Hey guys - we closed on another property yesterday - it was actually pretty painless (except for handing over that much money! LOL) & only took 10 minutes.
The rehab starts on Tues and I'm hoping we can cruise through this project in about 5-6 weeks. I'd REALLY like to have it on the market for at least a couple weeks before the Homebuyer credit expires Apr 30. It's gonna be really tight! The last house we did sold the first day so hopefully we can try and move this one quickly too.
I'm using a new contractor so hopefully there will be no surprises. I have a good feeling about him though and his references checked out so we'll see....
This one's only like a mile from my gym though so I can stop by all the time to check up.
I'll keep y'all posted!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Congratulations!
Here's a big Congratulations to Dr. Martin Skopp (my awesome chiro/ART/SASTM guy) who was recently featured in the prominent Washingtonian magazine for being one of the best sports chiropractors in the region!
What a great accomplishment!
I'm so lucky to have him helping me out - he's gotten me though several injuries and issues so that I can train 100%. Us old guys need all the help we can get! LOL
What a great accomplishment!
I'm so lucky to have him helping me out - he's gotten me though several injuries and issues so that I can train 100%. Us old guys need all the help we can get! LOL
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Gift of Struggle
Check out this story:
One day a man saw a butterfly shuddering on the sidewalk, locked in a seemingly hopeless struggle to free itself from it's now useless cocoon.
Feeling pity, he took out his pocket knife, carefully cut away the cocoon and set the butterfly free. To his dismay, it lay on the sidewalk, convulsed weakly for awhile, then died.
A biologist later told the man "That was the worst thing you could have done! A butterfly needs that struggle to develop the muscles to fly. By robbing him of the struggle, you made him too weak to live."
------------------
The takeaway lesson here is that we can only truly excel after we have struggled through a challenge on our own. This is what Nietzsche was talking about when he said "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
This also means that allowing others to struggle (to some extent) is actually good for them. The irony is that if you solve all their problems they'll be weaker for it in the long run - you haven't helped them at all.
An interesting thing relating to this principle recently happened to me. My daughter had never been ice skating and we were passing by an ice rink on our way to a museum in DC. She wanted to try so Rae and I each took an arm and stood on each side of her. She did horribly - falling all over the place and legs flailing everywhere. Our astute observational skills (LOL) realized our assistance wasn't helping so we decided to let her skate on her own, with us just staying close by.
We were amazed, but she immediately did 1000x better. Turns out we were hurting her by helping too much! Of course this was probably due to us preventing her ability to use her arms for balance, but I thought it was a pretty cool example of how helping people too much is a negative thing.
One day a man saw a butterfly shuddering on the sidewalk, locked in a seemingly hopeless struggle to free itself from it's now useless cocoon.
Feeling pity, he took out his pocket knife, carefully cut away the cocoon and set the butterfly free. To his dismay, it lay on the sidewalk, convulsed weakly for awhile, then died.
A biologist later told the man "That was the worst thing you could have done! A butterfly needs that struggle to develop the muscles to fly. By robbing him of the struggle, you made him too weak to live."
------------------
The takeaway lesson here is that we can only truly excel after we have struggled through a challenge on our own. This is what Nietzsche was talking about when he said "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
This also means that allowing others to struggle (to some extent) is actually good for them. The irony is that if you solve all their problems they'll be weaker for it in the long run - you haven't helped them at all.
An interesting thing relating to this principle recently happened to me. My daughter had never been ice skating and we were passing by an ice rink on our way to a museum in DC. She wanted to try so Rae and I each took an arm and stood on each side of her. She did horribly - falling all over the place and legs flailing everywhere. Our astute observational skills (LOL) realized our assistance wasn't helping so we decided to let her skate on her own, with us just staying close by.
We were amazed, but she immediately did 1000x better. Turns out we were hurting her by helping too much! Of course this was probably due to us preventing her ability to use her arms for balance, but I thought it was a pretty cool example of how helping people too much is a negative thing.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Great Parable!
From John C. Maxwell's book Failing Forward (a phenomenal book BTW)
Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows that it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle: When the sun comes up you had better be running.
-----------------
Are you running? Walking? Or not moving at all?
Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows that it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows that it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle: When the sun comes up you had better be running.
-----------------
Are you running? Walking? Or not moving at all?
