Neighbor News
Build Your Ark
Build an Ark to weather financial struggles through investment real estate
As I prepare to teach another real estate course this week (I'm a guest speaker at the University of Alabama's real estate school), I am planning to share the story of Noah and how the story can apply to our financial lives. We all will face financial problems at some point...rains and floods. When that occurs, it's smart to be prepared with your own ark.
We can glean three important points from this Biblical account. Number one, start building BEFORE the rains begin. It's believed that Noah worked on the ark 120 years before it started raining. In the middle of the desert, where rain was scarce (some say non-existent at that time in history), Noah started building the ark. The lesson here: You can't wait until the rain starts. To build a financial future, you have to start early and start before the financial problems begin.
Secondly, no one else will build an ark for you. The Biblical account says that Noah and his family entered the ark. No one else...not his co-workers, his employer, his friends. He built the Ark for himself and his family. The government won't build your ark...the government is flat broke. Great retirement packages are an antiquated vestige of the past. How many times have you heard of someone working at a company for 30 years, only to be fired a few months before retirement. The lesson here: Take care of yourself. No one else will.
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Thirdly, you have to fight through the criticism. Noah was building an ark, a boat, in the middle of the desert! No one had seen such foolishness before. Do you think he endured criticism for 120 years? Probably so. And you will too, if you are working outside the box to build your own ark. I built my ark through investment real estate. You wouldn't believe the folks that tried to stop me. Maybe it's the fear of your being successful at something they failed at or didn't have the guts to do themselves. Or, maybe it's just seeing you not following the status quo that everyone is expected to adhere to. Whatever the reason, don't expect to get support but from just a few key people in your life...ignore all the others.
If you want more details on how I built my ark, my most recent book is available at www.mailboxmoola.com. Or, next time we run into each other, let's talk about your ark building and how I might can help with it. Now, go get started. www.BrianPattonCommercial Brian Patton, CCIM 770.634.4848