#just.. the amount of notes in such a short time feels amazing. if youve read it thank you so much

[the-kipsabian]

also

legitimately blown away by the response to the ace!oc fic i posted like. oh my god

seriously thank you 💜

[jaeyooniverse]

the FIRST COLLECTION commentary no one asked for, by yours truly

1. Good Guy

00:00 - I love that the recent comebacks have had That Sound at the beginning. Not the same sound but a distinct sound that the moment the song starts you just KNOW. They are sounds i love to imitate tbh

00:08 - okay idk why but the crescendo of the synth/strings (i dont know music words, bare with me for this) it’s so pretty and very well represents how i gradually get more excited as the song starts ( ilove this song). also i’ve watched so may stages that now my mind just immediately starts the fanchant

00:16/00:21/00:23/other times but i wont list them all - the echos!! ugh i love it *chefs kiss*

00:21 - okay i love all of taeyangs opening line but esp the “oh noo”

00:29 - the Slight autotune to dawon’s voice as he says “baby” is my aesthetic

00:38 -  jaeyoon does this part so well like it’s just so PERFECT for him; i love how he says “yeah” sdfhdjkd

00:47 - THE BASS DURING THE CHORUS. this alone gets me so excited it’s so GOOD ; this chorus is the perfect type of addictive like it’s catchy but you wont get annoyed when it’s stuck in your head oof

01:01 - what do i even say,, inseong,,,,

01:14 - i’m probably gonna say this a million times but jaeyoons vocals are so perfect for his parts, props to whoever decides the line distribution, truly, and props to my man’s execution ♡_♡

01:17 - i’m upset youngbin’s part is so short bc it’s so GOOD esp the “feel it” and the “that’s what i like neoui jeonbureul YEH” and omg now whenever his part comes on i think about that penguin video and him reenacting it 🥺🥺 

01:26 - zuhos part is also gold and i love the dance during his & bin’s parts !

01:36 - am i the only one(haha) who gets butterflies in my stomach when dawon sings?? something about the slight run when he sings “molla~ yeah”... oof

01:41 - ROWOON. Yes. i love how soft his voice is compared to when jaeyoon sings this shdfkjh

01:51 - i already mentioned the bass during the chorus but i MUST point it out again. i love the triple beat or WHATEVER you wanna call it ugh it’s my favorite part

02:02 - who can “oh yeah” like rowoon? no one can, no one’s doing it like him

02:19 - i can’t believe i had to wait more than 2 minutes to hear hwiyoung rap for like 2 seconds but ANWAY i love his part i love his rapping voice also the little guitar part in the bg!! good stuff!!! 

02:33 - okay inseong i get it, you have vocals. also i was lowkey disappointed that note didn’t last longer?? also also the first time i heard this i got flashbacks to Be A Man by MBLAQ when G.O’s sings his “never” (that’s how long i wanted inseong’s note to be) and funnily so, it’s around the same time mark as this one lmaoo

02:36 - how the muic goes quiet afterwards,, inseong’s voice echoing and fading away,, poetic cinema

02:37 - THE BASS ,, it hits differently when it’s that end-of-the-song hype 😩

02:39 - THE “OH!” 

02:46 - this part also hits different,, when you watch the stage and zuho is in center looking like THAT....it hits, it truly hits...

02:50 - okay waait i literally just noticed this but is that jaeyoon saying “you so bad” in the bg??

02:53 - not to be dramatic but the first time i heard this song i literally teared up (i still do, if i’m sensitive enough) when it got to this part like dawon’s voice is just something else !! when he sings “naya”,,, ugh the color, the emotion, the man,,,, also cant listen to this part and NOT think about (or do) his little dab move thing sdhfkjh

02:57 - the “chajabwa!” oh vocal king 😩

2. Am I the Only One

00:06 - 😳

00:11 - jaeYOON! I love how airy ? his voice can sound The echoes man, the echoes,,

00:38 - okay this is literally one of my favorite lines dawon’s voice sounds so good here i literally canNOT get over it any time i listen to this song. That “OoH” at ~00:43? the “geuriumi miumi dwaegimaneul I PRAY” ,, an instant classic

00:48 - the VOCALS at this part,, unmatched

01:07 - the “oh-ohh” in the bg i love it shjkshf

01:34 - loook when i tell you youngbins part is my fave part of this song!!! it’s a shame it’s so short but OH i’m always so excited when it starts,, idk what it is,, his voice? the vibes?? the rhymes?? whatever it is,,, it all comes together to make one of my fave youngbin verses

02:00 - yes I already pointed out dawon’s “i pray” part but it hits different everytime he does it, i’m telling you!

