OfflineA few days ago, I was leaving Florida, and I decided to write a letter to myself. I needed to express on paper how I was feeling, where I wanted to go in life, and what my goals were for the new year. I have decided to share that letter on this site, although, I won't be including my personal goals. I mailed the letter and I knew I would get it in a few days. I would recommend you write yourself a letter as well. It is amazingly powerful. Sometimes the truth hurts...
Matt,
I am writing this letter as a wake up call. There is a lot of work to be done in 2010. 2009 was a good year for you. You seemed to accomplish a lot in the first 9 months of the year. I know you had a pretty tough 3 months during June, July and August. You got knocked on your butt, ganged up on, and got the snot beat out of you. I am proud of you for getting back up. Most wouldn't have. I am dissapointed with what you accomplished in October, November, and December. And yes I know you made more money in those months than you ever had blah, blah, blah. Honestly, I'm tired of hearing that. The point is this, you could have done more. Life for you has gotten pretty easy. Your lazy and unproductive. Your stupid with your money and it's going to catch up with you. You think just because life was so hard between 2005-2008 that now you can just do whatever you want. You think all your dues are paid? Their not! Quit acting so immature and get back to business. You used to read 2-3 books a week, even when you didn't have the time, or even if it meant getting only a few hours of sleep at night. Now your reading has dropped off considerably because everytime you pick up a book you think "I don't need to read this book again, I know the information already, look at me-I've already made it." Well, I have news for you, you haven't made it. Yes, your real estate skills are sharp, but some of your other skills have become dull, because of your arrogance, you don't think you need to re-sharpen. Wake up! And you have gotten way out of shape. You should be embarrassed about the way you look, but you're not-which is just part of your arrogance and the fact that you are lazy and undisciplined. You need to get back on track. I have attached a separate sheet with all of your goals for 2010. And not just money goals. Who cares how much money you make if you can't get some of the other aspects of your life figured out. Remember when you used to have laser focus when you were running for your dream of freedom? Well, you are going to get that back. I have also included a daily schedule for you so you know exactly where you will be spending your time. You have too much free time and I am going to help you fill it with productive activities. Get focused!
Matt
You've got to find your obstacles and call them out! Unsheath the sword, and do battle with whatever it is that holds you back!
I need to write myself a letter too, wouldn't be as brave as you to print it for all to see though! Maybe that gives it greater legs though.
Great idea!
Angela
Matt,
but prefer to be combing the beach!
Harsh letter to yourself. Not only did you call yourself out on the carpet you posted it for all to read. AMAZING. I think that this letter is going to motivate others to look at their position in life and consider a life mod plan. Thank you for sharing such a person piece of your life. I hope you blast past all your goals. Just another peek at what makes certain members of this site DG Superstars.
Sidenote, Hope you enjoyed FL. I have to go and shovel some snow
Earl in MI
DG
2%ER
RBBP
Lifetime Member
Hi Matt,
That's some pretty tough stuff there! I can totally relate to some of what you said (especially the "out of shape" part). Thank you for sharing that, it really opened up my eyes...and it was YOUR letter!
This year will be much better if I just kick myself in the butt & "get 'er done". I appreciate you reminding me that it's all up to ME, nobody else can do it FOR me! You're awesome, what a great idea to share with us...
Thanks again Matt,
Dawn
Life's a Dance you learn as you go...GET HAPPY FEET!
"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed no hope at all." ~Dale Carnegie
Wow! What a brutally honest letter. I like it and like that you did compliment yourself also. But what is so great is it's a way to focus on your strengths and weakenesses and put it in front of you to see and that you created a plan of action to improve yourself. What a great way to pave a way to success for yourself. I think we could all take a lesson from you. Thanks for sharing. Now I've got to get up the courage to write myself a letter, you came up with a creative and really good idea!
Thanks again,
Lea
SPR Property Solutions, LLC
One good idea i will be doing that and 2010 is going to be the best year so far to make a foundation on real state invest.Thanks again matt your words are always making a good impact on how to think different and hope everyone makes 2010 there platium year.
