Within the last year, I’ve made a conscious effort to practice meditation. For someone who cannot sit still, mentally or physically, mediation surely has its challenges 😊. Yesterday, Tamara Levitt, one of the daily content providers for the Calm App, spoke about patience in moments of waiting…
Messages come into your life at critical moments; that’s God at work my friends. The sense of place this concept had in my mental space this very week was alarming. It’s been another week of sleepless nights, waking at 2am or 3am, unable to mentally shut off the rolodex of “what-if” scenarios regarding my finances.
I’ll share here that prior to my investing ventures, I was extremely conservative with my money. It was kept safely in the bank or set aside into the traditional investing vehicles – 401K, stocks, mutual funds, bonds, etc. Investing in myself, let alone real estate, e-commerce stores and crypto had absolutely zero space for consideration. I worked hard, collected a paycheck every two weeks, directed a portion of my earnings into a 401K, stashed a good percentage of my take home into a savings account, paid my bills, and the rest was accessible. I was doing the “right” thing to prepare for retirement…the “poor dad” education being lived out to its finest degree!
Fast forward one year.
As of today, fifty percentage of my life savings (which I’d made a priority to build since the age of 18) has been dumped into my real estate business. Between mentorship programs, day-to-day operations, marketing spends and investing in property (AKA my “skin in the game”), the once healthy savings account has nearly dried up. On top of that, I’m holding credit card debt. I’ve NEVER held debt. Alas, it’s safe to say I’m fucking terrified.
On the flip side, I am about 30 days from refinancing my first rental property. That process alone will help me put some money back and/or pay off some debt…either is a positive step in the right direction. I also have a flip property in contract. Once renovated and sold, I should be able to recoup some additional investment capital. I’m also renovating a 7-unit apartment, that once again, upon refinancing, should put me in a position to stabilize my finances. So, while I’m taking massive action in the right direction, the waiting game to see my ROI (return on investment) is kicking my ass, mentally.
As Tamara so eloquently quoted this morning, “we have a choice…feel ourselves impatiently filling up with stress, or we can remain calm.”
“Being patient means that rather than stressing out about things that we can’t rush or change we use that time to enjoy our life.”
So, on this very day, as I stress over receiving a signed lease agreement, receiving finalized loan documents, or receiving advice on best practices regarding entity creation, I’m reminded that I can’t rush these events. Instead of “filing up with stress” and replaying over and over (and over 😊) the rolodex of “what-if” scenarios, enjoy the moment! While taking massive action to pursue your dreams is critical, there are certain events in which you have little control over their timing. Seize the opportunity to be present and joyful in these moments while you wait for the pieces to come together.
I made a move into real estate to pursue a lifestyle marked by freedom of time…time to be more present with family and friends. I’m happy to say that I do indeed have that…when I make the conscious decision to do so.
It’s been a constant struggle to break free from old habits. They are slowing changing for the better as I make small changes each day…meditation, scribing and reading are few of those practices that have enabled my mental, spiritual and emotional progress.
As I wrap up today, I hope you take with you moments of patience and enjoying life the next time you find yourself growing unsettled by those things you can’t rush. Enjoy the journey 😊.