Out Of Ideas?

Seriously, I have no idea what to write today.

I feel stuck, paralyzed and simultaneously motivated to do everything at once. It’s a weird feeling that’s being met with some internal resistance.

I’m absolutely bound and determined to balance everything I want to do in my life and to not give any of it up.

And yet, I think there’s simply not enough time in the day to do everything I want to do, along with everything I need to do.

I live a simple life, so it’s not that I have a bunch of obligations pulling me in a million directions.

It’s more that I feel like I want to conquer the world in the areas of expertise and interests I’ve undertaken.

Honestly, I’m blessed to even have this problem. Some people don’t even have jobs or their own businesses.

I’m fortunate to NOT have a job.

That made me think, “How long has it been since I last had a JOB?” And I’m surprised to say that the last time I was employed was 2009… THREE YEARS!

I spent the first two looking for another job… well, sort of.

I really didn’t want a job, so I was mostly going through the motions while I tried to figure out my next move.

Fast forward to early 2011…

My unemployment insurance was running out.

I didn’t know where I would get the money to pay my next month’s rent.

I had filed bankruptcy, and lost my house to foreclosure.

I was at rock-bottom, and had NO IDEA what to do.

Reaching the lowest of lows, I could only pray for answers.

I had completely screwed-up my life thus far, thinking I knew what I was doing, but I really had no idea.

None.

I woke up the next morning and knew that I was supposed to start packing, but I had no idea why, or where I would be going.

It was the end of February, 2011. By March 1st, I had given notice that I would be vacating my apartment.

For the next three weeks, I packed. And packed, and packed.

And then I ran out of things to pack. All I had left was my clothes, some cookware… and my computer.

I had been helping my dad with a real estate investment deal that had not been working out as expected. It turns out the company that lined-up the two properties he had expected to purchase had somehow underestimated the closing costs by $4000 per house.

And this is a company that was selling about 300 investment properties per year… so it made me wonder, was this a simple mistake or deceit?

I tend to believe it was the latter.

So I spent some time looking for another company that would not make the same mistakes.

What I found surprised me.

The company that I found was located in Jacksonville, FL and it just so happened that ONE DAY before I had found their website, the CEO of the company had posted he was looking for an intern.

Did I mention that I had always harbored a dream of being a real estate investor?

I applied for the internship, and got it.

Now I knew why I was supposed to be packing.

The internship started on April 15th. Perfect timing

So I arrived in Jacksonville, and got to work on learning everything I possibly could about being a real estate investor. I put in long hours, and was learning fast.

I started out as a rehab intern, but ended-up working primarily in acquisitions.

The internship was for six months, but it ended abrubtly, 2 and 1/2 months shy of the the six month mark.

Why?

I miscalculated.

I went to the ATM one day to withdraw my weekly unemployment check and was denied. Insufficient funds. Balance: somewhere close to ZERO.

Ooops.

Now what?

Well, this is a good time to share with you one of my favorite phrases, one I coined during this time in my life.

“There is no Plan B”

So, I gave notice that my internship was over, and as much as I had enjoyed my time there, I needed to hit the ground running.

I was now officially, for all intents and purposes, a “real estate investor”.

I was surprised that they offered me a job. I asked, “Would I be able to control my income?” Surprisingly, the answer was, “no”.

Of course, I turned-down their offer.

(to be continued)