Just when you think the noise surrounding our property markets can’t get any louder…here we are! Booms, busts and panic stations are the order of the day.
It’s easy to understand why some investors are becoming a little jittery. But when all is said and done, the only thing you should really fear as an investor…is fear itself.
The difference between a property portfolio built on the foundations of clear outcomes and a well-defined strategy, as opposed to one built on fear, is glaringly obvious. The former will flourish and thrive, while the latter will falter and languish.
Because when you make decisions based on fear, you’re working from a place of powerful emotion. Emotion that sends messages to an ancient control centre in our brains called the amygdala. That is, the part of our brain that controls our fight or flight response.
In moments of fear, anger or agitation, it’s the amygdala that fires. This was a very necessary mechanism when we could have been eaten by a tiger at any second. But those days are long gone for most of us. Even though our modern world and associated stressors still frequently trigger the amygdala into action.
Physiologically, when we act in fear, we’re pretty much acting in a state of diminished brain capacity.
We cannot possibly make rational, creative, solution based decisions because all the blood is pumping away from our brain and into our limbs, in preparation to either hit something, or run as fast as possible in the other direction!
So, how do we overcome our fears in such an intensely paced world, and retain our reasoning and optimism to want to solve our problems, in the face of constant fear triggers?
Here are five ways the gurus get around their fears, to manifest their heart’s desires…
- Know thyself
Understanding who you are, why you do what you do, and where you hope to end up as a result of your actions is fundamental to your journey. We’re all born with a unique path to walk, which is invariably changed and adulterated by all of the various influences that come and go in our lifetime.
Our experience of peers in school playgrounds and then office cubicles will influence who each of us becomes. And if we forget who we are in that process, it’s easy to get swept along on someone else’s ride, at the expense of losing your own way.
Here’s a tip to know whether you’re acting in your own truth and according to your own needs and objectives, or walking someone else’s path…does it feel right for you? If it does, keep going. If it doesn’t, go back and ask yourself where you might have lost focus and direction…
- Trust thyself
This is a huge one! The antithesis of fear is trust. You’re either making decisions around your investment journey grounded in trust for your own planning and decision making, or fearing that you’re about to commit some cardinal investment sin and end up destitute!
When you REALLY know yourself, you’ll have a much easier time trusting your own inner voice, rather than looking to every other ‘expert’ to guide your financial future.
- Meditate!
Think long and hard about your decisions before making them, and potentially setting wheels in motion that you may later regret having ever rolled. The more time you spend reflecting on a thought or idea, the more likely you are to make a calculated choice based on logic.
There is a fine line however…meditate on it too long and you could be unwittingly setting yourself up for a state of fear driven inertia, having thought yourself into a state of worry.
- Acknowledge your strengths and admit your weaknesses
We all have both. There’s no denying it. I can string a sentence together, but ask me to draw you a picture and it will be a very sketchy stick figure at best.
When you trust in and know yourself, you’ll be willing to put aside ego and admit when you need help to unravel the millions of conflicting messages around property markets, that can send even the most educated investor into a state of fear driven mayhem.
- Share the love!
If trust is the antithesis of fear, love must be right behind. Sure, it may seem as though I’m ending on a bit of a hippie high note with our list of ways to overcome your fears, but the fact of the matter is, we get what we give.
There’s a lot of emerging scientific theory that suggests whatever energy we send out into the world, so we attract like energy back. Not to mention that when we feel good, we tend to make better decisions because our brain chemistry is nice and balanced.
So there you have it…I may not have aligned your chakras with these insights, but I can tell you that success always features a key ingredient, and that is a self confidence, which prevails over fear every time.
Sure, that confidence is perhaps misplaced on occasion when you look at the success of some reality TV ‘stars’ (cough…Kardashians…cough). But that’s my point. They don’t listen to the haters, because they believe in themselves! And so should you!
About the Author
Since 2008, David Thomas has built a business aimed at servicing the needs of property investors, owner occupiers and small business owners. David is recognised as one of the top 10 independent mortgage brokerages in the country, David and his team have settled almost billions of dollars worth of residential and investment loans over the last decade.
Known for his straightforward, relatable style, David believes by educating people about property funding; they fare better in the market. By sharing his expertise openly, some of the people he educates will likely become his clients. It's a win-win approach.
David Thomas is a credit representative (Representative Number 506153) of BLSSA Pty Ltd, ACN 117 651 760 (Australian Credit Licence 391237).