02:01 - the amount of layers in this song,, i think it’s inseong&rowoon right?? and then jaeyoon’s little “hey ay”s 🥺

02:39 - chani’s part is like, third favorite for this song. I love his voice, the vibes of this ,, the “yeh yeh” at ~2:43

02:54 - zuho does this thing where it sounds like he’s trying to rush and squish his verse into a certain frame of measures but in the end it still spills into the next measure and tbh i like it here dsfhjkh

02:57 - the POWER in this man’s VOICE ugh this verse is truly for me like going from dawon singing like THAT to jaeyoon, oof i’m in love

03:23 - youngbin’s “tell me where the love goes”,, the little echo of it (how many times will i mention echoes? stay tuned)

03:34 - that ending,, *chef’s kiss*

3. Shh

firstly i love that i now know Two (2) songs with this title (okay the Seventeen one has another ‘h’ but, still), and i love that they’re two diff feels. seventeens is that Good Noise, and has the “shh , just trust me” vibe, while sf9’s is just “shhhut up”

00:00 - the guitar! yes

00:12 - i dont even know what to call this sound but i love it

00:26 - LOVE tae’s vocals oof

00:28 - “right here is where i wanna be”,, you know where i wanna be?? an sf9 concert

00:33 - jaeyoon’s “baby don’t question me”,,, 😳

00:40 - the R is Rowoon stands for RealTalent

00:54 - the instrumental to this song is so good like i could just listen to that alone; also that “ooh~” we stan!

01:02 - inseong’s vocals in this song (okay in ANY song, but we’re talking about this song rn) are just,, amazing

01:26 - i just noticed how that “yeahhh” drags on idk how i feel about this im shdfjkh

01:36 - hi i’m tawa and i’m a dawonaholic

01:50 - shout to that beautiful saxophone tho,, gorgeous

02:03 - see i’m trying to limit how many times i mention dawons lines bc otherwise i would just comment on all of his lines ANYWAY this line hits different the second time around,, when he hits this note,,, i’m ascending as we speak

02:25 - okay the instrumental during zuho’s part,,, good stuff.. his part in general,, GOOD stuff!! 

02:30 - the pause at the end of the line and then the little ‘ding’! musical gold

02:33 - his little “whoop”s and “hey”s and “ay”s omg Number One Hype Man Baek Juho!! the build up of the music & him increasing the speed of his rap,, who is doing it like zuho please tell me

02:39 - here’s a secret: i love dawon’s vocals

02:45/2:51 -  K I M   I N S E O N G

02:56 - okay just one more time,, i love dawons vocals

Wait was hwiyoungbin in this song? Sdfhkjh

4. Lullu Lalla 

okay idk what i was on the first time i heard this song but for whatever reason i didn’t think much of it,, but now i have seen the [beautiful] light i absolutely love this song

00:00 - like it just started and the music is so cute and cheery omg i love this, youngbin’s little “here we go yo~”

00:07 - okay i know the lyric is “drop in” but in my mind i always say “jopping” 💀💀

00:11 - “hey what’s good?” sir it’s your voice,, your voice is whats good

00:20 - hwis voice is so cute i love it sdhfjkh

00:30 - the little “WheeEe” !! i giggle every time it’s so flippin cute like i have the stupidest smile on my face rn i love this part so mcuh

00:40 - the ‘ya jamkkan’ and then the small pause yo i LOVE this and also the “jinjja?” sdhfjkshj GOD i love this song 

00:41 - if you try to tell me this song is not perfect for jaeyoon’s voice i will Not listen to you. youve lost your right to form opinions i’m sorry

00:54 - i have no idea what to call it but that little high pitch noise/sound/thing that kinda mimics the lyrics/rhythm is so cute to me, esp in a later part of the song but we’ll get to that when we get to that

01:05 - “DONT YOU STOP”, filed under “Lines Tawa Cannot Hear and NOT Sing Along To”

01:09 - i really cant think of any other word to describe dawons voice here except cute :(( maybe i just think hes cute :(( also inseong’s “you’re so crazy~” like okay we get it you have vocals 

01:12 - sdhfjkhkj the only thing better than the “whee” is chani going “yeaayyy” 😭😭😭 tell me this isnt the cutest part of the song!! I dare you!!

