Are You a Full-Time or Part-Time Investor?

Throughout many of the posts and questions in this forum and others, people talk about, mention and dream of becoming full-time real estate investors. Newbies envision the day they can shuck off the constraints of the full-time, nine-to-five world and pursue the cash and benefits of full-time real estate investing. They heave a silent cyber-sigh of jealousy every time a veteran replies to a post with, “…I’ve been full-time rei for seven years…”, “…for 2 years…”, “…I’ll quit my J.O.B. in six months…”



On Monday, February 28th at 10:38am I became a full-time investor.



Things had not been going well at my J.O.B. since I joined the company. Without going into details or pointing fingers, I’ll just say it wasn’t working for my employers or me. I packed up my personal belongings, turned in my resignation, and walked out the door.



I’ve been listening to, reading, and studying real estate investing seriously for about a year now. I even have a mentor that is showing me the ropes to rehabs and foreclosures. Our plan was to put a few deals under our belts (well, MY belt), generate some cash and put it away as a salary for me so I could quit my J.O.B. and join him as an apprentice/assistant until I set out on my own.



Yes, you can infer by that last sentence, I haven’t done a single deal yet. But I am a full-time real estate investor. I do have a second job to pay the bills – I put in about 40 to 60 hours per week delivering pizzas for a well-known national pizza chain. But that’s my part-time job.



You see, at 10:38am I realized being a “full-time” real estate investor, is merely a state of mind.



While at my J.O.B., I would think about was investing. Driving around town running errands I was listening to CDs about real estate or motivation or time management. Real estate investing is where my passion is, it’s where my energies are directed, it’s where my thoughts reside, it’s what I would much rather be doing at any moment of my conscious day. That’s what makes it full-time for me.



In the 24 hours since this revelation, I have wasted 1 hour driving to the bank to open a brand new business account that didn’t happen. (For the first 30 days, I didn’t need the Tax ID, but once I got to the bank, the account manager told me I DID need the corporate structure papers. Just a small detail that wasn’t mentioned on my first call to the bank.) Today I’m frustrated with dial-up internet connection. (Tomorrow I get DSL installed.) My research takes ten times longer, my computer is several years old – so a huge copy-and-paste operation from the county clerk’s website takes 20 – 30 seconds (not enough RAM).



The day before yesterday, these were just annoying little nuances to my day. But as of 10:38am, time has become money. Every moment I’m not at my part-time job, is now crucial. What could I be doing right now to make the next deal happen? And if what I’m doing is not propelling me in that direction, it’s a distraction.



What hit me yesterday at 10:38am is – the difference between a full-time and part-time career in real estate investing, is in your mind. I crossed that line yesterday at 10:30am and my thinking has been completely changed.



If you find yourself at a desk, or behind a wheel, or on your feet from nine-to-five, Monday through Friday, SO WHAT??!! “Full-time” or “part-time” status is NOT defined by the number of hours you contribute, or the specific hours of the day. I would challenge you to define that time keeping you from real estate investing as your “part-time” job. Your full-time career IS real estate investing. Once you make that connection, that realization – the days behind the desk, behind the wheel, on your feet are numbered.



If you are looking forward to the day you can quit your J.O.B. and start real estate investing full-time, you can do it right now. This very instant! Read this next sentence aloud:



“My J.O.B. is just part-time. Real Estate Investing is my full-time career.”



If you didn’t feel your stomach lurch with excitement, if your heart didn’t skip a beat then start pumping faster, if the adrenaline didn’t make your entire body buzz with anticipation, you didn’t believe those words. Say them again, out loud, over and over and over until you do believe them.



Once your mind makes that shift from part-time to full-time, the whole world looks differently. You will behave differently, your priorities will change immediately, and your real estate career will explode like a rocket off the launch pad.