Reward Yourself, you Deserve it

All work and no play makes Jack and Jill suffer the “Stressed Out Blues”.

In today’s busy world, we’re so focused on work, work and more work that we fail to reward ourselves with even the smallest of treats like a simple hot chocolate on a cold winter's night.

Real estate investing can be hard on the head because of conditioning that has been passed on from generation to generation. Your parents may have made statements to you such as “You need to pay off the mortgage faster than the bank would like”; “This is the biggest purchase you’ll ever make so be careful what you buy” or “You’d better put aside some money each month so you’ll be able to have a decent down payment for your future home”. All of these statements are stress inducing mindsets that are hard to break but it is possible to snap of this chain of negativity.

For 2010 I encourage you to take the time to recognize your successes and how far you have come on your journey in investing in real estate.

By actively recognizing your successes, you draw your energy, attention and focus to more of the same and in turn, will create more successful events. By rewarding yourself for taking action or reaching one of your goals, you’ll reinforce that positive energy. Take note of and record your successes, even the smallest ones, since this brings more positive energy as well.

By relaxing your brain and taking your focus completely away from your real estate investment portfolio, when you do return to it, you can work 100% more effectively then by slugging away relentlessly at it for 7 days straight.

Taking short breaks and relaxing needn’t cost an arm and a leg. Why not schedule some ‘downtime” and try one of the little things on the following list this week-end:

• Read your favorite book or go buy a new one (or go to your local library and check one out for free!)
• Go for a walk or a swim (even 10 minutes will make you feel refreshed)
• Get a cup of hot chocolate (what better treat on a cold winter's night?)
• Go out for a nice meal (No cooking – no clean-up)
• Get away for the weekend or take a mini-vacation (go tenting or visit a friend)
• Go for a long soak in a hot tub (ahhh.. your muscles will love you for this!)
• Treat yourself to a spa or massage (pamper yourself!
• Lounge around and watch your favorite movie (make popcorn and just veg out)
• Download 5 songs off the internet (pick from your list of favorite artists)
• Hire someone to do those chores you’ve procrastinated in doing (and feel better when you see those chores FINALLY completed!)

These activities can be short and sweet but still provide you with a much needed ‘mental health’ break. By taking these much needed breaks, you can re-charge your batteries and return to the task at hand refreshed and raring to go. Sometimes a break will allow you to see potential obstacles in a much clearer way and solutions will just literally pop into your head with ease.

What are you waiting for? You work hard all week long so take at least an hour (or two) and literally do something you’ve been longing to do this week-end.

After all, life is short and if you can’t relax once in awhile and enjoy a simple pleasure, why are you working for in the first place?