How to Eat an Elephant
During my research for real estate I frequently run across sites and gurus who often identify the importance of having a clear vision of goals and making measurable progress toward them. A goal I set last year was to obtain my real estate license by the end of 2019.
Unfortunately, I did not meet this goal on time.
Am I disappointed?
Yes – I wish I would have been able to tell you that in the middle of December I successfully took my test.
During the fourth quarter of 2019 I did accomplish several other important steps necessary in becoming a real estate agent and investor. I contacted a nationwide real estate agency and ordered the testing books from them. I also had an interview with the person who on-boards their new agents at the local office. That was terribly exciting and felt like I was making measurable progress.
In November I went to a real estate investors meet up at a local bar. It was excellent. I heard people talking the language that I have been reading for the last 10 years, making deals, and actually doing the things (investing in real estate) that I want to do in real life.
Even though I did not meet my goal, I am not allowing myself to be overly critical of this failure. I have a full time job outside of real estate and I coach youth hockey. My family is incredibly important to me, and I need to spend time with them. Finally, the one thing that was taking up the majority of my spare time is that I was attending graduate school for my 9-5 job.
I have often set goals that are not realistic, but I do not want to lower my expectations. Sometimes I hit my goals, and sometimes I am going to miss. For example, I was able to achieve certification in my 9-5 in just over a year (and would have been faster if it wasn’t for the speed of government), when I was told it would likely take three to five years.
The goal of earning my real estate license was not achievable within the timeline I set. One of the benefits of being middle age, is that I am (slowly) realizing missing a goal is not a terminal failure. Right now I am extremely excited about studying for and obtaining my real estate license, but I am not going to lose sight of what is most important.
I have set these goals for 2020:
- Acquire my real estate license by May 1st
- Participate in three real estate transactions within the year
- Obtain a cash flowing rental property within the year
Ultimately I have to remember that this is not a one year all or nothing experiment, but there are many things that I have to accomplish one little step at a time in order to be successful.
So how do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.
