Breathe

It seems like every day we hear of another catastrophe in the financial world. Giant institutions “too big to fail” and being bailed out, large banks are being bought out, pension and mutual funds are tottering on the brink of the abyss, and with it the futures of a lot of retirees who have worked hard all their lives and thought they had their golden years secured. The events transpiring now have consequences around the world as we see the credit market getting wobbly and the future becoming dim.

I am reminded that the Chinese symbol for luck is made up of the symbols for “crisis” and “opportunity”. The media will tell you endlessly about the crisis, but by paying attention we will come to understand the opportunities that this upheaval is bringing with it. When the problems show up as they will for all of us, we need to look at what the problem has wrapped up in its sweaty little fingers; opportunity. Napoleon Hill taught us that every problem brings with it the seeds of an equal or greater benefit. Where is the benefit here?

For investors like ourselves, it means that there will be more and more properties on the market. It also means that the prices on these properties will probably continue to fall for awhile as more houses enter the market and fewer people are able to qualify for mortgages. It’s tricky. There are a lot of variables. But the one thing we can continue to count on is that most people will continue to need a place to live. That’s where investors come in; we make our living providing these people with places to live in exchange for money. Value given and value received.

With the winds of uncertainty howling at all our doors, it is easy to mistake it for the howl of the wolf coming to eat us and our children. There are some frightening possibilities on the table, but they are only that, possibilities. Could be one way, could turn out completely opposite. Glass half full, glass half empty, how do you see it?

How we perceive a set of circumstances has a lot to do with how we experience the outcome of that set of circumstances. If you think everything is going to hell in a hand basket, then you will probably experience some octave of that in the future. If, however, you decide that you are intelligent, capable and agile, then your future will turn out a lot better. It will turn out better because you are expecting it to, and you are focused on manifesting a good outcome.

What to do, Mr. and Ms. Investor? How do we navigate this turbulence? Well, the first thing we need to do is breathe. Stop what you are doing several times a day and just breathe deeply and slowly. Breathe in and stretch your chest out and fill yourself with oxygen. Breathing supports life on this planet and it is highly recommended. Sound like Pollyanna? Hardly.

The truth is that when we tense up, we go into a fight or flight mode. Goes back to when we thought the saber toothed tiger was going to have us for lunch. Physiologically what we do is compress our muscles and assume a defensive posture when we are threatened. This tightens up the intercostal muscles, the muscles between the ribs and makes our rib cage contract. The effect of this is to decrease the lung capacity. Decreased lung capacity means that the brain is getting less oxygen at a time when it actually needs more. Rationality drifts away to be replaced by adrenaline rushes and ambient energy that is not grounded and is not helpful to us.

So breathe. Have a glass of water and a good look around. Think. How can this situation or circumstance be of value to you? What is really going on here? Where is my advantage? What benefit has this problem brought for me, what possibility? How can I win, not just get through it, how can I win? What is the best track, where is my critical path to a positive outcome? Concentrate on being agile as this whole mess continues to unfold. Don’t let fear push you around. You can be afraid and still prevail. Others have for hundreds of years. And if they can do it, so can you.

Until next time, happy (and profitable) investing!

Doug Smith
President
myHouseDeals.com

P.S. I mentioned that there will be more and more properties on the market. I’m definitely seeing this on myhousedeals.com in the form of record numbers of motivated seller leads and wholesale deals. And I’m seeing that they’re being priced at greater and greater discounts. If you believe in “buy low and sell high”, then you must be buying right now because these prices are lower than I’ve ever seen. Gain access to these properties today by starting your free trial. Just go to www.myhousedeals.com/freetrial now.