As promised, my new blog series, From Dreamers to Doers, starts today. I’ll be chronicling the attributes that separate those who merely dream about owning real estate from those who actually do it. First up: Sisu.
Owning a home isn’t about comfort—it’s about challenging yourself to grow. It’s easy to stick with a steady paycheck and predictable rent payments. But if you’re serious about building wealth, you must be willing to embrace discomfort.
The difference is, rent is the maximum you will pay each month, whereas a mortgage is the minimum.
rent is the maximum you will pay each month, whereas a mortgage is the minimum.
The Price of Growth
Fast forward to months after the fire chief informed me that my property was uninhabitable—a grim reminder that my “investment” was more of a millstone than a money-making machine. The legal and bureaucratic issues were finally resolved, yet I still didn’t have walls.
Months after the water damage repairs, my tenants were happy, but I was still living in a construction site. Every penny I had went into bringing my house to code, leaving nothing extra to hire someone to fix the walls. What I hadn’t realized was that “water damage remediation” only fixes the broken parts—it doesn’t repair the walls themselves.
I was tired of living like this, but eventually, I grew accustomed to the chaos. Life moved forward, and a sense of normalcy settled in. Then came the day I could finally afford drywallers, and I had to go from controlled chaos back to uncontrolled chaos.
Furniture was dragged to the center of every room, closets emptied, and beds, couches, and all personal belongings were taped up and piled in the middle of the room.
When they didn’t finish the job as promised—and then asked me to leave everything as is so they could resume in the morning—I couldn’t access my sheets. I ended up using a balled-up towel as a pillow, threw on a sweatshirt, and collapsed onto the rug in my entryway to sleep.
It was a stark reminder of the herculean task that repairing this house entailed—a classic case of one step forward, two steps back.
Why we Do it
If you’re sitting on the sidelines, too comfortable with the predictable cycle of work and rent, ask yourself: Is that comfort really worth the long-term cost? I chose to endure the discomfort because every struggle became a stepping stone toward building a future that could change my life. Already, this unit is projected to cash flow by the end of its second year. What does that mean? It means I’ve devised a system where someone else will buy me a million-dollar house.
I’ve devised a system where someone else will buy me a million-dollar house
By pushing through setbacks—even when it meant rearranging my entire life, sacrificing weekends, and facing the unknown—I transformed my approach. I learned that these sacrifices, as painful as they are, fuel future success. Every late night, every misstep, every moment of uncertainty is a step toward building something truly meaningful.
Embrace the uncomfortable. Every challenge is a chance to grow. If you’re willing to push through the hard times, you’re one step closer to becoming the homeowner you’ve always wanted to be.
What’s Next?
Next week I'll dive into the next most important characteristic that separates the dreamers from doers – calculated risk taking.
