Are You a Carrot or a Radish?
That seems like a crazy question to ask, but a little context will clear it up. Earlier this spring I dove into gardening. How hard could it be to stick some seeds in the ground? Right?! The short answer is, it's a hell of a lot harder than I thought. I anticipated quick results, began to question myself, then paid closer attention to "germination" days.
While radish came bursting through the soil in a few days (germination 4-8 days) the carrots left me waiting and wondering. Carefully attending carrots with good soil and water will take up to 21 days to germinate in ideal conditions. Yet, getting a carrot to grow in this new So Cal "Siberian" cold can take up to seven weeks (49 days)!
So now that the context is set, we can dispense with the horticulture lesson. Observing the world around me it doesn't take long to see that people will spend vast amounts of money on the promise of quick results from the celebrity du jour.
This blind approach to our relationships, career, spirituality, investments and achievements leads to years, decades or even lifetimes of unsatisfied pursuit of being the wrong type of "vegetable". Nature teaches us something vastly different than that and if you want to realize true joy in any area of life, you had better take the time to know whether you are a carrot or a radish.
The expediency of quick cash, instant beauty, the perfect body for both you and your soulmate have a lure that appeals to everyone from time to time, some never leave that pursuit. Yet living a life of frugality in every aspect of life doesn't promise the results of long-term gain either.
The beauty of investing in real estate; like so many things in life, is that as long as you know who you are, the risks you are comfortable taking, how good you are at negotiating with both renters or investors or possibly even the sweat equity you are willing to invest – you can find the property that can add to your relationships, career, spirituality, investment and achievement.
You need to know yourself and those close to you. This way you can choose a manageable amount of risk to realize a desired reward. Having a relationship with your real estate broker and lender instead of them approaching you as strictly a transaction can mitigate the risk of making a poor investment.
So… are you a carrot or a radish?