Are You the Tortoise or the Hare in Your Approach to Real Estate Investing?

Do you have a plan in place to achieve commercial real estate success? Maybe you’re just spinning your wheels going from idea to idea without any clear direction or consistent actions to reach your goals. Do you even have clearly defined goals?

Reaching success, whatever that means to you, is only possible with consistent and persistent action over a period of time. Take some time to do some research, find a mentor, whatever it takes to get you pointed in the right direction. Develop a plan of action and, most importantly, stick to it! A plan is only as good as its execution. I just made that one up – feel free to quote me ;)

I found this article online and thought that it mirrored what I was thinking in a lot of ways, so I decided to share it with you here in its entirety. As you read it, think of how you can use the underlying philosophy to your advantage whether in your pursuit of commercial real estate or other things you value in your life like health and happiness. It’s an old story, but the inspiration is timeless.

Three Steps to Becoming Consistent and Persistent

To achieve a level of success in most anything in life requires one to be consistent and persistent, as achievements are not typically accomplished in a single or random number of actions.

First let's understand what we mean by being consistent and persistent.

Being consistent is performing a task on some type of schedule or performing a task in a similar manner. Taking a walk every morning is an example of a consistent behavior. Following a select route each day is also a consistent behavior.

Being persistent is refusing to give up or to let go, even in the face of adversity, warnings or setbacks even to the point where one is told they are being obstinate, or there is no reason to continue to go on or to hope for a particular outcome. Being persistent can be having a belief that something will or will not happen such as someone with a terminal illness will get better and continue to live a normal life. If our individual in the example above slipped and broke their ankle, they would be persistent if they started each day by taking a walk even if they were on crutches.

The desire for success and the consistent action to achieve one's goals combines to create persistence. It is the consistent and persistent attitude and behavior over time that leads individuals to success or failure, to winning or losing.

Success Tip # 1
Possess determination and refuse to give up, quit, or be defeated. Individuals with a passion or dream who wish to achieve success will identify their goals and objectives to achieve the success desired. Armed with their action plan and their internal drive they will continue taking regular steps when most others would quit. A part of this component of being consistent and persistent is the pride and quiet satisfaction of an accomplishment. This is not action or thinking related to arrogance or boasting, but the down deep dignity and self-respect an individual possesses who will go to all lengths to complete a task or achieve a goal.

Success Tip # 2
Be willing to demonstrate patience and have the faith of a desired outcome at some point in the future. Success for many is a journey requiring a period of time in some cases a long period of time; it is not just an overnight stop between starting something and completing something. Possessing faith in the outcome and seeing the accomplishment in your mind is actually one of the steps in achieving a goal.

Success Tip # 3
Being open to taking an appropriate risk to achieve the goal is yet another factor in a consistent and persistent individual. You will notice I said "acceptable" risk by only possessing a "play-it-safe" attitude will result in missed opportunities. Yet by being open to untried solutions and understanding and assessing the risks involved, one can move closer to desired success. In other cases it is necessary for an individual to make an attempt and to be okay with failing as long as there is a lesson to be learned and not repeated in future attempts.

I'll take you back to the Aesop's fable of the tortoise and the hare. The rabbit started fast and disappeared down the path. To the tortoise it had to look like the race was hopeless as there is no way on this earth he could keep up with the rabbit. Yet he constantly and persistently put one foot in front of another, and after a while he passed the point where the rabbit had stopped to take a nap. But the race was not over as the finish line was still far away. So the determined tortoise continued down the path one step at a time maintaining his actions. Like many people who work in bursts and then stop for a while, the rabbit woke up and continued speeding towards the finish line. But like the individual who continued to perform the appropriate actions even when it looked hopeless, the tortoise crossed the finish line just ahead of the hare. By all rights a hare should always beat a tortoise.

But in life it doesn't always work that way, the fast and the strong do not always win only because they stop or quit even if it is for just a period of time. So for the individual with determination, patience, and the ability to take a risk, and at times fail the race can be won, the goal accomplished, and success achieved - with the habits of being consistent and persistent.

Sharma, Ajay. (2009, August 21). Three Steps to Becoming Consistent and Persistent The Free Library. (2009). Retrieved August 26, 2009 from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Three Steps to Becoming Consistent and Persistent-a01073976784

Also found at: easyarticles.com

Photo credit: Chris Hendricks www.screenhog.com