I am a success. I "never give up"
My grandfather worked 35 years at a railroad. He rode the caboose. Everyday he woke up, grabbed his lunchbox and walked to the train station to feed his five kids. He retired with a pension that my grandmother used to live on after he passed away. He did what he had to pay the bills. It's the way most people did back then.
I loved my grandfather and never really thought anything about the small three bedroom house that he lived in. It must have been a total of 1100 sq ft. Looking back it must have been crowded.
When I graduated high school I remember I didn't know what I wanted to do. My father just kept saying just get a good job and stick with it. I finally did a few years after graduating college. I got into the healthcare industry. I learned about 401k's, dwindling pensions, IRA's Etc.. People kept trying to get me to invest with this brokerage house or that one.
However, not one person showed me how to be independent. I was in the same park just different trailer. There was one difference though. I couldn't and still can't stand debt. My parents never taught me about money and to be honest they didn't have much either. I just knew I wanted more. I was the first to graduate college in the family. I worked moving furniture and mid nights through school. My motto to my child is "never give up". I thought my hard work was paying off. The corporate pay, the 401k, the IRA. 35 years like my grandfather and I'd be set. And then I lost my job. It shook my life hard. It's all I knew. To depend on some company to secure my dreams. My mindset changed that day sitting on my deck out back. Never again would I rely on one Company to dictate my survival or more importantly, my family's. I decided I will build my own company, pave my own path, show my child how to depend on their own ability to create wealth. I have landed with another company now but I know it could end tomorrow. Now is my opportunity, now is my window of opportunity.
I am new to real estate investing. I am not scared to fail because I won't.
I will not fail because I will "never give up"!
I am building my team of mentors, advisors and friends.
If you share my passion to be your own success please accept my invitation to join me.
Share ideas, the pros, the cons, the do's the dont's.
Most of all teach your children and give them the knowledge we didn't have.
Comments (2)
Been there along with countless others...I'm sure... My story is similar. Wonderful parents who worked their entire lives check-to-check, but instilled the same hard work ethics you describe above. I too was the only child of four to attend college. The corporate world lured us all into a false sense of security. I was fortunate to learn that tough lesson early in my career. I woke up one morning, went to work, and found a sign taped on the office door reading something like "Property seized by the landlord due to unpaid rent". A ominous looking lock and chain was weaved through the handles of the front door. As I stood there processing the situation, other fellow employees began showing up to the same bizarre event that was unfolding. The company we all worked for was bankrupt, and we were all out of jobs! We had no idea that the entire business was leveraged to the hilt, and was fold like a house of cards right before our eyes. But we learned quickly that day just how fragile our entire lives were by being dependant on that company. I was in my mid twenties, and thus began my search for control... I had a new baby, a new house, a car payment, a visa bill, and very few cash reserves. As I arrived home later that morning, I sat quietly in my den in pure shock, wondering how I would tell my wife. How would I pay the bills? What the heck would I do? It shook me to the core. I made my mind up that day, if i could find a way through it, I would never allow myself to be in this position ever again. Fortunately, the IT (information technology) world was full of opportunities in those days, and I landed quickly with another J.O.B.. Fast forward about twenty years. Although I am still in the corporate world, it's now because I choose to be. I am able to supercharge the pay off on a few remaining investment mortgages for my rental properties. I learned from that early incident to eliminate "bad debt", to save for every imaginable emergency, to invest for returns, i learned about using OPM, but most of importantly, how to take control of my own destiny. I have lived "bad debt" free for over twenty years now. Our primary home has been paid for a number of years now (yes, I know some here may disagree...but I've slept like a baby ever since it was paid off!.) My wife's and my 401k's have been fully funded for many years, but I consider them "extra funds" for retirement. I started a rental property business some years back, and now own a number of LLC's, which own a good number of MFH's and SFH's. These rental businesses provide a great sustainable cash flow for what will hopefully be a great early retirement one day very soon. (Although I intend to continue to invest in RE for many years to come, I don't consider that work!) I guess the point of my response...you do not sound like the type of person who will fail. You may learn many ways not to invest during your career, but they will all be valuable lessons, which will ultimately make you more successful. I love your secondary point above...to be independent. Take control of your destiny, and ultimately become independent. You have nothing to fear except not taking control...please keep us posted. Cheers...and may you find many successes and ultimately independence!
Thom H., about 12 years ago
This sounds eerily similar to the situation I'm in. Looking forward to following your journey.
Nicholas Carlin, about 12 years ago