A few years ago, I stumbled upon a concept that changed the course of my life and led me to where I am today – writing this blog, building a property investment portfolio, running a successful property advisory business and, most importantly of all, having the flexibility to spend time with my wonderful partner and our young son. I have personally witnessed the power of this concept in every aspect of my life. So what is this life-changing concept?
When I started my property investment journey 10 years ago, I was a lawyer working in a large international law firm, with all the pressures that a job like that brings. Whilst I enjoyed my job, I dreamt of having the financial freedom to do what I wanted when I wanted. I had only purchased 1 property, my house, but I had heard stories of investors using property as a vehicle for achieving financial freedom. But the task just seemed too big and daunting and I had no idea where to start.
At the time, I was reading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. In habit 3, Covey asked ‘What is the one thing could you do (you aren’t doing now) that if you did on a regular basis, would make a positive difference in your life?’. That struck a chord with me and I decided to start doing one thing every day that took me closer to my goal of financial freedom. Without knowing it at the time, I had stumbled upon an incredibly powerful concept – the power of incremental change over time. The idea that small consistent action soon snow balls into very large results.
I have since discovered that it didn’t really matter what exactly I did or how big or small my one thing was each day. It was the act of doing that was important. For example, your one thing could be:
- setting or monitoring your personal budget;
- reading a property investment blog;
- buying a property investment book;
- even having coffee with a friend and talking about property!
- Fill in the blank___________________ (leave a comment).
I would love to hear your ideas so post some in the comments box below. I will repost the top 10 ideas I receive!!
The point is that every day you are doing something that aligns your thinking with your personal goals – the life you want. Making a small choice today, can make a huge difference in your life in 5 or 10 years time.
Incremental change is so powerful for two reasons. Firstly, by doing one thing every day, by the end of the first month you have done 30 things that take you closer to your goal, which in all likelihood you wouldn’t have done if you hadn’t decided to form the habit – because that’s what you’re doing, forming the habit of success. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, it changes the way you think! The power of repetitive thinking is that it begins to form patterns of thinking in your brain – patterns of success that align with your goals! I am currently writing a separate post on pattern of successful thinking – so please sign up for my free newsletter.
So, I challenge you to start your journey towards your goals. The great thing about this strategy is that starting your journey is no longer daunting – you don’t have to take massive, time consuming action – all you have to do is one small, often enjoyable, thing every day and watch your goals start to become reality!!
What is the 1 thing you will do today that takes you closer to your goals?
