Investor/Realtor · Wentzville, MO · Member since 2014 · 846 posts · 431 votes
With 2016 right around the corner, now is a good time to reflect on 2015 and what motivates you.
Real estate investing offers great benefits to those who have the desire and work ethic to be an entrepreneur. To be successful it takes a powerful WHY.
For me, I wake up every day working towards freedom from money. I want to give my family the freedom to pursue their passions regardless of the monetary value. I want to spend my days learning, traveling, and helping others reach freedom to do what they love. Life is short, chase your dreams, write them down and make them goals!
Please share your WHY that gives you the motivation and may 2016 be the best year of your life so far!
@Brittaney Woods It is nice being your own boss. You can design your day to maximize your strengths.
@Walter Key I am assuming the names you mentioned are children. I do not have any yet but my wife and I would like to start trying soon. I can only imagine the fire that burns when motivated by others that depend on you. Thanks for sharing!
My family (husband and daughter). I want to give back to others, travel and be free from any worries about money and a job forever. I also intend to build generational wealth and giving.
I am motivated by my need to prove myself. Growing up with an absent father and a mother who has always tried to pamper and shelter me, I didn't know what it meant to work hard. After failing through college with 30k in student loans and no degree, I felt preeeeetty crummy. Since then, I have learned to work hard at my job in commission sales and have come to believe that you earn as much as you want to earn. I am now transitioning that to the next step: becoming financially free. I want to be able to reflect on my life when I am 80 and be able to tell my grandkids my story, my legacy, and be proud.
@Jacqueline Carrington Helping others is so powerful. That reminds me of a quote. I don't know who said it but I love the quote: "If you are unhappy, help others find happiness." Not saying you are unhappy but the power of helping others is also key to helping yourself.
@Daniel Cho Thanks for sharing! Sounds like you are living with the end in mind. I to share your pain with student debt. The power of becoming successful can be even more powerful when you can use it to guide others with your wisdom.
Here's the thing, I work. I'm not sure why, I could retire anytime I want really and still pull a nice income and do very little. But the problem is that I'm not dead. And because I'm not dead, I can't just sit around and pretend that I am. I need to be busy. I'm always moving forward, I always have new ideas, I want to achieve some things, because that's who I am and have always been.
My biggest fear is that when I do finally retire that i'll say to myself "could have worked a bit harder". Although, I will say that to myself, and I will be right.
I am motivated by many things. I want to make a difference in the world. I do not want to be average. I want to see that I made at least a small dent in the lives of others. How they think, invest and believe in themselves.
My goal is to allow my active duty military husband to early retire at the age of 44 for good. we want to sail around the world with our young children. The second goal that drives me is for me to have a portable business that allows me to raise my kids why still earning money and investing. I love real estate, and I love that I am able to build something to do what I love while living the lifestyle I want.
That is why it is so important that not only to I succeed at self-management but also that I pay it forward. I have been so sucesssful because of some amazing people and I do the same by sharing here, on the blog and also on my website!
I share your desire to have a portable business. My parents worked 50-60 hours per week away from home and were always stressed. The ability to be able to give more time with your family is a wonderful thing that everyone can benefit from.
I share your desire to have a portable business. My parents worked 50-60 hours per week away from home and were always stressed. The ability to be able to give more time with your family is a wonderful thing that everyone can benefit from.
Totally agree! My husband is active duty navy and is gone a lot. I have noticed lately that a lot of his superiors are getting out which honestly is a shame. This life has so many positives (meeting the guys at foreign parts when the come in) going on vacation when they get 2 weeks off at times, etc but the key to enjoy them I am finding is having time to take it off with them AND having the money to enjoy. That is why it I so important to me to succeed.
