Is this forum making you feel inadequate?

The_Bludger said:
I'm 25 and have millions of dollars to my name through property investment. Good thing I started investing when I was 15 years old. Don't feel bad if you can't retire at age 30 - we can't all be driving porches and eating lobster every night. :D

But seriously, run your own race and don't worry what other's do. Use this site as an inspiration to your wealth creation. I did!
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How did you purchase properties at the age of 15?

Or is my sarcasm detector on the fritz again?
 
spludgey said:
Seeing how much more some people on here had accomplished than I did, some of them were even younger than me.
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When ever I start getting dis-heartened about not achieving as much as others - I close SS and open Facebook.

Makes me feel much better.

When I have finished looking at what everyone ate for their last meal... I come back again.

Blacky
 
I'm with Kinnon - I compare my progress from year to year only with myself.

I measure performance, growth, profit, loss monthly. If it's not where I want to be I work harder.

I'm also very confident and always learning and growing.

No one can make you feel inadequate without your permission.
 
Peter_Tersteeg said:
There's no real reason to feel intimidated by others on the forum, this is generally a fairly nice place to discuss investment (it's very well moderated). Most of the people who have substantial wealth and portfolios didn't get it overnight, it takes time and work.

It's also worth noting that the perception of many people's success is often greater than their actual success. There's plenty of people here with large reputations with a balance sheet that doesn't really match. There's also people with substantial portfolios that don't talk about it that much.

Keep in mind that your journey is your own, not anyone else's. Everyone has to start somewhere. The forums and other opportunities to interact with other investors are an opportunity to learn and to be inspired. Someone else's success isn't a reason to be intimidated.
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+1
The forum is proof that you don't need to reinvent the wheel, there's a lot than can be learnt on SS...the yardsticks and milestones should be your own.
 
Absolutely, and thats what keeps me going

being surrounded by people that are far superior motivates me

This keep me grounded.......hopefully

and at the same time I can input back in
 
imbi3 said:
This thread made me depressed :(

http://somersoft.com/forums/showthread.php?t=104435
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Comparing yourself to others is all in all a bad idea.

We all started from different places and with different skills.

I thought I was doing alright, till I met the 28 year old who was just finishing his development in the 10's of millions.

He wasn't too happy with himself either when he compared himself to his other mate who was doing $$$ developments.

Frankly, things sound better than they are in reality. When I share my story people are like, wow you've achieved so much. Then I look at my bank account, and things aren't all that crash hot, also I didn't have to help my parents out like my mate with just as much property as me did, AND he had a family to support as well, hats off to him.

I question everything with a grain of salt now, and don't buy a single thing I hear mentioned on facebook. Business is HARD, so seeing photos of someone with a selfie at the beach with the status 'loving business on the beach' I'm like, yeah, okay mate, must be super productive with sand riding up your *** and wind blowing your paperwork all over the place.

I feel the real trick to happiness is managing your own expectations. Now that I'm getting married, I've met guys with 3 kids and a mortgage on $60k saying how they struggle a bit yet are incredibly happy and putting money away in savings each week, and compare them to the young couple on $300k who are 'struggling to make ends meet and don't know how they can possibly have a kid' fighting over everything.
 
D.T. said:
When I first started on here I hardly had 2 coins to my name. Joined SS in 2003, had first IP in 2004 and rest is history from there I guess.

I always suggest never comparing yourself with others. Always run one's own race. There'll be forever people ahead or behind or whatever. It isn't comparable since they had different starting points or have different circumstances or whatever.

Always walk in the direction of your dreams. As long as you don't stand still, you'll eventually stumble upon them. Sometimes it'll be slow, uneventful or have some trips & falls, but keep walkin'
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quoted for truth.
 
So much positivity in this thread.

Of course it is very motivating to see others doing well but i think it is unnatural and a little bit unrealistic to say we all dont feel a little bit inadequate when we see others doing so much better than ourselves. I dont think this is always bad, this can be a great motivator. When I am being indecisive and wasting my money on other things i find the success of others helps to clarify what i should/could be doing and helps me to refocus on my goals.
 
Blacky said:
When ever I start getting dis-heartened about not achieving as much as others - I close SS and open Facebook.

Makes me feel much better.

When I have finished looking at what everyone ate for their last meal... I come back again.

Blacky
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Love it Blacky, a quick peek at social media is all the inspiration I need. Looking at pictures of friend's holiday adventures/fine dining no longer elicits any jealousy, rather satisfaction in knowing I have made the right choice, making small sacrifices/investing in my future early, and reaping the benefits in the not too distant future.

And it's the collective great minds that exist on this forum, thats made it possible for me.
 
Blacky said:
When ever I start getting dis-heartened about not achieving as much as others - I close SS and open Facebook.

Makes me feel much better.

When I have finished looking at what everyone ate for their last meal... I come back again.

Blacky
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Haha!.
Yes on Facebook I feel like I'm amazing.

Yes when I first joined I did feel inadequate. I was 50 and only had a PPOR (with a small loan) 1 negatively geared IP. I was looking at retirement on the pension.
People say don't compare yourself to others, but doing exactly that made me think- If they can do it so can I.

But it was the kick in the butt I needed to get me going.

It's been pretty full on since then but I could retire if I wanted and the pension is out of the question by a long way. :D

I owe the people on this forum a great deal.
 
travelbug said:
Haha!.
Yes on Facebook I feel like I'm amazing.

Yes when I first joined I did feel inadequate. I was 50 and only had a PPOR (with a small loan) 1 negatively geared IP. I was looking at retirement on the pension.
People say don't compare yourself to others, but doing exactly that made me think- If they can do it so can I.

But it was the kick in the butt I needed to get me going.

It's been pretty full on since then but I could retire if I wanted and the pension is out of the question by a long way. :D

I owe the people on this forum a great deal.
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That's a pretty good 6 years. Would love to read the interview.

Very inspiring given your age at the time to step up and look after your own future.

I've some family friends who keep thinking it too late, IMO it's enough time for them to jump in and try and get at least 1 good growth cycle. What could be worse, sitting and doing nothing.
 
This place has opened my mind, fuelled my ambition, increased my drive, massively expanded my goals, answered my questions, given me confidence, sharpened my focus, presented new ideas, provided me mentors, resulted in friends, and plenty more.


This is what happened as I first discovered SS:


Wait, what?

These normal people have done WHAT?!?!?

Hang on......I'm a normal* person too.


*Those who know me might argue this point a little..
 
spludgey said:
What about you, same situation, or was it empowering for you?
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I find it empowering. I have my own goals and judge my progress against my goals, not someone elses. I use the info to help me reach my goals. The info and advice is pricess IMO. Fantastic resource.

So while I do marvel at the achievements, it doesn't make me feel inadequate. It helps at lot that the journey towards achieving my goals is going really well. If it wasn't then I would probably not feel so chipper! :)
 
Discovering Somersoft was a watershed in my life.

It is now my worst addiction. Never tried to compare with more successful investors but knowing what is possible is enough to stop me from procrastination.

On a good day, it is a rewarding hobby.

On a bad day, I miss my old self. You know, the younger me backpacking around the world with a few thousand dollars.

To be honest, I don't know if I would be actually happier, if I didn't discover this forum.

But then again it is around the time of my marriage when I discovered the forum...

Now I have responsibilities to a young family.
 
Highly inspirational in my experience.

Many many people have done very well financially from this forum both directly and indirectly.

Kudos to the Somers for starting it, the members for contributing to it and the moderators for keeping the quality to a high standard.
 
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