If you regularly follow our content you may have noticed its absence over the past few weeks. This is because Paula and I took time to get away and do some traveling to refresh our minds and plan for the future. Every time we take a trip, we look for opportunities to do new and exciting things so it was no surprise that when we arrived to the mountains for a few days and saw people parasailing, Paula insisted that this was an experience we could not miss.
Now being an Aerospace Engineer, I fall into a unique category of people who although are not afraid of heights, certainly have a healthy respect for them and when using any type of flying apparatus want to understand all the details behind it before trusting my life to it. It didn’t take me long to understand that these simple gliders only have two controls; one to turn and one to brake. As we headed up the mountain to what would surely be either our deaths or the most incredible experience of the trip, I began to take in the beauty of the city below and the mountains which surrounded it.
Once at the top, our guides gave us a few last-minute instructions about what to expect, how we would launch and what not to do during the ride. The instruction which sticks in my mind so clearly though is that “when you start to run down the hill to then jump off the cliff, the shoot will initially try to hold you back. It is important though to keep running and fighting this force until it is airborne and then eventually starts pulling you forward instead of back.” Sure enough, as we headed down the cliff initially, I could barely run! The combination of the weight of the shoot and the tension in my body screamed at me to simply slow down. The guide however continued to yell run! Then, right as we were about to go off the cliff the shoot flew out in front of us and lifted our feet right off the ground and we began the most amazing journey of gliding down the side of the mountain while taking in the view below. We came in for a smooth landing about 20 minutes later in the middle of the town with our bodies intact and hearts full of memories we soon won’t forget.
So why do I tell this long story? Well, as I reflected on the experience and particularly the launch from the side of the mountain, I began to realize how similar this is in the world of investing as well as other parts of our lives. When we head out to accomplish something great, it is natural to feel some level of fear and perhaps a desire to to slow down or quit. But it is at that moment when we have to cling to what we know to be true and choose to move forward. Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear". During our real estate journey, we have seen countless of partners, friends and investors that have chosen to live this quote by running towards their financial goals and pulling the shoot. They have counted their family, time, peace, financial freedom, etc. more important than the fear of the unknown and have been able to see the results of their courage.
If we at Apogee Capital can be of service to you in anyway on your investment journey, please feel free to reach out. Although the initial leap may be scary, the reward for taking action is worth it!
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