Great post and what an eye opener. All this feed back should be giving you some much needed at-a-boys. Good luck in 2010 and keep pushing forward. Have to keep this short as I have a letter to write. LOL
Wow MattWhat a GREAT idea!
I think I need to sit down and write a candid letter to myself too. Over the past 3-4 months, I too have lost focus on the truly important things in life, both personally and with my real-estate investing. The good thing about the New Year is EVERYONE gets a clean slate.
Here's to a fantastic 2010 everyone!!!!
amazing and awesome idea
~TAKE ACTION AND THINGS WILL HAPPEN~
***Something to Believe In***
"If you want something, GO GET IT...PERIOD" Will Smith
***"I CAN'T IS NOT A EXCUSE...IT JUST MEANS YOU WON'T"***
"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal" Henry Ford
~"Success doesn't come to you...You go to it" Marva Collins~
That's exactly what i'm going to do, Thanks Matt for idea. There are things that need to be done and i need to tell myself to do it.Thank's for showing me how to do battle with my obstacles,and call them out! Time to focus!!
Some of you know me personally and you know my personality. I am brutally honest sometimes and it seems as if I am really hard on other people. The above letter is how I hold myself accountable. I am very hard on myself. I hold everyone to a high standard because eveyone is meant for greatness.
You've got to find your obstacles and call them out! Unsheath the sword, and do battle with whatever it is that holds you back!
Wow, what an eye-opener! Being honest with oneself can be something else. Sometimes, we don't like what we see.I'm going to hold the mirror up & take a look thru my letter. Thanks Matt..
Serena
I must admit, I love your brutally honest letter. However, how do we all get a chance to get our letters out. Would there be a special post for our New Year's Letter to ourselves. I feel I could also be honest in my own skin. Thanks for sharing, which enlightens us all. God Bless.
Sandra
"You can never get to the top, if you are not willing to climb. Do not look at the difficulty of the climb, only anticipate the view from the top."
"Can't even walk without you holding my hand." (Song)
"Is anything too hard for the Lord ..." Genesis 19:14
"In all things, wait on the Lord."
"Think not of your own deliverance, but trust in God who will give in abundance."
"When you are down to nothing, God is up to something." Unknown
"Our lives begin to end, the day we become silent about those things that really matters." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Hi Matt,
I once wrote a love letter to myself. It was when I was coming out of an abusive marriage and have to say it was one of the best life changing things I had done for myself. You see a lot of clarity when you write. I've suggested this exercise to many friends and have been told it really helped center them. Yours was tough in spots but it was most likely what you needed to hear at that moment. It's also good for others to see that money doesn't make everything perfect. We all say when this or that happens THEN I will be satisfied, THEN I will be happy. But in reality we need to make the most of each day, hour, minute that we are gifted with. Anything less is just that... less.
Thanks for sharing this. I think I should write another one too.
"Faith is taking the first step even when you can't see the whole staircase."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)
www.beaconinvestorsgroup.com
That was BRUTAL!!! I don't think a letter to myself would be enough... I think I could write a whole book about 2009!
You are an inspiration to many and the fact that you are so transparent really says allot about your character. Thanks for waking us up once again... as you always do.
I need to go evaluate myself now.
Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
http://realwholesaling.com FREE wholesaling tips and resources!
To your success,
Carol Stinson
Your post reminds us that no matter how successful we are, we still need to have goals and hold ourselves accountable for how we spend our time. I especially like the part about not being happy about being out of shape physically. Why get to the point of being free when you can't really enjoy that freedom? Great job and here's to you achieving your goals for 2010!!
thanks for your letter to yourself!! it has made me think of other ways in my life that i have been neglecting!i have been thinking,sleeping,eating real estate for the past 8 mnths.i have been reading books going to seminars,talking ,feeling,buying,studying any and all i can on the subject!!
the one thing i have not spent alot of time with is my family!! in 2010 i WILL NOT NEGLECT my family as i work toward my goal of being financially free.thank you for reminding me that you can work towards your dream but DO NOT SHUT OUT THE ONES YOU LOVE!! CB I ENJOY EvERY ONE of your posts and admire and look up to what you have accomplished!! you deserve all that you have worked so hard for!! congratulations matt!!
jay
Click Here For homepage www.jaysthilaire.com
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Matt,
Your letter reminded me...There is no finish line!Goals were made to be broken...It is like there is no end to an end.
