Real Estate Investing – The Power Of Focus
By Tom Dunn
I have a confession to make. I used to burn bugs. Ants mostly, but flies and spiders would work, too. On hot, sunny days when I was a boy, I would go into my Dad's top dresser drawer and fish out his magnifying glass. He kept it tucked deep in a corner, wrapped in a piece of brown paper bag that had become pretty ragged from repeated wrapping and unwrapping.
Once outside, I would lay down on the grass next to the sidewalk and wait for some poor, unsuspecting bug to happen by. Then I, wretched evil child that I was, would hold the glass at an angle above the scampering insect and capture the suns rays, pinpointing them like a laser. If I was accurate, and I often was, the bug would try to speed up. His legs would scamper in an effort to escape the intense heat.
If the bug wasn't quite fast enough, a tiny puff of smoke would signal the ultimate surrender, and the world would be one bug shorter.
Before you draw too many conclusions about what kind of person that little boy turned out to be, let me reassure you- I no longer take any kind of pleasure in the pain of other creatures. I did, however, learn a very important lesson from my sadistic experiences.
The Power Of Focus
If you have ever done similar experiments (I use the term loosely), or held a glass over your own skin and felt the sun's magnified rays (ouch!), you understand the incredible power of focus. The sun's rays may feel warm as they beat down on you, but it isn't until they are captured and focused at one tiny point that they become lethal. This is the same principle on which lasers operate. In the hands of a skillful surgeon, a laser can work wonders of healing and correction. In the hands of Dr. No, James Bond's reproductive future is threatened.
Focus is a universal law. Identify any unfocused power or energy on the planet, capture it, master it, and focus it on one narrow target, and you have produced a virtually unstoppable force.
Read that last sentence again very slowly. Let it sink in. Memorize it, even. I'll repeat it- it's THAT important.
Identify any unfocused power or energy on the planet, capture it, master it, and focus it on one narrow target, and you have produced a virtually unstoppable force.Identify, Capture, Master, Focus Applied To Real Estate
You knew I was headed here didn't you? Apply this concept to your real estate investing, and you will achieve results you never imagined. Here's the four step process.
1. Identify your energy- Let's go back to my childhood again. In my bug-murdering rampages, I first had to identify the source of energy. What was it? The sun, of course.
Now, consider. What is the source of energy for your investing business? There really is only one possible answer, isn't there? Got it yet? It's you! Yes, YOU. Who else, or what else, is going to provide the necessary time, effort, force, power, energy, and resources? Those investors who sit around waiting for someone or something else to carry them to success are going to be doing the same thing in 6 months, 6 years, and 6 decades- sitting around waiting!
You must come to the conclusion that you, and ONLY you, are in a position to provide the effort necessary to make it happen.
One very important note here- this does not discount my firm belief that GOD, our Maker, is the One who gives us the ability and resources to accomplish anything. But WE decide when and how, or if, we apply them. More on that in another article.
For now, remember that YOU are the engine for your business. Unfocused perhaps, but still an engine.
2. Capture your energy- Once I identified the sun as my energy source, I needed to capture it. For that, I needed a tool. So I went to my Dad's toolbox and got- a wrench? NOT. I needed the RIGHT tool, so I got the magnifying glass.
In the world of real estate investing, you need the right tools to capture the energy you have. What are these tools? They are all around you. Books, tapes, courses, articles like this one, and of course DealFiles. Also other investors, Investor Clubs, website newsgoups, and chatrooms. These are the tools which will help you capture your energy and render it useful for real estate investing. They not only infuse you with highly specialized knowledge, they get you thinking like an investor.
All the energy you possess, applied in the wrong way, without the right training, won't amount to very much.
That same energy, shaped, directed, sculpted, and refined in ways that bring out your real estate skills and savvy will turn you into an investing machine, capable of taking down deals you once thought impossible. Time spent now, acquiring knowledge in real estate "best practices" from people who have done it, will repay you 1000% later.
In my experience, the single best way to capture your energy is to learn and implement the same systematized approach that other, successful investors have already used. Try it and see for yourself!
3. Master your energy- As I was attempting to fry some poor, defenseless ant, I would continually make adjustments to the glass. I would change the angle, the height, and the distance in order to apply the maximum amount of energy to the most vulnerable point on the target.
You will master your real estate energy the same way. As you progress, you will do many things right, and a few things wrong, and you will adjust your efforts based on your results. If you don't, your progress will come to a screeching halt. The wisest investors, those who grow and succeed the fastest, are those who don't hold too tightly to their prejudices, pre-conceived ideas, and stereotypes. They are flexible and adaptive.
Adapt the techniques and systems you have learned to your local market. Make the necessary adjustments without stressing too much over them. Your style and strategy won't be EXACTLY like anyone else's, so take ownership of it. This is what mastering your energy is all about.
4. Focus your energy- Once I was able to identify the sun as my energy source, capture it in my glass, and master it's use, the final and most important element could be brought into play- I maintained the focus on that one narrow target until I accomplished my objective.
Nothing is more crucial than this. Carefully choose your target and stay focused on it until you hit it. Then, hit it again. And again. Keep on hitting it. Don't stop.
Carefully choosing the right target is the subject of another article. Remaining focused on one narrow target is what we're talking about here. Too many investors I have known start out strong, learning and using powerful techniques that bring them fast success. Then, flushed with excitement at their new found power, they promptly decide to try some new technique they just read about.
What the heck is that all about? Here they were, poised for mega-growth with laser-speed, and they forgot what brought them their success in the first place. What happened? They lost sight of the narrow target, one they supposedly chose carefully, and they lost focus. It's hard to hit a constantly changing target.
On the other hand, the most successful long-term investors I know, the ones who fly underneath most other's radar, are the ones who decide from the get-go what their strengths are. Then they pick a strategy, be it rehabbing, flipping, buy-and-hold, wholesaling, what have you, that plays to their strengths and their investing TARGETS. And they stick with it like Velcro. They invariably hit it.
That's the power of focus, and you can achieve it! You're no different than anyone else. You've been given the same tools, only in differing ratios. It's up to you to choose a target based on your unique combination of tools. Then identify, capture, master, and focus your energy on your target until you hit it and keep on hitting it! Become the unstoppable force in your market!
Now, go make more offers!
You are welcome to share this article, unedited and in it’s entirety, with anyone you like. You may not remove this text.© 2006-2008 by Tom Dunn Website: www.dealfiles.com email: tom@dealfiles.com
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