This is a Starbucks. It's not even a real one; it's inside of a grocery store in Allen, Texas.
Nearly three years ago I met here with Mark Kenney. I can't even remember the details of what we discussed. At the time I knew very little about real estate yet he indulged me and met on a weekday at 7 am. About a year later I'd come to find out that he'd started a mentorship platform which I'd end up joining.
It took me a while to make the weighty decision of whether to gamble on myself by paying for a costly, specialized education with no guarantee of success. But incidentally I had just done the same thing a couple years back when I went to business school, so that helped convince me that I was doing the right thing. In any case I chose a path which in the last three-ish years has dramatically changed my outlook on, and trajectory in life.
I now believe that in nearly all cases people are capable of achieving far more than they think is possible.
I also think it's important for people to TRY to figure out what they want out of life. This is different from having it all figured out, which we can never achieve - what I mean is that there is something deeply fulfilling in relentlessly pursuing a goal. In my particular case the pursuit of the goal involved persistently asking people like Mark to spend time with me. It also turned out for me that meeting with Mark proved to be very valuable. Prior to and following that meeting I have had countless doors shut in my face, but I just keep going. It's as if I have no choice but to keep going.
However in hindsight I know I was dangerously close to reverting to the mean and living life while simply going through the motions.
"Every man dies, not every man really lives" - William Wallace
But now that I've been in the pursuit of fulfillment, it puts into perspective so many details such as the relative unimportance of things and the need to appreciate them only for what they literally are, not what we think they represent. Humans make things; things do not make us.
Or the importance of shamelessly asking for time or partnership with people - this has connected me with people who have enabled massive results - as long as I was willing to lead such requests with an offer of value. The flip side of this is the crucial ability to be rejected and 100% not care. This kind of audacity can lead to huge opportunity and growth. Without the shamelessness, the opportunity doesn't happen.
Also, I've learned that it's better to invest now and spend later as opposed to spending now and investing never because compounding is a hell of a thing. Sidenote: I don't consider 401k's to be good investments. If you're doing the same thing as Lazy Larry three cubes down from you, your "investment" is not special.
Lastly, I realize the importance of enjoying the journey because any destination I reach cannot provide happiness. And if the journey sucks I can change it.
Much of my recent journey has been shaped by a strong desire to meet with people I admire, and it has made a tremendous impact because you just never know when a chance meeting might be a catalyst for massive change.
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