01:22 - there goes zuho doing that thing with his rap again

01:24 - “nan sweet guy” is also filed under “Lines Tawa Cannot Hear and NOT Sing Along To”, i think jaeyoons voice is so soft and pretty here :c 

02:07 - idk what to say i just like these lines

02:12 - completely unbiased but this is like my fave part of the song omg yes dawon bb hit those notes 😭 and the at the end of his note that high pitch thing comes in and does its little thing and it’s so cute okay? this whole song is just so CUte. i havent read the lyrics translations but the small words/phrases ive picked up oh it’s cute i should really read the translations for these songs sometime shdfkjsh

02:23 - the way dawon says “beolsseo time over” is like one of my favorite things ever, along with how he says “joha” (well, more like “jowa” sdhfkjh but it’s so cute ugh im devastated why do i love his voice so much okay anyway--

02:49 - yoo taeyang ily

02:53 - “that was crazy” you know what’s crazy? How cute that song is

5. One Love

00:00 omg cute funky queennn!! also not to be me but like,, jaeyoons ooh-ooh ooh’s at the beginning is enough reason for this to win aoty no i will not accept any other opinions

00:20 - idk why i just like how inseong says “naman bollae”

00:24 - jaeyoon ;;-;;

00:33 - just,, this,,, *heart eyes* taeyang’s lil airy voice is like,, so good,, so beautiful

00:41 - baby,,,i want you, so loving for you,,, you’re all i think about all day,,,,, bros this is lichrally me @ dawon i can’t believe the writers for this song would get inspo from me WHERE ARE MY ROYALTIES. okay but seriously his voice when he sings haru jongil ni saengakbbuniya :((( <33 i like to imagine he’s softly smiling as his voice softens and trails off at the end,,, oh no oh boy im soft look what ive done ive thought about this for too long lets move on before i start-- *cries*

01:09 - part 247023789 of my crying over dawon’s vocals. stay tuned for more

01:22 - ugh kim inseong if you dont stop 

01:29 - OW

01:30 - love how taeyang sings this esp the ending syllable omg 

01:44 - the little trill or whatever in jaeyoon’s voice,, filed under “Reasons to Smile”

01:57 - i lichrally screamed like his voice is just so pretty and then the layering when he says “bbuniya” im gonna cry see you guys later 

02:43 - chani~~~

02:47 - whys hwi rapping like he had a time limit and he almost went over it like,,, they really just smooshed rap line all into this one part which like i guess i get? the way this song goes doesnt really lend itself to rap i guess ?

02:51 - the pause, the silence,,, only to be broken by the golden vocals of kim inseong,, im love

02:58 - seong’s lil “yeah!"

03:17 - “focus on my mind YEAH”

03:27 - sweet ending to a sweet song ;c

6. Like the Hands Held TIght

this song is truly Fall in Love’s little cousin like they are really related and im not good with words so i cant explain it but i just KNOW. sometimes i’ll be singing fall in love in my head but then somehow it turns into like the hands held tight?? If i could make song mash-ups i would

00:06 - i go “take my, my hands yeahh” at least once a day. thank you taeyang

00:14 - i need a taeyang solo and i need it now ; also i really like hwis verse? Idk what it is about it but it fits him very well and he does so good during the stages, he rocks it

00:32 - i like all of bin’s verse but esp this part especially especially bc of the choreo during it

00:37 - and then THIS part and dawon’s the only one on stage,,, what an experience,,

00:44 - the way he pronounces maeumeul is just.. *chefs kiss*

00:49 - another instance of tae’s wonderful airy? singing being absolutely perfect for the song concept

00:55 - aah~

01:00 - the EMOTION 

01:08 - idk what it is but inseong singing ‘gotongdoO~!’,, my heart,, sasiliya feel it

01:12 - imma say it now bc you already know im thinking it,, jaeyoons voice is PERFECT for this song, hands down no questions,,, that falsetto

01:16 - “nae huimangui bichi neoya” ♡_♡

01:19 - “sumeul swineun iyudo” 

01:21 - “AY. AY!”

