**This thread will change the way you think.**

[Antifragile]

**On Creativity. **​

Being creative isn't some luxury that's only available when you've hit your "exit $ number" and can now afford to do it. It's just as natural for humans as walking, eating or thinking. It's what made our species survive!

A typical new member starts a thread on this forum along the lines of "I've read the book, want to quit my job, have a few months of savings. What should I do next 30 days to generate $X because I don't want to be slow lane anymore." Typical, boring and "me, me, me" type of post. Irony here is an entrepreneur is an inventor, a problem solver - a creative human being.

To live like the 1% you can't behave like 99%.

How to become more creative?

• Learn to do things without judgment, similar to how in mediation you observe your thoughts and feelings.
• Stop trying to navigate the forest in pitch black night. Your desire to make changes to your life comes when you are most consumed by emotion, but that's the worst time to do so. Do not make decisions when you are upset or riding a high. Let yourself come back down to neutral first. Then think. Think on a piece of paper.
• Ask yourself better questions. Are you wanting to have better things before becoming a better you? Maybe it's time to change your objectives.

Add to the list folks! What makes you more creative?

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Guest-5ty5s4]

**On Creativity. **​

Being creative isn't some luxury that's only available when you've hit your "exit $ number" and can now afford to do it. It's just as natural for humans as walking, eating or thinking. It's what made our species survive!

A typical new member starts a thread on this forum along the lines of "I've read the book, want to quit my job, have a few months of savings. What should I do next 30 days to generate $X because I don't want to be slow lane anymore." Typical, boring and "me, me, me" type of post. Irony here is an entrepreneur is an inventor, a problem solver - a creative human being.

To live like the 1% you can't behave like 99%.

How to become more creative?

• Learn to do things without judgment, similar to how in mediation you observe your thoughts and feelings.
• Stop trying to navigate the forest in pitch black night. Your desire to make changes to your life comes when you are most consumed by emotion, but that's the worst time to do so. Do not make decisions when you are upset or riding a high. Let yourself come back down to neutral first. Then think. Think on a piece of paper.
• Ask yourself better questions. Are you wanting to have better things before becoming a better you? Maybe it's time to change your objectives.

Add to the list folks! What makes you more creative?

What makes you more creative?

Novel experiences, both good and bad. Have you ever done X before? Do it! Within reason.

Spontaneous actions, too. Kids will sometimes just burst into strange movements for no reason, or do things that are random. That’s creativity.

 

[Antifragile]

# Taking Responsibility​

Continuing with my eclectic notes on things that will change the way you think.

• Everything in life is here to help you. You don't believe me? It's how you choose to interpret your own situation. Pain can mean suffering. Or it can mean an opportunity to grow, which suddenly deflates the impact of same pain.
• If you care more about comfort than change, no real changes will happen in your life.
• Still don't believe me? You haven't taken responsibility for your life. You are still waiting for something to come and change how you feel. Some posters suffer loudly because they think that this "cry for help to the forum" will have someone else come and fix or change them. It won't happen.

**So, how do you get "unstuck"? How do you make your habits go on autopilot? **

If you are reading this post it hopefully means you read the thread. If you did, you already know that **success is more a product of your habit than skill**. But our minds have a limit on self-control, we can only fight our impulses for a period of time each day. And yet you need self-control to develop habits. Many people write well but few write well and consistently.

There are three stages to getting new skills:

1. Cognitive. It's when you first think of a task. It's hard work to figure it out. Even something as simple as running (let alone starting your business!) is complex mental task at this stage. You don't know what clothes, shoes, nutrition, route to take, track progress etc. Yet it's where it all begins.
2. Associative. Now you've done it a few times, stress over it comes down a touch, but not enough to be "easy" and mistakes are made. A lot of mistakes are made. In your mind you should be so much better. This is where most people quit. You got into the game and just before you truly succeed, you get this "creative gap". You can't visualize the next stage, you just start to think you aren't as good as you should be. You are grinding but its not meeting your own standards for results. Most people never bridge this gap and quit.
3. Auto or "flow". You are no longer thinking consciously about the work, you are performing. Sticking to my simple running example, it's not a chore anymore. You look outside, you throw some clothes on, you are on autopilot out and you are going. You aren't thinking about your form, stride, shoes. You are in a state of flow observing your environment. If it's raining you feel it on your face and enjoying the cooling effect. If it's cloudy you wonder about cloud shapes, and if it's sunny you can't help but squint and smile a little. You know what specific workout you are doing today and it'll be hard. Yet it's not a mentally difficult decision. It's now part of your habits.

