Why does life test you, just when you make that decision to change?

In my experience, almost everyone gets tested early.

That is, just as you make that call to turn your life around and take things in a new direction, life throws up some pretty heavy obstacles. Your elderly mother takes a fall the day you were supposed to go to the boot-camp. You’re about to jump on your first deal, and the banks pull finance out from under you. Or you make your first deal, with 3 on the way, and you lose your job! Or you buy your first block with every cent you have and the builder goes broke during construction. Slam. Straight into a wall.

I’ve seen it all, and I’ve seen it totally knock the wind out of people. Because it comes just after you’ve built a full head of steam. You’ve got yourself pumped. You can see the new life that’s waiting for you. You’ve got a game plan you can believe in. You’re on your way. You’re really motoring. And then slam. Straight into a wall. And when you’re travelling at speed, walls really hurt.

Ask around and you’ll see it’s a pretty common phenomenon. Having also spent much of my life in health clubs or leading personal development seminars I have watch thousands of people go through this. I’ve heard some people say that ‘life is testing you’. It’s testing your commitment to your new life. It’s not a bad way to think about it – if it gets you to view the obstacle as a test of your resolve and that inspires you to rise above it.

But I don’t think it really works like that. I don’t think the energies of life are that ‘sentient’ or tricksy. Rather, I think the rules that marshal energy in one direction or another are pretty constant. They’re not dependent on whether we’ve been good or bad. There’s no moral code that says that this person hasn’t ‘earnt’ their reward, so they need to be tested and challenged. Those laws are totally independent of us. They don’t change to suit (or challenge) us. But those laws do ‘respond’ to us. And they respond to us in a consistent way, even if we can’t see the consistency.

And I also think that we always get what we’re asking for. So if all that’s true, why do we get these massive hurdles straight out of the blocks?

Well, I think when we talk about transforming our lives, we’re really talking about transforming ourselves. Our lives are the end result of all our actions, attitudes and thoughts. And so if we want different results, we need to change the way we behave, and the things we believe. We need to change the way we are. If that sounds big it’s because it is. If you’ve always lived hand-to-mouth, working for people who never valued you enough, and you want to take on a career as a property investor, with enough passive income to lift your nose from the grindstone for a while, then we’re talking about some pretty big changes.

Reinventing yourself and your future requires you to go toe to toe with the “you” that you have always known yourself to be. In my experience, your old life will not want to roll over and die easily.

The Skills Think Smart will teach you will give you the expertise you need, but we’re still going to need to see some pretty deep shifts in what you believe, and in your relationship to money and work.

It’s why I always make time for these things, even though I see people roll their eyes and huff and puff. But they’re the exact same people who are back 6 months later, wondering why it’s just not ‘flowing’ for them. Because this journey requires change. It requires getting out of your comfort zone, and letting go of the things and the ways of being that no longer serve you. And that’s a lot harder than it sounds. We get comfortable in the way we are – even if we know it isn’t serving us. It’s familiar. It’s safe. And so I think those first hurdles are often just an external manifestation of our own internal resistances to the changes we’re being asked to make.

Just as we think we’re stepping into a new life, our old ways of being try and claw us back into the familiar and safe versions of our selves.

Ordinary people relate to problems as if “this shouldn’t be”. Extraordinary people develop a healthy awareness that “in life there are problems”. In fact a life with no problems is no life. Reducing yourself to avoid problems ultimately reduces life itself.

And in that sense, these challenges and problems are an invitation to stay where we are. We have the perfect excuse. Mum got sick. I lost my job. The market turned. There was nothing I could do. Everyone would understand if you just gave up now. And so it’s at exactly these moments that we need to redouble our resolve. To push through these obstacles however we can.

It doesn’t matter if it takes you an extra six months or even two years. What matters is that when those problems arise and threaten to undermine what you set about creating, you reject that invitation to remain stuck. You affirm your commitment to your journey, and the new life you are dreaming for yourself. You say, “No thanks. I don’t want to be coddled in this old way of being anymore. I want something else.”

