Perseverance and mentality

[Jeffrey K.]

So to be honest, when i first started out I thought the whole mentality thing wreaked of the charlatan/guru sales pitch that I originally shrugged at in real estate. However, now that I actually have properties, I find myself trying to power through agonizing DIY tasks and seeking thoughts of BP podcasts and future potential. I would be very interested in hearing your accounts of perseverance, success and take on this mentality.

P.S. seriously I could use this; I am currently stripping popcorn ceilings and digging out a 2000 sq. ft. lawn to reseed.  

[Andrew Johnson]

Jeffrey K. I have no stories of perseverance. No tales of glowing end-of-the-story triumphs. However, what I'd be doing in your shoes are figuring out what the long term goal is that you're trying to achieve and what those intermediate goals can be along the way. I don't know if it's cash-flow, net worth, income to contribute to a 529 for your kids, etc. but there's probably something.

As the eldest child I was always "going with dad" to work on the rentals. And I mean the vast majority of weekends. I didn't need motivation but I didn't have much of a choice either. Still, it was ground into my elementary-school brain that "these will send you to college". I'd imagine that was what through was going through my dad's head when we were rebuilding a fence (I held the can of nails) in 105 degree summer heat.

His motivation can't be mine, mine can't be yours, I don't think you can transfer your motivation authentically to someone else. It's why I'll never show up to a motivational speaker around real estate. So my belief is that there has to be a reason *you* got into this. Publicly-traded REITs get you into real estate and are passive. You chose this instead. So what's your long-term goal? What are the midterm markers that will show you're on the right path?