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Home » Resources » Blog » My Pet Peeves

My Pet Peeves

As I go through life and deal with hundreds of people each month, sometimes it amazes me how some folks get to be adults and not get put out of their misery by some short tempered idiot who shoots first and thinks later.

I rarely get mad or lose my temper, not even when I was raising a 16 year old granddaughter going on 21 who thought money is a right when one gets born, to be used up at will with a never ending supply and work is what you get for punishment if you don’t agree with everything your parents say who know nothing about life or how hard it is to be a teenager.

I’m usually a pretty easy guy to get along with, but there are some things that make me crazy. I rarely get headaches, but today I’ve got a watermelon sized throbber with the usual ignorance, stupidity, sloppiness and incompetence washing up around me.

Don’t worry; I’m not referring to you. I’m a teacher. I must have patience and understanding with those who pay me to learn what I know and I think it’s fair to say I do. It’s the rest of the world that sometimes pisses me off, at least a small part of it.

I’ve compiled a list of some of my favorite pet peeves. See how many of them you’d put on your list.

1. People who are Always Late. What is it with these people? Don’t they have a watch or is it they can’t tell time? Or is it they just don’t give a damn? Vince Lombardi said, “If you’re not 15 minutes early, you’re late.” I agree. As far as I’m concerned, if you can’t keep your promise to be on time, you won’t keep other promises either.

Back when I was hiring people myself it was the first dufus test they had to pass. One minute late and the interview was cancelled, I learned all I needed to know.

To be late shows a lack of consideration for other peoples time and a lousy attitude toward becoming a team player. Are there excusable reasons for being late? Sure, a few, but when it’s used more than once it’s not an excuse, it’s an alibi.

Here’s a news flash for you…….. Leave Earlier!

2. People Who Rarely Keep a Promise. Why is it so hard for most people to simply do what they say? I do mean most people. I’ll bet if we all kept track of people who made us a promise and those who didn’t, the ones who didn’t would exceed 70% of the time.

Not keeping promises means no time management system where you write them down. If you don’t write them, you won’t remember most. You may kid yourself into believing otherwise, but I ain’t buying it.

Write it in your planner and make it a part of your daily action plan and you can set it and forget it. It’ll require a habit change, but will create a lifestyle change. When you keep your promises and can hold others accountable who made them to you because you’ve recorded what and when, you will always be the dominating force in your relationships.

People who can’t keep promises are weak and shiftless, not to be trusted, always making excuses and rarely making any real money. It’s almost never their fault, according to them.

People who keep their promises rule those who don’t and usually maintain the upper hand even in the lowest paying job in a company. They are the ones looked up to and relied upon to get things done and usually become the leaders simply because they do what they say.

In Business Management Boot Camp, I teach the art of the planner and how to use it to control your surroundings and be the dominant force. Not one out of a thousand people carrying one around truly know how to use it. They think it’s a “to do” list with a phone book and a calendar. It’s all that, but it’s also a lifeline to success when used correctly. Over the years we’ve fired dozens of employees and 90% of their problems can be traced directly to their inability to follow up and keep their promises. It’s not tolerated for long from people I work closely with.

3. People Who Quit at the First Little Roadblock. It’s a good thing our ancestors who built this great country from an endless wilderness didn’t quit because the wagon broke a wheel. Geez, whatever happened to good old fashioned gumption? How did this society get so full of weaklings who whine and bitch and blame the President cause the gas prices are high or hurricane relief wasn’t there before the wind died down or the welfare check is two days late.

This country may not be the richest it’s ever been, the economy isn’t great but our basic needs are met, opportunity is everywhere for those who want it and as far as I am concerned anyone with half a brain, reasonably good health, and a little effort can get rich in America. The only roadblock is located between the right ear and the left.

I can’t tell you how many times people tell me things like……

• “Well, I mailed 100 letters already, shouldn’t I be rich by now”
• “All my leads are unmotivated”
• “It’s a slow market, there are no deals here” etc, etc, etc…

Come on gang, this is a real business that may be worth more to you than anything else you’ve done in your life to date.
If it’s broke, fix it. If you don’t know how, get help. I’m making so many millionaires across America; I simply have no patience with pathetic excuses from whiners and those looking for an easy ride to wealth. It ain’t easy and anyone who says it is; is broke.

Here’s something you may want to ask yourself the next time you doubt if it works here or works for you.

Has Anyone Else in my Market Overcome My Obstacles and Become Successful?

The answer will be yes regardless of where you live and they’ve done it recently and are currently doing it right under your nose.

4. People Who Always Want to Build a Better Mousetrap. Here’s a news flash. The trap (system) you have is already killing all the mice. What else do you expect it to do? That simply means if buying houses gets any easier and more systemized than it already is, they’ll be teaching it in grade school.

