Commitment and Sacrifice

I am running on fumes this Monday morning. My best friend asked me to accompany her to Oklahoma City for a meeting to help build her business and I said yes. So, I woke up at 4 AM Sunday so I could take care of some things before we left. We didn't get on the road until noon after she picked me up and then picked up the 2 people she signed up under. We stopped a couple of times so it took 6 hours for us to drive from Austin, Texas to Oklahoma City. We got there at 6 PM and the event started at 7. We were back on the road a little after 9 and I arrived home at 4 AM again. Hey, just in time to wake up. So, I have had no sleep.

Why am I sharing this with you? Well, my friend just started this business on Thursday and already she is driving for hours in order to get her business off the ground. That shows a high level of commitment and sacrifice on her part. Now, she is experienced at building businesses like this one and she knows what it takes. But her actions set a great example for all who see. Also, I am telling you this story because of my own actions. You see, I am not a part of this business. But when a friend asks you to come and support something that is important to them, then you step up and support your friend. I'm committed to my friend and to helping her however I can. I committed to those actions when I became a friend just as she committed to her actions when she launched this business venture. Likewise, I sacrificed my day to drive with her and to have her back just as she sacrificed her Sunday away from her family.

So again, what does this have to do with you? Well, I want you to have that same type of commitment and sacrifice. Do you want to be a great parent? Then be committed to that and be willing to sacrifice something to achieve it. Maybe you want to finish school. Or get a promotion. Or stop smoking. Or lose weight. Or be a great friend. Whatever it is, it will take a high level of commitment and sacrifice. So today, stop doing things half-assed. Raise your level of commitment to the things that are important to you and look for ways to sacrifice that which holds you back or stands in your way of achieving your best life.

Productivity vs Activity

Let me tell you a story about myself. When I was a restaurant manager, I had a server who worked my last nerve. This guy was a pretty good server. If anything, he could be too good...sometimes becoming more of an interruption to his customers than necessary. But that aside, he was good. Except, that servers in restaurants have a little thing called sidework. For those of you who have worked as a server, you probably just cringed at the word....sidework. Sidework is that work a server must do on top of waiting their tables. It usually entails rolling silverware into napkins and cleaning certain areas of the restaurant. Well, this guy was a master at putting it off.

When confronted with why his sidework wasn't getting done, Sam (not his real name) would tell of how busy he was and to not worry, that it would all get done. Yet, at the end of his shift, he wouldn't even be close to finishing. I started watching him shift after shift, and I began to notice that he flew around the restaurant like a mini-tornado. At first glance, it would seem as though he were truly busy. But he was not actually doing anything. He was only moving quickly from one spot to another. Like a fly buzzing around, searching for that oh-so-perfect pile of poop to land on. Anyone who has worked for me or knows me, knows that his actions didn't sit very well with me. Let's just say we had a mutual dislike for one another......I didn't like how he tried to get out of doing his job and he didn't like how I held him to standards of his job.

How many of us, though, act like Sam? We buzz around like busy little bees but at the end of the day have nothing, or very little, to show for it. I mean if these people really were bees they would be fired from the colony for producing no honey. In our world, no honey = no money. You see, production is where it's at. Produce the result you are being paid to produce and all is well. Don't produce and you can't act surprised at the consequences. Your actions really are NOT good enough. Simply showing up to work isn't enough, either. You are not being paid to show up. Shoot, a dog can be trained to be a certain place at a certain time. Even a cat knows what time is feeding time and where the food bowl is. But you are to do more. You are to produce measurable results. Whether you work for someone else or for yourself, the future probability of you continuing to get paid rests solely on production of results and not actions or good intentions.

So, cut out the busy bee, do-nothing actions of your day and ramp up the results producing actions that will  simplify or de-stress your life. Cut out the time wasting activities of your work and replace them with actions that create tangible, measurable, positive results and watch your business stature and success grow.

The Great Momentum

The definition of momentum is the impetus of a moving object. Momentum remains constant unless it is acted upon by an outside force. In classical mechanics, it is defined as mass times velocity. Or the size of the object multiplied by the speed it is moving. Business leaders, sports coaches and motivational experts are always speaking about taking "massive action". Massive is the size and action is the velocity. The bigger and faster you can move yourself, your idea, your goals, the football or whatever, then the more momentum you will have generated.

