Need some inspiration? Where can real estate investors, in particular, find more inspiration? Inspiration is perhaps the most valuable commodity sought after by real estate investing pros and agents. So where does it come from and how can your get more of it? Fortunately, getting inspired, and finding inspiration doesn’t just come as a talent for a few. It can be learned. It can even be downloaded on demand if you know where to get it:
1. Walk
Walking helps generate inspiration for real estate professionals in more than one way. It physically and mentally energizes them by taking action. Action also helps to filter out distractions in the brain and pinpoint the best ideas. For real estate investors, it’s all too easy to suffer from being behind a screen all day. Simply getting outside can make a huge difference. You never know what house, deals and FSBOs you’ll stumble across on your walk. Do it daily! Want to go even further? Travel or hit the gym for a serious work out.
2. Go Have Coffee
Caffeine has long been the lifeblood of many real estate investing businesses. However, there can be major advantages of heading out to the coffee shop for a break rather than just topping up another cup from the home or office Keurig. It really doesn’t matter whether frozen coffee, chai-tea or even decaf is your thing. Five minutes at the coffee shop can bring inspiration from seeing new ideas, listening to the buzz or even from running into an old friend.
3. Read
The power of reading can’t be overestimated. It’s critical to keep tabs on blogs like this, set up feeds and keep an eye on what’s trending in social networks. Keeping a few books or real estate education courses on hand can make a big difference in the way you perceive your business. Top real estate investors and investing legends juggle as many as seven books at a time.
4. Play Games
The search for finding inspiration doesn’t have to be too serious and should never be boring. Some of the best ways to spark inspiration and creative thinking for real estate investors is to do something completely different than normal. Consider playing video games with the kids, engage in a game of chess, browse online games on your tablet or hit the arcade. Art can be a great source of inspiration as well. Draw, paint, hit the craft store or take up a pottery class. You might make some great new contacts too.
5. Make Lists
A recent blog post from leading author and marketing mastermind Seth Godin recommends making lists to get “unstuck.” Push thinking to the edges and discover new ideas with exhaustive list making.
6. People Watch
Hit the mall to people watch. No stalking though, please. Browse electronics and home improvement stores for ideas, keep tabs on marketing trends and watch what people are drawn to. You may be surprised at how much you learn from the actions of others.
Author John Maxwell, who claims to have spent years studying the successful, says the one thing they have in common is that they think differently. A big part of this is simply recognizing the importance of thinking and taking time out to do so.
