We’re less than 48 hours away from this Saturday’s Your Life. Your Terms. Event.
And we are completely full.
Like 100% jammed.
We’re just shy of 1,000 people registered and cannot fit another body into the place.
When we started this Rock Star thing, if you told us we would be hosting this many people on a Saturday morning to talk real estate, interest rates, economics and living life on your own terms…we would have thought you were nutty.
I mean maybe we dreamed it could happen.
But to see it unfold is just…wow.
And here’s the thing. Real estate to us is just a vehicle.
We’re much more about living life on our own terms and helping as many people as we possibly can live life on theirs.
So today we’re going to have a little fun.
We’re turning the tables.
We’re going to put out a list of how NOT to live life on your terms.
That’s right, inspired by something Dan Thiessen did with his Radix email newsletter, we’re turning the tables and going to blurt out the top ways you can ensure you never get to enjoy living life on your own terms.
Ready for it? LOL.
Hold on tight, here we go.
How NOT to Live Life on Your Own Terms:
ㅤㅤ1. ㅤNever own good assets. Especially not income producing assets.
Look around you, who has the most financial and time freedom? Likely the ones who own assets, right? Acquiring or building your own almost guarantees your ability to live life on your own terms.
ㅤㅤ2. ㅤNever save. Do not put money aside for a rainy day or for taxes.
Took me a long time to figure this one out. After not having money to pay taxes, buy a new car and making minimum payments on my credit cards (yes, plural) for years… I finally figured it out.
I went to the bank and opened several extra chequing accounts. One called “savings”, one called “taxes” and a few others. Any time money got deposited into my main account for any reason I would disperse set percentages to each of the other accounts. Problem solved for life.
ㅤㅤ3. ㅤDo not read. Books are never to be opened after school. Stop learning.
Books taught me to be self-confident. They taught me not to be scared of sales. They taught me about marketing, they taught me about real estate, they taught me about economics, they taught me about money itself.
I tell my kids…there is a book for any problem you are facing in life.
Books are the cheapest mentors, they’re free at the library.
ㅤㅤ4. ㅤAlways complain. Your situation is never your fault.
My life is my responsibility. Every problem, every situation, everything…it’s all my doing.
Once you stop looking for external excuses to your life and accept responsibility for everything (yes, everything), the universe provides.
I still complain of course, but I get it out of my system and move on.
ㅤㅤ5. ㅤAlways wait for the perfect time to start something.
Never buy real estate today. The price is always better tomorrow. Never go to the gym today. The body will be better ready tomorrow. Don’t eat better today. Have one more last sugary meal. Don’t get up early today. Sleep in one more time. Don’t tell your loved ones that you love them today. Wait.
We started buying real estate in the late 1990s, early 2000s, and were told we were doing it at the wrong time.
We bought more in 2006, and again in 2007 at the start of the great financial crisis and were told it was the wrong time.
We kept buying and even bought some in 2019 right before the pandemic and some in 2020 during the pandemic.
It’s never the right time to start anything. Just start.
Jump in and start swimming!
ㅤㅤ6. ㅤDo what everyone else is doing. Listen to people who aren’t accomplishing much of anything.
“Whatever the majority of the people is doing, under any given circumstances, if you do the exact opposite, you will probably never make another mistake as long as you live.” - Earl Nightingale
How similar is your life, your investing, your thinking, your daily routine to the masses and majority? Hmmmm.
ㅤㅤ7. ㅤDon’t have a set of principles that you live by.
Ours are:
A. Always do the right thing.
B. Give 110%
C. Treat others as you would treat yourself.
Staying in integrity with those changed our lives.
Are we perfect at it? Heck no. Do we try our very best and keep them top of mind always? Yes.
ㅤㅤ8. ㅤAlways care what people say about you.
Nah, that’s overrated. Carve out your own path.
Have you ever heard this saying…
First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.
When choosing to live life on your terms, expect this type of reaction from people around you.
ㅤㅤ9. ㅤKeep people around you who drag you down and gossip.
Never gossip. Ever. End of story. Waste of time, waste of energy…brings you down and it’s awful.
Choose who you hang around carefully.
We thought we were doing amazing things in real estate until we met a guy who was crushing it and he changed our context completely. Rock Star was born out of that.
“You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.” - Jim Rohn
Who are your 5? Don’t have a good set of 5? Get new ones.
We’re not joking.
ㅤㅤ10. ㅤDo not love and appreciate your life, your family, and your friends.
At the end of the day, experiences are everything. Whatever situation you find yourself in today is the perfect place to start anything from.
And who better to share a vacation with, a dinner, a moment, a laugh than with a good friend or a family member?
Love them, hug them, appreciate them.
Call your parents right now and tell them you love them!!
(Love you Mom and Dad!)
Wow, that was fun!
We could do 100 of these I think, LOL!!
Listen, life is short. Nick is 44 turning 45 in May. I’m 50.
There’s no time to waste. Each moment, each day, each situation is precious. Embrace it all.
And if you truly want to live life on your own terms it’s 100% possible.
We are two brothers, from immigrant parents, who had no connections here in Canada and very little family and somehow we’re doing it.
You can too.
Read, save, hang around with good people, take personal responsibility and take action every day - no excuses.
This Saturday, we’re going to be surrounded by good friends, family, people who are taking action, and living by principles.
We’re pumped.
We do not take the responsibility lightly to share everything we can in the best possible manner.
It’s an honour to be in such a position and to serve.
Let’s do this…see you in a couple days!!
Tom & Nick