Momentum is your best friend. I don't care who you are or what you do, momentum is a necessity. Sometimes, momentum is the only difference between winning and losing...achieving and failing. It is extremely difficult to get momentum and even more difficult to keep it. But keep it you must. If you have ever watched the 100 Meter dash in the Olympics you will see that the start, the time when the runners leave the blocks, is actually timed. The announcers make a big deal out of who got the fastest start. Why? Because the   faster the start, the more momentum throughout the race. And how much difference is there between one runner to the next? Only a few thousandths of a second!! That's it. The small difference in momentum at the start ends up being a larger difference at the finish. The difference between winning and losing. Whatever your goals are, you must get a fast start to create this winning momentum.

How is Your Memory

Memory is a compelling gift. It has the power to help us grow and to encourage us in difficult times. But memory can also engender fear or nurture revenge. What makes the difference? It all depends on what we choose to remember.

 I have been blessed with a pretty good memory. Luckily, I don't remember every negative thing that has happened in my life. Yet, fortunately, I remember many positive events. Sometimes I wonder why I remember any negative events at all. But I remember that I am choosing to keep that memory. I want to remember that particular event so I can use it to help me be a better person. I remember a lot of the abuse I took in my household as a kid. I remember failures from decisions I have made. And I remember these things so as to know how not to do something, which can be as important as knowing how to do something.

 I remember wonderful things such as winning track races and being on a championship cross country team. I remember promotions and overcoming obstacles as a Marine. And I remember the birth of my daughters. I like remembering positive things because they remind me of my value and worth. The remind me of my ability and potential.

 So, I decide to keep some of my negative memories around to remind me to be better. And I focus on my positive memories of my life to remind me that I am better. Have a memorable day.

WHO ARE YOU?

Hello friends. I have a question for you. Who do you think you are? I remember my mom asking me this when I was little. Usually, it was asked when I was doing something that was beyond what she thought I should be doing. "Who do you think you are, young man? You better come down off your high horse." Now, my mom was the disciplinarian of the house and I knew not be smart-mouthed with her so I never was brave enough to tell her who I thought I was. I thought I was awesome. I thought I was king of the world. I could do whatever I felt like doing. Remember those days? At this stage of your life, this question is going to take some deeper thinking from you. Most of the time you would give an answer that tells what kind of job you have or what country or state you are from, maybe you would reveal what your religion is. But I want you to go a little deeper. For some of you, this is going to be uncomfortable.

You see, many people wake up in the morning and think...Geez, here I am again. Still stuck in this same life. Dull. Boring. Unhappy. Mediocre!! Now, some will attempt to justify their mediocre lives by saying that life could be worse. Well, it could also be better. In fact, life is supposed to be better than mediocre. You were never supposed to be a mediocre person living a mediocre life. You were created to be excellent. Excellence  is the normal state of affairs in the human heart. When you pursue excellence, you know you are doing the right thing. And this excellence is not an accident. God programmed it in your heart so that you would feel good when leading an excellent life. Mediocrity is what is abnormal and doesn't feel right.

Excellence has been embedded into your heart. If you have been beaten down into mediocrity, then you need to listen up. Ears open!! Eyes focused!! YOU have the ability to achieve excellence in at least , AT LEAST, one area of your life. What area is that? I have no idea. You'll have to discover that for yourself. But you have been created with certain gifts and talents that you are to use for excellence. To use to create your masterpiece.

In our society, we use the word success when we really mean excellence. We want to have a  successful life but what we really desire is an excellent life. We try to define what success is and so often we hear that it is being the best that we can possibly be. Folks, that's excellence. You have been created and programmed to be happy and you will only feel that when you have achieved excellence in some area of your life. Mediocrity doesn't feel right. When you are living in mediocrity, you feel as though you are wasting your life. Don't waste another day. Pursue excellence today!!

Empower Yourself

 Who is responsible for your lot in life? Well, most people will answer, correctly, that they are. But then they point their finger and blame other people and circumstances as holding them back or causing them harm. Folks, you are responsible for you. You cannot control what others do or control events but you can always control how you react. You can control how you use events and people's negative words to your positive advantage.

 Many people give advice. And they are usually very well meaning. They have your best interest at heart. So, you take their advice and it doesn't work out. Who's to blame? You are!! No one forced you into your decision. You are free to choose any advice or no advice. Stop being a blamer. Take ownership of your life. Empower your own self. How do you do this?

