The Leap from 9-5 to Real Estate

Life is short but long at the same time. I am currently working a government job where I receive a pension, great benefits and I am also represented by a union. Its a great gig right? I mean I get to retire in 35 years with a full pension and 401K and I can move down to Florida and spend the rest of my life and money just hanging out. 

This is not me and this is why I am putting in my two week notice and going all in on real estate.

Everything I have ever done real estate related has led me to this decision. The first real estate related thing that I ever did was listen to the BP podcast. That definitely helped me realize that this is something I want to pursue. The relationships I have built through meet ups and BP have helped me make this decision. The last thing that has truly helped me understand that this is what I want to do is the ROI(return on investment) on happiness I get from real estate.

The ROI on happiness..........

How most of my conversations go.....

Me: Yeah, I am quitting and pursuing real estate full time.

Random co-worker: what if something goes wrong?

Me: Then I either fix it or fail

Random co-worker: Aren't you scared?

Me: I am more excited than scared which tells me I am headed the right direction.

Random co-worker: What if you fail though?

Me: My worst case scenario is not trying. Failing only happens when you stop trying.

Random co-worker: Huh? but what if real estate doesn't work for you

Me: Worst case scenario, I would get a job and work everyday like everyone else.

Success leaves clues and so far this saying has been spot on. I used to judge old people that were still working even though they were well off financially. I use to feel bad for people like that. I would think things like "don't they have something else to do", or "why are they still working?" But the joke was on me. These people were the few that actually found something they love to do. No need to retire from something you love. It took me a while to understand that but now that I know it, I do not want to waste anymore time.

The relationships I have built and closed off have been equally as important for my growth. A year and half ago I took Brandon Turners advice and I decided to do two things. First, I decided to tell everyone I know that I want to purchase and investment property. Second I decided to start a meet up in order to meet people in the real estate world.

The responces I received from people when I told them I wanted to purchase an investment property were either very encouraging or very negative. If someone said something negative, the following question would always involve me asking someone if they have ever invested in real estate. Their response would always determine the amount of consideration I would give their comments. In terms of the encouraging responses I received, I knew not to think too much of it. The reason why I mentioned it in the first place was to see if anyone I know is into real estate as well and to see if they are investing. This was a great way for me to double down on the relationships I have already established and learn more about real estate.

The meetups that I created was another way to focus in on building relationships with people interested in real estate. Creating the real estate meet up was one of the best things I ever did. It allowed me to be around people who were just as obsessed as I was with learning about real estate. It was a really great feeling feeling. Besides that, I was able to ask people questions about things they were actually doing in the real estat world. I was also able to build organic friendships with some of the people from the meet up. This then created a platform that we now use to provide eachother with value without reciprication. For example, one of the first people I spoke to when I was thinking about making the jump to leave my 9-5 and transition to real estate was one of the people I met in the meet up. Now because this person was already part of the real estate world full time, I was able to gain some knowledge about what that looks like. Naturally after realizing that he wanted to expand his team, one of the first things he did was reach out to me about joining. I said yes. This is a perfect example of how these meet ups can be so powerful.

In conclusion, I just want to say that I rather fail trying to be happy then live a life full of what ifs becasue of fear. Of course, there is nothing wrong with hedging your self but not going for happiness if a sure way to live a life full of regrets. Don't be that guy.