Making your goals count in 2007

As we enter into the New Year we all tend to have a heightened sense of the opportunities and possibilities that a new year can bring. As the threat of a property crash diminishes we can all see the potential that the market holds for 2007, and many of us are now starting to attack it with renewed vigor. However, one very important point should be kept in mind, in order to take best advantage of the opportunity. It is essential to set some goals, some idea of what you would like to achieve and when. Goal setting really is the key to successful property investment as many successful property millionaires will testify. This article should give you a great starting point for creating your goals.

Goal-setting is powerful, partly because it provides focus. It shapes our dreams. It gives us the ability to hone in on the exact actions we need to perform to achieve everything we desire in life.
Also, goals provide long-term vision in our lives. We all need lots of powerful, long-range goals to help us get past short-term obstacles. Life is designed in such a way that we look long-term and live short-term. We dream for the future and live in the present. Unfortunately, the present can produce many difficult obstacles. But fortunately, the more powerful our goals (because they are inspiring and believable) the more we will be able to act on them in the short-term and guarantee that they will actually come to pass!

So, let's take a closer look at the topic of goal-setting and see how we can make it forceful as well as practical. What are the key aspects to learn and remember when studying and writing our goals?

1. Evaluation and Reflection.
The only way we can reasonably decide what we want in the future and how we will get there is to first know where we are right now and what our level of satisfaction is for where we are in life. So first take some time and think through and write down your current situation, then ask this question - is that okay?

The purpose of evaluation is to show you where you are so you can determine where you need to go. In other words, it gives you a baseline from which to work.

I would strongly encourage you to take a couple of hours this week to evaluate and reflect. I would urge you this month to see where you are and write it down so that as the months progress, and you continue a regular time of evaluation and reflection, you will see just how much ground you will be gaining - and that will be exciting!

2. What are Your Dreams and Goals?
One of the amazing things we have been given as humans is the unquenchable desire to have dreams of a better life, and the ability to establish goals to live out those dreams. Think of it: We can look deep within our hearts and dream of a better situation for ourselves and our families; dream of better financial lives and better emotional or physical lives. But what makes this even more powerful is that we have also been given the ability to not only dream but to pursue those dreams and not just pursue them, but the cognitive ability to actually lay out a plan and strategies (setting goals) to achieve those dreams. Powerful!

3. S.M.A.R.T. Goals.
S.M.A.R.T. means Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-sensitive.
I really like this acronym S.M.A.R.T., because we want to be smart when we set our goals. We want to intelligently decide what our goals will be so that we can actually accomplish them. We want to set the goals that our heart conceives, our minds believe and that our bodies will carry out. Let's take a closer look at each of the components of S.M.A.R.T. goals:

Specific: Goals are no place to waffle. They are no place to be vague. Ambiguous goals produce ambiguous results. Incomplete goals produce incomplete futures.

Measurable: Always set goals that are measurable.

Attainable: One of the detrimental things that many people do - and they do it with good intentions - is to set goals that are so high they are unattainable.

Realistic: The root word of realistic is "real." A goal has to be something that we can reasonably make "real" or a "reality" in our lives. There are some goals that simply are not realistic. This is in no way to say it shouldn't be a big goal, but it must be realistic.

Time: Every goal should have a timeframe attached to it. One of the powerful aspects of a great goal is that it has an end, a time in which you are aiming to accomplish it. You start working on it because you know there is an end. As time goes by you work on it because you don't want to get behind. As it approaches, you work diligently because you want to meet the deadline. A S.M.A.R.T. goal has a timeline.

So evaluate and reflect, decide what you want, and be S.M.A.R.T. When you put these 3 key pieces together, you are putting yourself in a position of power that will catapult you toward achieving your greatest goals.

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How to achieve financial independence through property

All of us yearn for financial freedom - the power to leave our day jobs and enjoy a long, leisurely retirement.

In reality, we all know that working hard, plying extra cash into our pension fund and banking on a nice hefty payout at the end of our career isn't necessarily going to provide enough wealth for us to retire on. Sure, it might give us some spending money but will it provide a long term liveable income bearing in mind that many of us will live well beyond 65. So what should we do?

Of course there's the state pension, but after living on a healthy wage year after year will you be happy settling for a small monthly handout from the government?

The good news is that with a bit of foresight, some smart strategies and the old reliable bricks and mortar, we all have the capacity to make our golden years even more comfortable - and a lot more prosperous!

Why property?
Property is a basic commodity and although we have a high level of home ownership in this country around 30% of the population rents at any given time. This means you have a consistently significant large pool of people requiring rental accommodation.