 First, listen to what your heart is telling you. Some might call it their intuition. Or maybe their inner voice....or gut feeling. Whatever you call it, listen to it. Hear what it is telling you. Sometimes, what you will hear from inside yourself makes no sense whatsoever. But you will be better served by following what you are hearing and feeling.

 Secondly, when you do go outside yourself for advice and guidance, only seek out those people who are succeeding at what it is that you are struggling with. They have the knowledge through proven experience that will help you. In the end, though, you are still the one responsible for your life. You are the creator. You are also the destroyer of your life. You have a choice in the direction you want your life to go. Someone I look up to says, "Stop being a whiney-hiney thumbsucker." Take ownership of your life. Empower yourself!!

Contract Assignments

Hello everyone....Today I want to explain a little of what I do in my real estate investing business. When I tell people that I invest in real estate, they assume that it takes a lot of money. But, really, it doesn't. I use a technique called assignment of contract to make money without putting up any money or very little money of my own.

 When I assign a contract, I am putting a property under contract with the seller. I am then finding another buyer for the property and assigning my contract to the new buyer. I then charge the buyer a fee, an assignment fee. This fee might be a set amount or a certain percentage of the sale price. It might range from $1000 to $10,000. The contract is now between the seller and the new buyer and I have now stepped out of the deal while still making some money.Who can do this? Anybody!! No real estate license is necessary.

 My favorite type of property at assign is a bank owned property. These are properties that the bank has taken, usually through foreclosure. They are then listed by a real estate agent on behalf of the bank and usually sold at a price that is much lower then its appraised value. The bank is motivated to sell the property to make some cash, the buyer is motivated because they are getting a great deal and the investor is motivated because they see an opportunity to provide a service and make a profit as well. Many people will balk at getting involved with assigning a bank owned property because banks will use language within the contract that states that the contract cannot be assigned and that whoever buys the property cannot resell it within a certain timeframe. This timeframe is mostly between 60-90 days. This becomes unattractive to investors because now the investor has to come up with the money to buy the property and make 2-3 months of payments before selling.

 However, there are ways to get around the banks contract language and still make money at the closing. The first way to do this is to simply form a shell LLC. This can be done by going online to state attorney's general website and filling out some forms. There will be a relatively small cost for this, sometimes a few hundred dollars. You then put the property under contract with the bank using the LLC's name. Then, when you have found your buyer for the property, you sell the LLC to that person for the amount you would have gotten for an assignment fee. Voila!!! You have legally and expertly gotten around the bank. But, there is an even more attractive method to use.

 The best way to invest in bank owned properties and not have the banks contractual language prevent you from making money in a timely manner is to do a double closing. A double closing is when there are two, back-to-back, closings all in the same day between the three parties involved....you, the buyer and the seller(bank). There is something called a simultaneous close which does the same thing but uses only one close between all three parties. But when you use a simultaneous close all three parties can see the deal made among the three. In a double closing, each party can only see the contract made between them and the party they are dealing with. Why is this important? Well, let's use an example. The bank owns a property that is worth $250k. It is selling the property for $220k and we negotiate a deal that will allow us to buy it for $200k, not an unrealistic scenario. We enter into a contract with the bank to buy the property for $200k and we find our new buyer. We show this new buyer how much the property is actually worth and in our negotiations, we agree on a price of $220k. Now, we have bought the house for $200k and resold it for $220k AND we are not going to have to use any of our own money. Here's why....at the day of closing, the first person to arrive at the title company is the new buyer. They bring in all the money required, the $220k plus any fees and closing costs. They then sign their paperwork and are done. The next person to come in will be the bank's representative. They will sign their paperwork and pick up their check for the $200k they agreed to sell the property for. Then, I come in last. I sign my paperwork and collect any money due to me, in this case the $20k in difference between what I bought the property for from the bank and what I sold it for to the new buyer. Now, during a simultaneous close the new buyer would have seen my deal with the bank and not been happy. The bank would have seen my deal with the new buyer and not been happy. But with a double close, the bank on;y sees the deal they made with me. The new buyer only sees the deal they made with me. And everyone is happy with their deal. The bank sold a property that they owned and made some money. The new buyer bought the property they wanted at the price they wanted and have instant equity in the property. And I sold a property for a $20k profit instead of maybe $5k if I had just been able to assign the contract. Oh Happy Day!!

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