The Precious Gift of the Visionary

One of my few gifts is an ability to predict the future. Not in a prophetic sense, but by seeing and understanding trends as they unfold. For 13 years (1986-1998) the computer industry around Washington, DC, was my playground. My expertise was to forecast the prices of computer components years into the future to help my clients win large contracts. I was one of the best in the business, and my clients were some of the largest suppliers of private computers to the federal government. I helped them make millions.

Since retiring from the computer industry in 1998, I have helped new clients see the future of capital formation, real estate development, and tourism markets in Latin America and the Caribbean. This includes starting a bank, an insurance company, developing properties in Belize, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, and now the Azores, Portugal as well. [Click Here if you’d like to learn about a unique way to be out in front of this huge demographic wave already moving south of the border by the millions.]

Our company has served thousands of folks over the years. We own more than five miles of beachfront property, along with dozens of homes, condominiums, hotels, and a golf course. In 1999, I had the opportunity to invest in a teak plantation in Central America.

After doing some research and learning that teak is among the most valuable woods because of its durability, resistance to rot, and deep, rich color, I dove in. Before I reveal how this has played out, I’d like to examine why I made this choice. I attribute this decision to a few key elements of my personality and outlook.

The following traits identify an elite group of people. Do they apply to you?

• You work hard and smart because it’s the right thing to do.
• Honesty, integrity, and responsibility are hallmarks of your character.
• You see opportunities before most people do.
• You can act in the face of an uncertain future.
• You have a global horizon for economic gain.
• Being ahead of the crowd is important to you.

If you identify with these traits, then you are one of a small group of truly independent thinkers and pioneering spirits who drive the locomotive of progress and economic success. Success is an attitude, not an event. As Winston Churchill said, “Success is walking from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.”

Success is a set of characteristics that you already possess, or you wouldn’t be reading this. Attributes like imagination, vision, conviction, courage, fortitude, perseverance, and a love of life make up the greater part of who you are. At the same time, each of us has our own definition of success.

Yet we all share the conviction that it is only by working hard, smart, and with a vision that we achieve it. All real progress in the world rests on an imagination to see the future, but much more importantly, the courage to act, bringing that imagination to life.

What separates the average person from those who drive progress? Winners are passionate about success. Here’s a scenario that highlights the contrast between the two types of people. Let’s say you received the same offer I did a quarter-century ago, the chance to invest in a teak farm that will take 25 years to mature and harvest.

The common man says, “Gee, that’s too long to wait to get a return on my investment. I’d rather spend my money on something more fun right now. I’ll worry about investing later, and besides, there’s always Social Security.”

The pioneering person looks at a timber investment and thinks, “This is a tremendous opportunity because so few folks will be willing to wait the time it takes for the trees to grow. If few people do it, that means scarcity and a much higher return on my investment. And even though I can’t be certain I’ll be alive in 25 years; I sure hope to be. Maybe I’ll need the money.  Maybe I won’t. And if I don’t, that would be a good thing; the investment return will be passed to my children and grandchildren. Let me check this out.”

The common man has no shortage of imagination. In fact, he is likely to sit and dream of a grandiose lifestyle and carefree existence. But how is this to be accomplished? Maybe he buys lottery tickets in hopes of hitting it big. But taking a chance on the “Big Six” offers only a very slim chance of personal betterment, and always at the expense of others ($1.00 each from the millions of people who do not win.)

True progress delivers a better life to everyone. A willingness to work hard, go the extra mile, think outside the box, do the things we fear, engage the world proactively, and maintain optimism in the face of adversity, are characteristics of the uncommon man.

The lottery player hopes to win big in one fell swoop. The pioneer, who drives the locomotive of progress, knows that almost all success is built one step at a time. The common man suffers the failures in life and learns little. The winners work through the setbacks and see them as vital in the process of growth. Ultimately, it’s not the number of times you fail, but the number of times you fail and persist.

This is the mark of a champion’s life. If you’ve read this far, you’re probably one of life’s few winners. You act in the face of uncertainty with a belief that your future will be bright if you work hard. You aren’t going to wait for Social Security, hoping to have a good life on that pittance. You aren’t afraid to think outside the box and do things others view as questionable.

I’m a huge fan of luck and especially the saying, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.”

You decided at some point in your life that your actions largely determine your future. I say largely because luck does play a role in success.  In fact, I’m a huge fan of luck and especially the saying, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.”

The average person hopes to win the lottery, to get that promotion or a nice bonus, for the markets to surge, to have money for retirement. But without action, these hopes rely almost entirely on outside fortune to receive an undeserved reward. Combined with hard work, luck is the opportunity an uncommon person acts upon, sometimes for the betterment of all. Think of penicillin and so many other “lucky” discoveries.

Actions produce results and luck. The successful are committed to taking the small, crucial steps that secure a better financial future for themselves and their family. They know that by doing these things, they also drive the engine of progress for everyone, and can thus feel good about their contribution to society.

Now, back to that teak farm. Today those trees are 25 years old and more than 50 feet tall, and the farm is profitable. While I don’t need the money, I’m really glad we planted those trees all those years ago. And my children and grandchildren will be happy when their harvests happen for their generation. [Click Here to see how you too can own teak timber for the long-cycle cash flow and generational wealth stewardship.]

My job as a CEO is to sort through the clutter and noise to identify prospects with the greatest chance of success for my clients. In the case of the bank, insurance company, timber, and real estate company, it’s to hire the world’s best talent to run the business. It’s always about the people.   

To maximize success, it’s important to identify opportunities with substantial upside potential. The real key, however, is have a strong foundation in the form of a great team, hard assets, and little to no debt in place to help cushion against any downside or market downturn.

The pioneer knows that the world is rich with extraordinary, often hidden possibilities. Discovering and capitalizing on them is the hallmark of our existence. Seeing over the hill or around the bend and seeing the future is what we do.

One great way to glimpse into the future is to read widely and voluminously. Recent surveys point to a huge shift in attitudes about retirement and living abroad. Even before the recent election, a fast-growing number of Americans were considering a move to Latin America. Now there appear to be many more.

Any company in place to serve these folks stands to do very well. As a pioneer, you may see the opportunity as something you’d like to be involved in. Like owning 25-year teak timber or starting your own company to serve the millions of folks headed overseas in the coming years.

The question remains, why is the gift of success possessed by so few? Maybe it’s the commitment and responsibility. Maybe it’s the hard work involved. Maybe it’s taking the broader view. Whatever it is, the reality is that the gift of success is fleeting. We must earn it each and every day by our thoughts and actions.

This gift of success is an attitude that predetermines life’s outcome for you. It is the way we become and stay winners at life. You are a winner because you are successful and not vice versa. With success, you are a winner at life without exception.

Until next time, I wish you health, wealth, and success.