"I've made it!"

“Choice, not chance, determines your destiny.” - Aristotle

Written with 0% AI

Introduction:

What does it mean to "make it"?

If you buy a fancy car, propose at a waterfall, get that new job or... buy a fancy big house - social media and the world cheers you on - they tell you how well you've done. And as we post our achievements, material gains or life updates, a sense of reassurance washes over us - we've done well. We've done the 'right' thing.

So what does it mean to "make it"? I've just purchased my dream home, worth almost $10M - but I'm risking everything to do it.

I sit here in a mansion - just after midnight - hanging sheets, writing a blog and questioning - why am I doing this? 🤔

1. Life is meant to be enjoyed

I guess this brings the word 'enjoyed' into question. In 2020 it took me about 6 months to realised that what I enjoyed had changed. No longer did I desire to seek, to explore. I was more interested in building and creating. I wanted to see what I could build...

And here I am. Finding that out. The climax of 5+ years of hard work and an almost decade long journey of self discovery - "what am I capable of?". And that is what I'm currently enjoying - that pursuit.

2. Risk is personal

Let's be real - in 5 years I've gone from -$20k (6 credit cards) to a 7 figure net worth. Crypto did NOT help. 😆

Not only did it require hard work and perseverance but it required taking risks. My gym these past 5-10 years has been a mental gym. I didn't just magically risk it all after sitting on a couch doing nothing. I've been taking big risks every year - honing my skills in property, leadership, delegation and learning. CONSTANTLY LEARNING.

You can't see the muscles of my well worked out mind - but you can see the results. But don't forget I spent half a decade in this gym working on my ability to handle stress. Creating systems in and around my life and support so I CAN do more - even though from the outside it might seem overwhelming.

All I'm saying is risk is personal - you don't have to risk everything, and it takes time to build something. Maybe the question to ask yourself is... "can I risk more?".

3. Do you believe in manifestation?

Let's continue to be honest - my life now revolves around this house I bought - Garlinge Hinterland Estate, 22 Garlinge Court, Bonogin.

But what if I told you I imagined this place into reality?

Like - it's scary how many of my 'vision board' checklist items are in this house. But honestly I think it's simple: what happens when you're in a car looking out the window, and you say to yourself, "red car, red car, red car"? You start to see them everywhere.

My manifestation was pragmatic and practical - daily, I would check my saved searches on realestate.com.au and look at houses. Daily, I would chant "dream house" or share my dream with someone "I can't wait until I buy the dream house, it's going to have a sauna, and a spa, and you're going to come live there!".

4. You can't do it alone

As a business owner and entrepreneur that has tried his hand at many things, there's one thing I've noticed time and time again that differentiates those that 'make it' and those that don't.

Firstly, what does it mean to 'make it'? I guess that's personal too - like risk.

Maybe you could simply bring it down to "I said I would do X and I did X". Ahhh but that opens up a philosophical consideration - "I said I would be happy, and I was happy". As the buddhists say - nothing is permanent. I digress.

Maybe 'making it' means you're trying your hardest. I mean, have you failed if you haven't given up? That feels like a good measuring stick. I'm sure society has different thoughts...

So - what is it I've noticed? Those that achieve the things they set out to do rarely do it alone. Or those that do it alone, spend their whole life working towards those things. And that's ok - but then you have to decide - is it more about the journey or the outcome?

Anyway, for me, the help I've had has gotten me to where I am today - and I think that's true for my whole life. It's better with others in it. Treat people well and they'll look after you. That's what I've found to be true.

5. Not quitting is the same as winning

What does it make you think when I say "winners" and "losers"? There's no judgement in those words. But you have to consider that someone winning is a more desirable outcome than losing, right? But losing has its valuable lessons too - if you learn them.

I don't think about these two terms often - because as I said above - nothing is permanent. So why would it matter if you won today? You could lose tomorrow.

I think what matters more is not quitting. Not giving up. But that leads me to my next point...

6. Know thy self

I don't know what it is about me, my DNA or my personality - I've always had a strong mind. I know part of it was the environment. I was pushed and tested at a young age - but where other's might have caved, I resisted - I grew, I didn't quit.

But it's so much easier to keep going when you know yourself. When you truly believe in what you're aiming for. And I guess a big part of that is not caring what others think. I think that's the number one thing that stops people from pursuing their goals - "what if I fail? What will they think of me?".

7. My questions to you

So, you've chosen to read this far - a first attempt, unrevised 0% AI blog by your guy - Steven Greffe. You've probably seen that on July 7th I settled on my dream property. Maybe you saw that for the last 5 years I've hustled hard trying to build businesses and grow my property portfolio.

And here I am, trying to bring this property goal to fruition and some how figure out $60,000 monthly interest+costs.

All I can say is that reaching this point in my journey, after so much hard work, my vision - "dream house" - as simple as it is, has been the driving force behind my drive and my hard work.

So:

• What is your vision? What 2 words will drive you beyond a comfortable stability in life?

• Is that even what you want? We're all different - risk is personal. There's no right or wrong.

• Do you know yourself, truly? Are you being honest with yourself? What do you really want?

• Have you given yourself permission to enjoy what it is you truly desire at this point in your life?

• What is the thing that you'll never quit? Enjoying the little things? Pursuing greatness? Optimal health? Again - there is no right or wrong.

Conclusion:

Life is yours to live. Figure out what that means to you. Stop caring what other people think - even if it's just a little bit less!

Risk is personal - you get to decide how to live your life. And I've chosen to live mine on the edge. 🤣

Find the thing you want to manifest - and repeat it daily. (this takes time, sometimes finding means trying new things and being ok with however long that takes... but not ok with just staying still).

I love you all peeps, thanks for taking the time to read my 12:52am words.

More to come.

Steve