How 12 Immigrants Made Billions-12 Keys to Success and Rich Immigrant Poor Citizen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-euNsUY_To
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-euNsUY_To
The following true events are captured in more detail in my inspirational booklet, 26 Steps to Spiritual and Financial Riches: How Spirituality Led to a $7 Million Gain. Enjoy!
It was on a Sunday, our holy day of festivity, that I attended the Gurdwara in
This scenario served as a backdrop in my mind and I felt as though I needed to turn to prayer. I pictured in my head taking a walk around my home and property. It did not take me long to realize that it is not right that my house is so big but God’s house, where our Sikh community goes to worship, celebrate, and socialize, is so small. There with the congregation of the temple, I made a commitment to myself that I would remain determined to find a suitable property for establishing a bigger temple. At this point, I promised that I would not work on my real estate ventures until I succeeded in finding an appropriate place for us to congregate and worship.
The very next day, fairly early in the morning, a real estate broker knocked on the front door of my home. He told me that he knew of a property that I might be interested in purchasing for investment purposes. We agree to view the property at
Taking the wonderful property and scenery into my mind, I was immediately reminded of my prayer and goal from the previous evening. I thought to myself ‘This cannot be for my business ventures; it must be for the community.’ After all, it is a property fit for the king of all kings. This thought simultaneously ignited in me a feeling of submission to God. I begged Him to give me the strength and positive attitude necessary to overcome any obstacle that may come my way in acquiring and claiming this great property as a location for our new temple.
As the broker could clearly see my excitement about the property, he told me that Uni Bank had lien of $8.2 million on the property which the bank intended to foreclose. I told him that I would take some time, think about the situation, and get back to him. When I went home, I rustled up statements from various banks to see what type of cash I had available to present an offer. These totals amounted to $1.2 million so that became the offer I extended to the bank. At first, I was laughed at, but I insisted that the bank official think about the offer; after all, the money I was offering was $1.2 million in money, but the prayers that came along with it carried much more weight.
In a few days, prayer, the most important and powerful ingredient in this transaction, proved to be beneficial to my cause. When the bank officials called to tell me that they would sign the contract for my special offer, I felt that my prayers had been answered and that I was blessed with the responsibility of serving God and the community. I thought to myself that this was not only a demonstration of God’s work but also of my belief, good intentions, and power of prayer. Since the appraisal of the property was over $8.2 million, with the value of the land alone over $3 million, I was very happy to know that I would be able to provide a new, large temple in a building that would cost no less than $5 million to build.
This story is of tremendous importance because obstacles were continuously presenting themselves. But I would not allow them to obstruct my path and goal of establishing the new temple. Soon after the conversation with the bank officials, I went to meet with officials of the City of
The staff of officials repeatedly told me to just “forget the project.’ Rather than letting this negativity deter me from pursuit of my goal, I relied on my positivity and faith in self to go forward, purchase the property, and face the challenges as they arise.
Inspired by the obstacles already described, I made an effort to contact the officials of the temple in
The bank officials were disillusioned by their decision to walk out and decided to sign the contract under my own name. Due to my familiarity with such business proceedings and the potential risk involved with having my name on the contract, I bore sole financial responsibility and signed the contract. Assuming the responsibility moved me to write them a check of $120,000. At this point, I knew there would be bigger challenges to overcome, so this particular obstruction further encouraged me to be more positive. The news and possibility of having a new, larger temple quickly spread to the congregation and community. As a result, the officials later began to cooperate with me and compensated me for my faithful monetary advance.
As originally anticipated after my initial discussion with them, the City of
Over the course of this process, I received offers from several prospective buyers who were willing to buy the premises from me for $4 million, thereby enabling me to make an easy profit of over $2 million. Meanwhile, the officials of the temple became so impatient with this process that they held an emergency meeting to discuss the selling of the property for only $1.6 million. It was at this time that I felt compelled to show the officials the letters I had received. I am truly thankful to God that He did not let me yield in my stride and succumb to the temptation of easy money over my selfless pursuit. I am confident that it was God who stood with me so I could maintain my integrity and the commitment I had made two years earlier.
After seeing the various letters from prospective buyers, my will to not give in gave the officials of the temple no choice but to leave me to continue my struggle with the City of
During this long, drawn-out process of getting the proper permissions for establishing the temple, the City of
Soon after I purchased the property, however, Staples Department Stores decided to build their new store very close to the
I thought about this situation a great deal. Since I could easily gain a profit of $2 million from someone other than Swezey’s, the obvious decision to make would be to sell for more money. Keeping my promise and sense of commitment in mind, I yielded to the desires of the City of
Ironically, this chain of department stores, which had been in business for over 100 years, went out of business a couple years following the establishment of their
In fact, the City of
At this point in time, the triumph of the temple was not yet complete. As I mentioned earlier, the property taxes were supposed to total around $200,000 a year. The reduction of these taxes to zero required the hiring of lawyers and many hours to achieve. As a result, the attorneys working on the tax situation demanded a fee of $57,000. Seeing that I had overcome so much in establishing the temple already, I turned to this situation with the same positive attitude and prayers. I called the attorneys and offered them a meager sum of $3,000 as compensation for their initial fee demands. Although not likely, I somehow felt it was possible because I was true in my intentions and remained strong in my commitment to my faith and the temple congregation. In response to my small offer, all I heard was the encouraging words, “Okay. Accepted.” This, of course, was very similar to the bank who sold us the property for peanuts.
