I’ve experienced as a business owner what hard work really means; working from 04.30 am to midnight, driven by a burning desire to accomplish your goals. In my case, the few years committed to working in this unrealistic way, combined with a specific talent for the Real Estate brokerage business, paid off.
But then, at a certain point, you have to stop and think. You have to find the time to ask yourself where you are going with it all. Ask yourself if you’re managing your life in the way you want to and how and if you’re getting what you want to. Moreover, you must ask yourself if there’s a way to accomplish more by doing less. The truth is, it may be not worth working like a mad dog your entire life, even if you like the business you are in. There are few people who sincerely dislike having friends or going out to a nice restaurant with someone you enjoy spending time with. Or maybe even experiencing the joy of having a son or a daughter to share your life with.
And what if taking the time to do nothing would bring more profitability to you in the long term? What if your level of happiness and ability to better analyze things (at a slower pace) would increase your chance of making more money in the future?
Often what is counter-intuitive is worth considering. Contemplate this: in life and in the investment world, every now and then you have to take the road less traveled. The most important thing is that you do so after thinking it over rationally. If you just jump from one meeting to another and your day is constantly full of appointments, you’ll probably miss the next big opportunity; the one that you should be ready for because you’re unlikely to get a second chance at. Remember such opportunities come to those who are prepared and are able to recognize those opportunities as opportunities.
Those who minds sifted through all the noise and the hustle and bustle to make decisions based on facts and reasoning. The independent thinkers who took enough time being ‘idle’ to equip themselves emotionally to identify these opportunities. It is important to take advantage of the downtime you had in the in the past to be ready for when the right time comes, and you have to take a swing. And to just take a small swing, (“doing it in a small scale”says Warren), is basically the same as not doing it all; in your investment life you will not find many big opportunities. If your facts and reasoning are right; if they are in your area of competence, it doesnt matter who agrees with you or not. You gotta swing.
So, in the end, (as usual) the majority of things everybody believes about money and investment is wrong. They think it must be complicated and you have to look for risky options to get rich and make money; that it is exhausting, takes complete dedication, and more busywork that most people could endure. Well, it’s not true. It requires more, actually. It requires sophisticated slacking. A path that is, pretty much uncharted, and unique for every human being. If it truly were only sweat and taking risks, then almost anybody could do it. Your burning desire to succeed must drive you to the adventure you love, not into slavery just for money.
If it turns you on, it will be successful. If it drives your best thoughts and qualities, it will make you happy. And rich.