1 Month Into 2016... How Are YOUR Investing Resolutions?

Hi real estate investors! We're one month into 2016... did you set any New Year's Resolutions for your real estate investing business? If so, what were they? And, how have you been progressing on them?

People love setting New Year's resolutions (I do too). 

They create goals that they hope to pursue in the coming year. Unfortunately, only a very small percentage actually achieve their New Year's resolutions and most end up faltering and failing in January or February.

Even those of us who have been in the real estate investing game for a long time have attempted (and sometimes struggled) to keep up their resolutions.

So it’s time for an honest resolution check-up – we're approximately 1 month into the New Year... how have you been doing with your resolutions?

And since this is Bigger Pockets, I want to know specifically about your real estate investing resolutions... 

• What resolutions did you set?
• Which ones have you kept?
• Which ones are you struggling with?

I'm sure some of you have been hammering through your investing goals like rock stars and are well on your way to sending out more direct mail, making more offers, and growing your investing business (or whatever your resolutions were).

But some of you have totally forgotten your resolutions – right? You know you made some but now you have to reach back into your memory to remember what they were.

Regardless of whether you’re blasting through your goals with no problem or you can’t quite remember what your resolutions were, you’ll love this “1 month check-in” that I’ve created below to make sure that YOU are following your resolutions. Just go through each of these steps to reinvigorate your passion for your resolutions (it works for investing and non-investing resolutions alike)...

Realign With Your Vision: Start by thinking about your vision for the future of your investing business. What do you want your life and business to be like in the future? Chances are, that vision is one of the reasons you set your resolutions in the first place. So get realigned with what you were wanting to achieve.

Realize Your Success So Far: You’ve probably had SOME success, no matter how small. (Heck, even the feeling of guilt you feel when you know you should be following through but aren’t is your brain successfully reminding you of your resolutions). So think back on the success you've had and celebrate it.

Review Your Plan: When you made your resolutions, you also made a plan, right? (You didn’t just say “I want to send more direct mail” or something like that did you?) Every goal and resolution needs a plan… a step-by-step strategy that will allow you to follow through. So make sure you’ve created one and then review it carefully to make sure it’s realistic.

Remove Obstacles: The success of our goals and resolutions is often dependent not on our desire (or lack thereof) but on the obstacles that are in our way. If you WANT to achieve your goals but have not been able to, perhaps there are obstacles in your way. Make a list of the things holding you back (some will be internal, others external) and work through them.

Renew Your Commitment: Look within and consider whether you’ve been as committed as you want to be. If you have been, great. But since the majority of resolution-setters are not committed, think about why. Are you focusing too much on the short-term pain and not enough on the long-term gain? Keep the long-term view in mind here.

Request Accountability: This one’s a pro tip and it’s SO powerful. Find someone to hold you accountable. That could be a friend, family member, or mentor – but SOMEONE needs to check in with you regularly and be honest enough to call you out when you’re not performing.

It’s time to reach your goals!

If you want to achieve your real estate investing New Year's resolutions, spend some time this week working through the checklist above. And if you really want to knock your goals out of the park this year, schedule time weekly or monthly to review this checklist.

One quick afterthought: Is this post strictly about real estate investing? I guess it isn't. But at the same time, I can't think of a investing business strategy that is more sound than checking in on the goals you set. So if you want to grow your real estate investing business, this is the way to do it.

[This post originally appeared on my site as: New Year's Resolutions – 1 Month After. How Have You Been Doing?]