One Connection Away
By M. Jane Garvey
How many times have you thought to yourself, that guy is so lucky. He doesn’t seem to know anything, but things keep falling in place for him. At the same time there may be people in your life who have everything going for them, but don’t seem very successful. Why is this?
Occasionally we attribute success to the amount of focused action people take. Goals, a plan to achieve them and action directed at the process. This is certainly one way to improve your odds of success. It is rare that people succeed with out trying. It is also hard to define success if you don’t decide in advance what that means for you. But focused action doesn’t seem to explain the luck.
More likely it can be explained by the concept “It is not what you know, but who you know.” If you are “connected” you may have the guidance needed to avoid the false starts, the wrong turns, and the dumb mistakes that others make. This hardly seems fair. The playing field isn’t level. Massive action by a connected person can be much more fruitful than massive action by someone going it alone.
The good news is – you too can be connected. It is not just for those who inherit great wealth, are married to a tradesman, have a brother who is the building inspector, grew up in a family of landlords, etc. The best connections you can have are people with knowledge or experience, people who have been down the road you are traveling. You can develop the connections you need. Keep in mind that your need for connection may change during different phases of your investing journey.
Real estate investors associations (commonly known as REIAs) provide fertile ground for planting seeds and harvesting connections. Within an association you will find others that are doing what you want to do. It is likely that they have identified the tools and resources you will need. Some of them have other connections you will need. You may have connections they need.
Make friends. Speak up about how things are going on your journey. Let people know what you are missing and what connections you need. Be open and genuine in your approach. We all like to help people when and where we can, but we can’t help if we don’t know you have a problem. It is very important to try to help others when you can as well. Connections are at least a 2-way street.
Interestingly enough, people who are handed connections as a birthright may have a hard time developing the skills needed to make new connections. They may seem privileged, and life may initially seem easy, but some of these people really struggle as their needs change.
You are in charge of your own journey. It will be different. You will define your success or failure. The knowledge and resources you need will be different as well. Even with this in mind, learning from others’ successes and mistakes can accelerate your progress. Take advantage of the resources, education, and networking that your real estate investors association provides. You are only one connection away, and chances are high that connection is right in front of you.
Jane Garvey is President of the Chicago Creative Investors Association.
