SUMMER OF DOOM

WARNING! IT'S NOT ALL SUNSHINE AND ROSES...

 

A couple of people have noticed I've not been my usual cheery self of late.

This is because I've had a disastrous few months, in what will now forever be known as THE SUMMER OF DOOM 😩

So many things went wrong, relentlessly, one after the other, that it has had a disastrous knock-on effect on my motivation, productivity and confidence. 😩

 

This last week, spending my time on a networking bonanza with positive people has forced me out of self-pitying misery.

I decided to write a list of everything that has troubled me (plus a few additional personal ones) - and I'm sharing this with you as I found it to be quite therapeutic.

Now I find that instead of worries, I have a list of challenges to tick off, like a to-do list.

Having networked with many lovely people this week, I have regained my mojo, and am ready to progress again.

 

So thank you to everyone who I've interacted with this week 

 - you have all had a hand in cheering me up.

 

 

 

 

How can this glum period be turned into a positive?

That is, how can we reframe things so that we learn some lessons from the Summer of Doom?

 

Here are my Top Tips:

 

How to Cope When Things Go Wrong

1. First of all, there's no point ignoring issues and problems -  I tried that; they don't go away. Because if you do nothing, nothing happens!

2. Make a list your problems in print. The list then becomes your action plan: a tick-list of challenges to complete and overcome, one by one.

3. Don't take it personally. It's not because you're unlucky, deserve bad things, they always happen to you, etc etc. The pity party does not help. Ups and downs happen to everyone, so don't let it get you down. If anything, the bad times make you fully appreciate the good times!

4. Keep your chin up. Time is a great healer. Even the worst days are only 24 hours long, and tomorrow is a fresh start.

5. When things are going really bad for me, I take myself off for a nap. Things are always better after a sleep. (Hence the old term, "let me sleep on it"!)    So take a break, and have a nap. Naps are the future!

6. Stay positive and be grateful. It really helps me every day to recite a list of things I'm grateful for.

Today's gratitude, for instance included: I'm grateful that my body is well and working. I'm grateful that the weather is fair and cheery today. I'm grateful that my mum is feeling much better today. I'm grateful that I am lucky enough to have a roof over my head and food in my cupboards. I'm grateful that my thumb has stopped hurting from bashing it. (You don't appreciate how good and necessary your thumb is until you can't use it for a bit!)

7. Finally, don't ever, ever, ever, ever give up.

As one of my imaginary mentors, Winston Churchill, says: 

 

 

What Would You Tell Your 16 Year Old Self?

 

Today, May 14th is exactly 20 years since my leaving day at high school.

 

But what I have I learnt about life in those twenty years?

 

What would I tell my 16-year-old self?

 

Here's what!
 

- Don't be paranoid and waste time worrying about what other people might think. It does not matter what most people think.

 

- You might look like a Romanian orphan boy, but it's meant you've had to develop a personality, and that's far more attractive long-term.

 

- Don't be so shy and lacking in confidence. People like you because you're a nice person, and funny. And not just funny-looking!

 

- You're not fat and ugly after all, in fact you're actually quite pleasant. In twenty years you'll wish you were as fat as when you first thought you were fat!

 

- Be prepared to do stuff by yourself. It's ok to visit Thailand, Peru and the Cayman Islands on your own, because it's better than never going.

 

- Your choose your life choices, and they are entirely your decision. Don't feel bad about making them, because it's fine to change them if they're not making you happy.

 

- You were right: education is the way to a better life. Keep learning.

 

- Buy more property earlier!

 

- Friendships work because you have to make an effort to make them work. Shout out to the Morley High School Massive, folk I've known over twenty years!

 

What would you tell your 16-year-old self?

 

Have a Word Wi' Yoursen!

