Fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) – is “generally a strategic attempt to influence public perception by disseminating negative information”. An individual firm, for example, might use FUD to invite unfavorable opinions and speculation about a competitor’s product; to increase the general estimation of switching costs among current customers; or to maintain leverage over a current business partner who could potentially become a rival.
There are also FUD messages every day in the media. Why? Because it’s “infotainment”- it makes people watch or read which in turn allows the media to sell advertising. What we are seeing is a lot of fear, from a macro-perspective in the world and our country, about the economy, jobs and more. The newspapers and TV have all kinds of negative news.
And locally, we have just gone through our own woes, loss of jobs, businesses closing or consolidating.
…thus there is a creation of FEAR UNCERTAINTY AND DOUBT
Are these real events? Of course….but does that mean we sit on hands and do nothing… like avoiding or making excuses not to buy investment real estate…NO! I think all the happenings we see will create even better opportunities to buy multifamily and single family investment real estate.
How to deal with FUD- Fear Uncertainty and Doubt
Imagine Yourself Meeting Your Goals
Once you have identified your goals, visualize yourself in them to help motivate yourself in their achievement. This may mean keeping a journal of the things you are doing to reach your goal. It may also mean placing up visual aids in places that you can see to self-remind you of your goal. Example: If you goal is to lose weight, place a picture up of a favorite celebrity that you wish to emulate. Another helpful tip: Read up on topics related to your dream. If you want to buy investment real estate, single family or multi-family, read the investor articles posted on our website, listen to radio shows like ours and hangout where other real estate investors hangout. All of these activities are designed to strengthen your resolve to achieve your goal and fortify you against the next several points.
Tune Out Negative Remarks By Others
There is always going to be someone who will try to deter you from your real estate investment dreams through negative remarks. People who are uninformed are often the most vocal in trying to sabotage your goals, either knowingly or unknowingly. Always consider both the source and motivation behind negative messages. Ask yourself: “Why would this person say such a thing?” Negative remarks by others cause one to experience personal fear – fear of the unknown and fear of the future. Don’t give others the power over your dreams! Avoid these people and tune them out!
Stay away from the “Nay-Sayers” who don’t even own real estate investments who tell you it’s a bad thing to do. What do they know?
Avoid Negative Self Talk
One surefire that will cause goal derailment is engaging in negative self-talk. Negative self-talk causes your goals to become clouded with anxiety. Counter this by focusing on why you are working towards your goal. Drop the words, “I can’t” and ”I won’t” from your vocabulary and replace them with words like “I know I can” and “I will”. Simple changes like these can go a long way in making your real estate investment dreams come true.
Surround Yourself With Postive People Who Have a Similar Goal
One of the best ways to help you achieve your goal is to surround yourself with others who have a positive attitude with similar interests; they will keep you on track to your goals by chasing away doubt while instilling personal motivation. At Lifestyles Unlimited®, we have our staff of mentors, agents and so many members who are positive and share similar goals; and they are successful real estate investors!
Conclusions
Reaching a personal goal brings about a sense of accomplishment and personal satisfaction. To achieve your goals, learn how to identify “Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.” You can then defeat “FUD” imagining yourself achieving your goals, tuning out negative remarks by others and personal negative self-talk and finally, surrounding yourself around others who have similar interests. Once you have learned to defeat FUD, your dreams will come true…
CARPE DIEM!
“You can make excuses or you can make it happen, but you can’t do both.”
