We just completed our first annual Customer Appreciation Celebration. Quite frankly, it was the best event I’ve ever played a part in conducting in my entire 15-year history of teaching.
I guess it’s largely because Global Publishing is partly owned and wholly run by women. Women who care, who have a servant’s heart, and I’ve seen the major impact a helping hand and a little training can have on so many lives.
Yes, it was truly an amazing event, with 1,000 people checking in, all there for pretty much the same reason… to find a way to live a life of financial freedom.
I can tell you from numerous conversations with motivated attendees, that a lot of lives changed last week. Some were inspired to finally get started. Others were catapulted to higher expectations than ever before in their lives. No wonder, with the magnificent faculty we assembled, the best ever put under one roof at least until now.
Now for the bad news. As always when we get a group together, there are people in the room who just don’t get it. Sometimes I wonder how some people can manage to get to be 40 or 50 years old and still remain so dumb and helpless.
I heard dozens of success stories that made me proud. I had a stage full of good people doing two or more deals per month, some with profits in excess of $50,000 per house.
I had a young man who just made $1,200,000 on one deal. He was 30 years old.
I had another who optioned an $8,000,000 house for $4,000,000 and expects to net at least $2,000,000, with none of his money or credit.
I had elderly folks making huge deals, young folks making six figure incomes three months into the business, and even handicapped folks bragging about their killer deals.
All this makes me a proud man. I consider them all my children.
But, then come the whiners and complainers, and people looking for sympathy. Time wasters looking for miracles. Dreamers with absolutely no link with reality. People who should never give up their day jobs, cause they don’t stand a prayer of succeeding in any business without a brain transplant.
Here are some of the excuses I endured while trying to remain kind and gentle. If I assembled all these folks in one place at one time, we could create a Jerry Springer Show smash hit.
A 42-year-old man told me he couldn’t do deals because his wife divorced him, and he was afraid if he made any money he’d have to pay her more alimony.
No wonder she divorced him. She probably should have put him out of his misery. It would have been cheaper.
An elderly couple told me they had been to my boot camp, and knew how to do deals, but if they made more money, it would reduce their government benefits and social security. For three years that’s been their excuse for doing nothing.
You should have seen their faces when I told them all they had to do was use a Corporation, or their IRA to make the money instead of them. They turned pale, and I thought we’d have to call the squad. Three years of no income, rather than find the simple answer. No wonder we need the government to support our population.
A man told me he wasn’t doing deals because he lived in California and someone told him land trusts were illegal there. He described a deal he just let go, with $40,000 profit, because he couldn’t decide how to buy it. I can’t imagine why he’s broke. Could it have anything to do with him being an idiot?
Land trusts are legal in California, however, with the new law change levying a tax on the sale of properties, it may be easier to use LLC’s and Corporations to take title there, since the tax doesn’t apply when you do.
A couple in their 50’s were telling me how their son died in an accident, and they just haven’t been able to function since. They had me going, until I learned the accident was 12 years ago. Geez, go see a shrink guys. I say that’s a case of using a past tragedy as a convenient excuse to get lazy.
Several couples tell me they hadn’t gotten started because they simply were afraid of what would happen if they made a mistake.
I asked them all the same question, “What’s the worst that could happen?” None had an answer.
Then I followed with, If you don’t write checks to buy houses, and you don’t guarantee debt, and you don’t make promises you can’t keep, the worst that can happen is… let me think… oh, I got it, the worst the can happen is…Nothing!?
I ask people all the time, “What is it you’re afraid of?”
Rarely do I get a good answer.
Do The Thing You Fear and The Death of Fear Is Certain
If you’re an unfortunate soul who’s paralyzed by fear, and you’re still wishing and hoping, maybe it’s time to get over it and grow up.
Nothing you fear is worth worrying about, if it relates to money in business. If you lose money, go make it back on the next deal. If you lost face, apologize and move on. If you lose your credit, it’s cause you didn’t listen to me in the first place. But so what? You don’t need credit to buy houses. Make more money and pay your bills on time, and you’ll soon get it back.
I lost my credit for a 15-year period of my life. It didn’t stop me from buying anything I wanted, or from making money. It did help me understand, when you’re on the bottom, there isn’t much else they can do to hurt you.
I truly believe it requires adversity to build true grit.
