The economy is getting better ... or is it?

Thinking back in 2014 when oil price crashes to $28. It will mark the 5 year anniversary when this October 2019 comes. Almost 5 years of tough times, for many of us it is an adjustment. it’s also a tough times.

For many Albertan, Calgarians, many being my friends, some very closed ones. Families too… I have seen many are responding with various degrees of opportunism. I have seen many getting on EIs, and many are struggling in between odd jobs, and unfulfilling employment.

These few years, when I am at friends home party, or on taxi commuting, I often heard have this sayings, trust me you will recognize it:

“It’s great and fortunate to have a job these days”... or

“Thanks God - we are still having a job”

I read on the news this morning at Calgary Herald, our great city unemployment rate is at 7.9%. It is not the great numbers, we Calgarians used to seen as oil patch enthusiast when an electrician can bring home $200,000 annually at the field. But all too often we are adjusting our mindsets to be grateful and satisfied, at this “localized” economical crunch time. (it is localized because the world is actually doing ok, only that we are not)

Being grateful is very important, and I think it is especially important at times like this...

However, I started this morning have this question stuck in my mind. And I got to ask.

If you are one of the few who got laid offs during this tough time, what exactly we are doing ? (This is also a question for myself)

There are only two things you can do: Passive v.s. Active.

And I am classify them as Passive v.s. Active things you can do.

1. Keeping looking for job. If you have not succeeded, in between driving ubers, networking in meetups, volunteering at food bank, keep sending resumes, coffees with your network. And hoping oil will go back to $80 dollars (I am talking about WCS - the Canadian index), or hoping our Liberal government will one day keep their promise building a pipeline.

I classify them Passively, why? Because …

Ubers - The uber driver are thinking this is temporary, many of you are P. Eng, M.Sc and PhD. You are thinking you can ride Uber while riding on this crisis out temporary. The truth is we are already in this for 4 years, you are deploying your savings, your RRSPs. Oh, I am sure you know Uber have changed their earning structure for you!! If you are diving Ubers, the incomes has not the same from before. Hang in there …. Passively.

Networking / volunteering / keep sending resumes / coffee-ing for work - this is not even from me. I have been told by job seekers that the many jobs postings are only for show. They are actually hiring the people who are either still at work, or people they know. Many of you have send over 200-300 job applications already. … I think this is quite passive. But hang on, I am not criticizing without giving you a solution, keep reading please.

Waiting for $80 oil price come back - I think this is the most passive out of the three, you know you don’t have control on oil price nor when the government are going to build the pipeline. So, if you are in this category, think about this: “ hat is the chance of your personally situation will get better”. So, please don’t sit and wait. Do something, even if it is driving Uber or Skip a dish, you are making some income, and taking care of your family.

2. Well … Enough of passive actions (or non actions), here I am going over things you can do. Regardless of what your parents, your government, your friends, and sometime even your family are telling you, there is always something you can do!! I believe in this way of living like it is my life. Take action, then you will take control.

1. Driving Uber - now you ask what is the different of here and up there? Both are driving Ubers. The difference is: Your mindset. Don’t look driving Ubers as a lower job, look at it as a very good means to help your family. The world has changed, even 60 years old grandpa nowadays a very good at facebook surfing and check out their grandson’s accounts. Tesla are making more electrical cars, and oil reliance has diminished greatly, might not be right now but it is the trend. And you know it. Even Middle east countries are heavily investing in technology, they are converting their oil rich to technology so their future can be saved. The world has changed, the question is are you going to change?

b) As individual, you can participate in new economy income generating ways. Don’t think about the long gone and lost contract job you were billing $80 an hour and making a killing. Did you save the money or keep going to expensive restaurants or going to Vegas for $20 a drink. Even if you did not save up, there is not the end, there is always things you can do !! Remember what I say up there ? Keep reading please ….

c ) Finding a partime job or offer a service on the side, find a McDonald, Starbucks, Walmart, gas stations, serving tables, and cashier job, or even starts a Amazon business, this income will not replace your old income, but what it does is to “move you along”, “move you ahead”, “keeping your pace”, “moving you into the future”. You notice all these are better, and way better getting EI and staying at home !! Because you are moving, and when you are moving, your world started to move, and positive changes often and WILL !! come along.

d) Actively invest in stock markets, I am not investing in stock market myseld, so I will keep this short. I have seen and will continue to see successful investors make money in stock market. If you find yourself like me who are saying - but I don’t know the stock market, and don’t want to spend the time and energy to learn about. There are others options, but what I am saying is, if stock market is your thing, spend the time the energy to master this skills, trading, and invest in stocks. This is not a rocket science, if you are engineer, who spent last 26 years on education from elementary school, high school, specialized in university training, and also years after school, to train and become someone who would pay you $200,000 annually in service in engineering. It’s common make sense that you will put in reasonable effort to train for another skills. Whether that is investing or any skills, you just need master it.

And mastering any skills take times and effort, however, this is ACTIVE because again you are actively pursuing and making a positive impact about your future. And your future will be becomes better.

If this is what you need, and what you decide, pick up books, training, seminar, education course, and pay whatever you need to master this skills (just like you spent 26 years in school , and hundreds of $$$ thousands in education before)

e) Invest in Real estate, passively and actively. I leave this to the last, why ? because I think might think I am biased. In fact biased, because this is my path. And it worked for me. I know it can work for others. If you are reading all the way to here. It means you want the changes in your life, so you also know that is enough of yourself lying to yourself about it. You are ready to make some positive impact in your life.

I have invest passively, and actively in real estate. I have also make tons of money and got burned many times in real estate. and I have started my education to others, on how to become a real estate millionaire, myself being one. It is not easy, but I found it is much easier than sitting around wait for someone to help me. To confess, I have enough personally to blame my poor family, being someone growing up poor., I have enough of my time, spending in front of computer playing online games, I have enough of my fair share of dreaming my future - and never taken any actions.

But finally one day, I have decided that all these is not going to help me, I have to improve myself personally, and professionally. So I started on this journey, and learn real estate, slowly and surely (just like the book say), I changed, but very slow, so slow like the exponential graph. My first 8 years is like the never going up graph of the exponential. But slowly it pays off, and now I am in the position to empowering others to do the same - to learn, to burn the midnight oil, to find teacher how to invest in real estate. If you are like me, who have a big dream to succeed, or even just want to live a better life, for your family, and for yourself. You need to someone to talk to, write to me at [email protected]

Over the years, I create my education for myself, and invest in Single Family, and commercial apartment - multifamily real estate. That has been the most rewarding financially and peraonlly in investing in real estate.

Whether you are ACTIVE or PASSIVE, I wish you all the best in your future.

May the Best Do-er win !!!