: http://www.rementor.com/). The thing that gets me is that so many investors are now flooding the "market" with training systems and home study courses galore. They see the "Gurus" making tons of money and want a piece of the action, its only natural, right?


My problem with it is two fold: First, I don't see that many of these people understand that in order to make it big in any venture, you need to give before you can get. Second, they are not setting themselves apart from the crowd or finding a good niche to carve out to really make the product shine.



Giving before you get is something I've always believed in passionately. Some of the most successful people you'll meet probably started out asking people "What can I do for you" rather than asking what can I GET out of you. Its one reason why I'm working with Local Real Estate Deals Media, we are looking to help other businesses in their goals first and foremost, and we know that in approaching our business that way we will see exponential returns in the future. We're already seeing that return coming back to us with incredible speed. Dave Lindahl (to use him again as an example) is offering his boot camp for free to people who sign up for his newsletter (visit http://is.gd/Nbtz), a great deal and an example of how even the big guys still abide by this rule. So no matter if you are working on your own training system, book, or just some good real estate deals, don't forget to ask "What can I do to help YOU?" before you even start thinking about your check. Chances are the check will be much bigger and more satisfying when it comes your way.



The second thing that gets to me with all these "Nuru" wannabes (and I know some that will make it because they believe in the things I'm talking about here) is the fact that few are offering something special. I'm sure many of you can relate to having your email boxes full every morning with promotional offers for everything from webinars to boot camps. Which ones do you automatically delete? If you're like me its most of them, because its the same old noise over and over. Please people, tell me something interesting about why you are different, what can you offer that I can't get at 10 other websites? And speaking of websites, am I the only one that wants to see some actual content on these sites, not just an exceedingly long plug on how great the system is without any real statement about what the system DOES. I'm sure some marketing person somewhere did research that proves you get more response without telling site visitors what they're getting, but I can't fathom who those people are that sign up for things blindly!



Of course, there's nothing inherently wrong with developing new businesses out of your real estate investing business, I strongly support individuals coming up with multiple streams of income. There are many great tools, seminars, home-study courses, etc out there that are worth every penny. Just for my own selfish benefit and thousands of others like me, consider a few things before you make your leap into these products, though.

Ask these questions:

• Am I doing this to help others or to get my own piece of the proverbial pie?
• What can I offer to help others before they can help me?
• How is my knowledge and/or system different or better than all the others already out there? (if its really not, you should probably refer to question #1 since you might not be in it for the right reason!)

I, for one, do not need and am not looking for my 15 minutes, and I'm also not looking to sell anyone anything just to generate sales. I'm looking to help those that can benefit from my help and in doing so see all of our success grow. If someday I do come across an idea that prompts me to develop another business, you can be sure that it will be done for the right reasons and with the right methods. A good product will always sell itself no matter what's going on in the world. I would much rather be a part of something that other businesses want to be a part of themselves than one in which I have to force-feed the product to everyone I meet. If I had to do the later, no amount of revenue is worth the bad ju-ju I'd be creating in my life and business.