Why I am in real estate.

I am completely new to the Active Rain community, and quite frankly this is the first blog I've ever written. I even did research on what to blog about because I didn't want to sound stupid, but the funny thing is every idea I saw was something that I would never write. It just wasn't me. So I thought I would share only my experiences personally and my perspective on real estate as well as how I ended up here amongst you all. I have never been a good employee my entire life. No matter the job, the pay, or the hours, I just sucked at it. I would always do fine at first and after a month or two I would tire easy, grow bored, and quit. I started working when I was 13 and went through dozens of jobs, and over the years my confidence continually dropped. I thought I was just not good at anything at all! Meanwhile, I was always dreaming of making it big. I think everyone does that. Of course, I had no idea how I would ever make it "big" or become anything in life. But as I got older I wanted it bad, at the time I didn't know what "it" was but I wanted it. My ambition continued to grow and I started realizing different things about life. I started to notice I thought differently than the people I worked around, they were content, even happy? Who knows. But they had made up in their minds that they would work here until they got old, come in and leave at the same times everyday, and probably make around the same amount through their career. I was not ok with that! I could hardly stomach that. I wanted more.  The question was how? I knew I couldn't afford college at the time but I tried anyways. But I would be sitting in class having the same thoughts I had at work. Taking a class here and there racking up student loans and have nothing to show for it. Something inside me would always burn for more, it was uncontrollable. No matter where I was my thoughts were elsewhere. My thoughts were somewhere trying to figure out how to set me free from this day to day routine. I had a job that I didn't like and I couldn't afford school so what was I going to do? I started reading books about the rich. All of them had something to do with real estate, so I started getting books on real estate. I studied everything I could find on real estate and I fell in love. They worked their own hours, they got paid what they wanted to get paid, and they were free. But the question still remained, HOW. How can I get in real estate? I have no money, no one I know has any money, and I don't even know anyone in real estate besides the people who wrote the books. Everyone thought my ideas were far fetched and absurd. But it was at that moment in my life that I realized what made me different than the people I worked with or went to school with. They were comfortable. And if they weren't comfortable they were taught they had to be comfortable because that's all there is to life. Go to school, 9-5 job, make 30k a year, and retire. They believed the people in their lives that told them their dreams and ideas were far fetched. They took the easy way out. I wanted to be free. So I told myself no matter what, I would do real estate. No matter what it took or how little money I made, I would figure out a way. All of a sudden all of my confidence that had disappeared over the years exploded back. There was no reason to be down on myself for not being built the same. I wasn't built to work for somebody. Some people are and that's completely fine but I wasn't one of them. It was merely psychology. All of it. Everything in this profession is a state of mind and your way of thinking. Once I figured that out, it was game on. I was unstoppable. I did granite for a living. I worked ungodly hours- sometimes 7 days a week (talk about back problems). But I was determined. I continued to study and read everything I could find on real estate. My mind grew stronger. One day I decided I didnt want to do granite for someone else anymore, so I went in business for myself. I knew what people would say, "you need money" ,or "Takes Money to make money" and whatever else they could fathom up in their imagination to make me fail. They didnt understand people like me, they lived off of fear and we lived off of the thrill of opportunity. My spirit was dying from not pursuing my passion of real estate and the only thing I knew how to do was granite so it made sense to go in business for myself, and be able to do real estate. I knew it would work because I wanted it to work. I knew it would be hard and there would be problems but in the end it worked. That business is still here today and is still growing. I started investing in rentals and continued to grow. It wasnt before too long that I had one of the highest producing brokers in my area ask me to come on as his agent. So I did just that, I became an agent and am glad to call him my partner today. I continue to grow daily. When you get down to it, real estate isn't for everybody. Some people need to have the security of a paycheck or simply can't hold themselves accountable to put in the work. Some people need careers. This is a profession. I make as much as I want to make. I plan my day out accordingly to how I see fit, and most of all, having someone tell you that you helped them and they appreciate you for everything you've done for them is a priceless feeling. That is why I am in real estate.