Friday, November 25, 2005

Thanksgiving 2005!

It has been a long month as many of the deals that I have been working on has not moved much or have died. It feels like I am spinning a bunch of dishes on some poles and sooner than later the dishes just spun out and cracked. For a time, it was a relief but also much disappointment.

I felt "when is this business really going to take off?". After a day of centering myself by taking a break by going to the Hudson Trail in NJ, I was reminded about the simple joys in life that don't cost money but instead just requires an open heart.

It is good and I gives thanks for the simple things in my life:

* My family - although it seems that there is continual disagreements as usual, I love my family and knowing that it gives me a reason to wake up.

* My friends - they are good and knowing them sharpens me to be a better person, it is truly a gift to have friends that don't necessarily criticize but instead support

* My God - having this life is a gift and I give thanks to God for it, it is very simple for me to forget where things have come from and it is a good to be reminded that life and beauty and love comes from the Source in life.

* My life - it has been a year of learning and creating, there are times that I don't but I am encouraged by times that I remind myself of the life that I have is a good life, going to the Great Life really focused on self love and to appreciate the value that I am and I show up in this life.

* My health - I know that I abuse my body from time to time whether it be an extra hour in the gym or the late night munchies but I am thankful for how it is good that I can walk, talk, exercise, and still be young in the things that I do


Oh.. the list can go on and on but I appreciate the blessings that I have in life. Things are much easier when I see life with a childlike playful attitude and show up in life with all the joy, love, and faith to enjoy it!

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Maintaining a Positive Attitude by Brian Tracy

Maintaining a Positive Attitude

By Brian Tracy

When I was 21 years old, a friend of mine and I decided to go off to see the world. Many of our friends were going to Europe and hitchhiking around with rucksacks. We decided to be different and go to Africa.

We had no idea how serious and how difficult this adventure was to be. As we drove south across the Sahara Desert, we encountered endless problems, any one of which could have finished our trip ... or our lives.

The prospect of getting across that immense desert was so daunting, it could have stopped us dead in our tracks. Instead, we learned a lesson that turned out to be one that I have since applied to every aspect of my life.

The French, who had controlled Algeria for many years, had marked a path across the desert with 55-gallon oil drums spaced exactly five kilometers apart. As we came to an oil drum, the next drum would pop up on the horizon and the last oil drum would fall off the horizon, as if shot in a shooting gallery. Wherever we were, we could always see two oil drums - the one we had just left and the one we were headed toward. And it looked like our journey was never going to end.

We could have thrown up our hands and said, "This is impossible!" But we didn't. We adopted a Positive Mental Attitude and realized that to achieve our goal, all we had to do was take it one step (one oil barrel) at a time.

A Positive Mental Attitude is indispensable to success. By focusing on doing what lies clearly at hand ... by taking the step that appears immediately in front of you ... that will automatically lead you to the next step, and the next, and so on. Eventually, you will find yourself where you want to be.

But there is much more to a Positive Mental Attitude than this. You can have a positive attitude that immediately disappears in the face of adversity ... or you can have an attitude that is so strong, you are able to remain positive, cheerful, and optimistic, no matter what.

Of course, this isn't as easy as it sounds. Because we are all faced with four obstacles that tend to get in the way of our maintaining a Positive Mental Attitude: fear, worry, anger, and doubt.

We are afraid that we will lose our money, waste our effort, or forfeit our emotional or physical investment. If we are not careful, we start thinking of our potential losses rather than focusing on our potential gains.

Fear triggers worry, and we begin to use our power of imagination to create all sorts of negative images that interfere with our ability to perform effectively.

Fear and worry create anger and doubt. Instead of constantly moving forward in the direction of our dreams, we turn ourselves into victims and begin to blame other people and other situations for our problems.

There are six things you can do to eliminate these obstacles and develop a Positive Mental Attitude:

1. Instead of worrying about who did what and who is to blame, focus on where you want to be and what you want to do. Get a clear mental image of your ideal successful future, and then take whatever action you can to begin moving in that direction.

2. Focus on the solution instead of wasting time rehashing and reflecting on the problem. Solutions are inherently positive, whereas problems are inherently negative. The instant that you begin thinking in terms of solutions, you become a positive and constructive human being.

3. Assume that something good is hidden within each difficulty or challenge. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, a major proponent of positive thinking, once said, "Whenever God wants to give us a gift, he wraps it up in a problem." The bigger the gift you have coming, the bigger the problem you will receive. And if you look for the gift, you will always find it.

4. Assume that the situation you are facing at the moment is exactly the right situation you need to ultimately be successful. This situation has been sent to you to help you learn something, to help you become better, to help you expand and grow. One of the affirmations I have learned to use is this: "Every situation is a positive situation if I view it as an opportunity for growth and self-mastery." You cannot say that without thinking positive thoughts, feeling positive emotions, and seeing positive actions that you can take.

5. Assume that every setback contains a lesson that is essential for you to learn. Only when you learn this lesson will you be smart enough and wise enough to go on to achieve the big goals that you have set for yourself. If you are busy looking for the lesson, you cannot simultaneously think about the difficulty or the obstacle. And you will always find the lesson.

6. Whenever you have a goal that is unachieved, a difficulty that is unresolved, or a problem that is blocking you from getting where you want to go, sit down with a pen and piece of paper and make a list of every single thing that you could possibly do to resolve the situation. As you write, all kinds of insights and ideas will pop into your head.

A Positive Mental Attitude is indispensable to your success. And all it takes is for you to always take these six actions that are consistent with achieving your goals rather than actions that make you feel the negative emotions of worry, doubt, anger, and fear.


Today's Action Plan

Remember ... you can choose to be positive and constructive in dealing with any adversity. So, starting today, promise yourself that whenever you're faced with a difficult situation, you will sit yourself down, think it through, and then deal with it one oil barrel at a time.

Monday, November 14, 2005

Philadelphia Deal - DEAD! :(

Been working on a rehab deal to get it going. Found it on a website and spoke with the owner. He is a very good and honest man and I told him that I can close the deal. The #s are:

Acquistion: 79K
Closing costs: 25K
Rehab: 100K
Borrowing $ Costs: 15K
Marketing Costs: 12K
After Repair Value: 300K
Selling Costs: 8K

Gross PreTax Profit: 61K (in 6months)

I am sure that I left out some costs but either way it would have been a decent deal. I found out due to issues with my other rehab deal in Graduate Hospital requiring more cash to get it done I will not be able to get this done. I want to beat myself up for this but I am more disappointed that I will not be able to close this deal from the seller who is becoming a friend.

What I am learning:

* Don't overpromise what you can or can't do. Just be open and tell them you will do your best to produce.
* Keep an eye for the big picture but keep the small detail in mind.
* Put as little non refundable downpay (I am losing $2K on this).
* Things do not go perfect in anything but it doesn't mean that you can't smile and just move on.
* Stay focused and keep working on making things happen. If I relax then things will be pushed out.

Right now the Graduate Hospital deal looks ok. We are lining up things. Today I found out that there may be a deal in Brooklyn NY in my home borough. I am excited about it as it can be really something new and beautiful. I love making new things. In the old comes something new.