Weekly Video Blog #131 - Are you Lucky?

The Luckiest people are the ones who take action. Ultimately, we create our own "Luck," if that's what you want to call it.

Thanks for doing another weekly video blog. It's like the old saying that "the harder a person works, the luckier they get." The odds are greatly in your favor as you work hard and stay persistent. We wish you continued success in all you do. Believe and Achieve! - Joe

That's what I've learned to say, to believe, in difficult times. Long ago - I learned it from my aunt, one of my strongest role models growing up. Taking this approach elevates us above the pain and up out of the trial, at least in our thoughts, and we can see the direction ahead. It's not easy to get there, but it's possible when you can see it and not dwell in the darkness.
I don't believe in luck at all. We work hard and make our success, with a healthy dose of "blessings and favor".

I have to tell you DG fam, I presented this week at my REI club on "What I would do differently" - aka - "Mistakes I've Made!" People said I was brave to do it; I don't think so - it was an encouragement to others, and myself, that, indeed, we make our own "luck" - don't sit there and pout - turn it into a lesson and then into success.

I also got to talk about Dean and the Success Academy. I was able to relieve one couple's doubts about the Academy, and they were actually surprised to find out Matt Larson was a real person. LOL - and if you are reading this - it was great to meet you!
Another member was excited to meet me - ha! But I get it - we are some kind a wonderful here - caring and cheering.
Make your own luck gang, and don't look back, except to rejoice.

is derived from hard work, knowledge, persistence and preparation.

Good and bad. We as individuals are a field of energy that is constantly growing and evolving and making choices as we go. One of the first really important things I learned in school early on was the word "idea" and what it meant and the other important thing was time and that it is infinite. So we go along learning and making choices and sometimes we come up with good ideas. That is not a matter of being lucky. If I don't make the deal it does not mean I am stupid. It just means that I have not done whatever it is that I need to do to get it done. Some people just happen to come up with a really good idea like our Real Estate Investing Mentor Dean and then goes with it. Thank God because I for one need his expertise. When bad stuff does happen, tough people last and tough times don't. Lastly when bad stuff happens sometimes it might be the higher power trying to tell or show us something. There in lies the lesson.

Another way to look at this: I recently remarked that the Duchess of Cambridge got the job and I think she is a lucky girl. The person I said that to thought it odd that I would say she got the job. I said well she worked hard to get the job in the firm and while she is lucky enough to marry a prince and live in all the castles, she has her work cut out for her. They are a team and a working partnership in the firm with a strong commitment. I thought it was a beautiful wedding and I am happy for her.

Have a nice Memorial Day weekend and stay safe everyone as we take time to remember our veterans and those who have lost there lives serving our country. Peace and goodwill to all.

DG family, Dean did it again. A simple yet profound lesson to remember. I don't believe in luck. I believe we make our own destiny, we create our realities.
Happy Memorial day to one and all. Thank you to all the the Veterans that have given their all to this country.

but that is because I work hard to get what I want and to accomplish the goals I set for myself. I am lucky for what I learn along the way, not because of the results. The more times I stumble and learn something from it, the luckier I am.
Thank you Dean and everyone here for making me luckier every day!

Valerie

to have had the tv on late one evening and see an infomercial; especially when I steer clear of them and don't believe a thing they have to offer. Fate, luck, timing, whatever you want to call it...

Excellent message Dean! Success is never luck. We are lucky because we take ACTION with the knowledge we gain, and we work HARD! We sacrifice to the nth degree. My gut is to defend that to all my family who just think its all about luck. (But I don't) There wasn't a PERSON in my family that didn't think I wasn't 'lucky' when I bought my first house at the age of 21... and its been so ever since. I've even had a family member, that made 10 times more than what I made be 'jealous' of my 'luck' because while they were out buying everything their heart desired (therefore couldn't afford to 'buy a house'), while I was barely scrinching by, saving every penny I could. But, to that person; it was just 'luck' that I was buying a house that young.

Somehow they think things were handed to me and forget where I came from. Many were naysayers from when I was very young (child) predetermining I would never amount to anything in life. Nobody sees the blood, sweat and tears that comes along with "luck". There's a word that rhymes with 'luck' with the word 'off' at the end I'd love to say to them, but am too polite to. ...Just sayin' ...

For yet another great blog. I know this may sound crazy but when Dean talks about his back ground coming from a small town were everyone knows you and they judge you, I have lived that life. I have heard the you are just lucky so many times.

Right now in my life I know I am not lucky but I am blessed. Everything we have we have worked hard for.

Dean thank you for the education that you have given us to go out and make deals happen. That is not luck but the acts of knowledge of an education and blessings.

Thanks to my fellow veterans that have served this great country we live in. Remember the ones that gave all.