In addition to these great feats, various real estate brokers and architects also waived major portions of their fees totaling roughly $50,000. Along with the Sikh temple there was to be a school set up on the premises. Remarkably, the school taxes of $115,000 were also waived.
Times in my life, such as the events of this story, have given me reassurance about the power of prayer and positive thinking. God’s plans and designs are above human comprehension. The above story may have amazed you. Perhaps, you may still be thinking about how the temple congregation became the proud owners of the sprawling 15.43 acre property, including a 32,000 square feet building, along with a five bedroom house used as a residence for the priests. Even more so, I was also able to gain, individually, the money that I initially thought I had lost. With monetary gain put aside, I also gained strength in the power of prayer and an ardent belief in the power of positive thinking.”
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It should remain a priority in every child’s and adult’s lives to keep their family members close, especially because we share more with them than any acquaintance or passerby. Family is a part of you and you are a part of their whole. They have given you the values and moral support which has made you the person you are today. You share experiences and memories that are unique to your identity and these are important things to keep in mind when facing the trials and stresses of daily life. Your family has given you the tools to not only enjoy life but also succeed in everything you do.
Sometimes tempers flare, personalities clash, and differences in opinion will surface but do not cut ties. Make sure you send birthday cards and make those phone calls that you think about often. You would not have these thoughts in your mind, if you would just reach out and make contact to these important people in your lives. Neglecting your family and friends breaks down your support system. You don’t want to push the important people in your life away because you’ll be left alone with nobody to talk to, laugh with, cry on, and spend your time. In a world with so many strangers, why choose to keep to yourself and risk the potential of being miserable.
· Talk to your family members
· Tell them how much they mean to you
· Pick up the phone and call them
· Send a card or letter with an old picture inside
Rather than finding fault in everything around you, look to yourself to see if you are indeed responsible for the wrongdoing, shortcomings, and faults of which you are being critical. By blaming others for your own failures and shortcomings, you are doing more than others a disservice because you also harm yourself. Failure and slip-ups will happen but they are indeed just that unless something positive comes from such events. Now, you’re probably asking yourself, “How can that make me happier?” Well, if you improve different aspects of your life, and you are constantly working to refine your strengths and characteristics, you will emerge a more competent, reliable, and contented individual.
The more confident you are, the more responsibility you will be able to undertake. Particularly when you are held accountable for more and more responsibilities and tasks, you must learn to lead by example. That means that you most certainly need to find fault in yourself, your decisions, or actions when things go awry.
Taking responsibility for your faults and actions will help in making you a happier person because you will know that you are being honest with yourself on your way to becoming the best you. Sometimes only you will know that you’re at fault in a situation and it’s up to you to make it right for you and all parties involved. One step that may make it easier to take responsibility for your faults, wrongdoings, or shortcomings is to learn humility. Yes. You must learn to laugh at yourself, no matter how big or small your mistake or error. That is not to say that you should mess up or fail and learn to take it lightly and humorously. Rather, you should take your faults and trials seriously but allow yourself to approach life as a learning process.
If we fail to find fault in ourselves, we will also fail in improving ourselves and the results of our trials. When we present ourselves to the world as fallible, as we all are, others are less likely to judge us as that person who thinks they can do no wrong. None of us are perfect and, if we present ourselves as such, others will be less likely to accept us as friends, colleagues, and partners. Admitting fault is an important part in making positive changes in our lives. Doing this makes us more appealing because others can see us for what we are—human beings just like them. Be true and genuine in character and the rest will fall into place.
Harsimran Singh, Ph.D.
Acceptance of the reality of any situation is a prerequisite for any desired result to be achieved. This also means that we, as human beings, accept each other, as we are, without imposing any preconditions whatsoever and then make earnest attempts to grow together from there. When we desire change in others, we must realize how difficult it is to bring about change in ourselves. Only if the other person accepts you as a person of good intentions will they be willing to listen to our advice and attempt to bring about change in themselves.
When we accept these types of things as a reality, instead of ignoring them or complaining about them, we realize that we as people are all very much alike. While each of us has admirable qualities, we all have qualities and characteristics that may be undesirable to others as well. To really move forward, we must accept all of our differences and learn to overlook the negatives in everyone. To exist and influence others in a positive manner, we are to see the good and the bright, and take them along with us.
All human beings are imperfect. And because we are human we are mortal beings. Our realization and acceptance of our own mortality will help us accept the sorrows and appreciate the pleasures in our lives. Learn to accept that so many things are beyond our control such as the death of relatives and friends. We must understand that things such as cancer and other terminal illnesses are our reality as human beings. Our non-acceptance of these realities only elevates our problems instead of dealing with them head-on with a positive mindset.