 

My name is Kellyann Martin, and I have a problem. I don’t mean two-bottles-of-vodka-before-breakfast type problem, or ultra-extreme-Elvis obsession (debatable?!?) or owt like that - but an issue has arisen in my property journey which is seriously hindering my progress. For several months, every time the topic arises, I skirt around it, get really awkward and embarrassed, go bright red, and change the subject as quickly as possible. Some of you might have noticed this bizarre quirk in my otherwise cheery nature, so it is time to address the issue: I have a real problem talking to other people about money. More specifically, when people tell me they want to invest their money with me - I go into this farcical Benny-Hill type mode where I will do literally anything to distract them from having the awkward conversation about investing their money in my deals. Obviously as a property investor, this is not good, because money is required to buy houses. And unless I can raise finance to purchase houses, then my vision of 50 rental properties in Leeds won’t become reality, and my 50 families won’t be able to get their homes. :( What is even more infuriating is that because I already have a successful property portfolio, I know I can deliver and I know I don’t let people down - and many people have picked up on this and have openly offered me money to invest. But because of this ridiculous mindset block I have regarding money, I have not followed up these investment opportunities by actually having a conversation about financial investment. This is doing myself, my abilities, and my future 50 families a great disservice. :( Throstle Lane The next family house which is currently under refurbishment in preparation for rental. Watch for its progress on Facebook: From Scruffy Slum to Family Home! I am sure many of you also have an issue you would like to overcome – whether it be lack of confidence, procrastination, or knowledge worries. If this is the case, then I suggest you tell yourself the same as I did: Have a word wi’ yoursen! Now that I have actually acknowledged that there is an issue, I am tackling it head on: I am reframing my negative thoughts on money and investing. I have spoken to some of you very lovely, helpful people who have assisted with shifting my mindset. I am stepping out of my comfort zone to address the money beliefs that have resided with me since childhood. In short, I am having to reboot my brain and thought processes about investing. If I can have a word wi’ mysen about sorting out my deep-rooted issues, then I am very sure that it is possible for everyone to do the same with their issues. Pictured: Kellyann Martin - only child, from single parent family, living in rented house on one of only three council streets in affluent village of richer families. Very skint, very poor, often had to do without nice things, but still very cheery. Also pictured: Kellyann Martin BA (Hons), PGCE, GCGI - successful property investor and landlord, with rental portfolio in Leeds providing good quality accommodation for local families. Here’s my top tips for “Having a word wi’ yoursen”, which I hope will help. 1. Acknowledge the issue. If you dance around it for months like I did, bizarrely it doesn’t go away! 2. Work out why your self-limiting beliefs exist. What has caused them? Why do you think that? Write these beliefs down and address them. 3. Reframe your thoughts around negative beliefs. Think in a different perspective about them. For instance, instead of thinking “I am borrowing money off people” the new way to think is “I am giving people a chance to get involved in a great investment opportunity” 4. Research and read up on the topic that is causing distress. It turns out that I am worried about money because of the following: - Before now, I have never in my life had to borrow money - I would hate to get my figures wrong - I am terrified of letting people down – because I never let people down. So now I am undergoing a period of learning all about finance and investment so that the topic feels less unknown and distressing. 5. As I tell my cadets: Prior preparation prevents (piss!) poor performance. Treble check the issues you are worried about before committing to action; in my case, due diligence with the figures. 6. Don’t be so hard on yourself. Relax: 99% of the things you worry about will never happen. But they stop 99% of people from taking action.   The worst that will happen in my case is that people will say no to my deal proposals. But that’s ok. I can get over that. Santa said ‘no’ to an A La Carte Kitchen toy several Christmases in the 1980s (not that I’m bitter or owt!) Why, Santa, why?!! I was always a good girl!! But I know why: it was because my mum couldn't afford it. You don't always get everything you wish for in life. But you always get what you work for. So I'm working hard to make sure my mum is looked after, just like she always looked after me, even when we were poor. And I'm a terrible cook anyway! So although it won’t happen overnight, it is therapeutic to work your way through resolving an issue. This has been difficult for me, and I don’t mind admitting that at times there has been “tears”. Well, I think that’s what they’re called, in Yorkshire we refer to this wet, face-leaking process as “I’ve got someat in me eye!” One of the ways I found helpful to address my issue: a mind map setting out what was troubling me. However, through tears and awkwardness, I must persevere and overcome this self-sabotaging block. I have to. I’m not letting my fifty families down. One of my ideal future families, x 50. Except from Leeds, not Springfield. And actual real people, not just cartoons! Thanks for reading! Hope you are well and working hard towards success. Best wishes, and take care, Kellyann x x x

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When Overwhelm Gets Overwhelming

Ever bitten off more than you can chew? This week, that is exactly how I felt. Yesterday I finally got the keys to house I had purchased, and on remembrance and reflection of the work it needs, it can only be described as a bombsite. I think, in the future, once it’s done, it’ll be good, a lovely family home for rental. But that is then, and this is now. And as I stood in this bombsite house which requires immense rectification, realising the enormity of the task before me, I knew I had bitten off more than I could chew.

