Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

I have officially made it over two years investing in real estate. I have learned so much, and I find that I continue to learn more every day. One thing I have learned about being in this business is you cannot compare yourself to what other people have done or are doing.

When some of us started out, we literally had nothing except our own drive. My wife and I started out with little more than a thousand dollars. I was going to school for business, and had to make a choice. Stay in school and finish my degree, or get into real estate full-time.

Luckily, I made the right choice even though I still have plans to finish my degree in business. You might find yourself listening to the biggerpockets podcast and hearing these big investors (some who are much younger than you or me) talk about the hundreds of deals they have done.

If you are serious about getting into this business, you need to (at some point) -just unplug! Yeah, I bet Josh Dorking is saying NOOOO! right about now. Lol! have to reach a point where you realize that sitting around feeling sorry for yourself because you are not where you want to be is over. You have to get started somewhere. I mean, even the big investors had to start at some point themselves. What are you waiting for?

I have, by no means, "arrived" nor have I "made it" so please hear me out from a beginner's point of view. Just focus on: what CAN you do today to bring you a little closer to your goal. Of course, you must first have a goal in mind. Written on a piece of paper or somewhere on your computer- something. You have to reach a point where you "turn off" the noise in your head and just get on your own path. Once you do, you will see that you can move mountains and you will be that much closer to your goal.

You also need to establish a network of people who are like you, and you need people in your network who are doing much better than you. Having these two types of people in your life is so important. I have my friend and mentor @Brett Snodgrass who has been a great friend when it comes to life as well as real estate. His friendship has been so important to my success, because I would have gotten involved in some pretty bad deals without his knowledge. I also have a friend @Steve Lehman who is good at flips, and Steve has helped me evaluate a couple of deals that could have been really bad flips for a newbie like me to do on my own. I have another friend Ryan Moeller is much like me and we get to cheer one another one when things go well, and we try to encourage one another when either one of us seems to be struggling.

I write this article because I know how it feels when you hear or see other people doing big deals, or making big moves in real estate. I also see the stress that comes along with those big deals or huge amounts of volume. I have a lifestyle by design. I am in a worship team for my church where I sing, and because of real estate I have time to practice pretty much whenever I want. I also play guitar, and drums so I get to continue my passion for music because I have created this lifestyle that enables me to have the schedule I choose.

Finally, we should all aspire to do great things in our lives. However, we should not lose touch of why we got into this business in the first place. I simply wanted to earn an income and have the best access to deals for my eventual goal of being a buy-and-hold investor. You really can have the life you always wanted, but do not look at someone else's life and try to match what they are doing. You will be setting yourself up for a big downfall if you do not make it. Instead, set goals for yourself that are best for you. You might even find that your goals you had in the beginning were a little easier to achieve than you first thought possible. The important thing is just get out there and be the best you possible. Once you start down that path, you will start to realize you have more potential than you could have ever imagined.