I was at a real estate investment seminar in the 1970’s with hundreds of others. The speaker knew that most of us would never do the one thing they needed to do become a real estate investor: take action.
Most people procrastinate. Hell, most people don’t even read the materials that come with the course. They let fear and inertia stop them from doing the activities that will take them from where they are to where (they say they) want to be.
To make his point, the trainer stood at the front of the room and took a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket. He held it up in the air and said, “Who wants it?”
Many hands went up. There were murmurs throughout the crowd. The trainer stood there for what seemed like an eternity, but nothing happened. Then, a brave young man got out of his seat, ran to the front of the room, and plucked the twenty dollar bill from the trainer’s hand.
The trainer pointed out that to get what you want in life, you have to take action. Immediately. Like the young man who walked away with the prize.
Good point. Well played.
Don’t think about it. Get your ass out of the chair and go get it. That’s the ticket to success.
I imagine that if the same demonstration had been done in a room filled with attorneys, nobody would come up and take the money. They would be trying to figure out the catch. Or the tax consequences. Or how to get a third of someone else’s money.
So, if the key to success is taking action, what is the key to taking action? Later, the trainer told us the answer.
He said that it was a belief in the I.G.D.S. philosophy. That stands for “I’m Going to Die Someday”. Life is not a dress rehearsal. There’s no “later,” this is it. You’ve got one shot and the clock is ticking.
Cue Bon Jovi.
I don’t remember much else from that seminar all these years later, but I remember these lessons. I can’t say I’ve always been faithful to them, however. It’s the dying thing. I’m still searching through the fine print.
