Posts Tagged ‘self reliance’

Follow Schwarzenegger’s Advice to Put Fuel on the Fire

Thursday, December 13th, 2012

“Adversity causes some people to break, and other people to break records.” — Anon

The Governator

I think one of the most powerful motivations in my life is when someone tells me that I can’t do something.

In his autobiography, Total Recall, Arnold Schwarzenegger puts it this way:

Sometimes you have to appreciate the very people and circumstances that traumatized you. Today I hail the strictness of my father, and my whole upbringing, and the fact that I didn’t have anything that I wanted in Austria, because those were the very factors that made me hungry.

Every time he hit me. Every time he said my weight training was garbage, that I should do something useful and go out and chop wood. Every time he disapproved of me or embarrassed me, it put fuel on the fire in my belly. It drove me and motivated me.

What strikes me, is that it wasn’t the fact that Arnold was tormented that made him into the over-achieving force of nature that he became (warts and all), it was the the way that he used that ordeal as motivation to reach his goals.

Arnold’s motivational story:

 

My favorite blog articles for the week:


Can You Become a Millionaire Bestselling Author in 3 Days?

Tuesday, October 16th, 2012

I recently received several emails and even a postcard from a marketing guru.

He is promoting a new book publishing program where, he says, “REAL multi-millionaires show you how to become THE thought leader by sharing your wisdom and content.”

His postcard reads:

“GET PUBLISHED. GET PAID.

Fair WARNING: If your content creation, distribution, and monetization strategy sucks, you’ll be a broke, unknown expert forever. If your content strategy is smart, distinct, ubiquitous, and automated, you could be a famous millionaire who inspires the world. Your call.”

The card directs you to an on-line video sales pitch, where you see that he is offering a 3-day seminar where you will learn all you need to know to publish your book, for a cost of $10,000 dollars.

Lemme get this straight. We can learn all we need to know in just 3 days?

Take a 3 day swallow for $10,000

Where do we sign up?

Alas, this sales pitch is an un-holy marriage of fact and fantasy.

The Facts:

1.) Many people would like to write a book;

2.) There are genuine benefits from writing and publishing a book.

3.) Book promotion should be smart and ubiquitous.

The Fantasy:

1.) It’s fast. You can learn all you need to know to be a “famous” millionaire book author in 3 days;

2.) It’s expensive, but worth it. You need to pay an exorbitant sum of money to “jump start” your dream;

3.) You need “millionaire experts” to correctly publish and promote your book;

Granted, you could probably learn something from this seminar, but … 

if so-called “REAL multi-millionaires” are running the seminar, it’s probably going to involve you handing over your wallet to them so that they can do things for you that you could do for yourself. They’ll also be happy to tie your shoe laces for you and cut your meat up into smaller  pieces so it’s easier to chew, but is that really necessary?

This runs counter to what life teaches us about “self-reliance”

Muhahahaha!

Emerson said, “the essence of genius, of virtue, and of life is available to us through our intuition.” If we determine that our intuition is guiding us to write a book, nothing can stop us. We will learn as we advance in the direction of our dreams.

A better approach – carve out your niche

Self publishing only takes time to learn to learn the steps. Once you know them, you can publish books till the cows come home.

The same is true for book promotion.  Some of the most powerful ways to promote your book are accessible to anyone, and they are inexpensive. These include:

1.)  Blogging;

2.) YouTube;

3.) Amazon promotional tools;

4.) Radio & TV interviews;

5.) Public speaking;

and, many more.

Leap, and the net will appear

I say, instead of sending blank checks to needy multi-millionaires to get your book published, rely on your own inner compass and ingenuity to lead the way. You can do it yourself, and maybe even become more self-reliant and famous-ish in the process.

