Hope you had a great Holiday!

Some of my favorite days are between Christmas and New Year’s day.
The phone is quiet which allows all of us a minute to relax, reflect and gear up for 2019.

I let my relatives know that instead of a sweater or a gift card to Best Buy, I really enjoy business books. I’ve read two books so far that are worth sharing.

Here is a quick video (less than two minutes) with a few details and some of my the broader highlights are posted below.  Both books are excellent and talk about important subjects this time of year.

GRIT by Angela Duckworth
I am not going to bore you with all the details. Ms. Duckworth is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania (not my alma mater Furman University, but I have heard it is a very good school) and through her studies and experience has extolled the notion that SUCCESS has more to do with passion and perseverance or GRIT than pure intellect.

That is really GOOD NEWS for all of us that were C students in school. The theme of the book centers on overcoming obstacles and finishing what we begin.

Real Estate Investing can require Grit sometimes. Investing in real estate can provide a high income and generate considerable wealth. My experiences have been mostly positive but it does require perseverance and an attitude of going forward and a strong desire to keep striving for success.

I enjoyed the book and I think as we enter in 2019 we all need to acquire more GRIT in our lives.

Here is a short TEDTalk by the author on the same topic:

The second book I received was ATOMIC HABITS by James Clear

I think by now most of you have heard it is wise and profitable to take some time to write down your goals for 2019. This book shakes up the notion that all that we need to achieve our goals in the New Year is WILL POWER. He breaks it down to a few very attainable exercises to help us create better habits which in turn will help us achieve our goals.

He recommends the following to begin to change our behavior and form better habits:

Small Bite Sized Behavior Changes
Create a new desired habit by starting off small and then building over time. This can apply to your real estate business in so many different aspects. Find one new contractor this week. Start mailing 100 postcards to sellers. Start having coffee with one new private money lender every month. The list is endless and can be attained if we take the process slower with more focus and smaller bites. In the long run you will accomplish much more than trying to do everything in January and quitting in February.

Tweaking our Environment
Change your routine, so instead of going to the TV room after dinner you head to your office or another location to increase education, market for houses or make offers. With technology, we can work from anywhere so find a place that inspires you to get more done.

Habit Stacking
Create a new habit by initiating right after a current habit. I enjoy reading the news early in the morning so adding another habit directly after I finish will give the new habit specific time and place in my day.

Temptation Bundling
The idea is to combine something that you want to do with something that you should do. For example, if I enjoy listening to music, I bundle that activity with marketing for new opportunities or writing an article for Washington REIA.

I hope you get to spend some time to reflect on your year and write attainable, bold goals for 2019. We are here to help you, so reach out to me and let me know how I can play a role in your success going forward.

John

Remember: We have a fantastic speaker for our Washington REIA meeting in January. He is going to show all of us to how to build CASH FLOW with Multi-Unit Buildings.  Sign up early and get ready for a great night of Networking and Education.

Look forward to seeing you there!