Dean Graziosi paid a teenager $50 to mow his lawn when he was 19, freeing time to flip cars and find properties. That single hire taught him the core principle: focus on what you're naturally good at and pay others to do the rest. Your time is worth more than your money.
About 18–19 years old.
Nine apartments.
$50.
About 14 years old.
The worst thing you could do is try to get good at the things you stink at. When the real money, the real empowerment, the real growth in your life, the real revenue is created by getting amazing at what you're already good at. Today we're going to talk about finding your unique ability, your core competency, your superpower and how to get an ROI on your time. Or maybe that would be an ROT return on time. When I was a kid. Kid. I say kid. I was probably 18, 19 years old and I had my first investment property already. Bought an old beat up house and converted one apartment after another. Like I, it was a big old mansion, run down. I got it with almost no money down through negotiating and all that stuff. But I get in this place and there was nine apartments and I started remodeling one at a time and I'd get it done and I'd live in it while I was remodeling it. And then it was perfect. I'd rent it and I'd move into another one and move into another move like five times in this one building. So awesome, right? I say awesome. There was a lot of sleepless nights, juggling to get the money. Didn't know what I was doing, had friends help me, all that cool stuff. But long story short, let me fast forward a little. I got the place rented and now I have this nine unit apartment house making me good money. I have a collision shop and used auto sales and I'm making pretty good money. And I realized on Saturdays I would spend my entire day mowing this lawn. Now it had a huge lawn. It was on top of a hill in upstate New York. I mean, gorgeous picture, the Hudson Valley, rolling hills, apple trees all over. I got this big old house converted in nine apartments, really good people living there, huge front lawn. So Saturdays I'd weed whack. I get allergies, I don't know about you. So my eyes would be running, my noses run. It would take me all day. The weed whacker would like hit my, my ankles and hurt. But it's no big deal. I'm not complaining. But I realized I'd waste my whole Saturday doing that and I started making more money. By then I just came to the conclusion that I could pay Doug Smith, a kid that still works. Mess. A kid, he's, he's in his mid-40s now. A kid. At the time he was like 14. Would come mow my lawn and do all that for 50 bucks. And when I realized I could get a return on my time and in return on my investment for that 50 bucks, really simple. I just did simple math during that five hours. Instead of me mowing, I could go fix a car and make 500 or a thousand dollars. I could sell a car. I could go out and search for another apartment building to buy. And I was like, 50 bucks, I could make that 500 or $1,000. So I hired first day, Doug's doing it. My dad, who was born during the Depression, comes up, and he's the type, old school, that if you could do it yourself, don't you dare pay anyone else. And the fact of the matter is that crippled him his whole life. I mean, he's one of the smartest people I know, but never made a lot of money ever. Maybe 30, 40, maybe a year, he made 50 grand. I don't. I don't think he even did that, but worked his guts out. Worked really, really, really hard. Up every day, working hard weekends. Anyway, my dad pulls in. I'm a little sick to my stomach. I know my dad can get a little hot sometimes. So he comes in, he's like, oh, Mr. Big Shot. That's what he said. Maybe you feel offended, but this is the way my dad was sometimes. And he loves me and I love him, but he's like, Mr. Big Shot, you're going to hire someone to mow your lawn? What are you paying him? I said, 50 bucks. He goes, this is the beginning of the end for you. You could be doing this yourself and you're going to pay someone else. Mr. Big Shot. He got in his car, hit the gas so hard on gravel that I remember he spit rocks all over my car, sped out of the driveway, squealing the tires. And I remember him leaving sick to my stomach because I'm not argumentative. My dad was. I'm not. And I remember thinking, he's wrong. That's why he struggles. Because today I'm going to go fix a car, or I'm going to sell a car, or I'm going to find another apartment house. I'm going to pay for Doug many times over. Because what I realized at a young age, I didn't perfect it, but I have over the years, is we are all good at things that can make us money, and we all suck at things, for lack of a better word. And the worst thing you could do is try to get good at the things you stink at when the real money, the real empowerment, the real growth in your life, the real revenue is created by getting amazing at what you're already good at. Because you can live in your unique ability. And if you work in your unique ability, you have the opportunity to pay people, do other things eventually, and get a return on your time, a return on your investment. I stink on a lot of things, but I'm really good at teaching. I'm really good at real estate. I'm really good at success. I'm really good at writing books. I'm really good at marketing. I'm good at speaking on camera. I'm good at teaching. I want to live there. My whole life is now. Impact. I want to impact you. I want to change your life. I don't want to worry about the logistics. I don't want to worry about the algorithms of Facebook or how the intricate details of accounting work. I don't know any of that. But if I can live here, if I can train you, if I can get you motivated to action, if I can get you in front of me and share and you change your life, you'll keep coming back and be a part of our coaching, be a part of our masterminds, be a part of our events. That money can come in from my unique ability and I can pay people to do all the rest. Way back then, I sold a car, paid someone to mow my lawn. I had a cool roi. What in your life should you not be doing? Where can you get a better return on your time and your money? And how do we find your unique ability so you could stop doing things that you stink at, that ruin your confidence and start doing more of the things you love and you're good at and have that cover it all.
