Rod Khlief was floating in one of his indoor pools in one of many elegant properties in his multimillion dollar pool when a crushing, sinking, realization set in: “I’m miserable.”
How could this be? Who is this man? And would you believe that investors worldwide seek him out for advice?
What Rod was experiencing that evening in the pool was a type of emptiness that many don’t realize exists. So many of us pursue money with such vigor that it simply never occurs to us that the exquisitely wealthy can be, well, exquisitely miserable. Rod’s agony had nothing to do with a bad deal or money, but the fact that he wasn’t doing enough personally meaningful things with his good fortune.
He realized his bank account would never fill his soul, and that paradoxically, the best thing he could do was begin to use his abundance to help others. By giving away time and money towards meaningful causes, performing deep self-examination and spiritual work, investing heavily in non-tangible things like values and relationships, and giving up the many little ways in which he was attempting to control life, Rod finally got some freedom from this feeling. He had to break free of his own mind frame through direct action.
We hear so many times that money can’t buy happiness to the point that it’s a tired, worn cliche--and quite bluntly, one that only resonates on the most basic intellectual level if you’re not wealthy, but would like to be. Rod wasn’t any different, and it took being so miserable despite such dramatic success for him to make the real turning point in his life. He’s richer (and happier) than ever. But times haven’t always been great for him.
At least Rod thinks so. He now refers to the bad deal that left him 50 million in the red as a “big flaming seminar.” We actually agree with him so much that we have made the true value of bad deals a major theme in our podcast, The Real Estate Nerds. Rod joined our host and asset protection attorney Scott Smith to share his story and some pro-tips.
During Rod’s full interview on Real Estate Nerds Episode #22, he shared the full story on what went so wrong, and much more impressively, how he recovered from such an amazing loss and went on to achieve both successes and fulfillment he had previously not dreamed possible. He passes on these lessons in resilience as a Certified Life Coach, just like his own world-famous coach, Tony Robbins.
If you follow Rod’s advice, the first thing you need to invest in is yourself. Without the personal work Rod recommends in his many free resources, you-won’t truly grow. Investors who understand the importance of mindset and a bit of investing psychology really are ahead of the rest of the class.
And why? Because here’s the truth. Anyone can learn the numbers to play the real estate game. Anyone can assemble the right professionals and pay them for good advice. Anyone can take out a loan, hire help, or even manage property. But those who can endure the ups and downs of the real estate game without losing their center or humanity? Those are the real winners.
You won’t always win, and neither has Rod. But if you listen to him, he’ll tell you that if your drive to succeed outweighs your fear of failure, you too can have it all.
Scott Royal Smith is an asset protection attorney and long-time real estate investor. He's on a mission to help fellow investors free their time, protect their assets, and create lasting wealth.
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