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From 06/09/2006

Every now and again someone asks you a question you’ve never been asked before. Well today Jess asked me with a totally straight face. “This all sounds so amazing and I like you and everything but how do I know you’re not a hoax?”

I didn’t know what to say really. After some contemplation I replied, “Don’t know!!”

Given the fact that unlike many “public profile” investors I publicly state my balance sheet and discuss actual numbers on specific deals I have done, it’s obvious I have nothing to hide. Verifying my investing integrity takes about 30 seconds, so it was a strange question.

I’ve been dwelling on it all afternoon and realize that what she was really saying was,

“The thought of achieving total financial freedom like you have in under 2 years is so outside of my world view that my brain is rejecting this information”.

So that I can understand, and it made me wonder how many of us think the same way. How many of us really believe what we read and hear when it comes to others successes?? Even if you work with people who have achieved or used to work with people who don’t work with you now because they are free, does that even compute with you?

This is an important question for me because I only talk about what I have done in the hope it will inspire others to try. But if people simply think “this is too good to be tru”, then am I wasting my time? As much as I love communicating with you all I do have other things I could be doing. So if sharing my life with you is not productive then I have people to love, places to see and a wife to hold instead, of blogging here!!

But the feedback you give me indicates that for some of you at least my ramblings are an encouragement, so I will keep doing them.

Today was another interesting property day. I discovered some land I have under contract has an unusual zoning and instead of being a 700K profit deal is now potentially 2 million. Don’tcha hate it when that happens?

And that is my point actually about the too good to be true thing. Too many people think it’s unreal or impossible. I find I fall over it everyday.

I was driving through Ngaruawahia 2 weeks ago. I decided to stop and find an agent and just ask what property was doing in the area. Found a new agent who was delighted to give me a tour of the town and show me some property. A week later she rings me with a block of land I might be interested in. Now my philosophy is to take massive action immediately, especially with a new agent, and do your homework afterwards, so I got the land under contract same day. By the next day the vendors were trying to cancel the agreement, but it was too late, they had already signed.

So today I find out there is 2 MILLION DOLLARS profit in this deal, with a time frame of about 2 years. Would you like to make 2 million dollars over the next 2 years? Do you believe you could? Are you willing to try? Are you willing to try to believe that with the right help you could possibly maybe have a go at it??

Nah you’re probably right, I’m probably lying. It IS just too good to be true!! Dean Letfus, Ollie Newland, Bob Jones, Ron Hoy Fong, Sean Wood, Lisa Dudson, Robyn Grinter, Steve McKnight, Matthew Gilligan, Brad Sugars, Dorien and Rineke Forster, Rick Otton, Dolf De Roos, Mike Yardney, Colm Dillon, Peter Aranyi, Garth Melville, Grant Clifton, Fritz, Trish, Muzza, Ivan, Mike Reeves and the hundreds and hundreds of our friends, peers and students, we’re all self deluded.

Have to go, my nose is growing

So since writing that blog Jess has her first rental and is building a MDU and here dad is doing a 7 unit subdivision in Auckland. So I guess I answered their questions!!

Must tell you of another event that relates to all this as well. At my trading workshop in Auckland one of the attendees was talking to another about me. He didn’t know that the other party knew me personally. During the conversation the guy accused me of being a scam artist and that I was just ripping people off and none of the money I got went to Fiji etc.etc. My friend took some exception to this, apprently so much so that he expected the other guy to complain and try and have him thrown out.

Anyway when I heard of this I thought:
A: I was really hurt I guess that someone would think that of me for no reason.
B: Why would he pay to come if he thought that was true?
C: Given that he could go and see the Fiji projects with his own eyes and see where the money is being spent why say stuff that was crap?
D: Given what people were saying about how good they thought the event was, why was that not causing him to rethink his position??
E: Most importantly though I thought how sad that someone was so self destructive and negative that they would live their life like that. He can never fulfill his potential with a head full of poison like that. Imagine his self image!!
And for more on that you’ll have to watch the video!!
Until tomorrow this is me.

PS I am speaking in Havelock North tomorrow evening, hope to see you there!!

Havelock North Community Centre
7.00 – 7.30pm Socialise
7.30p.m. meeting starts