Idk if it’s obvious but i just LOVE his part it’s so good i love the way he sings

01:34 - ‘yeah yeah yeah’

01:35 - omg i love rowoons part and his little dance during the stage it’s so good so wonderful just all around amazing great job seokwoo

01:37/01:39 - the little pause before the “yeah”s and just how different these two yeahs are but also i love them both equally

01:47 - *eun dan oh voice* HARU-YAH sdhfkjh okay anyway i love the way jaeyoon sings these lines esp how he says haru and naeili (also? Time over? like is this lullu lalla?)

01:57/02:06 - dawon :’) 

02:42 - dAngerOUS neooreuuuul wihaaaae

02:47 - dawon’s vocals omgggg

02:53 - okay whos that high note im LIVING for this

02:57 - ugh okay i love taeyang in the background; taeyang in this song in general,,, 

03:05 - jaeyoons lines are just so gooddd i love singing along to this song

7. Fire

00:00 - love the little sounds at the beginning,, quality start

00:04 - “it’s me” uhm okay but who are you? 

00:05 - the instrumental is so good tho sdhkjh oof

00:36 - not biased or anything but oh my goodness dawon’s voice!! It’s so pretty :c

00:41 - ready! ready! (go)

00:43 - LET’S GOO

The chorus for this song is just,,, so GOOD im sorry i only have like 5 words in my vocabulary but omg it’s just,,good

00:49 - this line!! I love it

00:59 - rowoon has that kinda voice that he could be saying any nonsense and you’d just be like *heart eyes* yes say it again king;; the way he says “let it go, let it go”

01:05 - love me love me love me YEAH 👌🏾

01:15 - YES

01:25 - omg youngbin ily omg his part is so lit but not like HYPE lit it’s just,, it’s chill lit we vibin

01:38 - im a little bit in love with dawon’s vocals in this song. just a little.

01:42 - the way he says READY. YOU GUYS IM CRYING I LOVE HIM?

01:50 - the way inseong sings “neoman” just,, soO good. inseong... good. 

02:01 - rowoon if you dont be careful im gonna ‘fall in love’ with you

02:15 - chani & zuhos raps + the music change im LOVE this it’s so good

2:24 - omg zuho finishes his rap on time OH YEAH

02:27 - *cries* okay this is it,, this is my favorite dawon line in this song

02:34 - is it really an sf9 song without inseong’s incredible vocals??

02:40 - wait maybe this is my favorite dawon line?? Idk dont touch me;;; the way he says “neoman”,,,,, give me amoemn t dklfmsd fn.l

02:41 - okay and this part, that note,,,, lee sanghyuk,,,,,

8. Stop it Now

00:01 - okay we vibin

00:16 - i really think hwi’s voice fits this song so well, along with like the hands held tight, also love the instrumental during his part;;; is this his longest verse on the album ,, sdhfkj

00:31 - im not gonna lie i think this is jaeyoon but part of me is like what if its taeyang,, either way,, beautiful voice

00:45 - THIS is taeyang and THIS LINE?? perfect, he executes it so well. this album was truly made for him; also love the instrumental here,, i feel like i’d hear it in the bg of a fantasy mmo/rpg

00:59 - idk what it is about inseongs voice but i love it

01:03 - chaniiii

01:06 - :)

01:16 - hello there sir

01:31 - oh his voice is so pretty ;-;

02:23 - zuho’s raps being the buildup is my aesthetic bro

02:31 - YES inseong homygod

02:36 - dawon ;cc also inseongs bg vocals,, thanks for your contribution king

02:40 - wait was i not paying attention or is this the first time rowoon sings (i probably wasnt paying attention)

