What It Takes To Build An Extraordinary Life

Many people claim that they want to have extraordinary lives. After all, extraordinary lives are filled with wealth, power, influence, freedom, and an abundance of other good things. But despite the fact that large numbers of people want to have extraordinary lives, only a select few people actually get to experience this.

Part of the reason why this is the case is because a lot of people simply have no idea what steps to take in order to try to create an extraordinary life. In this blog I will discuss exactly what I believe it takes to create an extraordinary life, how I was able to create an extraordinary life for myself, and how the values I came to cherish on my journey to obtaining an extraordinary life are embedded in the culture of Blue Lake Capital.

Step 1. Be Bold

Extraordinary lives require risk. In fact, they usually require significantly more risks and higher stakes risks than ordinary lives. In order to do something extraordinary, you are going to have to get out of your comfort zone. Get comfortable being uncomfortable! Most people settle for simple jobs that just pay the bills and provide little extra. People stay at these jobs, oftentimes that they hate, just to avoid risk. But I have found that risk taking is one of the core elements of success. This is because, as the saying goes, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

In other words, if you want to move higher up the wealth ladder, you are going to have to make moves, take chances, seize opportunities, and just accept that risk taking is part of the process. Most people who are wealthy had to take some significant risks along the way. Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Steve Jobs all dropped out of college to pursue their dreams. Had they taken the safe route, we might never have had Microsoft, Facebook, or Apple.

In my own life, I had to get used to taking risks too in order to get where I am today. I was born into a poor family. I had to start working at the age of 9, cleaning synagogues to help support my family. During my school years, I focused heavily on my studies because I was determined to get myself to a better financial place. Eventually, after many years of hard work, I obtained a bachelor’s and master’s degree in law and landed a cushy job as a real estate lawyer.

While initially thrilling, my true dream was to become a wealthy real estate investor. I also got married young and in my early twenties found myself trapped in a marriage I didn’t want and in a job I didn’t want. Both situations were comfortable and familiar, but they were also both limiting my growth. I decided to take action and start taking risks to improve my situation. I divorced my husband, quit my job, and started heading in the direction of my dreams. Eventually, I was able to form my own real estate investing company and now I live the extraordinary life I always dreamed of. This was only possible because of my willingness to take risks.

Step 2. Strive for Excellence

If you want to make it to the top and enjoy all of the things that extremely successful people get to enjoy like mansions, luxury vehicles, beach homes, high status, frequent traveling, expensive jewelry, etc., then you need to constantly strive for excellence. I say constantly, because striving for excellence is not something you can just do for a few weeks here or a few weeks there. Striving for excellence is something that has to become engrained in your soul.

To become great, you must embrace the process of becoming great, which means working hard every single day, or close to every single day for years on end. If you want to be excellent, you must fully commit to it and refuse to settle for less than what you truly want. The good news is that it’s not all pain and struggle. You will see that the longer that you work towards your goals, the more successes you will have. Each victory that you achieve on your journey should motivate you further.

For example, in my case, when I quit my real estate legal career, I got a job as a property manager. This was not necessarily my ultimate goal – I wanted to be a real estate investor, but I was one step closer. I refused to settle for life as a real estate attorney and moved over into the real estate business industry, which was where I wanted to be. From there, I continued pursing excellence until I eventually obtained it.

Step 3. Relentlessly Hustle and Have Heart & Humility

The critical thing to note about this step is that it is far easier to relentlessly hustle when you are truly passionate about what you are doing. To live an extraordinary life, you need to chase your dreams – the things that light you up and fill your heart with joy. If you are working towards these things, then you will be more naturally inclined to work extremely hard and hustle day in and day out to get closer to your goals.

But, even as you get closer to achieving your goals, you should always remember to practice humility. Humility is required for lifelong learning and is the key to further development and growth. Never become so egotistical that you are unable to communicate respectively, listen to advice, admit mistakes, and be open to further growth and change. Keep humility in mind as you move forward.

On your journey to success and greatness, you will face many challenges. You need to show strength in these moments and have the heart to not give up. Challenges are normal. Try not to be afraid of them and to learn the lessons that they teach. If you make a mistake, try to avoid making it again. Develop your skill, your work ethic, and your resilience. All of these things will serve you well.

Summary

As someone who has been able to attain an extraordinary life, I promise you that it is worth it to try and achieve it. My personal dream was to be an extremely successful real estate investor with my own real estate investing company. If real estate investing is your dream too, then great! Maybe we can work together on a deal. However, if your dream is to do something else like be a singer, a musician, an athlete, etc., then you should chase it! You only get one life, so make it amazing!

My company, Blue Lake Capital has the values of persistence, intelligent risk taking, passion, and hard work at its core. All of the people who work here embrace these values. After all, these are the things that helped my company to be founded in the first place, and now help Blue Lake to keep moving in the right direction.

Want to Invest with Ellie Perlman and Blue Lake Capital?

If you are interested in learning more about passively investing in multifamily properties, click here to schedule a call with the Blue Lake Capital Team.

About the Author

Ellie is the founder of Blue Lake Capital, a commercial real estate investment firm specialized in multifamily investing throughout the United States. At Blue Lake Capital, Ellie partners with both institutional and individual investors to grow their wealth by achieving double-digit returns by investing alongside her in exclusive multifamily deals they usually don't have access to.

A defining factor of Blue Lake Capital’s strategy is founded in utilizing machine learning/artificial intelligence throughout the course of all acquisitions and asset management. This advanced technology enables the company to produce accurate and data-driven forecasting for all assets on a market, property, and even tenant basis. In doing so, Blue Lake is able to lead commercial investments with the full capabilities of today’s technology.

Ellie is the host of REady2Scale , a podcast that highlights honest, insightful, and thought-provoking discussions on the multiple approaches for successful real estate investing.

She started her career as a commercial real estate lawyer, leading real estate transactions for one of Israel’s leading development companies. Later, as a property manager for Israel’s largest energy company, she oversaw properties worth over $100MM. Additionally, Ellie is an experienced entrepreneur who helped build and scale companies by improving their business operations.

Ellie holds a Masters in Law from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management.

You can read more about Blue Lake Capital and Ellie Perlman at www.bluelake-capital.com.