When I was forty years-old, a friend asked if I wanted to invest in a commercial real estate deal. He was assembling a partnership to purchase a small retail building. At the time, I was a property manager, and my friend was a broker.

Investing in commercial real estate had been a goal, but my finances were a mess. Unfortunately, I had to wait. I couldn’t admit my poor financial situation, so I simply asked my friend to think about me for the next deal.

That embarrassing moment ignited a desire to be in a real estate deal. But to achieve that dream, there was one thing I needed to do—grow up.