02:44 - dawons little ‘yeah yeah’ and little adlibs?? filed under “Reasons to Stan”

02:51 - all the layering these background vocals and adlibs and just,,, what a lovely mix

02:53 - inseong imma let you finish but dawon’s “janin hage” is the greatest :// no im not biased

9. Dance with Us

00:01 - i love zuhos voice throughout this song omg :( 

00:05 - omg the piano in the bg is so cute um i love it:((((

00:21 - the way inseong sings ��nun bushyeo” 🥺

00:23 - tae’s high notes 🥺🥺🥺

00:28 - okay this line,, him saying ‘i like you’,,, ;;-;;

00:30 - lovvvvve hwis verse here, and the little “ay”s 

00:38 - LMAO i just noticed the “AH!” in the bg??? Why?? 

00:40 - okay this line reminds me of bin’s verse in another song but i cant?? pinpoint it???? uhhhh i think it’s see u tomorrow?

00:47 - okay that transition from jaeyoon to taeyang,,, *chefs kiss*

00:52 - rowoon saying ‘haru’, they did it for us @extraordinary you stans

also im  reading the lyrics as i do this and omg wait this song is so cute so precious,,”today was hard,wasnt it baby? Close your eyes you can hug me??” i’m sobbing?? I’m developing a new love for this song oh my heart--

00:56 - rowoons vocals when he says “naege angyeodo dwae” omg pls

00:57 - LOVE the layering during the chorus it’s so good but also i cant tell who the lower voice is? Zuho? Hwiyoung??

01:12 omg *a wild dawon appears*

01:16 - SKR SKRR

01:19 - no i’ll never shut up about dawon’s vocals

01:40 - these vocals mannnn,, you know what?? I need a jaeyoon & taeyang duet. like i know weve already got one from concerts but i need MORE 

02:27 - i just love this part :(( 

02:31 - i was literally like “wheres inseong” and then he comes out with his powerful vocals as per usual,,,

02:35/’8 - like do you hear this??? go OFF sir also love how the music quiets down and then slowly builds back up !!

03:07/’8 - AAAAH YES BEST PART OF THE SONG I LOVE CHORUS/CHANTING OH IT’S SO GOOD I LOVE IT I LOVE THISS

03:23 - *whispers* dope

10. Beautiful Light

00:11 - “once in a lifetime~”

00:34 - i have already said and will continue to say this but rowoons voice is so perfect for this song

00:49 - dawon i would LOVE to be with you forever

00:53 - ugh this chorus is just so cute, so sweet ;c

00:59 - the way they sing “malhae JUlgeoya”,,, ugh love this little note jump thing idk what to call it,, it’s like a pretty version of a voice crack 😂😅

01:23 - zuhoooo

01:40 come through main vocalist kim youngkyunnnn!!

02:00 - yes im pointing out this line again i LOVE it

02:23 - this part 🥺🥺 

02:29 - OKAY THIs PART!!! I swear rowoon’s voice is sooo pretty hear idk what it is but when he sings this line,,, my heart feels thing,,,emotions,,, it’s so much

02:33 - that “hoo-oh~” ugh rowoon please record an audiobook i could listen to you for hours 😔

02:44 - alright,, i have figured out the formula for sf9 songs,,, music slow down then build up with inseong’s high/long note around ~2:30-40 dkfhjsk before the last chorus but this time with more adlibs (probably also by inseong)

okay i’m done (for now) fsdfhjkhsf i’d be surprised if anyone actualy read any of this tbh. if you did read this, congratulations you have a better attention span that i do LMAO i would say stan sf9 but if youre reading this you probably already do

okay bye goodnight

[eddycurrents]

BPRD: 1946 - Chapter Five & “Bishop Olek’s Devil”

Story: Mike Mignola & Joshua Dysart | Art: Paul Azaceta | Colours: Nick Filardi | Letters: Clem Robins

Originally published by Dark Horse in BPRD: 1946 #5 | May 2008

“Bishop Olek’s Devil” - Originally published by Dark Horse in Hellboy: Free Comic Book Day 2008 | April 2008

Collected in BPRD - Volume 9: 1946 | BPRD: 1946 - 1948

Plot Summary:

The combined Russian and American forces storm Herman von Klempt’s bunker to face his kriegaffen and attempt to stop him from unleashing Hitler’s vampire army back-up plan on America.