I was that guy! I recently left a Sales job that required me to be away for sometimes 2-3 weeks at a time. Many times I had to be out of the country. I started in that particular job 6 years ago and now that I'm married and have an 18-month old daughter at home...let's just say my priorities have changed. Now I plan to learn how to create and build businesses and excel in REI. My passion for new challenges, sales, real estate and people align perfectly with REI and I look forward to introducing the business to my kid(s) at an early age.
I am on a path to creating a life that allows me to work at whatever I choose, whenever and where ever I am. I will travel with my wife and kids and spend as much time with them, and friends, as I can. My family and I want to be people that have a life full of experiences and learning, not just fun toys! And I will be in a position to do this by 2021.
Growing my buy and hold portfolio is a key part of realizing this vision. 2016 is going to be a year of big action in my real estate bucket. Fun times ahead!!
My why? This was a question or thought I struggled with for a long time. I too love nice things but it wasn't until I had to help my mom move into a so so area of town that I realized it. My why is to be able to take care of my parents in retirement like they took care of me when I was a child. It is to teach my niece and nephews the importance of becoming financially independent. It is to get to a point in life financially where I, we can make a difference by giving back.
Thank you for allowing me to share.
@Mike Collier Your sales background will give you a huge advantage when it comes time to negotiate deals. You have a leg up on the hardest part of REI, communicating with sellers and buyers.
@Andy Monaghan I agree that experiences are significantly more valuable compared to material possessions! Cheers to a big 2016!
@Felix Pena The happiness you will give and receive from helping your family is a perfect example of a HUGE WHY. I to am motivated by the same aspirations.
I chose to change my life due to losing my job due to the recent low oil prices. I had a great job that I thought was totally secure, so became reckless with my money. When I lost my job I ended up having to sell my house and had my truck repossessed. It was tough but I managed to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads.
I am now back working in the same job, but with a wife and kids to support I cannot ever allow myself to become reliant on anyone other than myself. I do this for them. @Elizabeth Colegrove
I think it is important to have a "why" that is self-less and not selfish. Unless you are a psychopath, you aren't going to make it far in life by have selfish goals. I have multiple why's, one of which is similar to @James DeRoest. Instead of avoiding the thought of death, I embrace it, and that puts a lot of things in perspective. Steve Jobs used to ask himself every day "if today were the last day of your life, would you want to do what you are doing today?"
I also remember that the only reason I am healthy and comfortable in America is because of chance. I could have been born in the slums of Africa, or I could have been born 10,000 years ago. I didn't earn, chose, or deserve the life given to me, and it would be unethical of me to not do my very best to make a positive impact on this planet every day so that a higher percentage of the future population can live a life of equal or great abundance than my own in the future. Imagine if Lincoln decided that he was just going to live for himself. How different would the world be today? And that is just one person! Everything we do has a positive or negative affect on the future, and only you can decide which affect you are going to have.
Unfortunately, the best way to do this is to have a lot of success. I don't like real estate. I don't want to be a landlord, but it will help me get reach my goals and fulfill my purpose, so that's why I do it.
@Stephen Nicholson Cheers to multiple streams of income and preparing for the unknown!
@Theo HicksDeep stuff! I often think about being born in a different period in time. I was watching The Revenant thinking to myself, " I am thankful I was not born then." Wow that movie was strong!
@Ryan Billingsley That is amazing! I watched the Revenant around the time I was really thinking about my purpose and it was perfect timing. Dude crawled 200 miles to reach his goal because of how strong his "why" was. If I can find a "why" even close to that, anything is possible. And when you are feeling down, always remember that you didn't get attacked by a Bear and saw your son murdered in front of you! Could always be worse
Gotta have a WHY to get started and persevere in this business, whichever niche you choose. It's so much bigger than just making money for me. Thanks for posting this @Ryan Billingsley!
I discovered one of mine just yesterday. After doing my DIY thing on one of my apartment buildings, 3 separate residents came out and thanked me for improving their home. It's giving back to people and providing a needed service at an affordable price with a smile and compassion. If it builds generation-changing wealth in the process, so be it!