What does a Hollywood legend and our Ironfish CEO have in common? More than you think…

Have a vision as to where you want to be.

Arnold’s vision.

To be a champion body builder.

To live in America, to learn English so he could become a movie star, be rich, famous and give back to others.   

Joseph’s vision

To become a leading translator and respected diplomat.

To live in Australia and become a high achieving salesperson, successful entrepreneur and mentor to other Australians wanting to achieve their dreams of financial freedom.

It’s amazing how many of us really don’t have a clear vision of where we want to be in life. And yet, asking this question of yourself is one of the most fundamental principles of success.

Think about it this way. When you’re planning a holiday, you think about where and when you want to go, how much money you need, how you’re going to get there. You may have to save up or make a few sacrifices in order to have extra spending money to enjoy a few little extra luxuries while you’re away.

This sort of planning and forward thinking inevitably results in us having a great holiday, with very few hiccups. So, imagine how incredible it could be if we applied it to our lives, how much more we would enjoy our future knowing we had clear plans for how we wanted it to look.

I’m certainly not here to tell you that life as a property investor is always easy, because it’s not. You will be faced with challenges along the way, and there may even be times when you want to give up. But I can tell you from my experience, that because I had a very clear picture in my head of what I wanted to achieve, making the decision to keep going was easy.

I’m certainly not here to tell you that life as a property investor is always easy, because it’s not. You will be faced with challenges along the way, and there may even be times when you want to give up. But I can tell you from my experience, that because I had a very clear picture in my head of what I wanted to achieve, making the decision to keep going was easy.

Dream big

Arnold’s story.

Although Arnold had already achieved his goal of becoming a rich and famous movie star, he had a dream to become the Governor of California, (even though he made it very clear that if those not born in America were eligible to become President, he would have aimed for that!)

Some people around him encouraged him to try for a smaller position, believing his chances of winning were small. But Arnold dismissed such limited thinking, and because he shared a very clear vision of what he was going to do for California, was appointed Governor 2 months later.

Joseph’s story.

When we first started Ironfish in 2006, the Sydney market was at a low point in its cycle, and we had many disbelievers. But, much like Arnold, I’m a firm believer in possibility thinking, and I had a clear vision to build a property investment services company that would be loved by staff, complimented and trusted by our customers, and admired by our industry peers.

Even though other companies were closing or downsizing, my belief in my vision was so steadfast, it kept me focused through twist and turn.

And here we are, 16 years later, still helping many thousands of investors realise their own vision for a secure financial future.

Dream big

Arnold’s story.

Although Arnold had already achieved his goal of becoming a rich and famous movie star, he had a dream to become the Governor of California, (even though he made it very clear that if those not born in America were eligible to become President, he would have aimed for that!)

Some people around him encouraged him to try for a smaller position, believing his chances of winning were small. But Arnold dismissed such limited thinking, and because he shared a very clear vision of what he was going to do for California, was appointed Governor 2 months later.

Joseph’s story.

When we first started Ironfish in 2006, the Sydney market was at a low point in its cycle, and we had many disbelievers. But, much like Arnold, I’m a firm believer in possibility thinking, and I had a clear vision to build a property investment services company that would be loved by staff, complimented and trusted by our customers, and admired by our industry peers.

Even though other companies were closing or downsizing, my belief in my vision was so steadfast, it kept me focused through twist and turn.

And here we are, 16 years later, still helping many thousands of investors realise their own vision for a secure financial future.

Ignore the naysayers

This is a big one, because no matter where you are in your journey, you’ll always find people more than ready to tell you that what you want is impossible. It’s strange, but it seems that when you’re prepared to step out of your comfort zone and strive for something bigger and better, it makes other people uncomfortable.

Arnold’s story.

Become Mr. Universe? Leave your small Austrian village to become one of the world’s biggest movie stars? Become a Governor? Arnold shared that when people told him it can’t be done, all he heard was it can be done. When they said no, he heard yes. And when they said it was impossible, he heard it was possible.

