The one thing you need to get everything you want
Author: Tom Haigh
Working in property investment, I do work which is highly satisfying but can be incredibly challenging at times. We work in an everchanging, and at times a cut-throat environment in which the objectives of buyers and sellers are often polar opposites, the only thing truly ‘cheap’ is talk, and your ability to have absolute control over the outcome is rarer than steak tartare.
Acknowledging these are all ‘challenges’ that were unlikely to change anytime soon, I knew early on that if I wanted to achieve success in property, and in business for that matter, I’d need to find a way to stay motivated when the inevitable bumps in the road presented themselves (from experience I can assure you that reading all of the world’s motivational quotes on Instagram, whilst entertaining – is not the solution).
In order to overcome any challenge in life, and to find the motivation to take action, it’s necessary to believe there is sufficient benefit or value waiting for you once you have put in the effort to get through, push past or Fosbury Flop over whatever it is that’s standing in your way. In property, I see so often the willingness of people to quit, to put things in the ‘too hard’ basket and to not act because of one of the hundreds of excuses they have created for themselves. As an avid renovator who likes to turn ugly things into pretty things, I can assure you there have been so many times when I’ve wanted to go to the beach, watch Suits, or just do anything else other than the hard work required.
As I have come to learn, the secret to success is simple – it’s to remember the ‘why’ of it all. Popularised by author Simon Sinek your ‘why’ is ultimately your purpose or your mission i.e. when you made a decision to start a business, change careers, search for an investment property, etc… what was your ultimate objective? What did you set out to achieve?
Losing sight of why you started, why you wanted to invest, or why you wanted to change is a sure-fire way to allow self-doubt and complacency to creep in – leading you to question your own value, the value of what you are pursuing and to throw in the towel when the inevitable challenges arise. We all make decisions to act based on what we think we can get or how we think we will feel once we get there – we don’t decide to do things with the hope or expectation of meeting and needing to overcome challenges, this is just part of the process.
My personal mission is something I need to refer to almost daily, particularly when I feel myself justifying inaction – like right now as I write this and feel the temptation to watch Kookslams videos, drink coffee, straighten the papers on my desk, instead of finishing this sentence.
When starting a property investment business, my mission was and remains relatively simple:
- To have more choice and freedom around what work I do, when I do it, where I do it and with whom I do it;
- To no longer feel trapped doing work that didn’t inspire me;
- To spend (invest) more time travelling with my family before my 3 daughters (2, 4 & 6 years old) grow up and stop thinking their Dad is cool; and
- To help others to achieve their own mission by sharing the successful strategies and habits I’ve learnt, in the same way I’ve been able to learn from mentors, coaches and others along the way.
Re-reading this daily is like drinking a triple shot espresso whilst sitting in an ice bath – it serves as an important and necessary reminder of why you shouldn’t give up or feel sorry for yourself when you are met with rejection, setbacks, and failures along the way. It’s a reminder that any and every problem or hurdle can be overcome if we are willing to do the hard bits, and if we keep turning up.
The message I’m trying to share, however convoluted or confusing it may seem as you read this (my apologies), was intended to be simple: what you want is often just on the other side of the thing standing in your way. You just need to remember why you started in the first place, it’s all the motivation you’ll ever need.
If you don’t trust yourself to do the hard work, you can always buy a property. They don’t have Instagram, watch Suits, or go on holidays – but they are assets you can use to obtain greater financial freedom and more time to pursue your mission.
The publications by Capital Property Investment Advisers are for general information only and are intended to assist you in understanding the nature of the property market. The information contained in this editorial is for Australian residents only. This editorial does not consider your personal circumstances and has been prepared without taking into account any of your individual objectives, financial solutions or needs. Before acting on this information you should consider its appropriateness, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs. This editorial does not constitute, and should not be relied on as financial or investment advice or as recommendations (expressed or implied) and it should not be used as an invitation to pursue any investments or investment services. No investment decision or activity should be undertaken on the basis of this information without first seeking qualified and professional advice. Capital Property Investment Advisers disclaims any and all duty of care in relation to the information and liability for any reliance on investment decisions, claiming the use or guidance of this publication or information contained within it.