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Here we go again! :)
Hey guys - we have another rehab project! Got this one for $90k, it needs about $50k work (pretty much everything and finishing the basement), and the after-repaired value is somewhere around $210-215k.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
The Mexican Fisherman
I read this story in Tim Ferris' book The 4-hour Workweek. It really struck a note with me and it makes painfully clear how some of us are on the wrong path.
A cruise boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his catch. “How long did it take you to get those?” he asked.
“Not so long,” said the Mexican.
“Then why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was quite enough to meet his needs and feed his family.
“So what do you do with the rest of your time?” asked the American.
“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evening, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar and sing a few songs. I have a full life.”
The American interrupted. “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”
“And after that?” asked the Mexican.
“With the extra money the bigger boat will bring, you can buy a second boat and then a third boat, and then more until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants. Pretty soon you could open your own plant. You could leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York! From there you could direct your whole enterprise.”
“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican.
“Twenty — perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American.
“And after that?”
“Afterwards? Well, my friend,” laughed the American, “that’s when it gets really interesting. When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!”
“Millions? Really? And after that?” said the Mexican.
“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a beautiful place near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take siestas with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”
A cruise boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his catch. “How long did it take you to get those?” he asked.
“Not so long,” said the Mexican.
“Then why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was quite enough to meet his needs and feed his family.
“So what do you do with the rest of your time?” asked the American.
“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evening, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar and sing a few songs. I have a full life.”
The American interrupted. “I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat.”
“And after that?” asked the Mexican.
“With the extra money the bigger boat will bring, you can buy a second boat and then a third boat, and then more until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants. Pretty soon you could open your own plant. You could leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York! From there you could direct your whole enterprise.”
“How long would that take?” asked the Mexican.
“Twenty — perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the American.
“And after that?”
“Afterwards? Well, my friend,” laughed the American, “that’s when it gets really interesting. When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!”
“Millions? Really? And after that?” said the Mexican.
“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a beautiful place near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take siestas with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends.”
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Passion and Success
I recently read this description of Passion:
"Look at any person who is a recognized leader in any field of endeavor and you will see passion. Passion makes things happen which would otherwise be considered impossible. Passion overcomes obstacles which long ago would have killed mere interest or resolve.
Those who are passionate about what they do have an advantage that is nearly impossible to overcome. In passion there is energy, creativity, resilience and persistence. Passion will get it done.
If there is something about which you are passionate, find it, understand it, and connect it with what you are doing. Put the power of passion behind the things you do. Live and act in harmony with a purpose that touches your soul. Go beyond being inspired. Go beyond being merely motivated. Get really passionate and fulfill your greatest possibilities and dreams."
This quotation is from Paul Esajian but I think is the culmination of several contributors. It really hit home for me when I sat back and realized that everything I've been good at, I was passionate about. Conversely, everything that I was poor or mediocre at, I didn't enjoy.
Makes sense, but it means that for any of us to be truly successful, we need to actually like what we do. Although it's a simple concept, how many of us are on that path? The bad news is I believe it's the minority of us. The good news is it's never to late to pursue your passions.
Start to ask yourself: What am I passionate about? How can I start to pursue those passions? What steps must be taken? What obstacles must I overcome? Etc., and you'll be on the right track.
"Look at any person who is a recognized leader in any field of endeavor and you will see passion. Passion makes things happen which would otherwise be considered impossible. Passion overcomes obstacles which long ago would have killed mere interest or resolve.
Those who are passionate about what they do have an advantage that is nearly impossible to overcome. In passion there is energy, creativity, resilience and persistence. Passion will get it done.
If there is something about which you are passionate, find it, understand it, and connect it with what you are doing. Put the power of passion behind the things you do. Live and act in harmony with a purpose that touches your soul. Go beyond being inspired. Go beyond being merely motivated. Get really passionate and fulfill your greatest possibilities and dreams."
This quotation is from Paul Esajian but I think is the culmination of several contributors. It really hit home for me when I sat back and realized that everything I've been good at, I was passionate about. Conversely, everything that I was poor or mediocre at, I didn't enjoy.
Makes sense, but it means that for any of us to be truly successful, we need to actually like what we do. Although it's a simple concept, how many of us are on that path? The bad news is I believe it's the minority of us. The good news is it's never to late to pursue your passions.
Start to ask yourself: What am I passionate about? How can I start to pursue those passions? What steps must be taken? What obstacles must I overcome? Etc., and you'll be on the right track.
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