Your idea is as honest as it gets,It is amazing the effect of writing something to thinking it(there is no hiding when you write your thoughts).
2010 The best success to everyone
Invest in yourself!
Matt Larrson/ can you explain how the "Lease Option To Purchase" works in details do I need it to notirise only or do I take to an attorny to get legalized.
very good letter.....
NYDouglas
OMG, I think your a little crazy Matt, but in a good way. I always loved your honesty good or bad.
Thanks for the post and I wish you more success in 2010 than you had in all previous yrs.
I hear you really are good people.
Richie.
Encouraging ourselves to a higher standard. I like that. We limit ourselves by NOT doing that, I think. Thanks for being honest, Matt. I'm glad you are fair to yourself even though you are harsh as well. You deserve to feel proud along the way, without letting arrogance trip you.
You're a great asset to all who know you! Thank you!
Here's to 2010!
I love setting "CBR"-goals for myself, even though most might seem unattainable.
Rina
"Obstacles can slow you down, but they can only stop you with your permission." Dean Graziosi (BARM pg 101)
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
For a little about me, welcome to the site, and a few tips for new DG family members, click on this link: http://www.deangraziosi.com/user/3249
Hi Matt:
I must say that you are my kind of people. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILTY is the key to everything.
Some wait for others to judge them, some wait for others' approval and some wait for someone else to do the task. I wait only for myself to acheive my goal. I was taught many years ago by my Father: Be responsible for everything good that YOU make happen and be responsible for everything bad that YOU let happen. Don't let ANYBODY hold you down but be mindful of the climb to the top.
Thanks Matt, for the reminder! I just wrote my letter to myself.
I'll see you at the top!
Happy New Year to all,
Andy Sager
AndyS
Andy Sager
DG's AndyS
CFIC & IE member
2013, 2014, 2015 & 2016 EDGE Alumni
Thanks for sharing your letter with all of us. It is really a wake up call to myself and many. I've not been too hard on others, nor myself. I do feel I need to be harder on myself. I look at it sometimes as if, I have a few deals, but I can do way much more, I should do way more. I know we all get depressed in life, sometimes I just get so ****ed if things are not moving fast enough, or if a deal falls through or a closing is longer than expected. For 2010 I will go harder on myself, if I am not happy with something then I will work really hard to change it and make it happen. I really want to do a deal a month. If it means traveling a bunch of hours every weekend like you have then may be it, I will do it, I will go the extra mile this year. Jan and I've done pretty well for starting out in 2009, I see 2010 as a year where we can just blow the roof off and take on things we never even imagined. It seems lately we've been speaking with sellers, buyers, agents every day and we are going to really push ourselves this year. Thank you for being hard on many, sometimes it really is what ya need to get ya through in life. There ain't no easy way out. As Tom Petty would say...
Well I won't back down
No I won't back down
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won't back down
No I'll stand my ground, won't be turned around
And I'll keep this world from draggin me down
gonna stand my ground
... and I won't back down
Chorus:
(I won't back down...)
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
(and I won't back down...)
hey I will stand my ground
and I won't back down
Well I know what's right, I got just one life
in a world that keeps on pushin me around
but I'll stand my ground
...and I won't back down
(I won't back down...)
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
(and I won't back down...)
hey I will stand my ground
(I won't back down)
and I won't back down...
(I won't back down...)
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
(I won't back down)
hey I won't back down
(and I won't back down)
hey baby, there ain't no easy way out
(and I won't back down)
hey I will stand my ground
(and I won't back down)
and I won't back down
(I won't back down)
No I won't back down...
