521: Leukemia & Bankruptcy to Retired with 250 Units in 7 Years

<p>People often tell each other to <strong>“</strong><a href="https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/2016-05-05-5-reasons-positive-attitude-investing-real-estate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>stay positive</strong></a><strong>” in light of grim circumstances</strong> or hard times. This consistent positivity can feel forced when going through something truly terrifying, but it’s exactly what helped <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jeffreyholst/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Jeffrey Holst</strong></a><strong> fight cancer, get out of bankruptcy</strong>, and <strong>retire in only seven years</strong>. Once Jeffrey committed to <strong>having no bad days</strong>, he was able to either change his day that was going poorly or see the positive in everything around him.</p><p>This philosophy helped him spur on new relationships, <a href="https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/find-investors-capital-raise" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>find new partners</strong></a>, and <strong>close on deals creatively</strong>. It was never “we can’t close on this” for Jeffrey, it was “how can we close on this.” He uses what he likes to call<strong> the “sideways eight” strategy </strong>that allows him to have <a href="https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/deal-show-7-infinite-roi-owner-financing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>infinite returns </strong>when investing</a>, all while giving his partners and private lenders a sizable profit.</p><p>Jeffrey also talks about seeing the <strong>positive attributes of negative situations</strong>, and how he was able to leave his job as a lawyer and <strong>hit </strong><a href="https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/financial-freedom-guide-30-somethings" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>financial freedom</strong></a><strong> due to his cancer diagnosis</strong> and later bankruptcy. If Jeffrey was able to dominate the multifamily market with an underwater net worth, think of what YOU can accomp