In “Bishop Olek’s Devil”, we get the first case and team-up between Bruttenholm and Dr. Eaton, trying to find the whereabouts of legendary grimoire. Wacky hijinks and Lovecraftian nightmares ensue.

Reading Notes:

(Note: Pagination is in reference to the chapter itself and is not indicative of anything found in the issue or collections.)

pg. 1 - The soldiers don’t seem to be doing so great against the kriegaffen. It’s interesting how this story has done an almost complete genre turn into weird war tales with mad science and trying to shoot everything in the face. It’s a testament to the entire creative team that they can make this change.

pg. 2 - That’s a scary amount of vampire tubes.

pg. 3 - Bruttenholm chasing Von Klempt and finding a monkey surprise is funny. And he’s saying, “Master! Master! The intruder!”

pg. 4 - It appears even back then Von Klempt was insane. And the monkey: “Your wish is my command.”

pg. 5 - Varvara certainly acts like a petulant child. Or maybe we’re meant to believe that petulant children act like demons. Also it’s hilarious that she loves the chaos the kriegaffe is causing.

pg. 6 - I love the incredulous look Azaceta gives PFC Clark. The kriegaffe just crushed a Russian soldier and his flamethrower, burst into flames, and is still attacking them.

pg. 8 - It’s always interesting to see Von Klempt, a head in a jar, tout himself as superior to...well anyone.

pg. 10 - Great plan by Clark leading the kriegaffe through the complex to destroy it.

pg. 11 - Nice parallel between the two scenes to spotlight the power outage and the death of the kriegaffe.

pg. 13 - I’m surprised the Sergeant didn’t crack sooner. Also it goes to show you how the average person deals with all of the madness in the Hellboy universe.

Also the monkey is saying: “I will not allow you to ruin my master’s plan!”

pg. 14 - These are definitely a different breed of vampire from the likes of Giurescu and Konig. More bestial, feral. I love the tone of red Nick Filardi gives them to reaffirm their nature.

pg. 16 - Love this page to spotlight the whole predicament that Bruttenholm, and the world, is in. And just how bloody loony Von Klempt is, again.

pg. 18 - It’s interesting to see the selflessness displayed by the Sergeant again. It’s consistent with his characterization earlier and is nice to see him taking responsibility for what happened. 

Also, you’ve got to think that even if the rocket explodes here, there’d be some sort of residual infestation wherever it comes down in Europe. That was exactly what Von Klempt was counting on in America.

pg. 19-21 - Wonderful action, and, despite the explosion, an ambiguous end to everyone remaining on that rocket.

pg. 22 - Varvara’s dolly singed is a nice touch. I think everyone in the bunker was reduced to a crispy critter. Her masquerading as Bruttenholm’s daughter is hilarious.

pg. 23 - Kind of a heavy revelation that Bruttenholm knew about Rasputin as such as early as 1946. It’s a shame that he died in ‘94 before being able to actually share any of this information with Hellboy. You’ve also kind of got to wonder why he didn’t.

pg. 24 - I’m not sure I’d want to be a demon’s favourite human.

pg. 26 - Love the narration and the establishment of a book for them to find. There’s the Ars Goetia as part of the Solomonic magick canon, but this “Dialogus Goetia” is a seeming invention of Mignola or Dysart that serves a similar purpose.

pg. 28 - The current owner of the book definitely seems mad.

pg. 29 - And he seems intent on passing on the cursed aspect of the book’s possession.

pg. 30 - I love these shadowy panels. Azaceta and Filardi do an incredible job to convey the atmosphere of creepiness to the story.

pg. 31 - This starfish thing it terrifying.

pg. 33 - The curious aid of Petrov’s butler and being transported to the seemingly lost crypt of the Bishop is interesting.

Final Thoughts:

Once again in a Hellboy universe tale, and technically several times just within this series, we get a twist in the tale as the story jumps to another genre and yet it doesn’t feel awkward, forced, or unnatural at all. It’s amazing the elasticity of Mike Mignola’s world that it can shift in so many different ways and still come out in an entertaining and compelling way.

