Money's not a motivator for me, need help with mindset
Real Estate Agent · Grand Rapids, MI · Member since 2014 · 62 posts · 18 votes
I'm reading Think and Grow Rich right now, and the six steps to change your mindset are very specific of the goal you write that you are supposed to repeat aloud twice a day. The problem is it revolves around money, and while I know I'm reading a book about growing rich, money is not a strong motivator for me. I don't think you're greedy if it is for you. It's just not for me.
That being said, at this point I'm not sure the book is doing much for me because it is hyper focused on money. Is there some way to change my mindset about reading about money? I need mindset help for a mindset book....
While I agree that a book can't magically create motivation, books (like conversations with people and new experiences) can help you discover what makes you tick, provide new lenses through which to view your world, and open you up to new ideas. Using a book to help find what makes you tick is perfectly fine, and using a book to learn new ways to focus/stay focused is definitely fine. Use that library card...if one (or a dozen!) doesn't resonate with you, return it and grab something else with no money sunk into it. Explore and enjoy the journey.
For what it is worth, every year, I think about what I want my life to be like in one year, five years, and 15 years. Maybe use that that in conjunction with working through what @James Mc Ree suggested. I am not primarily motivated by money either--I would not work at a soul-sucking job solely because it paid a good wage. But I have realized that the things I want to do in five years and 15 years, the opportunities I want to provide my kids, and the level of involvement and impact that I want to have in the community can all be more easily achieved and better implemented with good income and a comfortable slush fund. The money is the enabler to make the things that do motivate me (traveling, working with children, etc) a reality.
I dream of having free time for all kinds of activities I enjoy and which happen to cost money. I don't want to work in a cube for another 20 years. REI is helping me reach my goal of early retirement.
In the meantime I've discovered that I enjoy REI and friends tell me that I'm very good at it, so why not keep at it?!
I have never worked for money, being an artist person and all, I always wanted to learn and look "badass" while learning, so I worked for realestate brokers, artists, architects, design and build I just wanted to learn more. " learning" was always my goal and "moving my body"( drawing, painting, working out, running around, wood working, welding, X-sports, basketball )was something I love doing until I married my husband. I start to think about what "WE" want as we grow together what our life will be like....This gave my "experience" driven mind an anchor : what it's gonna be like when we are 38, 42, 47, 55?! To actually visualize our future together, holistically, what most people call : LIFE STYLE. that will include
you,
your spouce,
your minds,
your bodies,
your location,
your time,
the stuff you have,
the people around you,
the rest of the world
what are ALL the relationship between these elements??
how the stuff and people are serving you?
how you and your stuff is serving people around you and the rest of the world?
how is your body like? what will your body be doing then?
how is your mind like? what will be occupy your mind then?
what are ALL the relationship between these elements??
So on so forth...
We are still working on ours:) dig within, dig deep.
I know where you're coming from as money is not my motivator. That doesn't mean that I don't want to profit when I do a deal or that I'm willing to work for free or similar.
It's about waking up and having a reason and purpose and enjoyment of actually doing what you do in the first place.
I got into real estate, because I enjoy decorating and designing. Came across a late night commercial of Dave del Dotto and I realized that there was a way to utilize both sides of my brain: the left side to make money and the right side to use my creativity.
And that's what it's about: Finding a way to enjoy the journey and not just look towards the final destination.
There are so many facets to real estate and so many ways to get money, that it's important that you find the niche that helps you have fun, while you make money.
Make a list of things that you're really good and and that you enjoy and then write down all the different fields of real estate investing: e.g. landlording, renovating, wholesaling, note buying, tax sales, etc and find out which of your strengths would fit with which field. Find the right path, that makes you enjoy the journey.
For me it's about being able to enjoy my life on my terms. Money is necessary to pay for the stuff I need. If you do stuff only for the money my experience is that it becomes boring and tedious really fast.
The key is to find something that you absolutely love, if it generates money, that's nice. If it doesn't cut your costs pay your debt and find a sideline that generates passive income. Investing does that. Take small steps at a time and when you do that, you find life more enjoyable and the money question falls to the background quickly.