What do you want to do with your life?

Imagine the following scenario.  You inherit a house.  It is a nice, small house.  It is located in a working-class area of town and although it is not worth a lot of money, it is a free house you were gifted by someone, and you can sell it to help your own financial situation. 

You have not seen the house in a LONG time.  It was so long ago that you barely remember anything about the house.  You were just a kid when you saw it last.  But you remember it as being comfortable.  Cozy.  Likeable.  You felt safe there.  Your parents were there with you and they were content there.  Nobody was arguing.  On Saturday nights, there was music in the backyard and happy, young couples were standing around and having drinks and enjoying the cool breeze of the warm summer evening and you remember lots of cigarette smoking.  You and other children were running around and then having dinner and after dinner jumped in the pool.  After you got tired, instead of going home, your parents just took you upstairs and in a gigantic bed, there you were, 4 kids, just sleeping and you could hear the music from downstairs and you drifted asleep knowing that the world was safe and happy. 

But it has been a long time since you saw that house.  You have no idea what it looks like now.  The walls could be crumbling, and the pavement could be broken.  You could have inherited a nightmare.  You want to get rid of it for whatever money you get.  But you decide to ride out there and see what kind of house you were gifted and one Saturday afternoon, you decide to finally go.  You get there.  The house looks nice.  It is well maintained on the outside.  The street is swept, the yard looks nice, the pool is clean.  The house looks good from the outside.  Hmmmm… you start thinking. Maybe you should sell your current home, which needs repairs and move here.  It is nicer than what you have. 

You open the front door… and then it hits you.  The smell of death.  Stench.  Everywhere.  Rats and mice running around.  There are a billion bugs inside.  It smells like total s&%$.  You instantly get nauseated, and you slam the door shut!  OMG You got a POS!  No wonder nobody wanted it!  No wonder it got gifted to you!  Just as you start to lose your temper over it, a real estate agent pulls up and yells out his Mercedes window, “Hey, buddy, are you selling this house?  Because I got some buyers who would be willing to do an all-cash deal, tomorrow!  What do you say?”

“Well, in fact I am willing to sell, but you should know, there is a bad infestation inside the house!  It is full of bugs and mice and rats!”  The real estate agent thinks for a second then yells back at you. 

“Oh… that is unfortunate.  But listen!  You have options.  You can either sell it as it… and get about half of what it would be worth if it was ready to move in but you would be rid of it tomorrow.  Or… you can take some time, clean it up, get more for it but you would have to spend some money on it and it would take you time to do it but then you could sell it for a lot more money.  Or… you can demolish it, invest in it, build two houses on the lot but you would have to really work at it and it would take time but at the end you would make 5 times as much as with the other two options!  What do you want to do?”

Well… what would you do?  Do you want to dump it and move on?  Call it quits and settle for some quick money? Or do you want to spend some time and equity, clean it up, then sell it for what the market would pay, which would certainly be a lot more than the as is scenario… Or… do you want to burn it to the ground, start all over and build two houses on the lot, build it back better and make the most money you possibly could…

What do you want to do? I don't know, don't ask me - it's YOUR LIFE.

As you look at your life, what do you want to do?  Dump it, collect your belongings and salvage what you can and move on?

Or… do you want to put some equity into your life, clean up your life, change it for the better and then decide to pursue other endeavors?

Or… Do you want to put the sweat, blood and tears into your life – the only life you will ever be given – and tear it down, start all over and build it better, stronger, sturdier and more resilient than ever before, the way you thought it would be when you were a kid, happy and content in that house with music playing and friends running around and collect your just rewards that will sustain you for the rest of your life?

What is your choice?  You could look at today’s market, see all the bad things happening and decide your option.  You are gifted a life.  It is the only life you will ever be gifted.  You are now standing at a crossroads.  You can pick option A, B or C.  But you MUST pick.  Oh, there is good news for you, though.  You don’t have to pick right now.  You have a little time.  In fact, you can choose to select your option whenever you want.  Every morning you wake up.  Every time you come across a problem that seems insurmountable.  Every time you eat an orange.  Every time you have a sandwich. Every time you see a sunset… you can decide what to do next.  But why wait?  The longer you wait, the less life you will have left to enjoy your decision. 

Why not decide today.  What will it be?  Dump it and move on and settle for what you get?  Fix it up and let the market tell you what you will get?  Or C – take control of your future, demolish the past and rebuild it better than ever?  What will it be? I don't know...

it is YOUR LIFE.