I assume that when you sit down to a nice steak dinner, you eat it with a knife and fork instead of your hands.  You hopefully shower and brush your teeth at least semi-regularly.  And when you want something, I’m relatively sure you ask for it – rather than club somebody over the head and grab it.

Yeah, you’re civilized.  You have manners.  You know how to play nice.  So it might surprise you to know that, deep down inside, you’re a caveman.

At least when it comes to competition.

As human beings, we’re hardwired to compete.  Blame it on our ancestors, who had to beat the living crap out of each other just to get some food, or shelter, or a mate.  Or our more recent ancestors, who decimated entire populations just to get more land, or more resources…or mates.

We all went to school, so we learned exactly why we were so uncouth back then.  It was necessity.  We didn’t know better.  We didn’t have modern conveniences like running water and Target.  The problem is, we have that stuff now, but that inner need to fight, to compete, to win is still there.  Somehow it became part of our DNA.  Which means it’s still there, right now, inside of you.

Yes, even you, Ms. Civilized.

You may not feel it, sitting at your desk job, or sprawled out on the couch watching “Deal or No Deal.”

But believe me, it’s there.  That need to compete – scratch that, the need to win — is a massive part of the human experience.  How else can you explain war?  Or politics?  Or the New York Yankees?

The question is, how does the average Joe the Businessman satisfy this primal need to kick some ass without going all Fight Club on the next-door-neighbor?

Simple.  He kicks his own ass.

(And maybe a little bit of the asses of his friends and colleagues.)

It might sound like a joke, but I’m being completely serious right now.  Every morning when I wake up, I know that my biggest competition is me.  And if I’m on track, I’m going to spend the day trying to top myself, to keep pushing and keep building, to do better than I did last week, last month, last year.  And I’m not just taking about the business of real estate investing.  I’m talking about my life.  I want to work harder, play harder and live better today than I lived yesterday.

And tomorrow, I hope I have such an amazing day that what I did today actually embarrasses me.

Pushing myself hard isn’t always easy – and let’s face it – there are days when I spend hours in my shorts watching ESPN and eating Froot Loops out of the box.  But it’s something I normally look at as a win-win.  Not only do I satisfy that inner, totally human urge to compete and win, but I also get the rewards only winning can bring – the reputation of a guy who knows what he’s doing, the money to do what I want, the kind of life I want to live.

So my advice to all you Average Joes and JoAnne’s is – step up and challenge yourself.  Try to top yourself.  And keep working at it. You’ll feel better, you’ll accomplish more, and you’ll satisfy one of your most primal, innermost needs.

Unless you’d rather go beat up your neighbor.

Which I guess is why we called them Bad Words.

Let a Bad Word slip at the wrong time, in front of the wrong person, and something bad was bound to happen – to YOU. So you learned – at least I assume you did – to use those words very, very carefully
Unless you were practicing to become a stand-up comic.

Well, as I’ve grown up (crap, did I?) and gone out into the world to make it to the top in the luxury home investing biz, I’ve run across one single word that is even worse than those Bad Words you weren’t supposed to say. In fact, I would call it the Worst Word in the English Language.

This is a word so powerful, and so completely and totally horrible, that if you let it slip from your lips it at the wrong time, or in the wrong circumstance, it can literally mess up your entire life.

Have any idea what it is?

It’s FEAR.

FEAR is the one word in the English (not to mention Spanish) language that’s guaranteed to bring whatever you’re doing, whatever progress you’re making, to an immediate, grinding stop.

FEAR means closing the door on opportunity, on possibility, on anything and everything that can get you from where you are to someplace bigger and better.

When you stop yourself because of FEAR, you say, “I’m not going to try. I’m not taking the risk. I’m not putting myself out there.”

Which means you stay exactly where you are.

Of course, most of the time, when we say no to ourselves due to fear, that’s exactly why we do it. We’re comfortable where we are. We like knowing what to expect from each and every day. We feel safe and secure in our little boxes where we don’t put anything on the line and we don’t risk facing rejection or failure.

The problem with that school of thought is, you’re also not going to find much success.

Keep doing what you are doing – you’ll get what you got.

I was a victim of the same thing…then I realized that “You can afford anything that moves your dream forward”

And this doesn’t just apply to luxury property investing field. Wherever and however you’re trying to make your fortune, the four-letter word, FEAR, is the ultimate party foul, buzz-kill and dream stealer.

Are you going to let FEAR stop you from reaching your dreams??

While, on the other hand, the word ACTION is almost guaranteed to get the party started.

Start working through the FEAR and start saying YES to ACTION

Say YES where you might otherwise say NO, and a whole new world of possibilities opens up. You meet new people. You try new things. You stretch your boundaries. And the possibilities and opportunities available to you grow and grow.

No, don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying that you should never, ever say NO. For example, if someone offers to give you a bright orange Mohawk haircut, I would highly recommend it.

But if you’re looking to get the most out of your career – and your life – there’s generally only one thing you should say NO to. And that’s the word NO.

Well, that and drugs.

Problem is, you don’t have deep pockets. You worry that it takes credit you don’t have to buy houses. And quite frankly you don’t want to shoulder the risk.

If anyone understands your dilemma, it’s Marco Kozlowski. The real estate entrepreneur learned the hard way about the pitfalls of the business. After buying 119 houses in his first year he found himself upside down — paying more out than he got back in rent.

Then the light bulb came on.

So much is made of ownership, but making money in real estate isn’t about that at all. It’s about control. After he learned that, the investing walls crumbled for Kozlowski.

He learned that rather than buying a home — and all the risk that comes with financing it — he could control the purchase price and find a willing buyer through an option.

As for the credit issue, Kozlowski pays only $100 option fee to control the home. This also takes care of the risk problem. It’s one thing to wager everything on a hefty mortgage and quite another to plunk down $100 for a chance to profit handsomely.

And you can forget about sitting on a house until you go gray. Kozlowski uses auctions to create a buying frenzy and sell houses quickly — for more than the option price.

If you want a chance at a six-figure check in the luxury real estate market, this is it. You can dive in without getting overextended (and with no credit) and put Marco Kozlowski’s patented process to work for you without risking more than $100. And save yourself the real estate riddle he’s solved for you.

“There are definitely stigmas associated with wanting or having money but it is NOT selfish or greedy to want, or have wealth! The truth is there are freedoms I have now that I did not have when I was living check to check. I have more time to do more for others now and also more time to spend with family and friends”, says Marco Kozlowski, of his recent accent into Luxury Home Real Estate royalty.

“Everything you are, everything you do is either done with or without intent. Things done without intent produce unintentional results. If your life lives you, like mine was doing, you will have a run-of-the-mill life! That wasn’t good enough for me…I want nothing short of a phenomenal life! Don’t let the outside world dictate to you what is truly “making it”, what is “success”!

Most millionaires, myself included, got there by going against the grain! I walked the road-less-traveled on purpose! Why would I follow others to the same “end” I am trying to avoid! I carved out my own path based on someone else’s model and put it into immediate action! I have made all the mistakes I think there are to be made along the way too, but I figure now I can at least keep my friends and partners from making those same mistakes.

I have learned now to do everything with purpose and on purpose, including taking my money-matters seriously, and revamping my life in the process! It’s a recipe! It’s a fine-tuned system that everyone can do with little to NO risk, (I’m talking about 100 bucks here), NO competition, and all while dealing with easy-to-work with motivated people!

I really think its intensity of passion that separates the average from the exceptional! Everybody wants to be rich and successful, a millionaire even! Some people however, have an INTENSE and burning desire to be rich and successful! I’ll leave it up to you to decide which type of person is more likely to get there!”