– – –

Recent blog articles that I recommend:

Using Remnants to save $ on your rehabs at Landlordinvestor

Your Increased Liability for Allowing Pets in Your Property at Louisville Gals

Thomas Jefferson | The Man Behind the Declaration of Independence at Fearless Men

Blogging Tips From a Beginner at Frugal Rules

How To Assess The Effectiveness Of Your Savings Account at iheartbudgets

5 Tips for Getting a Higher Starting Salary at Frugal Habits

When Is the Right Time to Have a Baby, Financially? at WorkSaveLive

How Do You Go From Minimum Wage to $80K In A Year? Part 1 at Planting our Pennies

Should You Go Against Fire Code When a Client Asks? at BlueCollarWorker

The Risks Of Starting A Business at Untemplater

The Secret to Selling Your House Flip at Modest Money

How to save money on currency exchange at Reach Financial Independence

Second Adulthood Rocks! at Any Shiny Thing

Can You Avoid Spending Money on School Fundraisers? at Eyes on the Dollar

We Bought a House! at Young Adult Money

 

How I Got Started In Fixer-Upper Houses

Tuesday, May 1st, 2012

The intrepid Sharon Vornholt, of Louisville Gals Real Estate Blog, interviewed me last week about my book (Fix em Up Rent em Out) and how I got started in my fixer-upper house business. Today she posted the interview on her website. It’s entitled “Escaping the 9 To 5; How I Did It Interview With Terry Sprouse.”

I encourage you to check out some of the other interviews that Sharon has conducted with several real estate investors. Its always interesting for me to hear how other people operate their businesses.

Upcoming Speaking Engagement

I will also be making a presentation to the Arizona Network of Real Estate Investors. Mark your calendars.

Where:
Fidelity National Title, 6760 N. Oracle Road, Suite 100, Tucson, AZ

When:
June 7th, 2012

Time:
Meeting begins at 5:30 pm, presentation at 6:00 pm

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Remove that Garbarge Disposal Now!

A Passionate Life, Turn Your House into a Rental

Saturday, June 5th, 2010

In the movie Man on a Wire, French tightrope walker, Phillipe Petite, runs a cable between the two World Trade Center Towers in 1973, and walks across the 200 ft wire.

It is truly an awe-inspiring feat. People on the ground watching commented:

”It was extraordinary, it was very very beautiful. It was like he was walking on a cloud.”

“It’s beyond anything you can possibly imagine. It’s mind boggling. The awe of the event and the overall largeness of the scale was magical. It was just profound.”

Even one of the NYPD officers who were sent to remove him said, “I personally thought that I was watching something that no one else would ever see again in the world. But it was a once in a lifetime experience. Everyone (all the police) was spellbound in watching him.”

Petite planned the event for 6 ½ years.

He said, “There is a great joy when I am on the wire. Passion is something that knows no bound. It’s not that I am ready to lose, it’s that I’m ready to gain. It’s living intensely. I lose myself in my passion. I do not care about the aftermath.”

“If you are passionate, you are going to do what you want to do all day long, and you are going to become the best at it.”

Movies like Man on Wire remind us that passion is an option and a choice in our lives.

Sometimes it may take something like losing our job to realize that we are not following our passion, and to provide us with the opportunity to pursue that passion.

Following your passion can involve something as simple as turning your house into a rental.

Staying motivated to make investment house repairs and finding Serenity

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007

Setting up a reward system has worked for me to help me stay on-track for making house repairs. I promise myself that I’ll do something I really enjoy, if I first complete a task. When my wife and I were working furiously on our last fixer-upper house project, we told ourselves that we would go out to dinner at a nice restaurant when we sold the house. That gave us little more of a boost to stay motivated. A few weeks later, someone made a firm offer on the house, and we went out to dinner and celebrated, as planned.

As it turned out we were a little premature in our celebration, as the deal fell through, and eventually we wound up renting the house out. But, the reward system still worked.

This technique also worked for me when I was writing my book on investing in fixer-uppers. One of my favorite movies is Serenity. I was still writing the book when Serenity came out on DVD. I rented it and really liked it (as did my boys). So, to stay motivated, I promised myself that I would not watch Serenity again until after my book was published.

Now that my book, “Fix em Up Rent em Out,” is finished, I am making intricate plans for that much anticipated viewing of Serenity. I don’t have all the details worked out, but I know it will involve fresh popcorn, iced tea, and my boys and I shouting out our favorite lines along with the characters (e.g., “Boy, it sure would be nice if we had some grenades, don’t you think?” or “We’ve got to see Mr. Universe!”). It doesn’t get much better than that.

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