Just Do It

Ever want something to become a reality in your life, but you’re not sure how to make it happen? Maybe you want to be a millionaire, or you want to travel, or maybe you’ve always wanted to be sitting around a comfortable table with a gathering of friends, eating cheese and sipping wine.

No pretty pictures today. I’m typing this from the breakfast table at a hotel in Texas. In case you’re wondering, I don’t live in Texas, but there are some really cool people in this state. Maybe material for another post…

There’s a secret to getting what you want out of life. Yes, I have read “The Secret,” and although I appreciate the material covered on that book and believe it can help anyone, I’m not going to regurgitate that here. I will say that being clear and specific in your mind about what you want is critical. I’ll also say that making what you want a reality takes a little effort. If you really want the universe to grant you your wish, sometimes, you need to poke it awake.

Action makes things happen. Doing something to the world you live in wakes up the universe and get’s it’s attention. It’s like the universe wakes up and says “This person is serious.” Maybe I should pay attention.

My being here in Texas is exactly what a multi-many-times-over-millionaire friend of mine would be doing. He’d be hopping on a plane, flying into a market, meeting with government officials, visiting properties, and making contacts. When I started my multi-family real estate business, I wanted to do a lot of the things he does. I wanted the freedom to travel around the country, work with cool people, provide quality housing to families who need it, and create a wake of communities and friends behind me.

I got all the necessary training, picked up a few good coaches, and even purchased an $8 million, 284 unit apartment in Bedford, Texas in 2009. Still, I still felt like government employee playing dress-up as a commercial real estate dude.

Buying a plane ticket, setting up meetings, and getting into the air changed things. I landed feeling differently about the world. I was doing what I said I would do.

The phone rang. It was a broker I’d made contact with from the Chicago area.

“I heard you’re selling in Bedford.” He said. “Tell me about what you’re doing.”

I told him and he asked “How do I get on your good side?” He went on to say he has a buyer who needs to place $100 million into markets by December. The universe was responding!

I visited with the Dallas economic development center. They were incredibly helpful face-to-face, and I came away with more intelligence on the Dallas markets than I’d been able to gather in months by phone. I also met a new friend and collected a promise to connect with other key people in this market. Business it taking off.

My point is this: wishing or waiting for something to happen – for you to become the person you need to be to step into the next chapter in your life isn’t enough to make it happen. Being clear – I mean really clear – about what you want to happen is an incredible first step, but actually getting up and DOing it, is magic. Doing something, even if you don’t think your ready, has power. Committing, feeling the gravity lessen as you leave the ground, and following through as if you were already the thing that you strive to be is reality making stuff.