Property has certain advantages over other asset classes, such as shares. It's less volatile than the stock market and historically, residential property has always increased in value. It has its ups and downs but it's relatively dependable if investors are wise enough to understand that this commodity requires a long-term commitment to pay decent dividends.

Property investment should be viewed as a long-term strategy and therefore the bias has to be toward capital growth. But because it's a basic commodity, it has a level of inbuilt stability in terms of demand and that underpins its capital value.

Property allows investors to leverage other people's money reasonably safely, which means higher returns at lower risk compared to other asset classes.

Many people retire with little more than £50,000 in savings. Very few have £300,000 in savings but you can find plenty of people with more than £300,000 equity in their home or investment properties.

Because well-bought property will continue to generate capital growth throughout the years, it is a favoured asset class and if you're careful about where and what you buy, you'll pretty much always end up with more than you begin with.

The power of equity.
Savvy homeowners across the country have learnt that the appreciating value of their own home generates equity.

Rather than selling up to release their equity, this astute bunch thinks about the future and accesses it by refinancing and putting it into other forms of wealth generation, primarily property investment.

In the UK, most property investors started out by leveraging their own home. If you're not willing to do this, it's very unlikely that you can get ahead unless you've managed to make a lot more money from other things.

The more equity you can control and the sooner you can control it, the greater your level of financial independence. Your increasing equity adds to your asset base because it allows you to use that equity as leverage to buy further assets. Further acquisitions are typically made by accessing part of the equity in pre-existing assets through re-financing.

Once you reach retirement, your equity begins to work in a different way. After using it to build a generous portfolio, consisting of property alone or a mix of property, shares and other investments, given enough of the stuff, it can start to provide an income that replaces your working-life salary.

How much is enough?
So if equity is the golden goose that will provide for us in retirement, how much is enough? And for that matter, exactly how much money makes for a comfortable retirement income?

To answer this you will need to calculate the number of properties and the combined worth of a portfolio that will see you end up in the position of matching or exceeding your work income. Depending on the strategy you intend to use, there are a number of ways you can work out how much property you'll need and the equity you should be holding in your portfolio to put you in a position where you can finally bid your boss farewell.

One way of thinking is that if a property doesn't have a mortgage, it returns roughly 14 per cent a year (average 10 per cent growth and 4 per cent rent). Based on this, the property would generate £140,000 per year which could be accessed through refinancing.

The easy way to look at it however is that the more property you own the greater potential you have of a comfortable retirement. So get investing and retirement could be the best days of your life.

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"I now realize there are millions of self-made millionaires who started with nothing. They dug inside themselves to find the answers and they succeeded. There is nothing anyone else can do that I can't do." - Dean Graziosi, Author

"There is a law in psychology that if you form a picture in your mind of what you would like to be, and you keep and hold that picture there long enough, you will soon become exactly as you have been thinking." - William James 1842-1910, Psychologist and Author

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Four steps to success by Jim Rohn

Number one is good ideas. Be a collector of good ideas. If you hear a good idea, capture it, write it down. Don't trust your memory. Then on a cold wintry evening, go back through your journal, the ideas that changed your life, the ideas that helped you become successful, the ideas that made you millions. What a good review. Going back over the collection of ideas that you gathered over the years. So be a collector of good ideas for your business, for your relationships, for your future.

The next step to success is to have good plans. A good plan for the day, a good plan for the future, a good health plan, a good financial plan. Building anything is like building a house, you need to have a plan. Now here is a good time management question: When should you start the day? Answer: As soon as you have it finished. It is like building a house. What if you just started laying bricks and somebody asks, "What are you building?" And you say, "I have no idea." See they would come and take you away to a safe place. So, don't start the house until you finish it. Now, is it possible to finish the house before you start it? Yes, but it would be foolish to start before you had it finished. Not a bad time management idea. Don't start the day until it is pretty well finished -- at least the outline of the day. Leave some room to improvise. Leave some room for extra strategies, but finish it before you start it.

And here is the next piece that is a little more challenging: Do not start the week until you have it finished. Lay it out, structure it, then put it to work. Then the next one is a little tougher yet; do not start the month until you have it finished.

And finally the big one, don't start the year until it is finished on paper. It's not a bad idea, toward the end of the year, to sit down with your family for the family structure plans, sit down in your business for the business plans, sit down with your financial advisor for your investments and map out the year... properties to buy, properties to sell, places to go with your family, lay out the year.