Also, I love the straight horror short story to cap off this volume. This kind of Victorian style narration is uncommon amongst Hellboy tales, but it too is a welcome change of pace. It really evokes that style of story well.

d. emerson eddy is not a red vampire.

[therealestatesparkblog]

5 Highly Actionable Steps to Make REAL Progress Towards Your Investing Goals

BiggerPockets.comis an amazing learning resource for real estate investors. Thats why most of us are here. But like all great resources on the internet, it comes with a big challenge. There is so much great information that it can become overwhelming. This article is about simplifying your learning experience, getting more clear and confident, and making real progress towards your investing goals. Im going to give you 5 specific strategies that you can use alone or in combination. Lets get started. 5 Steps to Make REAL Progress Towards Your Investing Goals1. Answer the question: Why are you here? Have you ever watched that awesome TED talk Start With Why? Everything great starts with why. Awesome companies. World changing movements. Inspiring leaders. Your real estate investing career is no different. Your why gives you perspective on the what and the how of real estate. Exploring why also helps you focus. It helps you simplify the information you take in because you will be attracted to some information and ignore other information. So, why are you here? Why do you read articles, listen to podcasts, and interact on the Forums at BP? Do you hope to buy your first rental property? Do you hope to start a business fixing and flipping houses?Do you want to be a deal finder as a wholesaler or an agent?Or do you not know exactly why youre here? Are you still trying to figure it out? Any of those answers is reasonable. But take some time to explore your own motivations before you dig into the next set of articles or podcasts. Focus on the short-term, like your why in the next 6-12 months. Related: Stop Dreaming & Start Doing: How to Turn Big Real Estate Goals Into Actionable Steps If you have trouble with this, try asking the opposite question. What are you NOT here for? Choosing what to exclude may be just as useful as choosing what to focus on. 2. Figure out your main study topics (exclude the rest). Once you get a little more clarity on your why youll be able to focus more on specific topics taught here on BiggerPockets.com. For example, lets say your why or objective is to buy your first rental property. Here are the topics that I would recommend you study: Getting started fixing and flipping, wholesaling, becoming an agent, owning notes, or investing commercially each has its own unique (but similar) core topics. In another article, I wrote about The 7 Must-Read Real Estate Books For Beginning Investors, and I called these topics the 101 classes of your real estate self education. Unlike a real university, YOU decide the teachers and the curriculum for your 101 classes. So choose carefully! This is one of the main reasons for information overload. Without a why and without an idea of what topics you should focus on, you tend to drift about from one eye-catching headline to another. Trust me, there are plenty of talented authors and knowledgeable experts who are more than happy for you to read their stuff. And most of it is pretty good. BUT it doesnt matter how interesting or good it is. What matters is does it move you forward toward your objective? So, I recommend actually writing down an education plan, just like you would for any other important project. Pick the most important topics and use them to choose what you learn and what you ignore. If you are so new or overwhelmed that you dont know the most important topics or even the questions to ask, do one of the following: Leave a comment at the bottom of this article sharing your objective (your why), and I will be happy to do my best to help you explore the topics you should focus on.Post a question in the Forums, either in the New Member Introduction Area or in the specific forum that matches your why or objective (like rental properties, wholesaling, flipping, etc.). BP is known for the knowledgeable people who are willing to help. Related: 5 Daily Habits to Help You Steadily Reach Your Entrepreneurial Goals 3. Use BiggerPockets tools to help you focus. Now that youre more clear on why youre here and now that you have a list of topics to study, use technology as your friend to help you focus. Here are some of the best BP tools (feel free to comment below if I left some out): BP Search: If you havent used it before, the BP search box is here:

You can search for any of the topics youve chosen in step #2. The more specific you get, the better. Below is an example of the search results you would get if one of yourtopics was house hacking duplex. There are 957 forum posts and 5 blog posts related to just this one topic!

