Why I drive 5-10 mph under the speed limit, and how it helped me in RE

Why I drive 5-10 mph under the speed limit, and how it helped me in real estate.

In my real estate journey I have realized that the road to financial freedom has been laid out for all of us, we just have to learn where to find the answers. In the beginning, I was all about watching the guru’s, why? You ask, well…because that was all I knew at the time. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of gold nuggets that the gurus throw out, but as a guy who wanted to buy investment property for the first time, I didn't know how to pick those gold bits of knowledge out. I was blinded by the sale that they were pitching… You know…the real estate investing is easy, and you will have your backyard pool filled with girls, swimming in cash haha. That may not have been your vision, but it makes me laugh when I write those words, so I’m sticking with it.

I honestly do not even remember how I ended up on biggerpockets for the first time, I think it was from a Google search of a real estate related question, but I can’t be positive. Anyways, I found a community of investors from each end of the spectrum, beginner to Pro, and everything in between. I had found a place to study that road to financial freedom, without the sales pitch.

A common thread I have found in my study of successful investors in the trenches is they all believe patience, discipline, and persistence are of the utmost importance. So I asked myself, how can I improve these three traits for real estate investing. The answer is YOU CAN”T….Now, let me tell you why…. I believe these qualities can be learned, and improved. Here is the bad news…They cannot just be applied to specific parts of your life individually. To be consistent in the application, you have to be able to apply them to all of your actions, without a conscious effort.

So I brainstormed…I thought of the situations I encountered in my daily life that caused me to consistently be impatient, most of the examples I wrote down involved DRIVING. So now my mission was clear to me. If I could consistently be patient while driving, keeping my speed 5- 10 mph under the limit. I knew that the three traits, as a whole, would automatically be applied to every other situation in my life. From that point on I started driving 5-10 MPH UNDER the speed limit. (Keep in mind I have been told by many people, that I am the most persistent person they have EVER met, so persistence wasn't a big focus for me in this experiment)

Do I take crap from my friends? Yes… I just smile and joke about it, but it has improved me as a person more than I could have ever imagined. It takes persistence, and discipline to keep up this routine, because I do not always drive alone, I even do this when driving other friends’ cars. If you cannot do this every single time you drive, regardless of the situation, in my best Arnold voice…”You lack discipline”

I was getting impatient while driving because of frustration caused by actions of other drivers. I had to realize, that I cannot control what is going on outside my car. The only thing I can control is my situation. So once action was taken inside my own vehicle (slowing down) a lot of the frustrating actions of the other drivers disappeared. I’m sure you are thinking, how? Well, by slowing down, I was no longer part of the crazy pack of speeding drivers trying to dominate the road. I was in control of the situation, moving at my own pace. 

Next time you are out driving, watch the other impatient drivers around you, usually they are in a crazed state speeding to pass everyone, cutting people off….just to hit a red light, all the while, Brandon Luke is not far behind with a smile on his face…and what happens as I come close to the red light? IT TURNS GREEN, and I never stop once, which creates more positive feelings to make me smile. Slow is smooth- smooth is fast- Let that soak in.

I have taken these lessons and applied them to real estate, I am not speeding to the next “deal” I have made a choice to slow down, study others who are successful in what in what I want to accomplish.

I no longer dart by other investors to purchase that home at the top of the market, just so I can say I made a purchase, and then see other investors cruise by me and land a much better deal because they knew how to take their time to decipher market indicators, that showed them to buy in a different area where properties have more cash flow. Now I'm stuck at the red light, while they are cash flowing all the way to the bank.

On my road to a multi-family purchase, I have made the choice to slow down and pave it with relationships. Friendships I form with other individuals will eventually reveal my next purchase. Not a late night browsing session of the most popular commercial property listing website.

It may not work for you, but it has helped me tremendously, so if you are in Arizona, Nevada, or California, and you are cursing the slow diver in front of you thinking it’s an elderly driver, but are surprised to see a younger gentleman, wave…it just may be me!

If you took the time to read this, thank you. If there is anything I can help you with please don’t be afraid to ask. I want to hear your thoughts of this blog post in the comments, so please share. Also, if you have some entertaining road rage stories that involve you or something you witnessed tell me in the comments. I love entertaining stories.