OfflineHello All
I spent Friday and Saturday with a group of fellow Entrepreneurs brainstorming about how we can continue to help others achieve their goals while expanding our businesses.
It was truly life changing for so many reasons. There were so many amazing topics, but I wanted to at least share a few of them with you.
It's 12:15 AM Sunday and I am typing on my lap top while sitting on my bed and I am reflecting back on what was discussed.
The subject line was "Are you lucky or a fool" because it was a phrase I brought up that nearly every other entrepreneur understood and had the same experience.
You see in middle school I sold bubble gum. In high school I sold firewood by the cord. Right out of high school I fixed wrecked cars and sold them for a profit.
Then not that much after - before the age of 20 - I knocked on enough doors to finally get in my first real estate deal. Now there is an entire story on how that all happened being broke and no education. But that is for another story.
Then after a great run of success starting from nothing I decided I wanted to try sharing my story and my strategies on TV.. Boy, did I bomb at first and had no clue what I was doing. But obviously I stuck with it;-)
Ok why did I share that and what am I getting at?
Well at every level of trying something new. From bubble gum to firewood. From Cars to Real Estate. From real estate to books and TV - If I tried something new and failed, like I did many times - friends and even family would say I was foolish for trying something outside the normal -
And even worse - if I tried something outside what others would think is the "norm" and succeeded then I was just lucky. Sound familiar?
Here is what I realized today brainstorming with 15 other very successful entrepreneurs (Who most if not all started with nothing) is that everyone of them faced the same exact situations.
Who is making you feel like a fool? Who in your life thinks that trying something new, outside the box can't work for you? Who is stealing your dreams? Identify them and create a smart barrier that protects your dreams.
Here is what I know. Others get uncomfortable with you trying for success if they are not ready to make a move on their own. So it is easier for them to keep you where you are then for them to move.
I share this with you because even with all the real estate knowledge in the world, if you don't have faith in yourself, or you let popular opinion get you off track you will never be able to reach your full potential. And you deserve to look in the mirror and see the best you.
Be strong, be brave, be all you can be.. And most of all if the people around you start calling you a fool or lucky. Take it as a compliment - you are on your way;-)))
I though it was important that I share that with you..
Have a wonderful week
Best
Dean
P.S. There were some amazing people in that group. One invited guest to listen in because she is looking to try and help people in need on a monster scale was Paula Abdul. You may know her from American Idol or a singer from the 80's. But I got to meet the real person who is an over achiever, who worked her tail off and overcame a boatload of naysayers in her life.
I just want you to know I have been lucky enough to meet people like Paula, Richard Branson the Billionaire, Michael Jordan, Joel Osteen, Bill Clinton and many others you would know. And guess what... None of them were born under a lucky star, none of them were without obstacles, failures, hardship and so many things that should have told them to give up. They were not fools, they were not lucky, they were determined and decided to go for it.. It's your turn....
If you would like the chance to work with me or one of my fellow real estate investor coaches and our advanced training programs, give us a call anytime to see if Dean's Real Estate Success Academy and our customized curriculum is a fit for you. Call us at 1-877-219-1474 ext. 125
Thanks to you and for you Dean....i repeat what everyone sez...you are aweinspiringand have mountains of courage, guts and obviously love of God....i've yet to mskr my first deal, but it won't be long...not with you behind me!! Thank you....lena
Now it says nothing matches....I will continue to use Lena Richardson, and tasha1, password. Please list as thar, and thank you. Lena Richardson
Thanks Dean for your Uncommon Inspiration! We will view every problem as an opportunity to help others & benefit ourselves!
I too am amazed every time I see your name on at the same time I am as an active user on this site. All of your blogs and posts are so inspiring.
I am now reading your book "Totally Fulfilled" and really making it part of myself.
Thanks for all you do as a mentor to help all of us help our selves.
Judi
Thank you for sharing more of your personal story Dean. Reading your story and others inspires me to keep going, and to do the things that will improve my life and get me out of debt.
Andrew
No, I'm not following you
Thanks for your pm. Very sweet. and THANKS DEAN for all you do for us your loyal students!! 
"Persistence Pays, Procrastination Delays!" - smurfy
"I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13
"He will keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee" Isaiah 26:3
"Those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31
View my journal here: http://www.deangraziosi.com/real-estate-forums/investing-journals/59850/...
Samuel Goldwyn of MGM pictures said "The harder I work, the luckier I get!" Good inspiring "weekly wisdom" today...
I'm off to take action and go figure out how much granite counter tops are going to cost for my rehab.
Jill... the investor friendly REALTOR.
Due to spam... no email links!
