The Four Qualities You Must Possess For Success

Before success comes in any man's life, he's sure to meet with much temporary defeat and, perhaps some failures. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and the most logical thing to do is to quit. That's exactly what the majority of men do. - Napoleon Hill

Once upon a time, I fell under this exact category. I listened to gurus and other people in the field of REI, they painted the perfect picture for me, and I was extremely motivated. A few months after beginning my REI journey, I begin to see things as a money hole with no results; I threw the towel in and lost my faith in a future in real estate. A few months ago, something magical happened. A book that I have owned since late 2012, but never read, just seemed to call me. I've heard of this book multiple times here on Bigger Pockets podcast, YouTube, Facebook but I never taken the time to read it for myself. This book is Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Mr. Hill wrote guidance to success in anything you desire during the 1930s but yet so many people have yet to understand some of his concepts even 80 years later. Four qualities that you must possess in order to achieve anything in life are passion, self-confidence, determination, and action. Let me show you a few quotes so I can elaborate.

PASSION

Everyone enjoys doing the kind of work for which he is best suited. - Napoleon Hill

Simply put, if you are not passionate about REI, you will not make. Your journey will be like everyone else who has come and go, even mines. REI can but fun and easily turned into a passion, but one must know how to. Take me for example; two of my passionate hobbies are videography and photography. For me to turn REI into something that allows me to enjoy my hobbies and passions daily, I incorporate those two. What are your hobbies? Can they be incorporated into your daily REI activities? This can be the difference between waking up to go to “work” and waking up to make money doing something you love doing. Anyone who is successful and well established in REI has a passion. It may not be photography, talking to people, making money, or anything obvious to you, but there is something inside of them that keeps their engines rolling. Maybe they enjoy helping other people, maybe the like the smell of an old ran down house, maybe its problem solving, anything. What matters is the passion is working for them; it keeps them motivated, and continues to drive their success. Sit back and think about what is driving you right now with REI. If it’s just fast money, I’m sorry but you might be in the wrong field. See if you can incorporate some of your hobbies into your business.

SELF-CONFIDENCE

There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge. - Napoleon Hill

If you do not feel confident enough in yourself, nothing else matters, you have already quit. Who is in control of your destiny, your day-to-day outcome, and the choices you make? YOU ARE! Not your mother, father, children, wife, or Mr. Larry next door. ONLY YOU ARE! Once you realize that, you then become one step closer to reaching your goals. If you believe in yourself, you can sell ice to an Eskimo. If you truly believe in yourself, you can sell a painting to a blind man. No one cares that you didn’t get asking price for the last deal you made. The only reason you didn’t is because you lost confidence in your decision about the asking price or you just wanted the money. Self-confidence is the difference between doing one deal that earns you one million dollars or 1,000 deals that total one million dollars. You should have self-confidence in everything you do. Regardless of how difficult everyone else claims it to be, if you feel confident enough in yourself, it will work out perfectly.

ACTION

Don't wait. The time will never be just right. - Napoleon Hill

We all come up with excuses for not taking action. Money, too busy, family, you’re tired, whatever. Every excuse you make has a resolution, but it sure isn’t putting things off until tomorrow. Live everyday for the now and stop living for tomorrow. All we can do is hope for tomorrow, but the right now is what truly matters. Small baby steps are better than nothing at all. Take action, buy some bandit signs, go to an auction, go see a rehab, talk to agents and view properties, anything but stop giving excuses. If the excuse is money, find something to do to make extra money. If you don’t want to work another job so you can have the extra money, you aren’t focused and determined enough. If the excuse is you’re too busy, that is because you want to be busy. Most likely your day is full of things that are not benefiting you and your goals. Think about how much time we waste on social networks and worrying about every one else and their lives. You can make time for whatever you desire, just desire things that are fulfilling to you and beneficial to your family. How do you take action? Easy, put one foot forward and take one step at a time. Grasp the concept that most of the riches will not come overnight, but they will happen. REI is a marathon, not a sprint. You will have plenty of time to read about REI, but experience is the best teacher. Look forward to going to seminars and reading more and more, but do it after you’ve taken action.

DETERMINATION

Edison failed 10,000 times before he made the electric light. Do not be discouraged if you fail a few times. - Napoleon Hill

Be determined to reach your goals. People fail time and time again, but what the greats are made of is a determination to succeed. Your determination ties into everything we have covered. If you are determined to be successful in REI, then you will be. Your determination will show itself to the people you come across, the actions you take, and the decisions you make. If you happen to fail, think about what happened, what went wrong, how did it go wrong, and what can be done to prevent that. Learn from your mistakes, remain positive, and drive on. Do not shun away from something you are interested in because others are afraid of it. Low-income housing, properties under $30k, war zones,  it doesn’t matter. If you are determined enough to make something work that everyone else has given up on, then you will always come out on top.