“Is It All in Your Head?” by Larry Goins

I’ve seen it time and time again. I give one investor all of the tools he or she needs to succeed, but failure ensues. Another investor receives the same tools and proceeds to secure tremendous wealth and financial freedom in a very short time. The difference? Their mindset.

Having a positive mindset is critical for your success as a real estate investor. It’s the attitude that you WILL prevail in any given situation. It is the little voice in your head that says “I can do this,” or “I won’t let them get the best of me,” or “That didn’t work, what else can I try?”

When you get knocked down, positive mindset is the force that gets you back on your feet, dusts your britches off, puts your hat back on, and gets you going again. It is the clarity of mind and the resolution to succeed that drives you on when things look bleak.

As you move through each day — meeting people and crossing off items on your “to do” list — positive mindset is like grease for the wheels. It makes things run MUCH smoother. It makes people actually WANT to do business with you. After all, who wants to work with someone who is sullen, grouchy or determined to fail? No one.

Sure, we all have setbacks. But the thing is, if you wear your setbacks on your sleeve, then you will come to be known as a person who specializes in setbacks, is difficult, or will not stay the course. Would you want to do business with someone like that? I think not. An open mind, a healthy attitude and a positive mindset on the other hand will always attract the people and the opportunities that you need to succeed.

In addition, keeping a positive attitude expands your capacity to think out of the box, to be more open to different opportunities and to come up with the solutions that evade other people who are simply trudging along. It can turn a “dead lead” into a “grand slam”.

Positive mindset affects your future, too. Face it, you will never be successful unless and until you can believe it for yourself. Believing that things will turn out right is not in itself a guarantee of success, but it will keep you on track and keep you moving toward you goals when others around you fail and fall behind.

Being positive also changes the quality of your life because once you adopt it as your way of being, you will find that the little things that used to annoy you don’t even show up on your radar anymore.

Over time, you will find yourself habitually thinking of ways to succeed and ways to overcome obstacles rather than bemoaning how “life isn’t fair,” or “other people always get the breaks,” or “there’s just no way to win here.”  Your mindset will generate energy within you rather than deplete your energy.

Like Grandpa said; “It’s not what happens, it’s how you take it.”