Your comment really hits home. It also reminds me of the old saying "Better to be lucky than good". It really doesn't matter which one you are, because you need all of it to succeed. Being a "Fool" is most likely what everyone called all great Inventors or Entrepreneurs before the became successful, then they became lucky because it worked. The key in my mind is taking ACTION. The fool is the one that didn't take action. God Bless and Good Fortune to All.
The time is NOW, you just have to keep going for it!!!
so much can be said in just a couple of words... I think everyone here can relate to those two words 'lucky fool'...
although I must admit that I do feel 'lucky' for having discovered this site and so many wonderful investors that share their knowledge, and I do feel like a 'fool' for not having followed DG's strategies from the very first time when I bought a property.
Learning and progressing every day,
Valerie
Valerie
“And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed!” ― Dr. Seuss
"I believe in angels, the kind that heaven sends; I am surrounded by angels, but I call them friends" - Unknown
My journal: http://www.deangraziosi.com/real-estate-forums/investing-journals/59110/...
I think it's great that these threads come back around. I see this was started in Feb 2010 yet the words hold true today as they did then.
Dean, you've said it before and over and over. "The only thing stopping us from success is ourselves." We listen to the wrong people, wrong ideas, wrong words and we fail. We listen to the right people, right ideas, right words and we succeed. Could it really be that simple? I think it is.
I'll be seeing you at the next edge event!
Andy Sager
Your (Dean Graziosi's) AndyS
Andy Sager
DG's AndyS
CFIC & IE member
2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016 EDGE Alumni
Thank you Dean for that! It came at a time that I had recently read another very inspiring story. Your story just drove home the fact that we can do anything we set our minds to do. The other story was sent to me in an email and was entitled "Touching the Sky Without Arms". It was about a lady by the name of Jessica Cox. Some of you may have read about her. She was born without arms due to a rare congenital disease. When she was young, she didn't understand why she did not have arms like the other children. Regardless, she took part in gymnastics, dancing, and sports. She would cry because people would stare at her eating with her feet. But she decided to look at the positive side of her situation. She learned to drive a car with her feet and with modifications which she later had removed. She holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Arizona. She puts on her makeup, her contacts and does her hair with her feet. She said her mother always told her she could do anything she wanted to do and her father never shed a tear for her because he didn't consider her handicapped. At 26 years old, she is the first lady in history to pilot a plane without arms. There is something she said that we should all pay attention to and learn from. She said, "Sometimes fear starts from the lack of knowledge of the unknown. There is a universal fear, that of the lack of confidence in yourself." She also said, "I do not have arms, but that is not what determines where I can go." We all can take this and apply it to our lives as well and to our REI. We have fear of the unknown, but we have to take the bull by the horns like she did and just do it. The confidence will come with each and every contact we make and with every deal we make. This was so inspiring to me that I said if she can do all those things with no arms, surely I can do some real estate deals with two arms and two legs and all the knowledge that Dean has so graciously shared with us through his books and blogs. Dean, the post that you just shared with us shows that you want all of us to succeed and that you are willing to share your experiences, good and bad, as well as your knowledge to help us do so. Thank you Dean for being who you are.
Everything works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out, it's not the end.
You have not lived a perfect day, unless you have done something for someone who will never be able to repay you. Ruth Smeltzer
It is what it is 'til you change it.
Yes and I feel blessed and very grateful. I was lucky to accomplish 20 years and 2 months for a huge corporation and then was able to retire before they could find reason to cut me loose in their scheme of cost cutting. Oh yes, I worked hard and stayed focused. I used them the same way they used me and I was determined to stay the course and do my best. All the while I was contemplating what my exit would be and got the idea to have and play a Trump card. That opened my mind so that one Sunday morning as I was getting ready to go to church I saw Dean on tv with his Think a Little Different program. I ordered it and looked at it but it was not time yet to act on that. I had to stay the course and was not finished with the corporation. Between then and now I took an accelerated college course and earned an Associates Degree in Occupational studies of health and fitness. That is way cool and I never had a clue that would happen and all the while still working. It cost me but it also benefited me. Now I sit here with Dean's latest book 156 pages and his continued promise that I can take action and make $5,000.00 in the next 30 days. When I left the corporation my Manager sent a message to me telling me he very much appreciated my tenacity and determination. Yes I am lucky and I am growing and learning by being challenged and exposing myself to new things. I have many ways to make a living and am my own boss for sure. I am most grateful for Dean Graziosi and all the inspiring and motivating e-mails he that he has been sending me for the past few years. He says again and again the he will not leave anyone behind and continues to reach out. I thank God also for his many provisions.