Break barriers! Boost earnings with self-improvement and reach your investment goals sooner!

Did you know that one of the most common misconceptions I hear about becoming a successful property investor is that you have be ‘rich’ to begin with.

Disappointingly, this negative point of view is also used as an excuse for some people to just give up or not even start their property investing journey.

I can tell you hand on heart that I certainly was nowhere near wealthy when I began to invest in property.

After working very hard for 7 years, I found myself in a situation where my wife was expecting our first child, and even though I was working longer and longer hours, my income was stubbornly stuck on one level. Outside of our home, we had no other assets to speak of, and that’s when I came to the stark realisation that if for some reason I had to physically stop working, my one source of income would also stop.

That thought – and the fear of not being able to provide for my family, or not having the time or money to visit my parents in China – was enough to propel me into action. I had found my ‘why’, my reason for wanting to build substantial wealth and achieve financial freedom.

The importance of finding your ‘why’

According to Mark Twain, the two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out WHY- your purpose in life. My own experiences in everything I do continues to reinforce my belief that you must know your “why” to have a fulfilling life and succeed in any endeavour.

People say ‘why’ accounts for 80% of success, with 10% for ‘what’ and 10% for ‘how’. Once you have the ‘why’, the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ will come to you.

Finding your why gives you:

Clarity of purpose: When you clearly understand why you do what you do, or why you want what you want, you’ll find it so much easier to set meaningful goals and make decisions that align with your values and aspirations. My values lay with providing for my family and having the freedom of time to spend with my children, pursue my hobbies, provide for my parents, have enough money to travel and eventually enjoy a more than comfortable retirement.
Motivation and resilience: Building wealth for me was never about just having the latest car or the biggest house. I had an emotional connection to my purpose, which meant that when I was faced with challenges or setbacks – and there were many along the way! – it was easier for me to stay committed and keep working towards my goal.
Creative thinking: When you are passionate about your purpose, you’ll find that you start looking for more creative or innovative ways to achieve it. Obviously, my day-to-day income when I began was not going to lead me to my goal, so it motivated me to think outside the box and look for ways to buy more properties than my salary allowed.

At the time I began my journey, I was stuck in the mentality that I would have to increase my income somehow or find more hours in the already long work days.

Fortunately, I happened upon a property investing seminar which is where I learnt none of us can rely on cashflow alone to create wealth. We need to leverage the bank’s money.

Good debt vs Bad debt

Not all debt is equal.

I know that some people are resistant to increasing their debt, but when you understand the difference between good and bad debt, it becomes a lot easier to pursue the idea of taking out a loan and using the bank’s money to propel you forward.

Good debt sets you up for smooth sailing.

Bad debt is like swimming against the tide.

Good debt:

Good debt is simply defined as borrowing to buy things that go up in value and generate an income for you. For example, if you cannot afford to buy a home with cash, you go into debt with a mortgage. That, in turn, can help you use your housing payments to build a real estate asset instead of renting.
Leveraging your equity to take out a mortgage on investment properties generates passive rental income that you can use for paying the bank loans, retirement savings or other investments.

Bad debt:

Bad debt is money borrowed to purchase rapidly depreciating assets or assets for consumption.
Bad debt can also include high levels of credit card debt, which can hurt your credit score.

Don’t be limited by your current income

If you’re currently not earning enough to buy multiple properties, don’t worry you can start by buying your first one while investing in yourself and enhancing your value to your employer. By dedicating time to self-improvement and focusing on increasing your worth, you not only boost your income potential but also open doors to a brighter future.

With higher earnings, you’ll have the opportunity to invest in more properties faster, plus, you’ll have the extra funds to enrich your lifestyle, secure your children’s education, and build a safety net for unexpected challenges. It’s a win-win path to financial empowerment and personal fulfillment.

Building wealth effectively requires a team, I could have tried to do it on my own, but I calculated that leveraging the expertise and support of professionals such as property consultants, mortgage brokers and accountants was a far better path to pursue.

So, while they were busy doing a lot of the hard work for me, I could put my time into becoming more valuable to the marketplace, working harder and smarter to increase my income faster.

It was a pivotal decision in many ways.

Surrounding myself with a team of property investing professionals gave me the power, expertise and confidence I needed to buy multiple properties.
It motivated me to become better and even change professions so I could increase my income.
It inspired me to start Ironfish and help others leverage our experience.

Even if you’re earning an enviably high income, property investing success is not guaranteed. Why? Because if you dive in without a sound strategy or set a goal of what you want to achieve, you are setting yourself up for failure.

I know for certain that I wouldn’t be enjoying the life I have today if I had chosen to go it alone. No matter what your income, with the team at Ironfish by your side, you can supercharge your journey to financial freedom.

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