I will be celebrating my 10^th year of being self employed on 30^th September 2009.  I have come a long way since then, not just financially, from age 27 to age 37.

 

At 27 I was on the whole quite down.  No one would know it but inside I felt I was not me.  I know now why I was down.  It was because my career was taking me south and I wanted to go north!  In other words I was not striving for what I really wanted.

 

When I handed in my resignation I had no big plans to become rich.  I wanted to be out of the clutches of an employer.  I wanted to do what I wanted to do constrained only by:

 

1. the law
2. my physical capabilities

 

I saw being the master of my own time as my key to happiness.  And guess what: I was right!  Now I know this may not be for everyone but it was right for me.  I would rather be living in one room with a old banger of a car, eating cheap food and dressed in charity shop clothes than not be the master of my own time.  And that was my life for 18 months or so:

 

• I lived in a room with my computer and fax machine for £55 per week.
• I drove an old Mercedes SEC bought with my salary which was falling to bits (but I loved it!)
• I made my own cheap sandwiches from Tesco, treated myself to an Indian take away once a week or sponged off my mum.
• I wore secondhand clothes or wore items of clothing till they were embarrassingly worn.  I literally had one outfit if I was going out!

 

All this paid off.  Not just financially.  I have to say I have never been depressed in the 10 years since I have been self employed!  Now I do not know what causes people to feel down or to be honest feel ok.  All I know is I made some fundamental changes in my life and my life changed around.

 

With hindsight it is easy to say all you needed to do was leave your job.  But I did not know that.  It was very very scary.  All my collegues were in full time professional jobs earning excellent money.  I was doing something completely alien to all my peers.  I still often day dream back to what it was like and how I got the courage to do such a thing.

 

Anyway I want to share this tip with you. It is not property related.  More life related.  When you get in your car and you have a long journey please switch off the radio or CD player.

 

The reason for this is because you can get some real good quality time with yourself.  You can then think about what it is you want to achieve from life.  I have to say I am at a personal crossroads in my life and I use this time in my car to think things over.  It is this quiet time that can produce that answer you are looking for.  If you do not drive ignore completely what I am saying!

 

It is also a good time to form a strategy for whatever plan you come up with.  If it is build a portfolio of 100 properties in 5 years then you can think about what type of properties, how you think they will be managed and how the portfolio will fit in to your life.

 

I am off to Scotland today.  I am checking on some of my properties and seeing how the refurbs are going.  And who knows I might even pick up a bargain or three!

 

Ajay

 

PS if you want help in building your strategy please contact my team.

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on: 23rd Jul 2009