What is the difference between people who see their work rise to unprecedented levels and those who throw in the towel? It is a matter of having the (perhaps often uncomfortable) **commitment to keep going**.

 

[SoniaG]

"Damn, I'm really running into a lot of receptionists, what are some good ways or techniques to win them to my side and get in touch with decision makers, reliably?
If I can do just that, I'll be swimming in sales calls."

Something that can be effective: tell them upfront that you know they are the gatekeepers - commiseration with their situation can help.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Antifragile]

# Questions that change how you think.

If the quality of your life is correlated to the quality of questions you ask yourself, then what should you ask?

Kicking off what can be a very long list, here are my 10 questions:

1. What and who is worth suffering for?
2. What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
3. Based on your daily habits, where will you be in 5-10-20 years?
4. What one thing, that if you started to do today would have the greatest impact on your life in 6 months?
5. What one thing that if you stopped doing today would have the greatest impact on your life in a week?
6. If you did not have to work to make a living anymore (business owners included), what would you do every day?
7. Who do you admire (past or present)?
8. What unreasonable and unrealistic dream do you have about your life? (Wouldn't it be nice if... )
9. If you were to touch every item you own with your hand, how many give you joy when you do? And why do you keep the rest?
10. What are your greatest accomplishments so far?

Add to the list. What quality questions do you have that can improve our thinking and lives?

 

[Boogie]

@Antifragile, I think you have a few books in you that need to see the light of day.

This is a very valuable thread.

The types of questions that have been helping me with my own introspection are:

Why are you pursuing this?
Will you improve someone's circumstance in life or business with this business / project? How?

What would it feel like to do all you can do to succeed?
What would that mean in terms of activities? (No ill-conceived shortcuts)
Are you doing all you can do?
What is in the way of major progress?
What are the most important one time and continuous activities?
Can you guarantee that the most important actions will be performed with consistency?
What will you add or change to do all you can do?
How can you track and enforce your responsibilities?

Why do you take the actions you take?
Why do you prioritize your actions as you do?
Why do you hold back on the actions you should be taking but aren't? Fear? Laziness? Skill shortfall? Poor planning?
What actions will you schedule to bypass inaction?
What actions and results can be tracked/analyzed for continuous improvement?

Organize the decisions, actions, rules, processes and procedures that might come out of this as part of a playbook.

 

[Antifragile]

@Antifragile, I think you have a few books in you that need to see the light of day.

This is a very valuable thread.

The types of questions that have been helping me with my own introspection are:

Why are you pursuing this?
Will you improve someone's circumstance in life or business with this business / project? How?

What would it feel like to do all you can do to succeed?
What would that mean in terms of activities? (No ill-conceived shortcuts)
Are you doing all you can do?
What is in the way of major progress?
What are the most important one time and continuous activities?
Can you guarantee that the most important actions will be performed with consistency?
What will you add or change to do all you can do?
How can you track and enforce your responsibilities?

Why do you take the actions you take?
Why do you prioritize your actions as you do?
Why do you hold back on the actions you should be taking but aren't? Fear? Laziness? Skill shortfall? Poor planning?
What actions will you schedule to bypass inaction?
What actions and results can be tracked/analyzed for continuous improvement?

Organize the decisions, actions, rules, processes and procedures that might come out of this as part of a playbook.

Thank you. You've made my day with this post!

A random thought for this morning:

You don't change your personality, opinions or even clothes based on whom you're meeting that day. That's a sign of maturity.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Zahida A. Khan]

Here are notes on things that aren't obvious but will change the way you think about life. An eclectic collection.​

What can you add to this thread? What surprising mind twist did you learn?

@Antifragile, great list - btw, did you read "AntiFragile?"

Here are a few:

