How to become a Real Eastate Investor

Five Rules to Set Yourself Up for Success

Rule #1: Set Goals that Motivate You

When you set goals for yourself, it is important that they motivate you: this means making sure that they are important to you, and that there is value in achieving them. If you have little interest in the outcome, or they are irrelevant given the larger picture, then the chances of you putting in the work to make them happen are slim. Motivation is key to achieving goals.

Set goals that relate to the high priorities in your life. Without this type of focus, you can end up with far too many goals, leaving you too little time to devote to each one. Goal achievement requires commitment, so to maximize the likelihood of success, you need to feel a sense of urgency and have an "I must do this" attitude. When you don't have this, you risk putting off what you need to do to make the goal a reality. This in turn leaves you feeling disappointed and frustrated with yourself, both of which are de-motivating. And you can end up in a very destructive "I can't do anything or be successful at anything" frame of mind.

Tip:
To make sure your goal is motivating, write down why it's valuable and important to you. Ask yourself, "If I were to share my goal with others, what would I tell them to convince them it was a worthwhile goal?" You can use this motivating value statement to help you if you start to doubt yourself or lose confidence in your ability to actually make the goal happen.
Rule #2: Set SMART Goals

You have probably heard of "SMART goals" already. But do you always apply the rule? The simple fact is that for goals to be powerful, they should be designed to be SMART. There are many variations of what SMART stands for, but the essence is this – goals should be:

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time Bound

Set Specific Goals
You goal must be clear and well defined. Vague or generalized goals are unhelpful because they don't provide sufficient direction. Remember, you need goals to show you the way. Make it as easy as you can to get where you want to go by defining precisely where you want to end up.

Set Measurable Goals
Include precise amounts, dates, etc in your goals so you can measure your degree of success. If your goal is simply defined as "To reduce expenses" how will you know when you have been successful? In one month's time if you have a 1% reduction or in two years' time when you have a 10% reduction? Without a way to measure your success you miss out on the celebration that comes with knowing you have actually achieved something.

Set Attainable Goals
Make sure that it's possible to achieve the goals you set. If you set a goal that you have no hope of achieving, you will only demoralize yourself and erode your confidence.

However, resist the urge to set goals that are too easy. Accomplishing a goal that you didn't have to work hard for can be anticlimactic at best, and can also make you fear setting future goals that carry a risk of non-achievement. By setting realistic yet challenging goals, you hit the balance you need. These are the types of goals that require you to "raise the bar" and they bring the greatest personal satisfaction.

Set Relevant Goals
Goals should be relevant to the direction you want your life and career to take. By keeping goals aligned with this, you'll develop the focus you need to get ahead and do what you want. Set widely scattered and inconsistent goals, and you'll fritter your time – and your life – away.

Set Time-Bound Goals
You goals must have a deadline. Again, this means that you know when you can celebrate success. When you are working on a deadline, your sense of urgency increases and achievement will come that much quicker.

Rule #3: Set Goals in Writing

The physical act of writing down a goal makes it real and tangible. You have no excuse for forgetting about it. As you write, use the word "will" instead of "would like to" or "might". For example, "I will reduce my operating expenses by 10% this year", not "I would like to reduce my operating expenses by 10% this year." The first goal statement has power and you can "see" yourself reducing expenses, the second lacks passion and gives you an excuse if you get sidetracked.

Tip 1:
Frame your goal statement positively. If you want to improve your retention rates say, "I will hold on to all existing employees for the next quarter" rather than "I will reduce employee turnover." The first one is motivating; the second one still has a get-out clause "allowing" you to succeed even if some employees leave.

Tip 2:
If you use a To Do List, make yourself a To Do List template that has your goals at the top of it. If you use an Action Program (see Mind Tools' Make Time for Success! course), then your goals should be at the top of your Project Catalog.)

Post your goals in visible places to remind yourself every day of what it is you intend to do. Put them on your walls, desk, computer monitor, bathroom mirror or refrigerator as a constant reminder. You can even post them in the Mind Tools Club forum, and share them with other members for added motivation.
Rule #4: Make an Action Plan

This step is often missed in the process of goal setting. You get so focused on the outcome that you forget to plan all of the steps that are needed along the way. By writing out the individual steps, and then crossing each one off as you complete it, you'll realize that you are making progress towards your ultimate goal. This is especially important if your goal is big and demanding, or long-term. Read our article on Action Plans for more on how to do this.
Rule #5: Stick With It!

