Why COVID-19 Will Be The Best Thing To Happen To Me

Alright, let's just get this out of the way.  I admit that my title choice was a bit of click bait but there are two things I want to be clear about:

1. 1. COVID-19 is a serious issue.  People are dying and everyone has been impacted in some form.  I am very fortunate and extremely grateful that my family and I are all healthy as of now.  I acknowledge that there is nothing good about the pandemic itself but I would also like to share the silver lining that you can create for yourself, if you so choose.
2. 2. This blog post is NOT about how I can't wait for the market to crash so I can get my start in real estate.  In fact, most of what I talk about is completely independent from real estate and could apply to any business model.  This isn't about my secret schadenfreude.

Now that that's out of the way, let's get to the good stuff.  If you're like me at all, you've experienced a significant change of lifestyle in the past month.  I'm now working from home (and loving it!) and stuck in the house even when I'm not working.  It occurred to me pretty early on that I had a choice; use this time wisely to work on myself and my businesses OR I could catch up on netflix and wait for my CARES check.

Wow, netflix makes some really addicting shows!  Tiger King is crazy!!!  Did you know that they just deposit the CARES check right into your bank account?!  They make it too easy!  I'm kidding, of course.  I've decided to focus on self-improvement and building my businesses.  Although, I do hear Tiger King is pretty wild...

The choice was easy, the implementation has been more of a challenge.  So here it is, the 4 things I've done to make the best of the new abnormal:

1. ESTABLISHED GOOD HABITS

Before all the 'Rona chaos, my weekly schedule was completely unpredictable.  Due to the nature of my job in aviation, early mornings, late nights, night shifts, weekends, etc. were normal.  No day was the same and no week was the same.  The worst part was I wouldn't know my schedule until 2 days prior.  Now that I'm working from home, I control my own schedule and have been able to establish routines.  It's amazing!  I now can dedicate 2 hours every morning to the same 3 things; working out, stretches and meditation.  And in the evenings I carve out an hour to read BP forums/analyze a deal and another 30 mins to work on Duolingo.  (As soon as international travel is a thing again, I'll be headed to Spain!).

We've all read "The Miracle Morning" by Hal Elrod, now you have no excuse not to do it!  And I caution you that it's just as easy to establish bad habits with all this new found free time.  Establishing the right habits are the gateway to the other three items on this list.  What habits will you choose to move you forward?

2. ACCEPTED CHAOS

I've been on the BP forums a bit more lately and it seems that some people think the louder they shout their opinion, the more true it is (and unfortunately there's some merit to that in our world of fake news).  But the truth is, No one can predict exactly where we are headed.  What benefit do you get from convincing others that your prediction is more correct?  And even if you're right, posting about being the best fortune teller won't get you more deals.  Taking the right actions amid the chaos will.

I've decided not to shout my predictions to all that will listen.  Instead I'm striving to learn from experienced investors who survived (and even thrived) through the dot-com bust, the 9/11 downturn and the great recession.  Even they can't predict the outcome of COVID-19 but what they do have is lessons learned the hard way and knowledge of the fundamentals of real estate.

So instead of falling prey to the internet trolls, I plan to continue learning, build my own understanding what I think will happen and make informed decisions to keep moving me forward.  I already know that I won't get it 100% right but as long as I accept the chaos I can adjust as necessary.  

However there are two things I want to avoid.  I can't respond to chaos with more chaos.  I said that taking the RIGHT actions will lead to more deals.  Taking any random action just because it's something to do when everything is chaotic could be a dangerous path.  Secondly, I can't let the chaos lead to inaction.  It's easy to develop an attitude of resignation when uncertainty abounds but now is the time to use that uncertainty as an opportunity!

3. GETTING CREATIVE

With more free time inevitably comes boredom.  Staying creative is not only the solution to boredom but will also be required for financial survival during the post-Corona world.  The game has changed and no amount of whining for the good ole days will bring us back to "normal".  Social distancing, work from home, online commerce and unpredictable housing markets are the new abnormal.  The sooner we accept that and find creative solutions to new problem sets, the better off we are.

Dusted off this bad boy and downloaded a few others

I personally am reading all I can about creative financing to build my real estate toolbox.  As the number of deals grows in the coming months, I want to be ready with the knowledge and creativity required to make it happen.

4. GROWN MY NETWORK

My own boredom has manifested itself if a few ways, blogging has been one of them.  But there's a tremendous upside to putting my words out there.  I've been getting more colleague requests and making more online connections than I did in person before Corona.  I'm not sure yet that an online connection is quite as strong as a handshake but like I said in #3, this is the new normal.  I'm finding ways to continue growing my network and I'm sure some of these new contacts will be invaluable in the coming months/years.

Another way I've been using the additional downtime is reaching out to existing friends and family.  We've all had those moments where a pleasant memory is triggered by something small and we think back to a happy time spent with someone close to us.  Pre-Corona, I'd have those moments, smile and move on with my day.  Now when that happens, I take the time to text them, remind them of the memory and thank them for sharing that time with me.  It's really a small gesture but I've chatted with a lot of friends from the past and feel more connected now than ever.  You can't get that from just scrolling through social media!

WRAPPING IT UP

By far, the biggest benefit of Corona has been allowing me to better control my own time.  I've used the 4 things above consciously work towards ensuring that I make the best of the current situation. We can't control the craziness but we can control our response.

Well that's all I have to share for now.  I hope you've found insights in reading about what I've done to find the upsides to this global pandemic.  I hope you all stay safe and that you and your families stay healthy.

I'm curious to hear what benefits you've found in the post-Corona world.  Share your thoughts in the comments!

Thanks for reading and see you on the flip side!

Justin