If you have a child you’ll understand the story that I’m going to tell you. Last fall, when my son was about 18 months we had him tested by early intervention. To my wife and I, he seemed behind with his speaking compared to the other toddlers around his age. We had nothing else to go by, so it was natural to think our son was behind. We were concerned so we had him tested. Turns out he was perfectly fine and not only that all his motor skill tests he graded out extremely well.
Looking back on that time I now realize why we thought our son was behind. Even though we have come in contact with countless amounts of toddlers, the only ones that stuck out to us were the ones who were exceptional at speaking for their age. It’s only natural to notice things that stick out from the rest and ignore the average.
Don’t Compare Yourself With Others
It’s dangerous for sure and is a quick way to get depressed about your progress. Having a full time job, a 2 year old and a wife I want to spend all my time with leaves me with very little time to work on my business. The result is that I get things done slowly. I measure my progress 3 months at a time because doing it more often then that it would be tough to see the strides that I’ve made.
As I read blogs such as FlipThisWholesaler.net, louisvillegalsrealestateblog.com, REITipster.com and even a new one I just discovered houseflippinghq.com I get depressed and frustrated because they are doing so much so fast! They are sending out thousands of direct mail peaces, building websites, blogging like crazy, doing Podcasts and doing so many more deals then me it’s humbling. I can’t help think….
WHY AM I NOT DOING ALL OF THAT?
That is the same trap that me wife and I fell into with regards to my son. I get caught up comparing myself to these other successful investors even though our situations aren’t the same. The key is to work with your strengths and to never give up. Pivoting and changing directions doesn’t mean I’m giving up my goals. What it does mean is that I’ve learned something doesn’t work for me.
I’m 5 years into my investing career. I’ve learned a ton from the 5 deals that my partner and I put together in that time. Lets see what the next 5 years bring…I bet it will be amazing!