God Bless the DG Family and the USA.

Steve.
Semper Fi.

So true for this one Dean and I absolutely love this week's blog! And I definitely hear ya and agree about that statement from others calling you a lucky b-word, it really is insulting and they just don't really hear themselves when they say it. Sure, we all have moments where something really great happens for us, whether we really work hard for it or not. But just because that really great thing happens for us doesn't necessarily mean out lives are supposed to be based on luck or that we should even look at ourselves as lucky and nothing else. We know deep down inside and really look in our heart of hearts that at the end of the day, we worked hard for something and can be proud of what we accomplished. But when something incredible happens for us, our minds may tell us that we're lucky but our hearts tell us that we're BLESSED!

And I really, REALLY liked the strategy that you presented to us Dean and how we should approach a situation when we face bad luck. For me, 9 out of 10 times when I go through a situation of bad luck, I make the costly mistake of analyzing all the details of what went wrong and hope it doesn't happen again. But ever since that awesome conference call you had with Matt Larson back in September, I always make the effort to hone in on your advice and remember that interesting example you gave about the spilled glass of milk. You said once it spills, you can either focus at the problem and try to figure out all the reasons why it spilled, or you can focus on the solution and just get a towel to clean it up. And that is why Dean I thank you for sharpening me into a highly advanced solution seeker! Of course in this case, if anything I will always remember the 3 considerations regarding bad luck: 1)To make me more money, 2)To be a better person, or 3) To remember what NOT to do next time. Well thanks so much again Dean for another awesome blog that got me thinking and I will strive hard to continue making this finally happen with my 1st deal! Take care and I look forward to hearing from you soon!!

Andre

I've come to notice a consistent theme in Dean...He puts is heart into his work, his words, and into us. I'm so grateful I found him and the DG family.

Have a great holiday everyone!

Dean,
thank you for the pearls that are better than gold. They are much accepted, assimilated, digested and appreciated. Cb

which we must keep in our heart and mind each day. Bad luck is just that, something out of the blue that doesnt go like we wanted or expected. Our reaction to bad luck is the important thing. When we think of bad luck...compare it the tornado victims or the military families who lost loved ones in a far away land without the chance to say good-bye? Think about it guys, our "bad luck" in REI is normally just a mistake we made and is a stepping stone to getting the deal done right. Bless all of you family members and have a thoughtful and respectful Memorial Day!

Luck is what you make..Here in Canada we do not have meetup groups. so I have found a property manager who is also an investor: I have 2 peoperty inspectors who are also investors I have a lawyer who is also an investor..so I am using their knowledge and experience to move forward Ina sense I guess I have formed my own investor group...tada!

Thank you for the words of encouragement! Good message today.

On this day of remembrance of those who have given the ultimate and done their job to the fullest, it wasn't luck!! So, as you said Dean, it's not about luck. Everything is work...good or bad. It's what we make of it. So, work hard, play hard and have a great day!

Thanks Dean
ZepInvest

I want people to call me a lucky B if it's going to get me anywhere near your status. I'm putting my two cents and hard word into being lucky. Have a great Veteran day

Thanks again Dean. I've got this from a little different angle in that I have been thinking a little too much that I have been lucky! In my entire year and a half of my Real Estate Investment career there has been some things that happened at "just the right time" or a critical piece has come together to allow me to keep moving forward... and shame on me, I have often thought, "I sure have been lucky". Well, now that I look at it from the perspective of this week's blog, that is not a very encouraging way to think about it! Because, if it has just been luck that has allowed me to be successful, well then bad luck could make me unsuccessful..... hmmmm... I don't like that idea at all!
I think I will allow this week's blog to spring me into another successful week in Real Estate Investment. As long as I continue to educate myself and continue to never be afraid to take action well then my success is a foregone conclusion.
I need to take this little four letter work "luck" out of my vocabulary.

Have a great week!

I laughed out loud when you said this in your video, not because it was funny, but because it was SO TRUE.

People who fail to take action often accuse risk-takers of being lucky when we succeed or stupid when we fail. The reality is that it's hard to accomplish anything without doing something.

As hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once said: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

This was one of my aha moments at the EDGE this year. When you get hit hard by 'bad luck' (we'll call it) what is your bounce back time?
I thought mine was pretty quick until I lost my grand son last September (not the one in pic). Boy, it seems like it took me a lifetime to get over that. Don't get me wrong, I still have my weepy days, but that's normal (I hope). lol
My point is, Dean's right about focusing your attention on the big picture and the lesson or good that came out of that tragedy or trial, whatever the case may be. Don't dwell on why it happened or how you could've prevented it, because believe it or not it was meant to happen, and most importantly there's a reason it happened. For YOU to grow and evolve.
Now whether you choose to do that is entirely up to you. You can choose to stay stuck in the emotionally tormented state of mind, rehashing the event, or you can accept it, pick up the pieces and try to move forward.
Each day gets a little easier and easier. It's so important to bounce back quickly from set backs, otherwise you may NEVER achieve success.