Remember, goal setting is an ongoing activity not just a means to an end. Build in reminders to keep yourself on track, and make regular time-slots available to review your goals. Your end destination may remain quite similar over the long term, but the action plan you set for yourself along the way can change significantly. Make sure the relevance, value, and necessity remain high.

The Story Of a successful Man

A boy was born to loving parents. They named him Michael. When he was five, his parents bought him a dog for Christmas and he loved this dog. He learned a sense of responsibility by taking care of his dog who he called Zak.


Michael’s father was stern, but loving. He guided Michael in becoming a serious and successful student. He did well in school and his teachers gave him outstanding evaluations. His parents were very proud of him.


Michael went to an Ivy League University where he met his wife to be, the lovely Emily. Together they went to graduate school. She to NYU Law and he to get his MBA in marketing at Columbia.


Both were able to get good jobs at pretigious firms in the City and they moved into a spacious, but small co-op on the Upper East Side.



When she was 30 Emily had a boy and they named him Michael, Jr. They didn’t want to raise the child in the city, so they bought a beautiful home in Westchester County just North of NY.


There they raised Michael, Jr. in a firm, but loving way. They wanted only the best for him, just as they had been raised.


But when Michael entered his 40s he could no longer ignore the sense of emptiness that seemed to be growing in the pit of his stomach. Despite all of his professional success and the happiness of his family, he felt a kind of melancholy aimlessness within himself.


He tried to talk himself out of it. He spent more time at the Golf Club to try to clear his head, but he just couldn’t shake this sickening feeling he had deep inside his body.


He shared his dilema with his wife and she loved him for it. But her support and care didn’t seem to make much difference. “What is going on in me”, he wondered.


Although it didn’t seem “manly” of him, he sought professional help with his problem and he began seeing a well respected therapist in the City. They spent many hours together discussing his fears and his growing sense that life was meaningless. The therapist allowed his to speak and speak, but no matter how much he talked about himself, the feelings either stayed the same or actually got worse.



A friend at work told Michael that maybe he should try meditating to simply relax his mind. Lately his work at the office was noticably slipping and his boss couldn’t help noticing how Michael seemed a little unfocused in meetings.


So Michael picked up a book about meditation at this local Barnes and Noble and started dutifully meditating every morning for 20 minutes. He attacked the practice with the same diligence and commitment with which he had attacked everything else in his life. He did his research and followed the directions to the letter. Each morning he sat in a half lotus position for exactly 20 minutes. He would feel refreshed afterwards, shower, and then get ready for work. The meditation seemed to be helping him.


Then, one day, as we he was sitting at his desk, it was late morning and the sun was pouring in his corner office windows, he was overcome by a feeling that seemed to come from nowhere. An immense sadness seemed to take him over and tears formed in his eyes. Hurridly, he closed his door and pulled down the blinds part way. He didn’t know what to do with this feeling. What was going on? What was happening to him? He left work early that day, which was very unlike him and took a walk in a park near his home.


He looked at the trees and the little stream and this odd thought went through his head, “Where have you been all my life.” Nothing was making sense to him. His life was in turmoil and he was now really suffering.


He made a special appointment with his therapist and, in the midst of their conversation, this man admitted that perhaps he could not help Michael with his problems through talk therapy. He suggested that Michael begin a regimen of anti-depressants. The doctor offered Michael the idea that his problem was not a mental one, but a physical one. “After all”, the doctor said, “look how successful your life has really been to this point.” Off handedly Michael quipped, “Maybe I should just have a couple of more drinks after work” and smiled half-heartedly.


A year or two later, Michael was idly surfing the web looking for articles that might help with his suffering. Emily had lost faith in him and they decided to do a trial separation. This was devastating to Michael’s parents, but actually quite sensible to Michael. He moved into a small apartment closer to the City.


But while he was absent mindedly gazing at his laptop, he stumbled upon the Liberation from the Lie Blog and noticed one of the posts about the Wound and the Fear Selves. He was intrigued. What he saw there was different from what he had seen elsehwere. The words resonated with his own experience. He decided to read the book of Liberation and see if it could help him with his suffering.


He read it and although a lot of it didn’t make much sense to him, much of it really spoke to him. But no matter what he read and how much he pondered his life, he just couldn’t shake the feeling of hopelessness that now infected his soul.

DETERMINATION is driven by Desire

You've got to get up every morning with determination if you're going to go to bed with satisfaction." George Lorimer"