How Keanu Reeves Helped Me Succeed in Real Estate

In the movie "The Matrix", the 1999 sci-fi thriller that set a new standard for mind-blowing special effects, some of the characters could instantly learn a variety of skills and knowledge by plugging a computer cord directly into their brain and uploading the data.

In one scene, a character learned how to fly a helicopter in a matter of seconds. Of course this is Hollywood where everything is exaggerated and we are asked to suspend our disbelief for 136 jaw-dropping minutes.

Keanu Reeve's character (Neo) had a small problem with this method, however. Although he had access to and in fact downloaded the exact same program that instantly taught him Karate (or Kung Fu, or some form of martial art), he did not quite believe he had the skills. This mental wavering caused him to get his virtual butt kicked by his mentor, Morpheus.

He also tried jumping between two buildings but seriously doubted his abilities halfway there. This caused him to fall instantly from the sky and would have caused his death in the real world.

I use these examples to illustrate the point that until you internalize and truly believe everything you are attempting to learn about real estate, you will be just like Neo - one round house kick away from getting knocked out of the game.

When I first started out in real estate, I read everything I could get my hands on to learn about a world that was simply alien to me. I had spent my entire adult life in the world of graphic design and printing, so I didn't know that a "rehab" could be a good thing.

Every book I read downloaded just a little bit more data that began to change my mind one page at a time. I read every book in the "Rich Dad" series from Richard Kiyosaki, a few books from Ron LeGrand, "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie and many others (all free at the library). I found that reading empowering books is just like plugging into the "Matrix" of wisdom and knowledge of those who have gone before you, without having to stick a cord in your brain.

But it wasn't until I finally began to believe a ทาวน์โฮม พระราม 9 different life was possible for me that things started to turn around. I had the knowledge, but my belief system was weak. I didn't believe I could fly. Then I joined a real estate investment club and found a mentor which made all the difference in the world. Suddenly I went from thinking I could succeed in real estate to "knowing".

Looking back, it was a similar path that Neo had taken. Given a choice between two pills - one to return to his old life as a human battery, or one to plunge into the unknown, Neo chose the one that allowed him to face his fears and forge a new reality. And it wasn't until he truly believed he was "The One" that he was able to vanquish the evil Agent Smith. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once so eloquently stated - "As a man thinketh, so is he, and as a man chooseth, so is he."

What did I also learn from Neo and "The Matrix?" Simply this: There are Agent Smiths in everyone's life that are attempting to terminate our dreams of a better tomorrow. Whether they come disguised as fear of the unknown, a comfortable status quo, or loving but skeptical relatives, these agents will stop at nothing to undermine our goals and must be defeated.

So when those bullets of negativity come flying your way, simply put up your hand as Neo did and utter the one word that will stop them in their tracks - "No". Do not allow them. And "know" that you can.

Thanks Keanu.