I'm not planning on managing it, purely for passive income. 

So as an investor, you need to gain more out of a deal, you need to grow not stay in the same situation.

My short term goal is to bust my behind to gain capital for my long term goal, cash flowing my life.

You are purchasing an interest in a company that owns real estate.Over the last 15 years special products have been codified by the IRS to be 1031 compliant but fit the category or fractional passive investment. 

The knowledge I have gained is well worth the membership

I am currently in the process of going through Brandon Turner's The Book on Rental Property Investing: How to Create Wealth and Passive Income Through Smart Buy & Hold Real Estate Investing and it has really inspired me to take action and learn by doing. 

However; the appreication far outpaced gains others investing in areas for cash flow were going. 

If you are shy and reserved then perhaps being a "passive" investor is better for you.

Your best bet is to first gain an understanding of the market by taking a sample set of similar properties and determining how the different features impacted the overall value of each property.

Hopefully I could then partner with them on a deal once I have gained enough "know how" and they trust me enough to let me take over the operations of a deal.