Stop, Collaborate, and Listen - What We Can Learn from Vanilla Ice

It was early November 2009, and I was in Las Vegas with my wife and our friends, celebrating two golden birthdays and cheering on the Minnesota Vikings, who faced the Green Bay Packers. Interestingly enough, it was also Robert Van Winkle's 42nd birthday celebration weekend.

In typical Vegas style, I found myself watching my wife play craps at Caesars Palace. I hate gambling mostly because I dislike losing money, but my wife seems to have a knack for winning at Blackjack, and recently, Craps. About 10 minutes pass by, and up walks a guy wearing a flat-brimmed hat, and something stuffed into his baggy white t-shirt. It reminded me of a little kid whose mom had just given him 50 quarters to play video games at a hotel arcade. He used his shirt to carry his chips from somewhere else in the casino to this craps table and essentially dumped his chips onto the table out of his oversized white shirt. I say to my wife, Hey, guess who just walked up, Vanilla Ice, not thinking it was Robert Van Winkle.

Ninja Rap to Ninja Real Estate Investor?

Released on his "To the Extreme" album in 1990, "Ice Ice Baby" helped launch the record to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, etching Van Winkle into legendary status. In his appearance on the Steve-O Wild Ride podcast, he shared that he started using his income to buy up real estate throughout the country, not as a financial plan, but as a young guy with the intention of using the properties while touring to avoid using hotels. Three years passed, and he wasn't sure if he even made money on them because they just sat there. He ended up selling them all and said he made millions. This transaction was eye-opening not only because he made millions, but it also provided him with a new passion and a second act.

What Can We Learn?

Your First Act Doesn't have to Define your Second Act

Rob attended design school and has shared that he is constantly learning, regularly attending conferences to further his knowledge. To be good at what you do, you need to be in constant learning mode. Companies such as LinkedIn, Google and Microsoft offer numerous courses and certificates that can be earned through online study. Recently, I discovered that MIT provides educational resources through OpenCourseWare where you can check out MIT's Sloan School of Management "first-semester core" collection of courses. In Tom Corley's Rich Habits Study, 88% of millionaires "shared that they read every day to increase their knowledge about their job and their industry."

Takeaway - don't let your current job define the rest of your life - take classes - learn something new

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You Don't Grind, You Don't Shine

It appears that some of the motivating factors for Rob to go to design school, learn CAD, and 3D design technology were money, improving his craft, and making more efficient use of his time. In an interview with Real Talk with Real Estate Investors, Rob seems to pull wisdom and motivation from the author Robin Sharma:

• 5 AM Club: winning the morning gives you back control of your day - In the words of Vanilla Ice, "Wake up early, get your coffee, and put your agenda together."

• Don't chase money directly - focus on becoming excellent, adding value, and mastering your craft - the wealth follows.

• Be the architect of your life - get a plan.

Takeaway - don't let your current job define the rest of your life - take classes - learn something new

Build Systems, Not Just Income

Rob knew that the money he made on his earlier home purchases and sales was, in some ways, lucky, and realized that he needed systems and a plan to be more effective with his time and wealth. Nearly half of the self-made millionaires in the Tom Corley study saved 20% or more of their income from the first day they started working. They paid themselves first, and all the millionaires in the study had some form of retirement savings.

Takeaway: It’s not just about how much money you earn - it’s about how well your system multiplies and protects it.

If you want to learn more about how you can save 20% of your income a year through a system, check out my financial order of operations guide by dropping me a message.

If there was a problem, yo, I'll solve it

-Paul