The Choices We Make

Stop and think about the choices you have made JUST THIS year alone which has placed you where you are today, December 1, 2010.  Are you closer or further from your goals?  The answers are either “yes” or “no”.  There is no gray area.

For a lot of people, they avoided choosing altogether, to stay exactly where they were and wait it out.  Guess what; THAT is a choice.  Even when you decide to do NOTHING, you are making a choice affecting your outcome and if applicable, your family.

But you’ve heard this all before and I’m sure you’ve read the blogs, columns and self-help books to help you decide right?

But isn’t that the problem??

There is so much information available today than there were ten or twenty years ago when I started, I can see why people are confused about making the right decision or even one at all.  Still, with ALL of the information on the internet alone, it amazes me why more people are not becoming wealthier faster.  Aside from the loads of garbage scams claiming to teach you how to get rich overnight, there really is some great sources for information.  A couple of them would be:  REIN,Real Experts Inc., First Rental Property,  The Engaged Entrepreneur, Ren N You, Proact Investments, Harbour Properties, Rent Busters, Versatile Investor etc.

There are so many more out there (and I apologize to the others I didn’t list in this post) but the point I want to stress is I personally I learn from these every day.  The people with whom I circulate are friends for many reasons, but they are also savvy business people who are doing what I want to do – so, I just follow them around and copy what they do.  Isn’t that a simple way for me to become wealthy also?

When I started my first company in the eighties, I spent my last three hundred dollars to my name on my maxed out VISA to get a home study course on business, marketing and “exclusive distribution”.   I studied that course day and night for months on end listening to audio tapes, reading, re-reading, highlighting and implementing.

THIS WAS KEY

Implementing, or in other words, TAKING ACTION.  Even then at eighteen, I knew the only person to make me successful was starting at me in the face.  My choice was spend the last $300 on whatever I was buying back then, or invest in my future to learn something I did not know.

Today I think that was one of my single BEST choices.

Keep It Simple Silly

We know most of our indecision is based on fear, but maybe it also has a lot to do with the many choices, information and advice we have available.

I too have trouble with choices – if there are too many, I have an anxiety attack.  From the simplest things like choosing a Starbucks coffee to deciding which font to use in my post.  The simpler I make it, the better it is –  I then get on with it.

Choices held me back for a long time and partly because I’m a perfectionist.  (That’s for another post).  After I realized I could make a choice even if it was wrong, I began to succeed.  That is all you need to do with your Real Estate investing and more importantly, you life!

HERE’S MY QUESTION TO YOU

Look back at this past year and REALLY take ten minutes to think WHERE and on WHAT you made choices.  How much diligence went into each decision?  I’ll bet most people took a day or two or even weeks deciding on where to vacation, the best hotels and flights, what backsplash color to choose for a kitchen reno or what type of car they wanted to lease with the best options.

I’m guessing also those same people didn’t spend close to HALF the time researching their  financial future and how they can make it better.  Reading a column or blog here and there doesn’t cut it.  Learning and IMPLEMENTING does.  Take more time to better your life and learn from some of the people I’ve mentioned in this post including myself.

A new year is on the horizon, make a solid choice for opportunity and grab hold of your financial future – learn from the best there is out there. And by all means, let me know if you need any help in finding these experts!!