Jeremy
This train, Dreams will not be thwarted
This train, Faith will be rewarded
Big wheel roll through fields where sunlight streams
Meet me in the Land Of Hope And Dreams
Bruce Springsteen
I had the pleasure of speaking to Matt, with the hopes of meeting you in person, who I had high aspirations to meet, Mr. Dean. You are like me...very motivational, very positive, very lots of things...I am needing to talk to you and meet you. We are in a battle, me and you, over peanuts, and now Matt is unreachable. I am a force to be reckoned with, good or bad, and I love a battle. Let's meet for a martini either way. I am smart, cute and single, and this is NOT a proposition....you may not not NEED to meet with me, but you should WANT to meet with me. I want to settle our dispute in a civil way, and you are interesting to me.
Lori
Thank You Matt,
I don't know you personally, but I feel liked I do. I have read and I am trying to follow and duplicate everything you have shared on the books. I can't hardly wait to become part of the Academy as you recommends. You have encouraged me tremendously. Now, with this letter, you have earned all my respect. We men don't open up easily, and that is why we have heart attacks at a young age. Today, early this morning, I realized that the best years of my life still ahead of me. I have always been real hard on myself for waisting so much time of my life. Now I am fifty four and since I started to read Dean's books I've been fighting the fear or the guilt of waisting so many years wishing to have done something better with my life. I've not that bad but I've not done that great right now. But, liked I mentioned this morning God made me realized by listening to this circular song, that the best years of my life still ahead and I thank Dean, you and all the students that have share something to encourage us.
Again,
Thanks
Max
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Prov. 16:3
"I am talented. I am creative. I am greatley favor by God. I am equipped. I am
well able. I will see my dreams come to pass."
Joel Austin
Your note made me look at my own defects of character that keep me from my true potential. Great idea to be brutally honest with ones self once in a while. But remember, every time you beat yourself down, don't wait too long to write yourself again and point out the strong, positive, upbeat, honest, fair, intelligent, helpful, driven person that you are, also. One thing that helps me alot with learning all this new stuff, I read all your posts from way back. They are full of excitement, knowledge, passion, and are very driven. Go back and read some!
Thanks,
Karen
karen m parsons
Matt, that is a very rare thing when someone can put on paper their low spots about themselves. If everyone could be a brutally honest with themselves as you have been, to reconize there weaknesses it would push them to greater heights of accomplishment. I thank you for the eye opening that you have given everyone. I for one have a need to list the things I have to work on and quit feeling sorry for myself and letting lifes challenges take me done. I done it many times before but now I need to do it again. THANK YOU MATT for a reason to LIVE AND CONQUER. Welcome 2010
Almost as if to remind me of what i didnt do when i should have, you have written THAT particular letter to yourself. I ran a home improvement business for five years and I can still remmember the emptyness I felt even though i was making great money. With a boat slipped in Mystic, a couple of trucks and just coasting through life, I can still remmember stepping out my back door and looking up to the heavens and asking out loud " is this it? Is this all there is? Have I missed somthing? " Hey folks dont forget, there is so much more thats important than money. So much more powerful than that. Thanks Matt for the reminder!
Thank you so much Matt for sharing. It's rare for someone to share such deep thoughts both good and harsh words. It's also nice to know that we all need to be accountable no matter our success. I am very harsh on myself but instead of me moving forward I ridiculously act stupid and fight with myself constantly. It's an internal, daily battle and will be dealt with in my own letter. I will be brutally honest and harsh with myself as you have done and will include a love part for myself as well. I don't always treat myself very good, don't always think that I'm worth it or good enough to be successful. But there is a God and He truly wants us to succeed. I have been repeating a verse often daily that has struck me in a good way I hope and that's Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to PROSPER you and not to harm you. Plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE. Again thank you for all that you share with us.
Cathy
Thank you Matt
Thanks for your encouragement. All of us have a sleeping giant inside us that needs to be awaken. Thanks to Dean and Thanks to your awesome insight for helping the DG Family to awaken that giant inside of us.
Be well,
Jose