Article ‘Getting Into Line’ by Graeme Fowler written in 2004.
Disclaimer: Nothing is this article is meant to constitute financial advice of any kind, and is the opinion of the author only. Seek professional advice before making any financial decision.
“Get into a line that you will find to be a deep personal interest, something that you really enjoy spending 12 - 15 hours a day working at, and the rest of the time thinking about.” Earl Nightingale.
Above is one of the quotes I have used in my book. I think for the people starting out in real estate, in business, or any profession for that matter, it’s important to really understand this quote. Too many people are looking for a quick fix, or the one answer or idea that is going to be the secret to making them rich. While this can happen, it is rare and your chances of winning Lotto may be a better bet.
Think of it this way: – let’s say you’re standing in line at a lunch bar with a big line of people standing there waiting to be fed. It’s the only lunch bar in town with all the types of food that you want to eat at. You join the line at the back of the queue where everyone else joins, and the queue seems to go on and on for as far as you can see, and you’re hungry. While you’re standing there, it seems as if the queue has stopped and you’re getting nowhere, but eventually it moves for a short time, before it once again comes to a complete stop. All this time you’re waiting in line, you’re not eating and you’re getting more and more frustrated, upset and hungry. If you get tired of waiting and decide to jump out of line for a break, you’ll then need to join once again at the back of the queue, and start all over again. When you re-join the line, there may even be more people in line than there was before. By trying to jump in front of other people or push in, you are only going to upset the others around you and be told to join the queue at the end of the line once more. Only by staying in line for the amount of time you need to, will you ever get the food, and of course be able to eat.
Think of the food at the end of the line as being the money you want to earn in real estate or in business. Something that you are passionate about doing in your life, something that may be a tremendous challenge for you to achieve. For example, you may decide you want to be a successful long-term buy and hold real estate investor with a passive income of $1000 a week within the next 20 - 25 years. But within a short while of beginning, if you go off on another tangent to pursue something else, you are jumping out of line. You might have the thought that lease-options are now the way to go instead, or that building spec houses, relocating houses, or investing in the share market or even commercial property is a better and more exciting way for you now. So you decide to sell your rental properties, and give up your place in line. Only by staying in line long enough will you get to reach your goals and be able to eat. By jumping out of line constantly, in other words, getting side-tracked and going off in other directions and doing something else, you will lose your place in line, and never reach the front of the line to get fed.
It is similar with your team of professionals you work with; – such as real estate sales-people, lawyers, accountants, banks, tradespeople and even mentors. You may have to stand in line for quite some time, getting more and more upset, annoyed and frustrated, and seemingly getting nowhere with the people you are currently associated with or working with, before eventually the right people show up that can help you speed up the process, understand what you are wanting to achieve, and make the journey more pleasant and comfortable. It took me five years or so to get the best people in each of these areas that I was happy working with. But I had to stay in line waiting for these people to show up.
So in summary, learn how to stay in line for the amount of time that’s necessary in order to be fed. Once you make up your mind about the goals you want to achieve in life and written them down, stay with it, stay with it, stay with it, especially when the going gets tough. Make perseverance, patience and vision the words that you hang on the wall where you can see them every day.
Others may also be finding it hard going, and be willing to give up their place in line for you.
Graeme Fowler
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