Do You Have Big But Disease?

The thing that kills most real estate investors – heck, the thing that prevents 95% of folks from reaching anywhere close to their full potential as human beings – is the dreaded Big But Disease!

It goes something like this: I want to start my own business, but… I want to do more for my church, but… I want to own 20 free-and-clear rental properties, but… I want to get in shape, but… I want to improve my marriage, but… I want to spend more quality time with my kids, but…

That stinky Big But Disease will squash your dreams, murder your goals, and destroy the person you were born to be!

Starting today, what if you replaced saying “but…” with saying “I’ll do whatever it takes to get this thing done!”

So instead of saying, “I want to run a marathon, but…” you’d say, “I want to run a marathon, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get this thing done!” With this attitude how much more would you accomplish in your lifetime?

My dad wanted his son to be a fleet-footed star running back for Bear Bryant’s Alabama Crimson Tide. Unfortunately, when I was young, I was forced to wear corrective shoes, plus I was very flat-footed. Throughout my childhood, my dad told me that I’d always be a poor runner: he often called me clodhopper. In the end, I became a swimmer instead of a star football player.

In college, I dated a girl who was on the UConn track team. One day, she asked me to go for a run with her. Embarrassed, I explained that I couldn’t run because I was flat-footed. She told me that I was the biggest dope she’d ever met, and that of course I could run. Then I learned something amazing: Not only was she one of the fastest runners in Connecticut, she also was flat-footed!

That was the moment my Big But Disease for running evaporated, and I’ve been running ever since! In my thirties, I completed a marathon in less than four hours. Since my mid-forties, I’ve been competing in triathlons. Guess my dad was wrong about me being a clodhopper. The lesson: Never let someone tell you what you can’t do!

Do you know who’s your harshest critic? You’re biggest anchor? Who is most responsible for getting you to quit a worthy task? It’s you! You are your own worst enemy! Lord, how many times have I pulled up to a house with a For Sale sign in the yard and said, “I need to knock on that seller’s door, but… she’ll probably yell at me.” Then, after a minute or two, and without ever getting out of the car, I drive away defeated.

Here’s the thing: I was the only person in the car. I had no idea what the seller would say. My quitting was caused by my own dang Big But Disease. It was a case of: I should knock on the door, but…

There is a HUGE difference between failing and quitting. Failing isn’t permanent. Every time you fail, you’re simply learning one way that you can’t accomplish your goal. For example, when trying to invent the light bulb, Edison failed 10,000 times. This means he learned 10,000 ways how not to build a light bulb. Then on attempt 10,001, he discovered the method that worked. What if, on his third failure, he had quit? Thomas Edison would not be the man who changed history and illuminated the world!