1. Sleep is uber important - got an OURA Ring a few years ago to track sleep, made some changes to optimize sleep as it's restorative - want to be cognitively alert and restore mind/body, then put this #1 thing above and beyond exercise and diet. Without proper sleep, diet and exercise doesn't have maximum benefit
2. Exercise daily - movement is the secret of a healthy life
3. Use Pareto's 80/20 principle in all parts of your life, 80% of profits comes from 20% of your customers ... Wanna get creative, take the fractal of 80/20 and you'll get 64/4, that is 4% of effort will yield 64% results - why not focus on the 4% and get rid of unnecessary trivialities
4. Eat 80% good whole food to support your gut microbiome and 20% whatever coz you gotta have some fun!!
5. Drink H2O, everything else has sugar - a silent poison!!
6. Stay away from the 3 deadly whites, white sugar, white flour, white salt
7. When you eat a healthy meal, focus on the meal, don't multitask, be grateful, think that the meal will nourish your body, and a grateful mind will put that meal into healthy fuel. Studies show a healthy meal eaten by an angry person, will not get the benefits of the nutrients
8. Mind over Matter - If you don't mind, it nah matter
9. If you find your self getting 'angry' or 'jealous' or having 'hateful' thoughts. Check your EGO!! Is your EGO hurt?? Chances are, you have expectations of other/situations and when things don't meet your needs, anger flares. Learn to control your emotional response, live life fluidly without expecting others to be, do as YOU expect and you will find your self living a stress free life
10. Love unconditionally, don't attach to anything - as the Buddha said, "Attachment causes suffering." So many 'attach' themselves to a job title, a role, a story, a condition and they say, "I AM This" and "I AM Not That" ... when we attach 2 something, we identify with that thing, we become that thing, neural pathways wire together to make sure 'we are that thing' and BOOM ... it becomes very difficult to break away from that thing (eg. I'm depressed .. I'm angry ... I'm an alcoholic, etc...)
11. Learn something new every day, exercise your brain and allow it to build new neural pathways - challenge yourself
12. If you are comfortable, you're not growing - get out there and chop some wood, you wanna be 'antifragile'
13. Try cold showers - I do a cold water dunk my face when I wake up and puffiness gone. Leaves me with a fresh, vibrant face
14. Walk in the forest - take a nature walk, unplug and enjoy the free things in life
15. If your cell phone is within arms reach 24/7 ... better sign up 4 dat AA class coz you have an addiction or an unhealthy relationship with your phone
16. If you have a family, INVEST your time with them, LOVE and enjoy your time with them - if there are issues in your relationships, it will follow you wherever you go, in your business, at work, at play, dining out, etc ... take care of your primary relationships
17. Make sure you love, trust, care, respect you first, then you can love, trust, care, respect others
18. What you FOCUS on E X P A N D S
19. To thine own self, be true - don't lie to yourself, as it will spill over to lying to others
20. When you see a negative trait in someone; look deep within and you will find it's within you
21. Your view of the world is merely a projection of who you are - see the world as bad, and look within and rid yourself of bad - what we see out there is a mere reflection of what's in here
22. The mind is powerful, learn how to use it to create the life you want - yup, it can be done and there are many stories of peeps who came from poor backgrounds and became wealthy - many with cancer or other terminally deadly conditions and they have turned their life around by taking control of their mind

I can go on n on n on ... but will stop here

Thanks 4 the discussion, @Antifragile

 

[Antifragile]

Conspicuous and inconspicuous consumption follow different psychological rules. Conspicuous consumption is a zero-sum game. Conspicuous consumption are things that other people can see. Inconspicuous consumption is just for you, but not really quantifiable.

I've been pondering this. As is typical with people who came from no money into some wealth, I've indulged in conspicuous consumption. You (and many others here) have also done that, with super cars as an example.

Now that you are a bit older, have gotten used to your level of wealth and the fact that you can afford luxury. How have you changed in your behaviour? I know @MJ DeMarco got rid of his Lamborghini and is now driving a Ford Raptor (still luxury but more useful, pragmatic vehicle). And how has your level of happiness been affected by these changes?

 

[biophase]

I've been pondering this. As is typical with people who came from no money into some wealth, I've indulged in conspicuous consumption. You (and many others here) have also done that, with super cars as an example.

Now that you are a bit older, have gotten used to your level of wealth and the fact that you can afford luxury. How have you changed in your behaviour? I know @MJ DeMarco got rid of his Lamborghini and is now driving a Ford Raptor (still luxury but more useful, pragmatic vehicle). And how has your level of happiness been affected by these changes?

With the supercar, it’s not that I don’t want one at all. It’s just that I don’t enjoy driving them anymore. So is it conspicuous consumption if I buy another one? It just feels like a waste to get one and have it sit in a garage. I like to get use out of the things I buy.

Supercars just complicate your life. It’s not just buying the car, it’s the registration , the insurance, the maintenance, the driving around and hoping it doesn’t get dinged. And it’s not the money cost, it’s the time suck.

