I was looking for an old email from my business mentor (when he wasn’t my business mentor!). Browsing through my emails between 2011 and 2012, I found a different email I had sent to my mentor on 22 August 2012, with an email subject – “Sana’s vision board so far”.
Coming from a negative mindset that good things were not possible for me in life, and that success was only reserved for OTHERS…it was a difficult change to make for me to start. To start believing in my dreams again, that good things can happen for me.
Rather than being a mere spectator of other people achieving and striving in life. Deciding to change my life was linked to taking full responsibility for everything. That was a scary thing.
So anyway, the property investment journey had started. That’s the best I could do then. And living in a crammed place, all I could do was put my goals on paper.
There is enough negativity out there and sometimes too close to home. So it always helps to have encouragers and dream builders in your life. People who believe that it’s possible to build a life you want to.
And that the output you get in life is in direct proportion of the effort you put in it, even if that means, sifting through the dirt to find the gold;
Changing yourself every single day;
Being coachable and seeking input from those who have have been through the path before you.
Rather than settling for life, as it is, and what the society expects you to do.
So on the back of my email, my mentor suggested – it was a good idea to add some furniture and all to the vision board. And I said that whilst we had some furniture already, it was a great idea and that I wouldn’t mind a new couch. So naive and perhaps a little bit silly too – I requested him to hold this vision for me making this happen.
I needed encouragers around me to believe in my dreams.
I told him that I KNEW it will happen and how exciting committing to my goal was.
My mentor said he supported and honoured my vision. I replied and thanked him for being ‘so supportive and empowering’.
What a breath of fresh air it was.
Especially, in my world, in my reality, having grown up being told that I couldn’t succeed at anything ever and that no one will ever want to know who I was. It meant the world to me that someone believed I could do it. This is a story for another time.
If you’ve read our story, we came to Australia in year 2000, when we were in high school. Life was incredibly difficult. For the first couple of years in Australia, we lived in a 2 bedroom crammed unit in a red brick building in Lakemba. Our landlord, who was also from South Asian descent. He didn’t care – about fixing broken things. Heck he even once showed up with his entire family – including his parents visiting him from overseas – for an excursion, to show them his property. They felt at home. He pretended that he was there to fix things.
We didn’t know our rights then.
It wasn’t a nice feeling.
However we made a commitment to ourselves, that when we were in that position of power, we would care for our tenants and never treat them the way he treated his tenants.
That day we also made a decision, that we were NEVER EVER going to rent again.
Anyway, for our home, for the vision, we did not know when, we didn’t know where, we didn’t know how. We just knew it was inevitable.
I’m blessed with the quality of being naive about whether things are possible or not. I just go do it – like a bull dog…or as someone at work who once told me that I took bull by the horns – every single time.
No is never an answer. And sometimes you just need to build that muscle stronger, to keep trying, to keep chipping away. When one door closes, you look at another. However you NEVER give up.
When this vision board was started – not everyone believed in it. However I went ahead and put a photo of a display home I liked and cut out a floor plan from some brochures I had received.
At that time, the best I could do was write my goal down (and here put it on a vision board). And in the mean time continue with property investing, one house at a time, one deposit at a time, one call to an agent at a time – until a home was possible / became our reality.
So…18 months later, we bought a house to knock down. And then another 24 months later, we were moving into our brand new home.
There are mixed schools of thought around “visions” and “dreams” – “Be, Have, Do” OR “Do, Have Be”. Having written down goals works. Internal drivers are essential. For us it was happiness, security and control which were important.
Some key things that I learnt were…
Goals / Visions / Dreams DO NOT happen OVERNIGHT….
Especially applicable, when I receive a fact find from a prospect client wanting a passive income of $200,000 in 10 years, which is $6 million in paid off assets.
Which means $600k of assets per annum. Which means $50,000 per month.
As those who influence me, ask – “So how was last month?”
The average length of time dreams last for most people is 2 minutes.
For any goal to happen, you need to start, even if it’s small. Action is prudent. Surrounding yourself with the right people who build you up is prudent.
And second, don’t set goals to impress others. Look within, determine your drivers and then set your goals / dreams / visions.
Negativity…
You cannot buy into negativity. People who say things are not possible in life for YOU, are merely talking about THEMSELVES. They are projecting their fears and limitations on you.
Don’t live your life with others painting on your Canvas. We are born with a ‘semi blank’ canvas (another discussion altogether). Unfortunately, others paint our canvas as we are a product of our environment. However what are you doing to draw a line in the sand, and make progress to what you truly want (if you truly really badly want to make it happen!?).
And if it’s not possible now, what changes can you make? Small shifts and tweaks often result in big changes in life. And more often than not, these changes need to happen in the mind, not in execution.
Unwavering Commitment…
Are you committed to your goals? No one can do it for you. Do you think your boss is committed to your goals? Well some leaders might be – not all. Everyone is TOO busy with their own SHTUFF. Some will value you and your personal goals.
As I said to our new staff recently – as I emailed her the 100 dreams list to write her own dreams, I told her that ‘work goals’ are one thing, however it’s important for you to have your own visions and goals. It’s important to be committed to your OWN goals, and not just your employer’s.
Be Proactive and prepared…
I built strong relationships with the local real estate agents. Mona and I went through Price Finder – short listing over a dozen properties we were interested in and we had an agent door knock them and ask if they wanted to sell. Whilst we didn’t buy any of those blocks, when the right property came, we got a call on a Tuesday afternoon at 3pm, 8pm (after a late evening at work, not having had dinner either), we were inspecting the property, at 10pm we were in the agent’s office signing contracts (we went in prepared – with a cheque book and all!)
And I see this every day with clients, those who want to move away from pain and towards a better life are proactive about making it happen.
Start…
Nothing beats taking action. Even if things suck right now, one small action a day is all you need. Where will you be in the next 90 days, 180 days, 365 days? Huge growth can happen, only if you start taking action now.
P.S. The mail box in our home is from gift cards we received from our mentor.
Life changing people change you forever and life changing days change you forever.
When was the last time you worked on your 100 dreams list?
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