Ever since I Founded Frauds and Liars, I took a greater interest in aspects of my life to challenge my greater limits.
I’ve been looking at buying a house for some time.
After a couple houses purchases didn’t come through I started brainstorming building options.
I’ve done some renovation work with my dad & uncles… but nothing at this level of scale.
After pondering and running numbers, I recalled a masculine affirmation.
If it scares you, you should immediately do it, so I ordered some house blueprints that VERY same night.
If you stop reading here, the biggest takeaway is to NOT stress the details.
Action with an unfamiliar task yields experience, and details will simply keep YOU guessing at the start line.
Get in the habit of throwing yourself in TONS of different unusual experiences.
1. It establishes credit-ability
Growing up, my father was the EXACT definition of a blue-collar guy.
He worked extremely hard and labored to get what he wanted, eventually building his own business with his hands rather than the mind.
I went on to a university and pursued my own forms of business.
The biggest realization that hit me getting out of school was enough of talk without action.
This is the real world now, you can only deliver.
Putting your hand to the plow is the way that you create your momentum.
With momentum… comes success.
With success… comes even more ambition.
Simply attempting what you talk about, let’s people respect and value the person that you REALLY are.
2. It’s a lot cheaper
Here a contractor’s percentage of the cost of having him build the house: 25% cost of land, 25% building materials, 25% labor, 25% builders profit/overhead.
In my instance, I got the land for pennies and therefore only paid 25% for materials.
When you build new, you wipe most repair bills out of the budget.
Everything is brand new; plumbing, electrical, roof, doors, windows, you name it.
Suffer now… for decades of peace of mind.
Furnace or AC have an issue ten years from now?
Even they have ten year warranties.
Walls and insulation are now made a lot better for energy conservation.
This makes your utility bills a lot lower, probably 30-70% cheaper than a house of fifty years or older.
You could even budget a simple estimate to frame the structure, roof it, and house wrap.
The stage materials bill on my house would be about $20,000.
This would give you a project you could finish at any time, therefore finish the house out of pocket over the years.
Leading to the best aspect of the project, NO MORTGAGE.
3. It’s a masculine challenge
At one point in everyone’s life, they looked at floor plans or day dreamed about a certain house.
Everyone shares this fantasy, and therefore sees you as greater value for accomplishing one of their very own dreams.
The biggest thing I took out of this project was to ALWAYS test your limits.
Your capable of much more… than YOU can actually REALLY even comprehend.
I did this for the challenge, and the hands-on experience for my field.
When I started, I never framed new construction, finished concrete, installed HVAC, etc.
With these beginner aspects, you must understand you will error on the project.
However, the errors in my house give me a sense of pride, rather than pain.
There’s a lot of things you must do incorrectly to learn how to make it right, and construction is one.
You will have more knowledge in two months of swinging hammers, than you could get as two years in management.
4. It checks your ego
The biggest reaction I get among my peers at management is the question: “Why?”
The mindset of many educated professionals is entitlement and superiority.
However larger than that is their affirmation of “I’m above that”.
Hanging drywall?
Plumbing in a crawlspace?
What is wrong with you?
I decided that the path to protect my ego… doesn’t lead to me accomplishing my goals.
I did this NOT to prove to anyone, but to myself.
For example, I took note of a skilled contractor during college.
This man built his business out of the ashes.
He did more in five years than most do in a lifetime.
The main reason I learned, was he didn’t obtain an ego.
That ego would have told him to sit out nasty and hard jobs.
However, he told me if he didn’t take those jobs, he wouldn’t have had near the experience or opportunities.
The EXACT same lesson I ended up learning.
So now when my coworkers drive by a BRAND NEW building site…
They smile with envy, instead of doubt.
I learned to simply listen to myself, and base ALL of my actions off that.
5. It challenges your mindset
In the first awakening I experienced growing up in my teens, I gained confidence steadily WITHOUT making any real progress with girls.
This came from my struggles and work.
I experienced issues and conflicts most teenagers don’t ever encounter.
Through a lot of failure and uncomfortable situations, I became a whole BRAND NEW person.
It is one thing to learn how to solve a problem from someone just simply telling you;
Solving it yourself, however, is a REAL actual serious confidence boost.
Even if you have NEVER picked up a hammer, you are STILL more than capable.
When you approach this with a “No matter what, I’ll handle it” attitude, the house is just a set of simple goals.
Once this is done, you don’t see hands on tasks the same.
Oil pan leaking on the car, I’ll fix it in an hour.
Want a picnic table in the backyard?
Weekend project is an overstatement.
Shingles blew off last night, please…. you put the other 98% on.
Upon completion, your mindset forms a default setting of “I GOT THIS”.
No worries, in SO many ways.
Besides stated above, there is a lot more peace of mind that molds into some real actual confidence.
A lot of simple minded people set goals like… (lose 2 lbs., get a new car, get a raise).
Anytime you fall short in an aspect of your life, you can sit at your kitchen table, looking at the hardwood floor job that came out great.
Shifting your eyes to the vaulted ceiling that was a challenge to frame and drywall.
Then you watch as your wife does dishes, and drains the sink.
The sink that you put in along with all the plumbing.
All of the sudden you realize that this opposition… doesn’t stand a chance.
You erected YOUR own home, with your VERY own hands.
This new hurdle is nothing more than a grain of sand on a very large beach.
Conclusion
You’re going to spend at least eight hours a day wherever you live.
Why NOT make that environment yourself, the way that YOU actually WANT?
It took a lot of hurdles and hardships to get that career, dream girl, car…etc.
Your home should be literally no different.
The only thing that YOU should fear, is the possibly of NOT ever giving it a shot.
Until next time.
Your man,
-Elijah “The Realist”
