Hey fellow Fastlaners,
In my introduction thread I mentioned about my life filled with slowlaners. My parents have been working for the past 30 years (still are) and yet, they just started their comfortable "good" life like 2-3 years ago. Till then, they were working. Yes, they had good careers as managerial positions, but again no leverage, trading time for money and no control. They lived a life of fear from their employees and at times they were in helpless situations during the difficult economic times and crisis. And yes, they intend me to follow the similar path, but just a few additions. They did this:
Go to school--->get a job--->move up the corporate ladder--->save money--->do whatever you want after all this.
And this is what they want me to do:
Go to school--->get good grades--->get accepted in a good uni--->get a professional certificate (CPA)--->Get a job--->gain some experience--->get a MBA--->move up the corporate ladder--->make money (supposedly)--->settle in life.
Of these steps, I went to school, not so good grades, accpeted in a decent university and graduated 3 months ago and now I am doing the CPA exam (failed all of them - I spent more time reading self help books, finding ways to add value, researching ways to solve problems than studying), since that way I can live the life according to my slowlane parents. However, I am not keen to take that road, and hence after my graduation I set out to seek the answer for that, and got it in the book Millionaire Fastlane . I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur since I was a kid but that idea was trashed by my parents. Whenever I told my parents that I want to be an entrepreneur their replies would be this:
1) "Being an entrepreneur isn't your thing! You barely talk to people! You don't have business sense! You will fail!"; Yes, I was an introvert back in school but I overcame this and I have joined Toastmaster clubs and in fact won few awards for best speaker as well. I still do have a bit of a problem to initiate a conversation but I still do talk to people and build relationships.
2) "Studies first. Do whatever you want after you have completed your studies and gaining several years of work experience!"; Gaining experience is good in a way, that way we can identify the problems or solutions that people need. I worked in a small restaurant for a while and I identified a need, which I am working on now.
3) "House in Malibu? A Ferrari? Exotic luxury holidays? These things can't be bought easily. If you study, secure a good job, reach a good position, then these dreams can be fulfilled. But first study!"; If I follow this plan then the Ferrari and house in Malibu will remain a dream and I will have to give up on it because of the limited stream of income from my employment of which I have 0 control.
4) "Do not dream. If you dream, then you will only be dreaming. You wont move forward. Dream of things which are only possible. Not of Ferrari, 2.5 million mansion or Young CEO of a million dollar Company which are not in our caliber"; I still have that dream, strong and tight.
And the killer one which they love-
5) "Now look at X. X went to school, did well there, got a job in JP Morgan Chase as an analyst earning $X thousand a month, and now he is living a comfortable life"
I know they are saying this for my benefit (which they think), but if I do that then I am just following their path, falling in the same trap which the majority of the world are doing - mediocrity. I have never strived for mediocrity, but I am fed in by my parents and other slowlaners that I am indeed a mediocre (thanks to my school performance and so on). I am not going to quit from this dream of mine, but I just want to know how the other fastlane CEOs overcame these obstacles and just continued doing things different from others? I just want to be what I want to be and live the way I want to live and experience it when young. Though I did bad at school, failed my CPA exams and so on doesnt mean I dont like to learn. I in fact learn a lot from YouTube on various aspects like Selling, marketing, coding and so on and I believe that learning need not be in schools.
In my introduction thread I mentioned about my life filled with slowlaners. My parents have been working for the past 30 years (still are) and yet, they just started their comfortable "good" life like 2-3 years ago. Till then, they were working. Yes, they had good careers as managerial positions, but again no leverage, trading time for money and no control. They lived a life of fear from their employees and at times they were in helpless situations during the difficult economic times and crisis. And yes, they intend me to follow the similar path, but just a few additions. They did this:
Go to school--->get a job--->move up the corporate ladder--->save money--->do whatever you want after all this.
And this is what they want me to do:
Go to school--->get good grades--->get accepted in a good uni--->get a professional certificate (CPA)--->Get a job--->gain some experience--->get a MBA--->move up the corporate ladder--->make money (supposedly)--->settle in life.
Of these steps, I went to school, not so good grades, accpeted in a decent university and graduated 3 months ago and now I am doing the CPA exam (failed all of them - I spent more time reading self help books, finding ways to add value, researching ways to solve problems than studying), since that way I can live the life according to my slowlane parents. However, I am not keen to take that road, and hence after my graduation I set out to seek the answer for that, and got it in the book Millionaire Fastlane . I have always wanted to be an entrepreneur since I was a kid but that idea was trashed by my parents. Whenever I told my parents that I want to be an entrepreneur their replies would be this:
1) "Being an entrepreneur isn't your thing! You barely talk to people! You don't have business sense! You will fail!"; Yes, I was an introvert back in school but I overcame this and I have joined Toastmaster clubs and in fact won few awards for best speaker as well. I still do have a bit of a problem to initiate a conversation but I still do talk to people and build relationships.
2) "Studies first. Do whatever you want after you have completed your studies and gaining several years of work experience!"; Gaining experience is good in a way, that way we can identify the problems or solutions that people need. I worked in a small restaurant for a while and I identified a need, which I am working on now.
3) "House in Malibu? A Ferrari? Exotic luxury holidays? These things can't be bought easily. If you study, secure a good job, reach a good position, then these dreams can be fulfilled. But first study!"; If I follow this plan then the Ferrari and house in Malibu will remain a dream and I will have to give up on it because of the limited stream of income from my employment of which I have 0 control.
4) "Do not dream. If you dream, then you will only be dreaming. You wont move forward. Dream of things which are only possible. Not of Ferrari, 2.5 million mansion or Young CEO of a million dollar Company which are not in our caliber"; I still have that dream, strong and tight.
And the killer one which they love-
5) "Now look at X. X went to school, did well there, got a job in JP Morgan Chase as an analyst earning $X thousand a month, and now he is living a comfortable life"
I know they are saying this for my benefit (which they think), but if I do that then I am just following their path, falling in the same trap which the majority of the world are doing - mediocrity. I have never strived for mediocrity, but I am fed in by my parents and other slowlaners that I am indeed a mediocre (thanks to my school performance and so on). I am not going to quit from this dream of mine, but I just want to know how the other fastlane CEOs overcame these obstacles and just continued doing things different from others? I just want to be what I want to be and live the way I want to live and experience it when young. Though I did bad at school, failed my CPA exams and so on doesnt mean I dont like to learn. I in fact learn a lot from YouTube on various aspects like Selling, marketing, coding and so on and I believe that learning need not be in schools.
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