The great NFL quarterback Fran Tarkenton said it so well: “An idiot with a plan will always beat a genius with no plan.”
Why is that?
In part, because a plan gives you… focus.
F-O-C-U-S – such a simple word. But make no mistake: few people understand what it really means. And fewer still actually tap into its amazing power. So here’s how to use focus to become the kind of real estate investor others can only dream about…
Pick a Plan… And Bring Your Actions Into Focus
You have drive, passions, intelligence, and skills. You’re a potential “doing machine.” But if you pretty much randomly put those tools to work – doing a little bit of this, a little bit of that – you’re not getting the most out of them.
It’s like a woodworker who never completes a project…
They’ve got this amazing shed in their backyard. It’s chock full of tools… there’s every kind of wood in all shapes and sizes… their workshop has full electrical hookups and even a backup generator… they’ve got the skill to make everything from a bird feeder to a customized garden gazebo…
But they never finish a single project. Instead, their “workshop” is filled with half-started, half-finished mini-projects. It’s kind of sad, really.
Don’t be the real estate investor equivalent. Pick a way to invest – around here, we strongly, strongly recommend SFR “buy and hold” as the way to go
. But regardless, pick one approach (whether it’s rehab and flipping, wholesaling, buy-and-hold, or whatever)… and stick with it.
In other words – have a plan. Find a leader you can trust, study up, build a realistic plan based on what they teach… and keep going until you succeed. Remember: “An idiot with a plan will always beat a genius with no plan.”
Choose a “Great One” Or Two… And Bring Your Reading into Focus
Look, I’m honored if you choose me as your “go-to guy” for real estate investment training. Really, I am – and I think it’s a smart move on your part, too. (And, yes, there’s also some other trustworthy folks out there.) But I think I can speak for all of us successful investors when I say…
We are standing on the shoulders of giants. Whether it’s what we’ve learned about real estate… investing in general… mindset… goal setting… and all the rest, we’re building on the inspiration of great leaders like Warren Buffett, Tony Robbins, Oprah Winfrey, Dale Carnegie, Martha Stewart, Margaret Thatcher, Jim Rohn, Sheryl Sandberg, and many more.
In other words, you need to read deeply into the different aspects of personal growth and business development, beyond the specific training I or some other “guru” gives you. And, again, if you do it in a focused way… you’ll turbocharge your progress.
So, for the next month, make a commitment to focus on one of these “leadership giants.” Each day, invest an hour reading books by and about them, and watch one video by them (if they’re recent enough to have videos – if not, find a documentary on Netflix or somewhere else). If you need another month, take it. If not, move on to another leader and repeat the process.
Something special happens when you invest in this level of deep study and reflection… you identify in a deeper way with your chosen leader, they became a real mentor to you, and you “own” their teaching in a way that just doesn’t happen otherwise.
Avoid Distractions Like the Plague… And Bring Your Time into Focus
Everything I’ve talked about so far involves how you invest your time. Which is a big deal because, as I’ve written before, time is your most valuable asset. And when you focus your attention on the task at hand, it’s like you’re adding a secret chemical agent to your time that boosts its effectiveness 100x…
Put another way: 45 minutes of sustained, focused effort on a given task is probably worth at least 12 hours’ worth of unfocused, “I’m sort of concentrating on this”/multi-tasking, mere activity. They’re just completely different.
So, choose an activity. Remove all distractions – for example, email, phone, and social media are all OFF. And get to work!
Set a timer… and only work on that project until it goes off. If you’ve never done this before (or if it’s been a while), you’ll be amazed at how much you accomplish when you remove all distractions and force yourself to work on the task at hand – and only the task at hand – until it’s time to move on.
Then you simply bring that approach into the rest of your life. Only read what you’ve deliberately chosen to read this month. Develop the relationships you’ve chosen to develop this month, even if others have to go more or less on the back burner for now. If you and your spouse have a show you watch together one night per week, then watch it – and nothing else (except for those “guru” videos we discussed earlier.)
In short, do one thing at a time. When you do it, do it fully, without distractions – this moment, this hour, this week, this month, this year. In each area of your life.
Choose Focus… Choose Clarity and Momentum
Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Now you can add, “The unfocused life is not worth living.” That’s what you’ll discover once you put these simple practices to work in your life and business – whether it’s investment, relationships, your health, or your hobbies.
Give us a call at (801) 990-5109 or schedule your free appointment here
to build a personalized Wealth Plan. We’ll do everything we can to help you focus on your lifestyle and investment goals…