As much as we must accept the cruel realizations of our mortality, we must learn to accept our own realities. If you will forever be miserable because you want to be a famous rock star, singer, or television personality, you might, after awhile, learn that you must be realistic about these types of realities as well. While positive thinking can take you places and help you accomplish things you may have previously not thought possible, their may be limitations that are beyond your ambition and desires. Goals are very important to have but those which are analyzed, grounded in fact, well thought out and pursued with vigor and tenacity are those with higher rates of success.
Releasing your burden from anxiety and worry will free your mind to think about the important things in life. At the very least, you will be able to think clearly without your mind being consumed with worry. Oftentimes, people get negative thoughts stuck in their heads and they become consumed with negativity. Just as people let anger, lust, and other vices control them, individuals allow worry to dictate their lives. Your own thoughts should not be a detriment to who you are, where you’re going, and how you think about your life and the lives of others. In this, it’s also important to surround yourself with positive people and resources. Just as others can negatively influence your thoughts or make you feel bad about something, you can do the same to others when you cast your worry into the world around you.
Rather than panicking and worrying about every negative possibility out there, think positively and analyze the reasons why you are anxious or worrisome. This will enable you to become aware of any reasons behind why you worry. If you put in the effort to make a positive change, you will be able to improve your life in many ways. By identifying things that you may be uncertain of or worried about, you might be able to alleviate them. It wouldn’t be surprising to find out that you laugh at yourself when you finally realize why you are so worried about silly things. By analyzing your worries and doubts, you will be able to educate yourself and make changes to avoid worrying in the future.
The following is an excerpt from my real estate book, A to Z of Foreclosures-Real Estate Worth Millions Acquired with $101.This book is available on Amazon.com and my website http://drsinghbooks.com
The foreclosure investor should not simply arrive at a foreclosure auction and start bidding. That is a road filled with potholes. The investor must conduct an appropriate level of due diligence on the properties the investor is considering.
Due diligence is the act of examining all relevant aspects of a property to ferret out information necessary to make a decision to make an offer, settle on a specific price or agree to other terms of the deal. Relevant aspects vary depending on the type of property. A foreclosure investor usually does not have leases to review when considering single family residences but will when he is considering an office building.
This is a passage from How to Always Be Unhappy, a work in progress. You can read more about this book on my website, http://drsinghbooks.com
Murphy’s Law is the notion that anything that can go wrong will go wrong if given the opportunity. We’ve all had days where it feels like the sky is falling. You are sure the weather report called for clear skies and sunny days, yet that gray cloud keeps following you around, raining on your parade. The alarm clock doesn’t go off, your dry cleaning isn’t ready, the car won’t start and, when it does, the traffic resembles
Life does not take anyone’s plans or personal convenience into consideration. Therefore it is imperative that we must be able to adapt and overcome these detours from time to time in order to survive. That may sound a bit drastic or dramatic because it’s obvious that most people do not actually face survival, as in life or death choices, every day. But each one of us faces challenges both big and small throughout our everyday lives. Those situations arise in every aspect of our lives from our personal relationships with family and friends to professional forums with clients, partners, colleagues, etc. So here’s the big news, you are NOT going to win every challenge, clear every hurdle cleanly, or make every correct decision.
Zealousness must be displayed in praying to the Lord; but being zealous in degrading others, practicing hatred, envy, cruelty is a sin. When zealousness enters the field of religion, it must be denounced, as it may assume the form of fanaticism.
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The following is from the first chapter of my real estate book, A to Z of Foreclosures: Real Estate Worth Millions Acquired with $101. This book outlines 14 different methods to buy real estate. Find more about the book on http://drsinghbooks.com and http://amazon.com
In this time of economic uncertainty, when the country is facing a credit meltdown, investors in real estate are asking themselves whether any realistic opportunities remain available to them. The answer is a resounding “Yes.” Uncertainty always provides opportunity.
Urban legend tells us of an old Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Of course, we all know that curses can be inverted blessings. These are interesting times, and they open doors to opportunistic investors.
Where does an opportunistic investor look to find these opening doors? Although there is any number of areas an investor could look into, acquiring properties through the foreclosure process offers multiple opportunities. Examples of investors doing just this abound.
One prime example is the opportunities presented by the collapse of the savings and loan association industry in the late 1980’s. That crisis arose out of extensive speculation in real estate by savings and loan associations. In that crisis, many savings and loan associations became insolvent and were taken over by the Office of Thrift Supervision. Congress passed a law entitled the Financial Institutions Reform Recovery and Enforcement Act, commonly known as FIRREA (pronounced Fie-Ree-Ah). FIRREA created the Resolution Trust Company, commonly referred to as the RTC. Savings and loan associations had acquired many real estate assets in the course of the crisis. The RTC was charged with the task of disposing of those assets. Under then existing market conditions, investors were able to purchase properties at substantially discounted prices. A number of real estate investors made fortunes in the aftermath of the savings and loan association collapse.