Happy Memorial Day DG Family.... Blessings and peace be with all who have lost loved ones!

Keep Your Eyes On The Prize.-There Will Aways Be The Naysayers Out There,Thats Thier Job.We Need To Do Our Job And Stay Focus. When We Go Thru All We Have To Go Thru We Will Come Out BETTER,WISER,RICHER.Bring It On Nayers, I Will See You From The Top.

There are so many wise & helpful people on D.G. Com(newbies & ones that have been here awhile).Dean,I can tell you are genuine & always speak from the heart.I know you have earned everything to be in the position you are now.(thru money spent,time spent,school of hard knocks,etc).Luck has nothing to do with it.You being who you are choose to view that as a positive.I thank GOD for the people he brings into my life.I am very thankfull for you,your staff,the success academy,people on D.G.Com.
May GOD continue to bless you & your family.
May GOD bless our men & women in the military and the families of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

David
Corpus Christi,Texas

I've been called lucky but in a way that meant "you don't really deserve it". I've always felt weird about that word because I believe we are in the right place at the right time and are guided there. Maybe it's because we're in tune with our goals and desires. Or maybe in order to get where we want to be we may have to experience something unpleasant or "unlucky" to get to the higher level. My having to go through the auto-immune problems I've had the last few months have lead me to a Dr. who guided me in a way no other dr. had. I'm feeling how I have wanted to feel health wise now only because I had to travel that uncomfortable path. I'm so much better and NOT taking a chemo drug.. Is that lucky? No, it's my path.

Of Course, meeting you, Dean, has felt "lucky." But mostly just happy that there's someone, a mentor, on our side who wants to see us succeed and won't call us "lucky" when we do. Thanks so much.

I have had my string of ways why things just didn't work out the way we wanted it to turn out. I felt I had a lot of weight on my shoulders at times but one wise man told me to stay your course because Better days are right around the corner. At that time when the wise man mentioned it to me and with the weight on my shoulders I said to myself it must be a big corner because things were just to chaotic and negative. You know that wise man was right because when things get crazy or overwhelming I just say to myself Better days are right around the corner and things tend to work out better than in the past.To me luck has nothing to do with it and it's all about how you handle the situation.

Dean, You may allready know it ,but I'll tell you that nobody in this business tells it like you do and there are lots of us thank you for it! EDGAR

Hey Dean I would like to share something with you, I'm still working on getting my first deal and, I'm still trying to get there, (lucky) in spanish means afortunado, fortuna means fortune in english. So I would say I'm very fortunate to have met you that night at 11:35pm when I thought that all was lost I had nowhere to turn to, listing to your up beat motivation and enthusiasm made an impact in my life, maybe sometimes you can't change a person on how they think about real estate, but you change the way they view things in life, to me that is priceless. I would like to say thank you Dean. Gloria

Thanks Dean: I think we are all lucky,we have found you. To prosper or suceed, especially.through chance or good fortune.To give assistance, or support to all of us, to understand your lessons. Thanks again.Happy Memorial Day To All. Carol In Texas

Dean
You are a beautiful soul. I agree with you. I don't believe in good luck or bad luck; there's just life where bad things can happen through no fault of our own. When we go through trials in our lives, there is something we need to learn from it. Behind what other people call your "good luck" is a lot time and effort to make it happen.

I was blessed when I found you, it had nothing to do with luck. You are the answer to one of my prayers.

Have a happy holiday everyone.

I've truly had more bad luck than good and lots of people think I'm stupid and crazy for spending money in the ways I choose to improve my quality of life. The little bit of good luck goes along ways and though the deals haven't gone well I've learn't a great deal from them. Things are actually falling into place. I've improve on my since of direction. Failures are stepping stones to success and I have dean to thank for all this. I will succeed and will keep taking the steps that I'm comfortable with and work at the one's I'm not so comfortable with. I want to be that lucky bastard too someday. I work on my business everyday and believe in myself to keep moving forward. thanks again Dean.

"Fortune has rarely condescended to be the companion of genius".Isaac Disraeli
"Chance (or Luck) favors the prepared mind".Louis Pasteur
"When you work seven days a week, fourteen hours a day, you get lucky". Armand Hammer

When someone makes a comment like that towards me or mine I just smile and know that what they are really saying is man can these people get it done or what.

So we must prepare by learning all there is to learn about what we do and by taking action so our bad judgement turns to good judgement. Or as they say were I come from, work hard, party hard. Success can be life long.