Only After a Violent Storm Can You Appreciate Squalls
I do know that most of the wealth in this country is owned by people who have suffered many failures, and made a lot of mistakes. It’s all part of growing up and maturing as a well-rounded business leader.
Willie Mays said it best, “It’s Not My Wife, It’s Not My Life, Why Worry?”
On another subject, I am constantly amazed by people who unreasonably expect to become good at anything overnight. They didn’t get broke overnight, and they won’t get rich overnight.
Fat people didn’t gain weight overnight, and it’ll take awhile to lose it.
Every business requires time to master the skills to excel. Real estate is no different.
Make offers to unmotivated sellers and you won’t be buying much. Stick out a couple of signs and get some cards made, and expect to get flooded with calls that’s foolish. Make offers through Realtors, and you can expect little or no results. Pay too much or buy incorrectly, and it’s ugly from then on.
You must learn the basics before you can even think about getting good. Incidentally, if you think you can do that in any other environment than a focused training, designed to instill them into you, you’re kidding yourself, and needlessly costing yourself a lot of money and lost time trying to save a few bucks. That’s how broke people think. No education in the school of hard knocks is cheap, and it’s absolutely impossible to learn what I know, cheaper than what I charge.
Everything I now do well, I did badly first. Everything I still do badly is only because I never invested the time, money and energy to do it correctly. There are very few things I couldn’t master if I set out to do so. It’s a matter of choices, and I’ve made mine. Most were good ones. Some, I regret. There isn’t much I’d do differently, and I’m fully aware all things that happen in my life, good and bad, are a direct by-product of my choices.
I don’t blame others for my mistakes, and I’m willing to accept the consequences. However, I reserve the right to continue making mistakes, because I doubt I’ll live long enough to run out of them.
My mistakes have made me strong, and have given me the mental freedom to be willing to make many more. So far, none have cost me more than time or money. I don’t fear mistakes, I embrace them and pat myself on the back, because after all I’ve been through, I’m still eager to move forward, regardless of all the mistakes still waiting.
I guess the more mistakes one makes, the more willing we are to make more. I’ve been in the business jungle several times, and so far haven’t been eaten by the lions, tigers or bears.
There aren’t many mistakes I haven’t made in the house business, yet I keep on buying them.
How about you? Is fear stopping you from enjoying the good life? Is your family suffering because you just can’t get moving? Has some past mistake frightened you so badly it won’t let you enjoy a future success? Are you justifying your failures with worthless excuses, even you know are a joke?
Here’s a question! If I were to hold your children for ransom, and told you if you didn’t legally make, not borrow, $25,000 within the next 60 days, you’d never see them again, what would you do?
Something tells me you’d do whatever it takes. Your fear would be discarded, and all your excuses would go down the crapper. You’d start looking for deals tonight, and probably call me and beg me to do a boot camp for you ASAP. You’d find the money and use laser keen focus to do what it takes everyday, until you made the $25,000.
I bet that experience would change your life forever, because you’d finally come to believe it can work for you, and you’re worthy of success.
You see, sometimes we all need a 2×4 upside the head to get our attention, so we can Turn and Face the Tiger.
To Your Quantum Leap,
Ron LeGrand
P.S. In our new building, we have started a Wall of Fame. On that wall(s), there will be hundreds of your success letters we will proudly display for all our visitors to see. We’d love for you to make the wall. After you’ve done one or more deals, send me a one page testimonial letter, and I’d like to get your photo and copies of checks. Please mail to 9799 Old St. Augustine Rd., Jacksonville, FL, 32257. Don’t email. I want originals on your letterhead if possible, with color photos. Makes a prettier wall.
Yes, that is the address of the GPI building. Vickie and I bought it back on July 18th, and Global Publishing will be moving in during August 2003. Come by and see us if you get down our way, and I’ll tell you about one of my stupid mistakes that cost $1,200,000. Buy hey, I’ve gotten over it, almost.
Here are a few signs I’m thinking of hanging on the walls…
Thumb Suckers and Cry-Babies Over 18 Not Welcome Here
Success Is the Prized Possession Of An Unreasonable Man
Weak Men Wait For Opportunities. Strong Men Make Them.
Don’t Tell Me About the Labor Pains, Show Me the Baby
And of Course…
The Less I Do, The More I Make
Whaddaya think? Keep your letters comin. We got a lotta walls at GPI.
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November 10th, 2011 at 5:11 pm
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