You can also click on filter results in order to narrow your results by most recent, by author, or by other criteria. This is a great way to find forum topics, blog posts, and podcasts that are relevant to you. Subscribe to Forums The forums are probably the richest resource on BP because you can find discussions on just about any topic. But theyre also HUGE and cover more than you need to focus on. So use the subscribe to forum tool. This allows you to just get notices on your BP Dashboard from the forums that are relevant to your education needs. Subscribing to the BiggerPockets Forums is simple. Visit the Forums Categories Page.Click on a forum that you want to follow.Click on the subscribe to forum box (like picture below).

4. Now every time you check into BP, you can view your Subscribed Forum tab on the main forum page to get a list of all conversations and topics youre interested in.

Keyword Alerts This is a very handy tool. You can choose words that you want to follow anywhere on the BiggerPockets.com Forums and Marketplace. Here is a keyword video tutorial (my favoritepart is Brandon Turner and his cat), and here is a written, step-by-step guide. To set up your keyword alerts, go here. People use these alerts for finding deals in their market and connecting with other members. But its also very useful for learning about specific topics. Go back to your topic list, figure out the most urgent ones to learn, and add them to your keyword alerts. Now youll be notified anytime a conversation occurs about that topic in the Forums. Its nice to jump on topics quickly because then you can ask questions or offer your own experience to the topic. These conversations are a great way to learn. 4. Go deep with the right experts (ignore the rest). Now you know why youre on BP and what you want to study, and youve used the BP tools to focus your information intake. But its still possible to focus your learning even more. Of all the blog authors and forum experts on BP, some of them will resonate with you more than others. Maybe its because they have a similar story to yours. Or maybe you just think theyre funny (its hard not to laugh reading a Ben Leybovich article). Whatever the reason, find a few people you respect on BP who cover your topics, and go deep with their content. Read all of their blog articles, new and old. Read all of their forum posts. Ask them questions in the comments and forum posts. Use the follow tool to keep up with them on BP. Part of learning is studying specific information. But another part of learning is just absorbing successful peoples approach to business and life. The more you observe what they say and do, the more youll pick up. Famous personal development teacher Jim Rohn once said: You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. The community of BP is great because you can choose to spend time with whomever you want, and this can average up your real estate game in the process. I also like to find out who the experts I respect study. What authors do they like? What books do they read? What courses have they taken? For example, I love reading everything about Warren Buffett I can get my hands on. But who did he learn from? How did he improve himself to get where he is today? One of his biggest influences was Benjamin Graham. As a result, I have read and enjoyed Grahams book The Intelligent Investor. 5. Schedule offline learning time. As much as I love the internet for its wealth of free information and the ability to connect with people from all over the world, it does have its downsides. For me personally, the downside is just the amount of distractions and diversions any online reading can bring. One minute youre reading about rental leases, and the next moment youre on ESPN.com reading about the Clemson Tigers chance at a football national championship. What?! By the way, my Clemson Tigers do have a good chance this year! [Editors note: Go Tar Heels!] But back to our REAL topic. I like to take my learning offline from time to time. I do this in a few ways: Turn off alerts on my cell phoneRead printed books(I know, thats old school)Print articles (even MORE old school)Attend classes or networking events in person Maybe Im the only one, but I still learn best in a quiet room, in a comfortable chair, with my penand a book or printed article. Not only do you learn this way, but your mind also has space to make creative connections between ideas. Using your brain to THINK is just as important in learning as absorbing information. Sometimes this time to think gets lost in our manic obsession to absorb more information. So take time offline to get quiet, read, journal, and just absorb all of the information youve been learning. Educate Yourself in Motion I hope the 5 strategies Ive shared will be helpful for you. Feel free to take what works for you, and discard the rest. But no matter what, I hope youll combine all of the information youre learning on BiggerPockets.com and other places with a healthy dose of hustle. You have to get in motion. You have to apply what you learn, even if you fail and fall flat on your face. Once you get in motion, youll have more context and challenges that will take your education even deeper. This is where the real learning happens. Best of luck to you with your learning and with your real estate investing! We are republishing this article to help out our newer readers.

How do you keep up with all of the real estate information you learn? Have you used any of the 5 strategies Ive suggested? Do you have anything different to suggest? Id love to hear from you in the comments below. https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/12/17/actionable-steps-reach-investing-goals/