Between Real Estate and Reality Or Between Realty and Reality

You hit the ground running hoping to sprint your way to the finish real estate out. You may have gotten winded with the realization that real estate investing is a marathon and not a 50 yard dash. Or you may have tripped over the start line coming out of the gate. Either way, your investing career is going nowhere fast. You’ve got a full time job that’s getting in the way of your big plans. Being a full time real estate investor is closer than you think. Here’s how to work around your full time job and build towards a better tomorrow – today.

First, change the way you look at your 9 to 5 job. Think of the paycheck you earn as a consulting fee – income for your real estate investing business. It covers your basic needs while providing you with some of the cash you need to keep the doors of You, Inc. open for business. When your consulting day is over you simply move into the next phase of your day: prospecting for new business opportunities.

Every day I want you to do something to drive your investing career forward. So set aside a block of time for these activities. If all you can spare is 90 minutes per day, make the best use you can of the time you have available. Look through some of your on-line resources to quickly locate properties that meet your investing criteria and then follow through. Don’t make a list and call it a day.

If you systematically do small things that move you in the direction of making a property purchase, you will succeed. You can and will make that first – or fiftieth – property purchase, regardless of your employment situation. It will take some planning on your part to make it happen. But, you also need to find a good way of motivating yourself to take action.

When you pulled the trigger and fired on a new real estate investing career, your eyes were glazed over with child-like wonder at the possibilities that real estate investing gives you. Don’t be afraid to admit it. You had a target in mind when you pulled the trigger. You had a tangible goal of some kind or you never would have taken that first step.

Every one of us had – and probably still does have – a dream we’re working towards. It might be to donate $1 million to fight AIDS in Africa, to build a Little League ballpark with your name on it, or even something less altruistic: A desire to get very rich. Real estate investing is still the best vehicle for achieving your dreams. Whatever they are, I want you to capture the essence of those dreams; a photograph or something that symbolizes what you can do with the fruits of your labor to create a vivid daily reminder of your goal.

Place that reminder in a conspicuous place – on a bathroom mirror or a counter top – as a daily reminder of what you want to do with some of your real estate investing proceeds. If it’s too large for a mirror, take a picture of it. This is an important step because it will help to motivate and reinvigorate you when you begin losing your focus. Look at it several times a day beginning first thing in the morning.