So I will freely admit I felt overwhelmed. I have refurbished houses before, even a large vastly-outdated one, and a scruffy repossession. But this one surpasses anything I’ve done before, as it is by far the worst house I’ve had. However, the condition of the house was nothing compared to the continuous overwhelming thought I had: “My mum’s going to do her nut when she sees the state of this” :( :( :(   Today I took my beloved mother to see this house. Many of you will know that because I’m not yet financially free, I'm thus not yet lucky enough to be able to throw money at property companies to fix housey-remedial issues. As such, for the moment, a lot of the refurbishment works come from my own fair hands. Or more accurately, my mummy’s - what with me being pretty pathetic at manual labour, as well as accident-prone, and to be blunt, uselessly gormless. So knowing that poor mummy will be involved in this wreck, I dreaded her crossing the threshold. Normally on viewings when the houses are terrible, she is very vocal in telling me how terrible they are. Today, even she was overwhelmed into silence. I suspect had she been with me when viewing this one, her comments would undoubtedly have been the usual: “Don’t bloody get this one, it’s a right tip, I’m not doing this one, look at the state of that kitchen, clatty cow, and it stinks of cat piss...etc etc”. But today she realised it was too late: I’ve bought it, and we are committed to this house. And her stunned silence made me think: bloody hell, what have I done?? And then I told her we had a ridiculously low budget because the solicitors’ completion bill had been horrific - and that we had to turn it around in twelve weeks. She gave me a look that made me think I was getting murdered right there and then. It was horrendously overwhelming. A fleeting thought occurred; that maybe we weren’t up to it. Maybe I had taken too much on. Maybe I’m not ready for such a big project. Maybe I’m just not cut out to do this. But it’s tough sh!t now. The decision’s been made: there’s only one way, and it’s forward. And as we stood there, in this absolute bombsite, two resilient Leeds lasses, with hard lives behind us, we realised we would have to toughen up and “gerronwi’it” – just like we always have. :) So I came home, and decided to write this blog to rationalise, self-soothe, concoct a cunning plan - and have a word with mysen. And if it helps someone else in property who is also feeling overwhelmed, then that is a bonus. :) Thus…   Overcoming Overwhelm: Kellyann’s Top Tips: Remember that a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. So take a deep breath, and move forward. We will get there in the end, but we must keep moving. Standing still is stagnation. And failure is not an option! Next: how do you eat an elephant? Break it into chunks! Assess the works needed in each room. List them down. Work out the order each item must be done in. Use this refurbishment planner to help: https://www.homebuilding.co.uk/renovation-your-step-by-step-planner/   Collate your contractors. Use the superb professionals you’ve used before, or had recommended locally. Get them telephoned and booked in to visit the site for quotes. These websites will help you locate a good quality workforce: http://www.checkatrade.com/ https://www.ratedpeople.com https://www.mybuilder.com   Become the professional you need to be in order to succeed. I will need to evolve to become a top project manager extraordinaire. What a chance to learn new skills! Be like Winston Churchill: despite suffering depression, he once said “I am an optimist. It does not seem much use being anything else.” So think of the positives. For instance: the house is roomy, dry, secure, clean(ish), with a massive garden, and will be a superb rental - and will provide another family with a long term home. :) Finally, give yourself a talking to. Pull your big girl pants up, dry your eyes and get on with it. Nothing is impossible, but if you do nothing, nothing will happen. It’s said that the distance between your dream and reality is called your action. My little imaginary rental family can’t move in until I’ve made it safe and habitable for them. So best get cracking! Remember, if being in property was that easy, everyone would do it. But there is no competition, because nobody else is you. And we’re going to make this work. So you can bugger off Overwhelm; there’s no room for you in the works schedule! Because, in terms of progress and success: what’s the point in coming this far to only come this far?! Good luck everyone! Take care, and my very best wishes, Kellyann x x x