And then you put that statement into action, there is real power in this. It can powerfully shift the way you see yourself. And it can powerfully shift the way life responds to you.

The first steps are often the hardest. So be prepared for obstacles. But hold strong to your commitment to a new way of being, and you’ll be right.

Trust me.

The Team Oz Property Investment Centre

As you enter the world of wealth creation and begin the journey to financial freedom, it is important that you stop and think first. I don’t mean procrastinate – this is the thief of time, but rather really take the time out to do the right kind of thinking to prepare yourself and consider if this is really for you. You have years ahead of you and I would like to make sure that you are not rushed or none of us will have any peace. 

I often say to clients “no one can pee for you” and no one can make a decision for you either. The investment game takes confidence and a healthy respect for the potential risks. You must examine all of these and get yourselves resolved that you are prepared to play this game. To make this decision I recommend considering the following points before moving:

1)Before doing ANYTHING both of you must be 100% resolved that you want to build a property portfolio similar to the example I have sent. Be clear why you are doing it. Read everything and understand it. If you don’t understand it, book appointments with me until you are clear. Your friends and family mean well, but make sure you are clear that this is your money, your future and therefore your decision alone. It can often be very helpful to speak to others about their experiences. Just beware they have credentials before trusting too much of it.

2)Read everything you can get your hands on until you are clear how this property game works. I have given you what I believe are the key principles to successful property investing. However, the “Think Smart” way of business is only one possible way that we believe is the quickest and safest way. It’s not the only way.

3)Study your plan! Know it and everything about it. I am here to empower you and give you every bit of knowledge I have. But it’s still your plan and you need to be the driver behind it. The team at WPE are happy to do the work – but you drive!

4)Once you have resolved the above questions, research the areas recommended and before you make a decision, get yourself familiar with any area you are considering so that you are comfortable with it and can converse with people on your own about its strengths and weaknesses. My opinion is my opinion. Form your own. Be aware, if you don’t have your own opinion that you are resolved about, you will not sleep well. You are bound to get many so called “experts” give you their view. Everyone has an uncle, brother, parent or friend that has a view. If you don’t have your own view and opinion that you are resolved about you will get thrown off balance by the many critics.

5)Once you know what area you want to trade in and why you are choosing that area, get yourself happy with the block and research the comparative sales and blocks available in the area. Realestate.com is a wonderful research tool on its own. We do lot of research in house before we even send you anything. BUT there is nothing like doing your own research and getting yourself satisfied.

6)Many marketing companies will tell you “it’s just a box to make money, don’t get emotional about it”. While this is true to an extent, it is often used to distract you from the poor quality they are trying to sell you. The build quality is essential if you are to have a long maintenance free life with the property. Further, poor quality effects valuation, rental income and rent-ability when vacancy rates are high. Your construction should appeal to “most people” so too much individual flair is a big no no.  But you must think like a renter. Just because they are renting doesn’t mean they no longer want something of quality and style. I always ask myself, who am I trying to rent this property to and is this the right build for them.

7)If you are happy with everything from here, the last thing is to sit down with anyone that you may be investing with and get clear with each other that this is a game. While the stakes are high, keep it fun. No one gets to say “I didn’t want to” or “you pushed me into it” at any stage. Keep your goals in the background and be prepared to deal with whatever happens in the game. History has shown that very few people have ever lost money in property if they structured themselves to hold it for 10 years or more. Find me someone who lost money in 10 years on a property and I will show you they brought in a shrinking population such as a mining town whose productivity slowed or stopped or the assets was overpriced and awkward to start with. Other than this, for this not to work something has to happen that hasn’t happened before. 

Even if it takes you a little longer to make a decision in the beginning, it will be much quicker in the long run. Call me anytime. In the meantime, study what we have sent to you, happy reading and I look forward to speaking with you shortly.

Kind regards,

The Team Oz Property Investment Centre