Talk is cheap....

I first mentioned real estate investing to my dad in the summer of 2007.  We had talked about it before, but had never really gotten any further than just a passing conversation.  One day I said, "Dad I would really like to start investing in real estate."  He replied, " Then start investing in real estate!  Don't just say it, get out and do it!"  He went on to tell me that many people talk about things they would like to do but very few of them actually make an effort to change.  He told me not to be one of those people.  That conversation started a fire in me!  I started reading books and listening to CDs on real estate investing.  I started looking online at houses for sale.  I started driving through neighborhoods looking at for sale signs.  I looked in the newspaper and anywhere else that might have property for sale.  I couldn't get enough of the books and CDs.  I didnt even like reading!  To be honest, I hated reading!  But each book I read made me hungrier for more information.  I had finally found something that I was passionate about. 

Let me make something clear...any kind of change is not easy.  If it is worth doing then there will be challenges along the way.  Anyone who has ever accomplished anything has encountered adversity.  I heard someone say adversity lies at the heart of every success.  Here's a few things about adversity that I found in John Maxwell's book Failing Forward:

1.  Adversity creates resilience
2.  Adversity develops maturity
3.  Adversity pushes the envelope of accepted performance
4.  Adversity provides greater opportunities
5.  Adversity prompts innovation
6.  Adversity brings unexpected benefits
7.  Adversity creates motivation

The bible also has something to say about adversity in Ecclesiastes 7:14:

In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: surely God has appointed the one as well as the other.

Most of us think of adversity as something negative.  But adversity is actually a good thing.  It helps mold us into something different.  Something better.  Hopefully this gives you something to chew on.  I know it did for me.  Next I'll get into our first couple real estate deals and some of the lessons we've learned so far.  Experience can be a tough teacher!