I also think that as we get older, we aren’t competing or comparing our things to other people or friends. We are existing in our own world rather than someone else’s world view. Honestly, you just have nothing to prove to anyone.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MJ DeMarco]

Now that you are a bit older, have gotten used to your level of wealth and the fact that you can afford luxury. How have you changed in your behaviour? I know @MJ DeMarco got rid of his Lamborghini and is now driving a Ford Raptor (still luxury but more useful, pragmatic vehicle). And how has your level of happiness been affected by these changes?

Culture has changed. Owning an exotic used to garner some respect and admiration, now they attract more disrespect, hatred, jealousy, and envy. I also associate them with scammy gurus and people who generally can't afford them. At the tail end of my Lambo ownership I rarely drove it except when I knew it was a low-drama time frame, like Sunday morning, or Monday night to a softball game. Cruise on Friday night? Hell no. Clubbing on Saturday? Ill pass.

Also the value and utility received from the driving experience is limited to a few hours per week. The net expense, in terms of time and money, is simply a lot to bear for so little return. On the flip side, spending a lot of money on a great house with every amenity I could possible want, and then some, has great utility. I am here and "use it" 22-24 hours a day. A Lamborghini? Even in Arizona, I drove that a few hours per week, and it came coupled with drama.

 

[Antifragile]

Are you doing all you can do?
What is in the way of major progress?
What are the most important one time and continuous activities?

@Boogie

Curious, how do you typically answer these questions? They are a lot harder than they seem at first glance!

1. Mind over Matter - If you don't mind, it nah matter
2. If you find your self getting 'angry' or 'jealous' or having 'hateful' thoughts. Check your EGO!! Is your EGO hurt?? Chances are, you have expectations of other/situations and when things don't meet your needs, anger flares. Learn to control your emotional response, live life fluidly without expecting others to be, do as YOU expect and you will find your self living a stress free life

This is great - if you don't mind...

Ego is such an important beast to stop feeding! Always gets in the way of progress.

If you are comfortable, you're not growing - get out there and chop some wood, you wanna be 'antifragile'

Ha. Thanks - everyone want's to be Antifragile.

If your cell phone is within arms reach 24/7 ... better sign up 4 dat AA class coz you have an addiction or an unhealthy relationship with your phone

OK, you got me. So let me ask you this - do you live by this rule or not? Are you addicted to your digital devices?
Worse yet, I typically track my sleep too!

we aren’t competing or comparing our things to other people or friends. We are existing in our own world rather than someone else’s world view. Honestly, you just have nothing to prove to anyone.

This is powerful. Quiet confidence can only exist when you are no longer changing yourself to conform to some else's expectations. You aren't trying to impress. The irony is that this is when we (as people) are most impressive in life. It is a sign of real maturity.

 

[Antifragile]

Culture has changed. Owning an exotic used to garner some respect and admiration, now they attract more disrespect, hatred, jealousy, and envy.

In our industry (RE), commercial brokers all try to impress clients by driving super cars. It is meant to demonstrate success, admiration etc. The way you describe it from what you had witnessed some years ago.

Ironically, it works on the wrong people. As a client, I am not impressed. I know that 9/10 of those guys leased their cars to impress me. The harder someone tries to impress me, the less impressed I am. But the people who do get impressed are other young brokers, who want to be like the senior guys. They admire them and work hard. Yet they are competition! So you end up with this ridiculous bad financial decision after another cycle for those guys (very few females in those jobs).

I may be wrong, but just like Realtors who think a fancy car will get them new business, commercial brokers are misguided.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[biophase]

Also the value and utility received from the driving experience is limited to a few hours per week. The net expense, in terms of time and money, is simply a lot to bear for so little return. On the flip side, spending a lot of money on a great house with every amenity I could possible want, and then some, has great utility. I am here and "use it" 22-24 hours a day. A Lamborghini? Even in Arizona, I drove that a few hours per week, and it came coupled with drama.

Ironically I mention in a thread on the inside about not understanding art. I don’t see the difference between a $500 and $5000 piece.

On the other hand, I see certain cars as beautiful works of art. I like to look at them more than driving them. I can’t pay for a work of art to have it sit in a dark garage. If I had a huge garage that was merged into my living room, I would have a couple super cars.

 

[fastlane_dad]

With the supercar, it’s not that I don’t want one at all. It’s just that I don’t enjoy driving them anymore. So is it conspicuous consumption if I buy another one? It just feels like a waste to get one and have it sit in a garage. I like to get use out of the things I buy.

Supercars just complicate your life. It’s not just buying the car, it’s the registration , the insurance, the maintenance, the driving around and hoping it doesn’t get dinged. And it’s not the money cost, it’s the time suck.

