Howdy….from Cedar Crest, NM.

Since I last "blogged" lots has happened….the Grassland’s team has been working to close on it’s latest project and we also met last week in El Paso for our quarterly summit.  After the summit I joined Peter Conti and Peter Harris for the A-Z commercial trip….also in El Paso, TX. 

The Grassland summit was an eye-opening event to say the least.  We changed our business model…re-aligned our efforts….and now have marching orders….I am very excited to see how things come together in the next few months….

As for the A-Z trip….WOW….it was so much fun and the people there were so awesome to hang out with. I have to say…without a doubt, other than the cheap shots at the expense of my hair, it was one of the better events I have been to this year…for a few reasons…

1) teaching with Peter Conti and Peter Harris (www.resultsnow.com) is a great honor.  I had a great time hanging out with them ….cannot wait to do it again.

2) The people there had the best attitude and obviously doers!  I met some very amazing, kind, generous people at this event

3) Watching Peter Conti break into a mobile home via the kitchen window is just plain classic….

Now…. last time, we discussed the top ten characteristics of an successful real estate investor.  In this blog I figured I would cover the first one….. Belief

Attention Deficit Disorder Moment #21

Did any of you catch this headline on Google News…."Doctor dressed as Captain America stuffs Burrito in pants, gropes woman at Bar."  WOW….A doctor, a Captain American suit, a woman, and a burrito……obviously a bad combination.  Who would of thunk?  The lesson here is not to go out in public with a burrito….those darn burritos will attract the fuzz every time…even if you hide it….!

Belief…..

You are probably wondering why is "Belief" such a big deal…and more importantly…why is it the first characteristic I am writing about….right?  Well…the truth of the matter is that if you do NOT believe that you can be a successful investor….then you are right!  If you believe that you CAN be a successful real estate investor…then you are right too!  How can this be?

Well….let me let you in on a very little secret….belief, in my humble opinion, is what gets you to the plate….it is the first thing or first characteristic that connects the rest of the characteristics.  If you believe you CANNOT be a successful real estate investor…guess what happens….NOTHING….your life does not change….Then guess what else happens….you justify why it CANNOT happen for you….do any of the following excuses ring a bell?

1 "Oh…it is a scam….No money down…bunch of crooks"….

2. "Oh…but you cannot do that in my market…."

3.  "Real estate….freedom….that stuff is overrated…plus I love my job!"

4.  "Rob Powell is a dork….don’t believe a word he says….Rob bought all his real estate with drug money….."

Belief is the catalyst to action…without belief…you are stuck!  Now….when I was looking for a way out of my J.O.B., I headed down to the local Barnes and Noble and started thumbing through all the real estate books ….(ADD moment #22…did you know Dr. Phil has a book on real estate investing? …unreal….Hmmm….do you think he owns a Captain America suit?)…and I stumbled on Peter Conti and David Finkel’s book…"Making Big Money Investing in Real Estate."  When I read this book…I BELIEVED I could do it….I had no doubt…hence, I started my journey.  Belief is what put me in the game….helped me push fear to the side….though I was very scared….and take the leap…of faith.

Now…there are several other characteristics that build on belief…commitment is the second characteristic…..Commitment is what keeps you in the game….and I will go into that next week…

As most of you know…my son Jaxon (Jaxx) was diagnosed with Diabetes Type 1this past summer.

Jaxx was only three years old when diagnosed.  I am now….raising money to help find a cure for this disease. 

Type 1 diabetes is very different than Type 2….many people do not know the difference….neither did I until Jaxx was diagnosed.  Type 2 Diabetes is a result of poor lifestyle choices….bad eating habits, lack of exercise…etc.  Type 1 on the other hand is an auto-immune disease…where the body attacks the pancreas until it stops producing insulin.  A large percentage of those impacted by Type 1 are children….so a life of shots and finger pricks await them….if not properly managed Type 1 can lead to death.

So…I am on a crusade to do all I can to help find a cure…and the way I do that is by raising money.  My goal this year is to raise 30K from the JDRF Walk.  If you are interested in supporting Jaxon…please go to http://walk.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=extranet.personalpage&confirmid=86643425 and donate!

Thanks for reading…..looking forward to your critique….rob