The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom
What is happiness? How do we find it? How do we keep it? How does this emotion tie into a mindset that will improve your real estate investing career?
Lesson 1: Happiness is created not found
“The whole universe is change and life itself is but what you deem it” – Marcus Aurelius
Life improves when you start asking the right questions. The right question isn’t how to FIND happiness. It’s how do we create it?
That was the most powerful realization that I found in this book and it has changed the way that I look at life. You don’t have to seek happiness anymore. You have the ability to create it.
What if the purpose of life is the purpose we give it?
- How does that redefine what you do on a daily basis?
- How does that change the way you think about happiness and the approach that you take?
- What would you add or cut out of your life?
- Who would you be closer to, who would you disassociate from?
Happiness is the goals that we have, relationships we foster, work that we do, and the time that we spend.
All of those are things we control with our choices and actions. You choose what you work for, who you work with, the friends you keep around, and what you do for fun.
What is it about real estate that you think will make you happy? Prestige? Wealth? The satisfaction of owning? If you’ve already done your first deal did your expectations meet reality?
Instead of looking to real estate as a path or career that might make us happy, the better approach would be to put all our efforts and enthusiasm to doing the best we can then shape the experience for ourselves.
It’s fun to day dream of being on HGTV with our own flipping show filled with excitement and drama but would that lifestyle actually make us happy?
Is there a better path that we can walk to get us to the destination of our choice?
The beautiful thing about real estate is that there are some many paths to being successful. This is unlike many other careers. If you do it right, you can have the life that you want doing something that takes advantage of your strengths to reach your goals.
I’ve always seen real estate investing as something meaningful.
As investors, we are providing people with a safe clean place to live. We are building a community. We are employing workers and professionals during our deals and putting food on the table of their families.
I love real estate because it might start with a house but ultimately it is about the people. Be proud of the work that you do because it can positively affect many people, the economy, and everyone you get to know along the way.
Lesson 2: Happiness is made in the journey, not the destination
As real estate investors we work in a world of constant motion.
- Phone calls to be returned
- Bills to be paid
- Marketing campaigns to run
- And of course, offers to be written
Unfortunately, as people we also live in a world of constant distraction. Even as I write this there are text messages to be answered, emails piling up, and there is always the lure of social media.
There are things that my elephant brain (our emotional and primal side) would rather be doing.
But it is the elephant rider (our logical and forward thinking side) that knows that writing this is more important because it brings me closer to my goals, one step forward in the journey. To reach those goals and grow my business I have to be consistent.
Most people live a life of searching, jumping from one thing to another to find fulfillment.
They find it too. It comes in fleeting moments when things are new and exciting. Unfortunately, it dulls with repetition and time then that person has to jump to another thing to get that spike of emotions.
I’m just as guilty of doing this with real estate investing strategies.
I had to learn the ultimate way to wholesale, then got distracted and researched flipping until I talked myself out of that. Then I had to buy and hold. But wait, single family or multi? Do I have to start with a single? Now apartments…
My point is what we can achieve, our goals and aspirations, take time. Are you willing to do the work?
- When something goes wrong is it a problem or an opportunity?
- Is there something you can learn from this experience?
- What can you do to make sure that it doesn’t happen again?
- How you interpret the journey makes it miserable or exciting.
You don’t have to go on this journey alone. Any business needs other people and real estate investing is no different.
There is a wealth of professionals needed for each deal. On top of that you need to build your team and community. We can’t do it all, although I know we try.
Happiness is built with people, but only the right people with the right skills, attitude, and motivations. Select carefully.
Lesson 3: The practical applications of happiness
There are many applications that the book suggests but I will discuss three that I think are the best mindset shifts to boost your productivity and business. I recommend them from my experience and the recommendations of of top performers in multiple fields.
Journaling
Journaling is by far the single most important thing that I have done to boost my mental clarity, happiness, and business knowledge. It is something that I do daily that forces me to crystallize my thoughts into something coherent and meaningful. Ok, I’m not perfect and sometimes I miss, but on the days that I do write things down in my journal I feel more productive.
I’ve been journaling for at least 13 years now and it feels good to sometimes go back and read the words of my younger self.
Another benefit is if you need to remember something: a fact, figure, person, or event you can look back at your journal. Think of it as taking notes on life. If you are like me and you type your journal on a Word doc you can just CTRL+F and find specifics.
Lastly and most importantly journaling is a way to process your thoughts. It helps you think.
Part of the reason I even started this site was just for that. This is, in a way, an extended journal on what I have learned from great authors and how I utilize it in my real estate investing life.
Meditation
I admit it took me a long time to even try to meditate and when I finally did I couldn’t stick with it. I am not one to sit still.
I know there are classes, teachers, and meet ups for mediation but my recommendation is even simpler.
The Headspace app. It is free to try. I am not getting a commission by recommending it, but I have used this app for almost a year now and enjoy its simplicity. It’s a guided mediation so a soothing voice will help guide your thoughts making the practice much easier than going at it alone. Give it a try and let me know if it helps.
The “Game” Mindset
The last practical application is a very useful mindset to real estate investing and life in general. If you look at things as a game it is harder to get stressed and upset at set backs, but it still fosters achievement and a competitive attitude.
Anything that you can quantify can be a game.
I’ve even seen investors assign a point system for every task that they can conceive of from:
- Posting ads
- Number of cold calls
- Meeting clients
- Reading a real estate or business book
- Mailing out yellow letters
- Making an offer
- Literally anything that is related to your business that will move it forward
The other part of this is that no one expects games to go smoothly. There will be setbacks. Expect this to happen but also know that you have the ability to continue playing the game.
This mindset creates perspective and can make things fun. Having fun in life goes a long way to being happy!
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so” – William Shakespeare
Will investing in real estate make you happy? Maybe.
- Can you create a business to fit the lifestyle that you want?
- Can you do it with integrity and foster a community with strong relationships?
- Can you find joy in doing the hard work?
- Can you live in the moment, see the big picture, and invest in the future?
Maybe investing in real estate will make you happy. I don’t know. For myself, it has been the best path I could have walked. Sure, there have been times of doubt and despair but all things in life, every relationship, every job, every phase of life has its ups and downs.
What I do know is that investing in yourself always brings happiness. REI Mindset is a community that welcomes you to do just that. Work hard to make yourself and other better. That is how we can make the world a happier place.
Create it.
The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom
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