Now, here is the third step to success, and it can be really challenging. Learning to handle the passing of time. It takes time to build a career, it takes time to make changes, so give your project time, give your people time. And here is the big one, give yourself time. It takes time to master something new. It takes time to make altered changes and refinement in philosophy as well as activity. Give yourself time to learn, time to get it, time to start some momentum, time to finally achieve. It is easy to be impatient with yourself.

And here's the last one; learning to solve problems. Business problems, family problems, financial problems, emotional problems, etc. -- challenges for us all. Here's the best way to treat a problem: As an opportunity to grow. Change if you have to, modify if you must, discard an old philosophy that wasn't working well for a new one. The best phrase my mentor ever gave me was when he said, "Mr. Rohn if you will change, everything will change for you." Wow, I took that to heart, and sure enough the more I changed the more everything changed for me.

So learn to master good ideas, have good plans, handle the passing of time and solve problems, and you will be on your way to more success than you could ever imagine!

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"It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen." - Claude M. Bristol 1891-1951, Author

"The greatest thief this world ever produced is procrastination, and he is still at large." - Henry Wheeler Shaw 1818-1885, Humorist

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What's new?

Our branded taxi hit the streets of London on the 15th of December 2006. With its eye catching graphics it is sure to stand out from the crowd and for those traveling inside the taxi, our brand is highly visible through colorful adverts on the tip seats, branded receipts and brochures. Our branding will remain on the taxi until the 15th of March 2007 so look out for it.

What's available?

We currently have the following investment opportunities.

UK property
Park View, Gorton Street, Kinsley, Pontefract
Orchard House, Gleadless Road, Sheffield


Overseas property
If you are looking for quality overseas property you need look no further. Whether you want discounted French property with guaranteed rental returns, land in central Florida or something a little more exotic we can help. Our overseas property department is growing fast and we are currently offering exceptional opportunities in the following locations:

France – Most regions
Spain – Many regions
Cyprus - Paphos
Florida – Central and Northern
Brazil – North coast
Middle East - Dubai

Please click on each property for full details or go to www.propertyforlife.com/property/ for full details and look out for more great opportunities coming soon!

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Upcoming events

Over the coming months we will be attending several exhibitions in addition to our ongoing Property Academy programme. If you would like to attend a property academy session please call Laura on our 01252 737575 or email laura@propertyforlife.com stating which session you would like to attend and how many places you require.

January 19th-21st 2007 - Vive La France Show - Olympia, London

January 27th 2007 – PFL Property Investment Academy - Cheshunt Marriott Hotel, Cheshunt.

February 16th–18th 2007 – The Dublin Property Expo – RDS centre, Dublin.

February 24th 2007 – PFL Property Investment Academy – The Coppid Beech Hotel, Bracknell.

March 2nd-4th 2007 - Homebuyer Show - Excel Exhibition Centre, London

March 17th 2007 – PFL Property Investment Academy – Central London

April 7th 2007 - PFL Property Investment Academy - Kegworth Whitehouse Hotel, East Midlands

For further information regarding the Property Investor Academy Programme please follow the link www.propertyforlife.com/whyinvest/education.html

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Funriture services
We can supply a wide range of furniture to cover even the most demanding furnishing requirements. Whether you are looking to furnish a studio apartment or a four bedroom house, our range of ready to go furniture packs provide all you will need to give your property that special look.

Our furniture is carefully sourced by our in house furniture specialist and offers a stress free and very cost effective method of furnishing your investment property. Studies have shown that a well furnished property will not only rent more easily but could also carry a rental premium, giving you an even better return on your investment.

Most items are held in stock and available for immediate dispatch. Delivery can be arranged for most regions of the United Kingdom.

For further information visit http://www.propertyforlife.com/services/furniture.html or email myra@propertyforlife.com.


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Do you fancy a spending spree at one of the UK's leading department stores?

The new look Property for Life referral programme can offer you just that.

All you need to do is tell an interested friend about Property for Life and you could soon have a minimum of £250 in gift vouchers to spend in any John Lewis or Waitrose store.

Quite simply, for each person introduced by you who then purchases a property through us you will receive a cool £250 in John Lewis gift vouchers. If they purchase more than one property you will receive £250 in gift vouchers for each property they purchase. You could soon be well on your way to that spending spree.

Remember, the more people you introduce the more chance you have of grabbing at least £250. So why not tell your friends and family about Property for Life? Make sure they register on-line at www.propertyforlife.com/register/ and select the recommendation option at the end of the form and include your name in the 'other' box.

Please note that the referral programme is on a per property not a per person basis.

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