As you grow your real estate investing business, you will notice changes in yourself. These changes will not be confined to more profit and/or cash flow; they will be much more valuable. I can say with great joy that almost every active real estate investor continues to change throughout his or her life. You will not be the same person you are now as you will be in six months.

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It’s Not Easy

If real estate investing were easy, everyone would be successful.

A confusion many would-be real estate investors make is assuming that becoming a full-time real estate investor is akin to having a job. In fact, real estate investing is a lifestyle. Many great real estate investors consistently think about real estate, growth, and expanding, and they continue to educate themselves daily on their passion. This can be seen by the abundance of blogs, educational materials, how-to videos, and self-help books dedicated to our industry.

Related: 8 Ways to Craft a Positive, Productive Real Estate Workplace Culture

Perhaps one of my favorite areas of study is finding happiness and remaining happy throughout my investing career. A happy real estate investor is typically a more productive real estate investor. Additionally, happiness is contagious and can greatly help in almost every other area of your life. Likewise, negativity can take over your life in the same way.

This article is dedicated to helping you cut the negative and detrimental influences from your personal and business life once and for all. This is something I have personally struggled with in the past and have since come to see the immense value in building a core group of like-minded best friends.

5 Steps to Banish Negative Influences (to Become Happier & More Productive!)

Step 1: Be aware of your emotions and thoughts.

We are all born with innate abilities, demeanors, and mindsets. Start becoming very aware and conscious of your emotions throughout the day. At this point, we are establishing a baseline for ourselves.

Step 2: Identify dead weight.

Some faces may instantly pop into your mind. However, you are encouraged to take a few minutes in a quiet location and analyze who is most harmful to your motivation and future success. Which people and activities make you feel stressed? Who drains your emotions? Which friends get you fired up and motivated to take action?

While coming up with my own list of the de-motivating people in my life, I had to come to terms that some of the funniest people I knew were actually very negative. In fact, one of the reasons we laughed so much was out of commiserating and gossiping about coworkers and acquaintances. Once my real estate portfolio started growing, I noticed a shift in their animosity directed towards me.

Step 3: Spend less and less time together.

Sometimes this is easier said than done. If you have to surround yourself with negative people due to a work situation, then consistently surround yourself with positive reminders of where you’re going, your goals and inspirational quotes that fire you up. If this sounds all, “Rah Rah Rah,” that’s because it is. When you are alone in a negative world, you have to be your #1 cheerleader. No one is going to push you as hard to be a success as you need to push you.

Remember that your life is your own. You are not responsible to carry, push or pull anyone else along the way. Your friends’ lives are their own, too.

Step 4: Quickly replace this new void with books, positive friends, and people on similar journeys.

So far we have talked about reducing the mental stress and negativity in your life. Now let’s talk about adding motivating and positive influences to help grow your business with speed.

Attend local real estate investment clubs, sync with real estate Meetup groups, join a professional mastermind group and chat directly with other active members here on this website. Human connections are everything. It is naïve and foolish to think you have all the answers and motivation you will ever need. Other humans need your encouragement just as much as you need them. A rising tide raises all ships.

Step 5: Monitor your personal feelings and business productivity.

Why do all this? The goal is more productivity, a bigger smile every day, and a bigger portfolio. We are back to step number one, to monitor your emotions and feelings daily. Continue to be conscious of your emotions, joys, stress levels and productivity on a daily basis. Keep and continue adding what is working, and quickly eliminate what is a detriment or waste of time/money.

Related: How to Use Positive Triggers to Be a More Productive Investor

Conclusion

When you feel blue, you tend to work less and in turn help fewer and fewer sellers/buyers, making you even more depressed, as you know you can achieve more. Remember that your current station in life is only temporary. If you have yet to close your first few real estate deals, then continue pressing forward. Surround yourself with other helpful investors and take action daily. Closing deals is a natural drug that leads to confidence, strength, and validation that what you are doing is working and helping yourself, your family and the community.

The media, our friends, and even our family can be large sources of negativity and confinement. The future can be almost anything you want it to be. You are not defined by your past mistakes or who you were; you are defined by the choices you make daily — starting now.

What exercises do you use to increase the positive influences in your life and keep negativity at bay?

Leave your tips and comments below, and let’s talk!