A Year in Review…
Thoughts about business and life. Just thinking out loud.
2021 taught me a lot about myself and my values as a person. I want to share some of the good and the bad.
Business
We had a pretty good year business-wise. Our most significant focus was to build affordable housing that we could sell or rent out. We finished the year with almost $1M in gross profits, taking flips, wholesale, and construction deals into account. We had 7 units taken full-cycle; 3 were ground-up construction, and 4 were fix and flip deals. A big part of the success we had was due to market conditions. Nobody wants to talk about luck, but luck does exist. Being in the Florida market was a significant catalyst for our success.
Main Lesson: Money and achievements are not happiness
I made multiple six figures this year, yet felt the same emotions as when I was making $0. There were happy times, and there were sad times no matter what. I believe it's imperative to find happiness within yourself when you have nothing before you can truly enjoy the fruits of your labor to the fullest. One often falls into the mindset trap where they believe that reaching a specific goal will fulfill them. In reality, it's just a means to an end, and you have to find further meaning in life. I want to be rich and be able to impact this world, but I've learned that I have to find my motivation in something other than "achievements" to truly be fulfilled.
Money gives you the freedom to do what you want when you want with who you want. That means nothing when you don't surround yourself with people you love, don't love what you're doing, and aren't happy with yourself.
Baseball
Lesson: We constantly evolve as we attain new information and experiences that shape our worldview
This year I had to juggle 2 full-time jobs running my business and working in pro baseball as a coach. Coming into the year, I had aspirations to work in baseball and make it to the top. Perhaps it was not reaching my goal of making it to the big leagues as a player that still left some hunger in me to pursue success. I quickly realized that I enjoyed baseball because it wasn't a job. Once it became an actual job, I lost the love for it and sometimes resented it.
As a player, baseball had the same effect that business does on me now:
It pushed me to be the best version of myself
It humbled me through small failures
It forced me to iterate to find new solutions
It allowed me to form a bond with great people who became lifelong friends
As a coach, I didn't feel that it pushed me in the same way. I felt complacent, and I also didn't like being told what to do regularly. As a player, I felt like I had control of my career and competed against myself. As a coach, I felt like I had to play a waiting game where I had no control. I met some great people through working in professional baseball. Still, I learned that I am happiest and most efficient by doing my own thing.
Life
Lesson: Patience is key
Patience is a virtue, as worthwhile things generally require time. From relationships with people to business deals, they take time to play out, and the most challenging part is staying the course.
One example was my real estate journey this year. I started the year with 2 projects to be worked on. By March, I had 13. Today, only 3 are completed, with 13 more scheduled to be completed in the 1st quarter of 2022. It's easy to get impatient due to the slow growth of a company. I had to learn to be patient in real estate and not make money for long stretches, only to have a big payday after providing for everyone else. I made more money in 2 months this year than I did the past 3 years combined. As an entrepreneur, you get paid last. You put in all the work upfront but don't see results until the end. It is delayed gratification.
Lesson: Family is everything:
They will be with you through thick and thin. Unconditional love is crazy, and I can't wait to be able to provide for my family one day. The people closest to me were incredibly supportive throughout the year, and I am grateful for all they've done.
2022 Outlook
Business:
I'm excited about what lies ahead. We have 13 units being worked on right now, and I am looking to acquire more land to start building on in early 2022. We also have a 16 unit multifamily construction deal in the works, which would be the biggest project I've ever taken up. My target is to do at least 30 projects next year.
Life:
Personally, my main objectives are improving mental health, physical health, and being a good person to others. The first two are pretty self-explanatory. Being happy and healthy is essential to humans, but I want to become a better person. Kinder, more giving, more attentive. Often, I let the flow of life dictate my emotions towards people, affecting their own sense of being. This is much easier said than done, and it may be aspirational, but it's a challenge that I'm willing to take on.
Final Thoughts
It's hard being in your 20s in today's age. Social media takes reality out of context. People portray themselves differently than who they are; it's designed to be that way. False images that fuel more false images, that fuel self-doubt. Some people get rich quickly through luck; others who are deserving struggle to get a job. Still, everyone has their own path to success if they stay the course. There are timeless methods proven to help you become a productive human being. If anyone sticks with them, they will each make an impact in their own way.
beautifully written
Great!