How I got on Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles...Twice

What's up, you guys? It's Graham here. So definitely do yourself a favor of watching this video. From probably everything I've done, this has had the biggest impact on me. So much so that I don't think I would have started this YouTube channel if it wasn't for this. So definitely give it a watch!

Even though I tend to mostly make videos on financial analysis or real estate investing, or just investing in general, there's always a fine distinction between watching the information and actually utilizing it. It's probably one of the main reasons why so many people who watch my channel don't actually utilize any of the information they're watching, and why only so few people actually follow through. This is something I would do subconsciously as well, and it wasn't until I was made aware of this that I really realized just how much I let pass me by and how much control I really had.

And this is that very subtle distinction. It's the understanding between a relationship of being at the cause of something or being at the effect of everything else that's going on around you. Think of it this way: everything we do, there are two types of people. The first type causes things to happen around them. The second type reacts to everything else that's going on around them. Imagine it almost like you're neck deep in the ocean, and you have waves constantly pushing up against you, pushing you in a certain direction. You're exerting energy as an effect of that wave pushing up against you versus being the wave that's the cause of you exerting the energy.

This is the fine distinction between being at the cause of something or being the effect of what's going on around you. So just think right now: are you taking control of your life and accomplishing what you want? Are you the cause of what's going on in your life? Are you the one that's making things happen, or are you the one who's focused on what other people are doing, being reactive to those around you, and getting swayed and pushed by those waves?

That very subtle shift in perspective was really such a lightbulb moment for me. Because in many areas of my life, I was the person who was getting swayed and pushed by those waves. Here I was two years ago watching other people on YouTube doing exactly what I wanted to do, and here I was making excuses for myself of why I couldn't do what they do. But once I understood that you have the choice to be at the cause of something and make something happen for yourself versus being affected by what other people are doing, and watching other people do what you want to do, that was a moment that I said, "Again, I want to be at the cause, and I want to make YouTube videos."

Think of this in your own life as well. Are you the one who's taking the initiative? Are you the one that's behind the curtains actually making things happen, or are you just casually watching everybody else, being in reaction to what they're doing, and just hoping on a whimsical lucky chance that things work out in your favor? Just by understanding this one small change and understanding that you could be at the cause of something and take initiative, you can create whatever reality you want.

Do you want to be a YouTuber? Be at the cause, stop watching videos, and start making videos. Do you want to be a real estate agent? Stop watching other people do it, be at the cause, get your license, start going to open houses, and meeting other agents. Don't just watch the people around you doing all the things that you wish you could do. I've noticed that once you take this change and assume authority, others will follow in your lead. And this is also self-perpetuating, that once you believe you can do it, you believe you can do it in the future, and you're more likely to try new things out.

It's easy when you start here! How can you be the person you want to be? How would that person act? How can you be the type of person to give value in some way or another? What can you do right now to take the initiative to start moving yourself in that direction versus being influenced and distracted by everything else around you? And trust me, I understand the world is a really distracting place. It's so easy to get sidetracked. It's so easy to see this moving shiny object over here and want to go over there, but then get a text message or a notification on your phone and then get sucked away from that into something else.

I totally understand that! But once you can tune all of that out and really decide where you're gonna focus your time and where you want to go, it's much easier to start to take the initiative by tuning it all out and just focusing on what you really want. And it is very true: you end up getting exactly what you focus on. If you're focused on the wrong things, that's what you're going to be getting.

Now, to give you some random fun examples here: when I was 12 years old, forums were a really big thing. We didn't have YouTube, Facebook, social media, Reddit, or any of those other great things. We had forums. And when I was like 12 or 13 years old, I was on these reef aquarium forums, and I wanted nothing more than to be a moderator on one of those forums, really badly. The moderators were like a big deal back then; they were like my version of celebrity, the moderator on like a reef aquarium website. Yeah, I get it; I was pretty lame.

So what I did is I just took the initiative: four months of commenting back on as many different posts as I could and taking the initiative. Even though I was just a nobody, like a random person on this forum, I was telling people when it's off-topic or reporting certain posts and things like this. I did this for months, and sure enough, by assuming authority for long enough, eventually they actually made me a moderator of this reef aquarium forum when I was like 13 years old.

I did the lame thing! I get that it's weird, but like that was a big deal for me at the time. Another example was when I was 18 years old. I watched this show, Million Dollar Listing, religiously. I absolutely loved this show. I'd watch every single episode; I'd watch it over again, and I was obsessed with it. But I knew I didn't want to just watch the show; I wanted to be on this show, and that was a dream of mine.

So what I did when I was actually in real estate is I would very subtly direct my clients to see their listings because I knew if they liked their listings, I’d have a higher chance of actually getting on the show. So I began directing my life in the way I wanted it to go by taking initiative and being at the cause of things. I was causing these things to purposely happen to get me in the direction of where I wanted to go.

And sure enough, when I was 19 years old, I showed one of Madison Hildebrand's listings in Malibu to one of my clients, and sure enough, she ended up getting the deal. And sure enough, I ended up being on the show at 19 years old with Madison Hildebrand for one of the leases I did with him. Then just a few years later, the same thing happened. I ended up doing another deal with Madison and being on the show again for a second time for another deal in Malibu.

And same thing with YouTube. At one point, I just got tired of not directing my life in the way I wanted it to go, and I was tired of just watching videos. So instead, I made the videos that I'd want to watch myself, and that's where we are today. And that was a huge shift in everything else. Because all of a sudden, I was conscious that I have to take the initiative and be at the cause of everything else around me, and that's the only way that I can really direct my life instead of worrying about what other people are doing and watching other people and being affected by that.

This is why it's so important to always take the lead in your life, rather than be affected by everything else around you. So going forward, understanding this really subtle shift in perspective has the potential to lead your life in a more fulfilling way. To understand that you can create whatever reality you want and take the initiative to make it happen rather than being the type of person who's affected and swayed by everything else around them. It's really about taking the initiative to make it happen rather than relying on chance occurrences to get what you want.

So as always, you guys, thank you so much for watching. I really appreciate it! If you guys enjoyed this, make sure to give it a like if you watched it all the way through. If you haven't already subscribed, make sure to smash the subscribe button, smash the notification bell so YouTube can notify you anytime I upload a video. Also, feel free to add me on Snapchat and Instagram. I post pretty much daily, so if you want to be a part of it there, feel free to be a part of it.

And then finally, for anybody interested, I have a private Facebook group for anyone interested in real estate, real estate investing, wholesaling, agent things, anything real estate. The link is in the description if you guys want to add yourself to that. Feel free to do that. Thank you again for watching, and until next time!