It amazes me how many people start investing in real estate, only to fail when the going gets tough. As soon as people discover they can’t get rich in a week or two, they are on to the next “guru” secret. It’s the same as weight loss–everyone talks about it, many try it, but few succeed.
There are thousands of “get rich quick” and “get slim quick” gimmicks. No wonder both the real estate investing information and weight loss product industries make BILLIONS!
Weight loss isn’t easy; ask anyone who has tried it. However, the concept is very basic: Burn more calories than you ingest and your body will react accordingly. Unless you have a medical disorder, this formula works for just about anyone.
Simple as it may be, the formula is HARD, meaning it takes a lot of discipline and hard work. So the weight loss industry has offered us thousands of ways to make it easier. Many of these solutions do work, but they only work if you put forth effort.
How does having help and information help?
Now, let’s start with the premise you don’t need any of these solutions to make real estate investments OR weight loss work for you. You can eat fewer calories, go walking or jogging every day, and you will lose weight.
But having knowledge of the caloric content or carbohydrate content of different foods is relevant. Having the advice of a physician, dietitian, and personal trainer will help you prevent injuries and maximize your efforts.
Same principle applies to real estate investing: You can go out and make hundreds of offers to motivated sellers and find a good deal. However, having information about how to solve the sellers’ needs and construct an offer helps.
Having an attorney, real estate agent, or “guru” to assist you construct the offer and paperwork will make it easier. Having advice from other people who have already done hundreds of deals will also make it easier for you to learn from other people’s success (and failure).
However, whether it’s weight loss or real estate investing, the bottom line is not just knowing, but DOING. You can’t blame the diet if you don’t stick to it.
The key ingredient is you
Many people have successfully lost weight using “The Zone,” Weight Watchers®, Dr. Atkins, and other similar plans. Many people have succeeded with the famous plans, but many have failed, NOT because the plan isn’t effective, but more likely because they didn’t give the required effort.
Both real estate investing and weight loss are simple, but neither is easy. They take a lot of work. Having a proven system or plan helps only if you stick to it.
If the diet plan says to exercise 3 times per week, you can’t be sloppy about it and expect results. It’s like the people reading a book on the treadmill at the gym. If you can read a book, you’re not working HARD ENOUGH.
Likewise, people call newspaper ads and say, “Hey, you wouldn’t want to sell me your house cheap, would you?” This is not DOING; It is TRYING. You have to give 100% to a particular plan or formula before you say, “This stuff doesn’t work.”
Many people who are interested in weight loss join a gym or hire a personal trainer. From personal experience, I can say that both are great for weight loss. But, the weeks I didn’t show up, it was a BIG WASTE OF MONEY!
The same thing goes for a real estate investment training system or mentor program. If you don’t put forth any effort, it won’t work! And, of course, you’ll likely get bitter about all the money you spent and blame the guru. After all, it can’t be YOUR fault!
Real estate investing and weight loss scams
The “magic pills” that melt off fat are probably a scam. These snake oil salesman are offering the lazy and desperate people a solution–no work and results. Ha! If you bought into this scam you deserve to be parted from your money.
Likewise, any real estate investment guru who promises riches with no work is also a scam. My favorite promise is “no selling involved.” That’s the biggest lie ever told. No business can be successful without a certain amount of selling of the product or service–period!
So, while there is a dark side to the weight loss and real estate investing information businesses, most people fail at either because of their own lack of action, not the fault of the systems.
If you aren’t willing to work, another weight loss program or real estate seminar won’t get you any more results than you are currently getting. Save your money and take more consistent action.
However, if you are willing to work hard and take a lot of consistent action, a guru or program will likely give you more results. If you bought a book, course, or program and already have results, another program, course or book will likely give you tools to get MORE RESULTS.
I often hear about successes people have with my real estate investment programs, but a lot of them are not first time successes. They are most often people who have already been successful and, using my tools, became MORE successful.
If someone asks me whether my program will make him successful, I ask, “What other programs have you bought?” If he’s already spent thousands on other programs and has done NOTHING, I discourage him from buying mine.
Those people are looking for the elusive “holy grail” that all the other programs left out. More than likely, the missing element is lack of action on their part.
If you aren’t willing to take action, you won’t get more results by buying more products. If you have the discipline to work hard and take consistent action, then products and services will help you get there faster. Whether you are looking to get rich or lose weight, the bottom line is YOU!