How Expressing Gratitude Will Massively Improve Your Investment Success

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Appreciation is a popular word in real estate investment. Often it is where the big money is made over time, supported by the other profit centers such as positive cash flow and principal paydown on mortgages.

But its true power to the investor is multiplied exponentially when you understand that appreciation is a multi-faceted word. For what you appreciate, appreciates. There is no sense in having more properties if you don’t appreciate the ones you already own. Oprah says, Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.

Many new investors make the mistake of comparing themselves to accomplished investors with large portfolios. They tell themselves that it’s impossible to create what this person has today as he or she started years before me. And their focus is not on getting their first or next deal, but on what they don’t have.

Zig Ziglar adds, The more you recognize and express gratitude for the things you have, the more things you will have to express gratitude for. Your goal as an investor is to get out of your fear zone and into the appreciation zone.

Appreciation transforms investment success in many ways and investors prosper when they show gratitude to their customers (tenants), property managers, on-site managers; and your employees. Learn More about appreciating employees for their good work. Your gratitude can motivate them to do better and work as a team. You can analyse and understand how employees are performing through performance reviews and that can be conducted using performance review software. This type of software allows you to speed up annual reviews but still gives your employees the information they need to progess, such as performance on projects and client work. Whether you have one door, four doors, or 100 doors or more, the biggest barrier to employee productivity is lack of recognition and it is the main reason that 79% of employees leave their jobs.

Boosting employee productivity and efficiency can help employees feel more accepted and understood. Online Collaboration Tools can help companies with this, it can keep employees connected and working from the same page, so they don’t feel left out or unsure of what is happening. Employers can also partner with medical service providers such as Eden Health or other companies like them to handle all the medical concerns in the workplace. These services may include health insurance, doctor visits, or even on-site clinics which can help prioritize employee health.

It has been said that gratitude is riches and complaint is poverty, and three of the biggest headaches to investors are vacancies, tenant damages, and extra management fees to rent-up vacant suites. Gratitude properly expressed to tenants can turn uncaring, transient customers into happy long-term tenant advocates who take ownership for your home(s), suite(s), or building(s) and refer other tenants to you.

So what is gratitude Gratitude is the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful. It is the readiness to show appreciation to others and acknowledge and return the kindness that has been extended to you.

Gratitude has two key components. First, it is an affirmation of goodness. We affirm that we are the recipients of good things in the world such as gifts, properties, or benefits. The second part is to recognize that these sources of goodness are outside of us and include other people who have supported, helped, or affirmed us, and higher powers.

One to the top traits of successful investors is their ability to analyze the numbers, yet Eric Hoffer tells us, The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.

Gratitude is also a relationship-strengthening emotion. It deepens relationships, friendships and marriages. After all, your success in real estate investing is predicated on the quality of your relationships with your partners (including spouse), investors and your team members such as lenders, realtors, lawyers, contractors, property managers and maintenance people.

The fact is that expressing gratitude will increase your energy, productivity and self-esteem and make you happier, friendlier, more optimistic and less self-centered. It will reduce materialism, insecurity and feelings of envy; help you to relax, focus and bounce back from setbacks and will improve your marriage and make you friendlier. If you are self-managing your real estate it will make you a better manager.

Gratitude will help you network and make people like you by increasing your social capital, allowing you to build relationships faster with people who feel valued and want to reciprocate because they know you care. Sarah Caldwell reminds us, Learn everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did and gratitude will enable you to attract and retain advisors, mentors, and protégés, who are most important to every investor’s progress.

In closing, let me share with you ten powerful ways that you can build an Attitude of Gratitude:

1. Acknowledge all kindness with thanks.
2. Immediately after meeting new contacts send them an email thanking them for the opportunity to connect, while their impression of you is still fresh.
3. Write a list of everything that is good in your life and read it daily.
4. Tell a spouse, partner, or friend something you appreciate about them each day.
5. Acknowledge two people per week with a hand-written personalized thank you card that you mail.
6. When a mentor shares their time and advice, honor them by listening and implementing what you have learned. When they see that you value and appreciate their time and take action on their advice they will know that you are someone worth investing in.
7. Practice gratitude and acknowledge every night before bed (5) five things you are grateful for (From an Evening with Oprah in Vancouver, which she states contributed to her success).
8. Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. Make it a habit to always express the gratitude you are feeling for people and those that serve you, including speakers, writers and teachers.
9. Show gratitude to people who challenge you by being a good listener. If they inspire you to step out of your comfort zone, thank them for encouraging you to take a risk.
10. Express gratitude to yourself, for who you are and the things you have done at the mirror when you stop to brush your teeth each day and night.

Rory Sutter is a highly regarded real estate consultant, certified coach and investor who carries the Associate Broker’s License in British Columbia. He is a member of both the Residential and Commercial Divisions of the Greater Vancouver Real Estate Board and is a REIN Area Expert and Member.

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