We have taken almost all the work and all the risk out of the business and made it easy enough for a sixth grader to duplicate and yet, invariably most people work extremely hard to screw up the system.

Look, here it is in order……

1) Mail yellow letters (don’t you touch them)
2) Let Patlive.com/ Ron LeGrand take the calls & fill in info sheets
3) Sort out dud’s and call only the very few decent prospects
4) Go get the deed
5) Install lease option tenants using our auto pilot, hands off system
6) Do it again and again and again

If you’re not doing these things, find out why and fix it, quickly. If you’re not trained, what are you waiting on, for it to be convenient? It never will be. For it to be free? It never will be.

It kills me when seemingly intelligent folks think they can learn a business that can make them a millionaire in a year with almost no investment, money, time, or anxiety. Yet, they’ll work 30 years on a dead end job for slave wages, take orders from morons, and let their lives be controlled by others and accept their fate as a normal life.

5. People Who Can’t Make a Decision. There are those who make decisions and those who live by decisions made by others. You get to be a leader or a follower. Leaders make a lot more money and have more fun.

I have no problem making decisions. For me, it’s easy and quick. If it’s a big decision I ask myself.

How Can I Lose and What Can I Do Now to Fix It?

If I don’t like the answer, the decision is no. If I do, it’s probably yes. So far none I’ve made have killed me or anyone else; it’s only money. It comes and goes. Only a measuring stick

Willie Mays said it best “It’s not my life, It’s not my wife, why worry?” I can’t do business with people who can’t make a decision. That includes lenders, attorneys, realtors, mortgage brokers, partners, employees, and a long list of others. As far as I’m concerned, if it’s such a big struggle to say yes, the answer should probably be no.

I guess my attitude comes from being below the curb looking up. I’ve been broke and bankrupt with creditors chasing me and somehow I survived and grew stronger and less adverse to loss. Most people spend their lives playing not to lose, I play to win.

Big difference, if you’re gains is big enough, the losses don’t hurt so badly and it becomes easier to decide. If you’re always on the edge of disaster, your decisions get cloudy and it’s tougher to play to win. If you can relate and want to fix it, start focusing on revenue more and less on cost control. Work hard getting more and you’ll have less time or energy to focus on loss.

Well, I could rant and rave on about my pet peeves because there are a few more, but it won’t help my headache. I’m going to take some Tylenol, jump in my massage chair and lie down with a wet cloth on my head.

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11 Responses to My Pet Peeves

  1. Debbie Magar says:

    sorry for the headache but thanks for great article. feel better debbie

  2. Latrice Smith says:

    That was powerful! A reality check. Everyone should read this. “Tough Love” and a swift kick in the behind, we all need it from time to time. Thanks for all you do and your honesty.

  3. Michael Brock says:

    Ron,if everyone thought like you; this world would be too “perfect”. I applaud your humor & straight talk. Pet Peeve #6: WAKE UP! Life is SHORT!!!! No more sleeping.

  4. Quentin & Kristina Freeman says:

    Very moving and most importantly, motivating!
    Like Latrice said, a reality check for sure and I zlso think something to keep your mindset in line to get to your goal.

  5. Cresencio Mandujano says:

    great article.and very motivating

  6. John Rogers says:

    I agree with your list of pet peeves. I’ve read this a time or two before to get a refresher. I particularly relate to the playing not to lose, and need to work on playing to win instead.

  7. Brandon Dickman says:

    lOVE THIS!! SO MUCH TRUTH TO IT ALL

  8. Rose McLaughlin says:

    Lots of good info. Ron I’ve been a business owner for 25 years and I totally agree with you! A lot of your pet peeves are mine as well! And I love how you tell it like it is because I to tell it like it is, and it’s pure honesty! I never got any college education either but hard work,determination, guts,being on time and considerate other others time as well is very important. I really got tired of employees and that is why I no longer own my cleaning service or children’s resale store. That’s why real estate makes perfect sense! I have more time to do the things I love while making a living, No employees what a blessing, no commuting, If I need a day off to relax and recharge that’s a choice I have now. Thanks Ron

  9. M K Ali says:

    I found myself cheering and saying ouch. Thanx, Ron!

  10. Courtland Beakley says:

    Thanks for the great words. Was doing a reality check on myself as I was reading. Got a couple to work on myself. Thanks for the kick in the pants to a better me.

  11. Robert Straker says:

    Hello,

    Wow! You really hit the head on the nail with that article. Some of that even pertains to me! After reading it, I realize I need to make some changes in my life, and that’s what I’m going to do. Thank you for posting that on this site.

    Bye for now,
    Robert.

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