Limitations are those barriers that we erect for ourselves. The theory of limitations was great in prehistoric times. "Don't go out past the cave or the saber-tooth tigers will eat you." It was great in childhood times. "Timmy, please stay on this block where mommy can see you."

In conventional real estate, there are limitations as to how many homes you can finance until they stop becoming residential loans, and start becoming commercial loans. There are also limitations on Debt to income, credit scores, and types of homes that you can purchase.

We don't have to worry about Debt to income ratios because we are not on the loan. We don't have to worry about how many properties before it becomes a commercial loan application because we are never on the loan. We don't have to worry about credit scores, because we are not using our credit scores. We don't even have to worry about the types of homes we can purchase that are imposed by some bank in another state. (You choose which homes to buy.)

In other words, we have NO LIMITATIONS. Because we have no risk to our cash or risk to our credit, we can "purchase" as many homes as we feel like. The only limitations are those that we impose on ourselves.

The limitless question?

I used to ask my clients this question. If you could do anything you want, and you had absolutely no risk of failure or loss, what would you do?

The goal of this question is to find out what a persons passions are, if they had no limitations. If you had no way to fail, and everything to gain, what would you do? If they answer honestly, you have discovered their passion. If you phrase the question in a slightly different way, after you have discovered their passion, then you have given them a push. "If you eliminated those ways to fail, if you removed the risk, how would you accomplish your goals?"

Once they start telling you the steps to take to accomplish their dreams, they have gone beyond goal setting and are into life change.

The neat thing about this question is that it plays perfectly into the Hands On approach. "If you had NO RISK, in real estate, what would you do?" The second question becomes a natural follow-up. "If you eliminated risk, how would you accomplish your goals?"

Goethe once wrote:

"Whatever you can do,

or dream you can, begin it.

Boldness has genius, power

And magic in it."

Goal setting is the key to creating wealth in real estate. Write down your goals, and then break them down into ridiculously small parts. I had a boss, Cary Sternberg, that said that the easiest way to accomplish great things is to break those great big things down into small, easily accomplished tasks.

If you want to buy 12 homes a year, it means you must buy one home a month. If you want to buy one home a month, you will have to call, and talk to, 100 potential sellers in that month. Out of 100 sellers, 5 will be motivated. Out of those five, three will have circumstances that will not allow you to buy them and make a profit. Out of those two that are left, you will close one.

On a weekly basis, you will want to call twenty-five people on a regular basis per week. That is less than five phone calls a day. If you analyze that a little closer, you will see that that is less than an hour on the phone each night.

Once you have that as a habit, you will be successful. If you set up the limitation that you will do nothing until everything is perfect, then you will NEVER be successful.

Elephants on pegs

Have you ever gone to the circus? You will see huge, powerful elephants that are tied to the ground by a little tent peg. These elephants are trained from infancy, they are tied to a huge stake in the ground. As they try to break free of that stake, they gradually come to the realization that the stake is stronger than they are. They give up. After a while, the trainers reduce the size of the stake. The elephants try again. They can't move it. They give up. They don't even try anymore. The trainers reduce the size of the stake until it is a tiny peg in the ground.

If the elephant moves accidentally, it will yank that stake out of the ground. It doesn't do it intentionally, because it has already given up.

Are you tied to a small stake? Are you an elephant tied to a tent peg? Don't accept the limitations that someone else has given you. Reach for the stars! You have no risk.

Affirmations: a nifty peg puller

If you have given up on life; If you have told yourself that there is no way that you can go beyond your limitations, I have a nifty trick for you.

Believe that you can do it!

It's that simple. Ok, here is the practical part of the trick. You have been telling yourself for the last 30 years that you can't do what you want to do. Your subconscious has been filled with "I can't do that". The subconscious, is like a computer. If you enthusiastically and emphatically give yourself affirmations each day for the next month, the next 30 days, (EVERY DAY) you will have filled your subconscious with a program that it will set out to accomplish.

You have already been filling your subconscious with I can'ts. Why not fill it with I cans?

Try these affirmations;

I am wealthy

I am healthy

I am happy

I am abundant

I am prosperous

I am rich

I am loving

I am caring

I am sharing

I am learning

I know what I want

I have abundant opportunities

I am enjoying my life

I am balanced

I can do this! I can do this! I can do this!

Type this up on a piece of paper. Tape it to your bathroom mirror. Every morning while you are shaving (if a man), or putting on your makeup (if a woman), or both (if you are from Massachusetts) say these enthusiastically, emphatically, and positively.

John Cobb, the general sales manager of KGFT radio was already a fantastically positive and successful salesman. He put the affirmations on his mirror, repeated them every day, and he increased his sales by 25% the next month.

State these exactly as written. Don't paraphrase by putting in a negative phrase. "I guess I am wealthy" is a negative phrase.

Once you believe it, once you have established a plan, do it! There is nothing to stop you…except you.

Henry Ford, the automobile giant that revolutionized America with creative thoughts, once said, "If you say you can, or if you say you can't…you're right."

Your limitations are yours. They belong to no one else. If you want to expand your horizons, expand your limitations. Let no one else ruin your day, and don't let yourself ruin your day either.

What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail?

If you knew you couldn't fail; had no risk, there is nothing to stop you but you. Don't let limitations stop you, overcome them and grab your destiny.

The Chinese Military philosopher, Sun Tzu once said, "The victorious military is first victorious and after that does battle. The defeated military first does battle and after that seeks victory."

Visualize success, and it becomes yours. In order to do that, the limitations must be eliminated in your mind first. Believe it, and make it happen!

Don't let anyone else determine your limitations. Dream big, and make your dreams come true.

For more information on how you can overcome these self imposed limitations, please call Reed Sawyer at (407) 962-7364 or email me at reed@reedsawyer.com.