Best Laid Plans….
Best Laid Plans….
Of mice and men.
Often go awry.
You may have read Of Mice and Men as I was ‘forced’ to in school, poor 11-year-old me.
Or, perhaps you know the poem by Robert Burns.
Or, perhaps, you have learnt it the hard way, through experience.
As an 11-year-old I had no concept of what this meant, life was perfect.
But as a man in his 30s I am starting to truly appreciate what this means.
And expect to continue understanding this lesson the older I grow.
It’s one of those lessons only age and experience teaches you, alongside:
Money won’t make you happy
You won’t regret working less on your death bed
You should see your parents more
The grass is rarely greener on the other side
Nothing is as good or bad as it seems – don’t worry
The concept essentially is that you can make the best plans, as far into the distance as you
want, but in reality, they won’t ‘survive’ life.
Things change, situations change, people change, work changes, priorities change, goals
change, what motivates you now won’t motivate you in 5 years from now.
As Mike Tyson once so eloquently put it “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the
mouth.”
These lessons remind me of the Baz Luhrmann song Wear Sunscreen… which, if you have
not heard, is cracking:
One of my favourite lines “Don’t worry about the future, or worry but know that worrying is
about as useful as trying to solve an algebra problem by chewing bubble gum. The real
troubles in your life are actually things that never cross your worried mind, the kind that
blindside you at 4pm on a Tuesday.”
And those problems are the ones that blindside your best laid plans… and we all have
them, despite what 11-year-old me thinks.
So what’s the best approach?
In life, who knows, that is not a question I am qualified to answer.
In property?
Yes, have your big long-term goals and visions, but more importantly, have plans you can
execute on now.
A big goal of mine in my 20s was ‘10 by 30’ i.e. 10 properties by 30, and I have others now,
dreams that keep me motivated.
But in reality:
The best plans are the ones you can execute on now.
The ones that will positively impact your life now and in the future.
The ones that, regardless of your best laid plans, will set you up well for the future.
Not the big villa on the beach, but the flat that will start creating an income, the terraced
house that is paid off in 10–15 years, the extra cash saved, the FUTURE income these
assets will give you.
So that you can go and fulfil your goals and dreams, and yes, you may not own the villa on
the beach, but you can rent a much bigger one with all that income.
Thanks,
Callum
Ps check out our recent webinar with Joe Billingham, CEO of Prosperity Developments. The podcast version is now live, with a quick breakdown of how to derisk property whilst buying from overseas
