Happy Mother’s Day to everyone out there celebrating it.
It was Mother’s Day celebration at my kids’ part time Daycare this week.
Both of my kids go to the same school on different days so I got to have two celebrations this week.
It just so happened that I was also booked to go to a 2 day all-day conference near the Toronto airport.
Being a mother is not easy. And somehow I convinced myself to do it all – having two children and having a business of my own.
My kids are at the age that they always want their mommy. I know it would be a huge disappointment if I miss their mother’s day celebration. (I know, of course, they wouldn’t remember much afterwards.)
I got up bright and early Wednesday morning, got my booth all setup and left to attend Bruce’s little tea party.
I’m really thankful that I got some great help from my assistant and long time friend, Maria, to help me out so I could leave to attend to my kids.
When I showed up in class, Bruce gave me a big smile and a hug. He said, “mommy” and grinned broadly at me.
It’s moments like this that melt my heart. It’s moments like this that I am so thankful for everything I have in my life. And of course, it’s moments like this that motivates me to move forward, even though it can be tough.
Recently I had a conversation with one of my friends who also invests in Hamilton real estate. One of his rental properties has leaks in the basement. And another has some minor issue.
He seemed to be mildly annoyed by these issues.
We can choose to focus on the problem, or we can choose to focus on our gain. It is the same issue that we are facing, but we can choose to look at it differently.
These two properties also made him more or less $250K capital gain. They are definitely a lot of work. If you simply focus on what the problems are, they can be painful to manage these properties.
If you choose to focus on the gain that you’ve made, be thankful that these assets are making money while you are sleeping, make a comparison to the hours you need to work on these assets in relation to what you make from your typical job, life is so much better with the same problem.
I work a lot. Running a business of your own is a commitment. But I don’t have the right to complain. I have so much in my life.
Happiness is a choice. It’s not a result of travelling to some exotic places or winning a lottery (although I would be happy in both scenarios 😉 ).
To those of you that needs a little reminder to brighten up your day on this gloomy Thursday.
Until next time, happy Canadian Real Estate Investing.
Cherry Chan, CPA, CA
Your Real Estate Accountant
