I love this very touching and inspiring story and wanted to share it with you. (Not just because I love horses too…)
It was written by the “Queen of Rehab” Robyn Thompson, our guest trainer at this week’s Traction REIA events. Enjoy! — Carolina Zeeb
“The Soul of a Real Estate Champion”
Life can change on a dime!
It was just another day at the ranch and I was trying to do a good deed! I had a dozen real estate students for two days of training at my 56 acre ranch in Ocala, FL. I wanted to do a complete brain dump on them and teach them how to grow a massive house rehabbing machine.
The purpose of them coming to my home was to teach them how I rehabbed 51 houses in one year and how I built a top notch team of mature grown up contractors who did over 2.1 million in renovations on those 51 properties that year.
Going into the second day, I had one student who just wasn’t getting the message. He wanted to challenge or doubt me every step of the way. So, I asked him to take a long walk with me around my gorgeous 56 acre ranch, hoping if I got him alone he would let go of his stinking thinking.
After about 20 minutes of walking around listening to him whining about everything wrong in his life, I glanced to the left and was completely stunned! Little did I know this instance would change my life on a dime!
Standing on the property next door, in a paddock of complete mud, was a starving emaciated old race horse. Every rib and vertebrae was in plain sight. The horse had to be at least 350 – 400lbs underweight. I know the property next door was headed to foreclosure, but I didn’t realize it was that bad.
The real estate investor next to me was oblivious and was still whining. I tuned him out and I stepped away. I immediately went to my barn for a premium flake of alpha hay which I knew would taste like caviar to the old hungry stallion.
I walked back and tossed it at his feet and he looked at me with those big brown eyes for what seemed like an hour, then he began to eat. Then he gave me the shock of a lifetime, he urinated in the hay. Looked at me again and then began to eat!
It took me a minute to realize the truth, he was so starved he didn’t have the strength to take one step to the side to avoid the hay!
At that moment I adopted him in my mind and heart! Sneaking food to him 6 times a day! Then four weeks later I got the phone call that changed my life forever. My farm hand called to inform me the owner was going to euthanize the old horse the next morning at 10:00am!
That’s right – KILL Him. No, not on my watch – not if I have anything to say about it!
The next day I was waiting at his gate when the owner and the vet showed up! I told both of them that I would adopt him and take good care of him for the rest of his days. The owner laughed in my face and told me the old horse was 30 years old and he was a $350.00 waste of money. I told him, I don’t care! Real estate has blessed me with more money than brains and I easily can afford his care. The owner tossed me the lead rope and said, “Is all yours! By the way, his name is Pass the Line.”
As I walked the old race horse home, I wondered about his life. When I got Pass the Line home, I turned him out on a plush 20 acres of grass and the old boy stood straight up in air on his two hind legs and screamed. He took off and ran victory laps in his new lush grass for an hour. He thought he had died and gone to heaven!
The next day, I searched out information on my new best friend, and to my shock, Pass the Line had won over $500,000 back in 1983. He was one of the fastest race horses of his day! He came in last on his very 1st race and came back from adversity as a true champion running for victory!
As the horse started gaining weight I learned very quickly that this little old horse had more guts, determination, work ethic, and resilience than any human mentor I have ever had. Pass the Line, over our three year friendship, taught me more about business and becoming a Champion Real Estate Investor than anyone else.
From the day I adopted him, to the day he died, Pass The Line dragged raced me every day to his feed bucket. The crippling arthritis and the inoperable cancerous tumor never stopped him. He ran for the winners circle every day.
So, here are the 12 lessons that my dear old friend Pass the Line taught me:
1. You deserve to live like a king and if you believe you deserve a better life it will come.
2. Celebrate the little victories as if they are triumph achievements.
3. Never lose sight of the winners circle. You get a chance to get there every day.
4. Something great comes from every tragedy.
5. Forgive those who have wronged you and love those who lift you up when you need a hand.
6. Go to work even if your body hurts!
7. No whining.
8. When things are bad in life, life can change on a dime.
9. Resilience – When you get knocked down, shake it off and get back up.
10. Play full out every day because it could be your last.
11. Act as if you are three years old. A race horse is at his prime at three years old.
12. There is a champion inside every one of us regardless the pedigree.
The final lesson Pass the Line taught me is, a Champion is Present when he is no longer present. His lessons will be with me and all my real estate students who learn them for decades to come!
I look forward to teaching you these critical lessons and a whole bunch more when I see you at Traction REIA this week.
–Robyn Thompson “The Queen of Rehab”
Sign up now:
https://TractionREIA.com/robyn
Seating is limited due to hotel space. Register now using the links above.
Sincerely,
Carolina Zeeb
Vice President
Traction REIA:
Recipient of the National REIA “Honors of Merit”
and the “Award of Excellence”
For Best Real Estate Investor Association!