Joseph’s story

A very successful person once told me that I would never succeed at my vision of creating a company that values its people by giving them knowledge and power. His point was that they would leave after I had trained them and ‘steal’ our ideas. But because I believe in abundant thinking, where there is enough for everyone, I ignored his advice. The result? A unique company staffed with loyal, smart people who work even harder to help the business and their customers grow because they themselves feel valued and respected.

Ignore the naysayers

This is a big one, because no matter where you are in your journey, you’ll always find people more than ready to tell you that what you want is impossible. It’s strange, but it seems that when you’re prepared to step out of your comfort zone and strive for something bigger and better, it makes other people uncomfortable.

Arnold’s story.

Become Mr. Universe? Leave your small Austrian village to become one of the world’s biggest movie stars? Become a Governor? Arnold shared that when people told him it can’t be done, all he heard was it can be done. When they said no, he heard yes. And when they said it was impossible, he heard it was possible.

Joseph’s story

A very successful person once told me that I would never succeed at my vision of creating a company that values its people by giving them knowledge and power. His point was that they would leave after I had trained them and ‘steal’ our ideas. But because I believe in abundant thinking, where there is enough for everyone, I ignored his advice. The result? A unique company staffed with loyal, smart people who work even harder to help the business and their customers grow because they themselves feel valued and respected.

Work harder and smarter

Arnold’s story

When Arnold decided to become a bodybuilder, he trained every single day for 8 hours a day. With a smile. When people asked him why he was smiling when the training was so tough, he said it was because he knew that every painful rep, every muscle straining weight and every agonising crunch was getting him closer to his goal of becoming Mr. Universe.

Joseph’s story

While my journey is not nearly as painful physically, the mindset was the same.  When I was a kid at school, I made the decision to become the best table tennis player in the school team; that was my goal. I had to practice harder and longer to improve my skill level as a player, sacrifice play time with my friends – even missing dinner at home sometimes- but I did achieve what I set out to do.

When I was considering my options for my future after high school, I decided that I would like to go to university and my goal was to gain admission into one of the best universities in China.

Immediately, I imagined myself walking down the Peking University campus, and what I’d do there and how great it would feel. Returning to this image gave me the energy and drive to continue to be disciplined enough to put in the otherwise overwhelming number of hours of study that would be required to get there.

Whatever level of success you’re aiming for, you will need to match it with equal levels of effort, learning and growth. But if you follow Arnold’s advice, and never forget why you’re doing what you’re doing, every extra hour you spend learning, every sacrifice you make to increase your financial position will get you closer and closer to your dream.

If the story of a small town, skinny boy from Austria becoming one of the world’s most famous and beloved stars tells us anything, it’s that there’s no obstacle too big to overcome and no dream too big to achieve.

Work harder and smarter

Arnold’s story

When Arnold decided to become a bodybuilder, he trained every single day for 8 hours a day. With a smile. When people asked him why he was smiling when the training was so tough, he said it was because he knew that every painful rep, every muscle straining weight and every agonising crunch was getting him closer to his goal of becoming Mr. Universe.

Joseph’s story

While my journey is not nearly as painful physically, the mindset was the same.  When I was a kid at school, I made the decision to become the best table tennis player in the school team; that was my goal. I had to practice harder and longer to improve my skill level as a player, sacrifice play time with my friends – even missing dinner at home sometimes- but I did achieve what I set out to do.

When I was considering my options for my future after high school, I decided that I would like to go to university and my goal was to gain admission into one of the best universities in China.

Immediately, I imagined myself walking down the Peking University campus, and what I’d do there and how great it would feel. Returning to this image gave me the energy and drive to continue to be disciplined enough to put in the otherwise overwhelming number of hours of study that would be required to get there.

Whatever level of success you’re aiming for, you will need to match it with equal levels of effort, learning and growth. But if you follow Arnold’s advice, and never forget why you’re doing what you’re doing, every extra hour you spend learning, every sacrifice you make to increase your financial position will get you closer and closer to your dream.

If the story of a small town, skinny boy from Austria becoming one of the world’s most famous and beloved stars tells us anything, it’s that there’s no obstacle too big to overcome and no dream too big to achieve.

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