Practicing for unlikely events is why you seize the moment

Why does he train so hard? What are the odds that will ever happen? Why does she sit there analyzing every piece of make up when she’s already a makeup artist? I don’t understand why a person with a million Instagram followers keeps back linking eight hours a day?

Have you ever seen a person doing something you thought was a waste of time? Ever watched a person training for no competition? The ability to harness drive to succeed for situations yet to occur is preparation for success. Greatness discovers its light in darkness of no support. Self starters draw internal fire to light their torch.

Think about it.

How will you run a marathon on Olympic stage if you never prepare? What is the likelihood any one individual will make it to the Olympics? I believe it’s the same likelihood as making it in the top 1% of United States wage earners. When I was eighteen years old I decided to make money in real estate. I had no experience. I never did a single transaction. I had no mentor. I had incredible drive to succeed. I joined the US Air Force reserves to learn professional discipline & organization. With nothing more than Knowledge I learned from rehab books (thank you Robert Allen, Wade Cook), a credit score, military training, VA loan eligibility, and one year of taking what others called “pointless real estate investing courses” I purchased my first house. My first house generated $20,000 of profit. Without courses, engaging in “pretend” real estate negotiations, and analyzing sample contracts I would have been unprepared. Lack of preparation would have prevented seizing my first opportunity.

It took nearly one year of unpaid efforts to seize my opportunity. That’s how it is when you first start. I had no encouragement, no support, no desire and no understanding from my family for what I was doing.

My father was born in 1955. My mother was born in 1958. What I did was not how they were taught to be successful.

When I started real estate in 2006 there were few book authors. I found Robert Allen, Donald Trump (Predominately) and a few others. Real estate books were grouped into “Self Help”. There was no real market presence. There was no “Flip that House” or “HGTV”. No “Selling Sunset” existed. There was no promotion of real estate as a wealth creation tool. What I did back then took keen observation. Today real estate is widely known for wealth creation. There is still money to be made in real estate. Real estate is an industry. When I started out real estate was for savvy individuals who navigated a route with few options.

Navigating a route with few options requires mental and physical toughness.

Yesterday I had a 40 lb ruck, 20 lb weighted vest, and a 45 lb Olympic bar. I ran hiking up and down hills for 2.5 miles. Why do I do these things? There is no completion certificate. There is no race to enter. There is no crowd to cheer me. There is just one desire inside.

I need mental and physical toughness.

This desire fuels me to have strength. I need the strength to carry my family through a path of few options. I imagine my daughter and wife on my shoulders. When my legs burn I say “I cannot stop my progress”. When I gasp for air I say “I need breathe for my family”. When my shoulders feel weight like Atlas I say “I have strength to carry this load where others falter.”

I do this because in life our profession does this to you. My six year old daughter cannot walk a path of uncertainty. My wife cannot breathe the air of law suits. My landlord will not tolerate the load of missed rent. So I must hone my abilities to physically and mentally overcome challenges that will arrive at my feet.

You do not have mental and physical toughness without struggle.

Your motivational speakers talk to you from a stage. Many tell you make a “decision”. Saying you can do something is suppose to make yourself “mentally” tough. Guess what? You have to do something that challenges you with no celebration. This is the part of your character you must strengthen. The audacity to live like 1% of the US Population and 0.1% of the world population means struggle. You will have a lot of loads dumped on your shoulders.

The shock of overwhelming weight will crush you if you are untrained. Find ways to train your body physically and mentally. You must withstand the shock of sudden jolts of pressure. Training does not require money. Training requires discipline. Undisciplined people do not train. Undisciplined people show up untrained for try outs and get cut.

Our career is a one person team, one person coach. Life cuts you through lack of money.

The career path is not for the feint at heart. If you cannot withstand others attempts to crush your dreams you fail. Prepare yourself for loads that will come. Prepare yourself for burn that will course through your legs. Prepare yourself for the air of those that will take your hard earnings away (through legal). This is reality. This is life. This is a Professional Entrepreneur. How bad do you want it?

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About Christopher: Christopher Knight Lopez is a Professional Entrepreneur. Christopher has opened over 7 businesses in his 14-year career. Christopher’s purpose is to take advantage of various market-driven opportunities. Christopher is a certified Master Project Manager (MPM) and Accredited Financial Analyst (AFA). Christopher previously held his Series 65 securities license. Christopher also has his General Lines — Life, Accident, Health & HMO. Christopher has managed a combined 286mm USD in reported Assets Under Management & Assets Under Advisement. Christopher has work experience in 29 countries, raised over 50mm USD for various businesses, and grossed over 7.5mm in his personal career. Christopher worked in the highly technical industries of: biotechnology, finance, securities, manufacturing, real estate, and residential mortgages. Christopher is a United States Air Force Veteran. Christopher has a passion for family, competitive sports, fishing, martial arts and advocacy for entrepreneurs. Christopher provides self-help classes for up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Christopher’s passion to mentor comes from belief that entrepreneurs need guidance. The world is full of conflicting information about entrepreneur identity. See more at www.christopherklopez.com