Hey Moguls,
You all remember Franklin Cruz, right? It’s been a while since he posted a lesson with us – so as a refresher, check out his former lessons – they are full of awesome REI info. Here’s one, here’s one, and here’s another good one.
Who’s Cruz?
Here’s a refresher… Franklin Cruz is an entrepreneur who specializes in real estate investments, property management and property rehabilitation. He is the founder of several real estate companies and projects such as Bentley Private Fund. A former military man, Franklin started in the field of real estate investing while he was still active in the army. I know, right?!
He and his wife, Bridgette, started TradeMark Property Management with zero clients and built it to over 500 units in less than 5 years. For real! The company was later sold to an investment company. While he loves real estate investing – and is immensely successful – one of Franklin’s favorite things is to mentor other investors. Yay for us!
So, in this lesson, Franklin’s going to talk to us about the power of never giving up on your dreams. Trust me when I say that he’s got something worth sharing; it comes from the trenches of his own real life experiences.
Take it away, Franklin...
Do you dream?
Do you ever dream? I do. I dream a lot. And I don’t mean while I’m asleep... I mean dreaming of things that you want to do in your life that are seemingly impossible.
Have you ever given up on your dreams? I certainly have. At one point, years ago, I gave up on my dream of speaking in front of hundreds of people, inspiring them and helping them to accomplish things they never thought they could accomplish.
I gave up on that dream because it wasn't working for me. Thankfully, I didn’t stay in that pit of dejection. I'm here to tell you that today that dream is a reality. Lately, I've spoken to hundreds of people at a time and it's been amazing.
Recently, a lady came up to me and said:
"Franklin, if it wasn't for what you have to say, if it wasn't for what you have gone through and what you have overcome, I don't know if I could have overcome my own fears.”
Wow, that’s so fulfilling to hear! Because I never gave up on my dream, that lady has a better tomorrow. Incredible.
How did this happen? How did I progress from the point of giving up to the success I now enjoy? It happened because I put several principles in place in my life.
Let’s look at a few of them.
People who dream big, make big waves...
There’s nothing like a dream to create the future. As Walt Disney once said, "If you can dream it, you can do it."
I so agree with this, because I don’t think dreams come into our hearts and minds on accident. I believe dreams are meant to be sought after, worked for and brought to reality.
Dreams don’t work unless you do.
Dreaming is the 1st stage – a crucial stage – but a first stage nonetheless. What’s needed? Action. The person who does not step out and take action, is the person who will never see their dream fulfilled.
It was Colin Powell who said: "A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work."
But what about what others think?
Don’t be surprised if your dreams bug some people. Not everyone wants to see you succeed. So dream big! If it offends someone, so what! It’s your life and yours alone. Get out and dream even bigger!
If others seem to think your dreams are unattainable – again, so what? You must push past that negativity. The gracious former first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, once said:
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
No matter what, you don’t want to come to the end of your life and be filled with regret that you gave up on your dreams. Then you would never know how different things could have been if you had not given up.
Think about this:
"As soon as you start to pursue a dream, your life wakes up and everything has meaning."
~Barbara Sher
Who wants to live a life with no meaning? Because, as life coach and author, Tony Gaskins, says:
"If you don't build your dream, someone will hire you to help build theirs."
Sometimes, life is about risking everything for a dream no one can see but you.
Check out this amazing poem: "We Are the Music-Makers" by Arthur William Edgar O'Shaughnessy…
The reason why O'Shaughnessy’s poem is so right on, is because the person with big dreams is often lonely. When you take risks for your dream – and no one catches the vision but you – you may look around and see that there’s not too many people alongside. Don’t let that stop you.
Don't chase money, chase your dream
It’s sad but true that we have become a society in search of keeping up with the Joneses rather than making our own path, dreaming our own dreams and taking action to make those dreams come true. Those who make money their goal often wind up frustrated, stressed out and totally unfulfilled. Don’t let that be said of you.
Do something each day to bring you a little closer to your dreams.
Your dreams can chart your path. Stop shoving your dreams to the back of your mind – to the back of your consciousness. Instead, bring them out into full view - embrace your dreams. Then create a plan to bring them to fruition.
You do this by taking action steps each and every day. Never let a day go by without doing at least one task that will bring you closer and closer to the fulfillment of your dreams.
Polish your skills
Do you have a dream? Have you given up on your dream?
I'm here to tell you that all you have to do for dealing with your dream and your vision is to keep polishing your skills. Keep making them better. Invest the time and the hard work.
If you want to be a speaker, if you want to be an author, if you want to be a director, an artist, whatever you dream of being and doing - go after it. Each day when you wake up, ask yourself:
"What's one thing I can do today to make my skills better and more polished?"
I promise you, sooner or later you're going to have the opportunity to put that skill into action, but you never know when it's going to happen.
I remember when I received an email inviting me to come to another state and speak to their group. Wow, there it was! The glimmer of my dream coming to fruition. It was scary at first, but I gave it my best. I put all my passion into that one speech. People were touched, moved and inspired – and I successfully overcame fear and reached my dream.
The main reason why that happened, was because I was committed to my dream. I wasn't committed to HOW it was going to happen; but I was committed that it WOULD happen.
You can do the same thing. Be committed to your dream. Don’t be concerned with how it will come to pass; just trust that it will.
Are you a dreamer?
What’s your dream? Have you been working hard to get there? Tell us about it below.
Review – go back into your past and uncover dreams that you once had and perhaps have given up on.
Do a motivational check – what motivates you? What makes you get up each morning? Is it money (a paycheck) – or is it your dream?
Stop and ask – Who do you listen to? Is it what other people think about your dreams? Or is it the inner cry of your dreams?
Do something each day that will take you one step closer to fulfilling your dream.