Don’t Wait For Changes To Happen
By JD Esajian on February 24, 2014
Taking action is difficult. To take action, it usually requires some kind of change which often scares people into doing nothing at all. Most people will look for landmarks and start days to get things going, think New Years and starting a diet on a Monday. Eventually, a diet that you were set on starting in March will still be in your plans come May. The same mindset applies to any business you are in, especially the real estate business. It is easy to get caught up in something you are doing now and ignore the changes you were so eager to make. If you look back one year from now, you may regret the action that you didn’t take. Thus, be proactive and initiate change yourself.
Changing marketing strategies, pursuing different types of properties, working with a new realtor or whatever you want to change about your business requires you to be strong enough to make those changes and move on. Once you take the time to think about things over a weekend or wait to see how things play out, you have only attempted to delay the inevitable and waste time. It is almost universal that the one major trait that separates successful investors from those who are struggling is their willingness to take action and make changes as soon as they see fit. At times, these can be difficult decisions to make, but the sooner you can cut rope and move on, the better off your business will be.
Real estate investing is similar in many ways to playing poker. In poker, there are often times when you know you should fold, but your curiosity to see the final card or two cards and see how your hand stacks up gets the better of you. As an investor, you may have made a sizable marketing commitment that you know isn’t working, but you continue to dump good money after bad hoping against hope things turn around. Many times, the best play is to fold your hand before you get too involved and move on to the next one. If something isn’t working in business, don’t make matters worse hoping for a miracle. Fold your strategy and move on to the next property.
Sometimes it just takes a minor tweak to your business instead of a major overhaul. That minor tweak may be all that is separating you from closing a few deals and having more business than you can handle. Usually, this change comes from having the courage or “know-how” to actually do it. If someone were to tell you that all you need to do to change your business is join a local networking group or to commit one day a week to meeting realtors and attorneys, you would probably do it. Even though this is usually the case, most investors will put off on doing just that or not do it at all. In the meantime, the people that are taking action and chasing business instead of waiting for it to fall on their lap are seeing the fruits of their labor.
Making change is never easy, but it is an important part of business and life. Don’t wait until you have to make these changes take the proactive approach and beat them to the punch. It may not happen overnight, but your business will be better because of it in the long run.