I also think that as we get older, we aren’t competing or comparing our things to other people or friends. We are existing in our own world rather than someone else’s world view. Honestly, you just have nothing to prove to anyone.

Culture has changed. Owning an exotic used to garner some respect and admiration, now they attract more disrespect, hatred, jealousy, and envy. I also associate them with scammy gurus and people who generally can't afford them. At the tail end of my Lambo ownership I rarely drove it except when I knew it was a low-drama time frame, like Sunday morning, or Monday night to a softball game. Cruise on Friday night? Hell no. Clubbing on Saturday? Ill pass.

Also the value and utility received from the driving experience is limited to a few hours per week. The net expense, in terms of time and money, is simply a lot bear for so little return. On the flip side, spending a lot of money on a great house with every amenity I could possible want, and then some, has great utility. I am here and "use it" 22-24 hours a day. A Lamborghini? Even in Arizona, I drove that a few hours per week, and it came coupled with drama.

Great points guys and I don't disagree with any of them. Since getting the Lambos / Ferraris out of my system I'm not as gung - ho about owning them anymore (and having children steal a lot of your time). I still love what they (mostly) represent and are an inspiration token for many aspiring entrepreneurs.

The utility of one is very limited, and say completely inverse to what a truck accomplishes (and that's precisely what makes them 'exotic')! If not careful, they do depreciate, require storage, upkeep and delicate TLC with every interaction.

But I must also add that it all also depends on how you use the car and what you get out of it. Arizona today sports a HUGE car culture, with events upon events - to meet and connect with others.

I met tons of my current friends through the car world and the passion we share. Would I still have met these people owning a toyota camry and just hanging around forums/events? Maybe / maybe not ... so it just all depends on how much value you can attribute to your life beyond what the face value is of just owning one or having it sit in your garage.

It is true that the exotic market is over saturated , and it does not mean the same thing anymore as it did 15-20 years back when one was a rare sight on the roads.

I still love all of them though, and not only were cars motivation to help 'succeed' in the fastlane, but some days I still wake up 'yearning' for another one to try .... because 'why not'. With age I have also desired to actually 'drive' them less and less, but I do appreciate the art aspect of them tremendously.

I never bought to impress, get 'chicks', to show off or to pull up to any sort of clubs or valets. I love great machines almost like it's part of my DNA that just won't leave my body!

There is certainly nothing 'wrong' with owning one, and if played right can remain and/or increase in value and do not have to be a total money drain. For me the biggest cost of toys (any toys really) as I get older with increasing net worth, is the toll on my time.

I certainly do understand though the passion behind it, and the drive to succeed past a slowlane existence, to get your butt into one. Prices in (2022) have been outrageous on all toys in demand, so it will only require that much more work, perseverance, sacrifice and all else that makes the 'fastlane' work - but hey, isn't that the point? By the time I got into my first Lambo, my net worth and annual income was many times over what the car costed.

I'm very happy that cars were the passion and carrot to kick my butt in gear when I was young. I never was (and still not) motivated by 'utility' - I can only eat so much food and need so much physical space to be on a computer (actually I've always been happier with having 'less' in that regard). If not for a growing family give me a great two bedroom condo and we're all set

 

[biophase]

But I must also add that it all also depends on how you use the car and what you get out of it. Arizona today sports a HUGE car culture, with events upon events - to meet and connect with others.

I used to go to those events. But honestly I never had much in common with the people there. I had no idea how many hp my car had it which options. Plus when they wanted to go for a drive, it just wasn’t for me.

Funny thing is that the culture is prevalent in any niche. Substitute cars for any other hobby. Last summer, I was riding another forum member’s insanely expensive $12,000 mountain bike and was at the lift line. I heard a couple guys talking about how nice the bike was and the components on the bike. They asked me some question about the shock and I just said, I have no idea.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Antifragile]

I see certain cars as beautiful works of art.

I met tons of my current friends through the car world and the passion we share.

I had no idea how many hp my car had it which options.

This is interesting. For all the new and aspiring entrepreneurs on the forum, take notice. Here are two guys who have made it. They have the net worth. They owned super cars and yet their enjoyment came from totally different places. Let's dive in...
1. @biophase sees the cars as beautiful. He enjoyed his exotics because they gave him joy.
2. @fastlane_dad likes the cars but it's not even about the cars. Its people first - super cars are just a thing in common, a passion. The real joy comes from people and community.

$12,000 mountain bike and was at the lift line.

I am guilty of spending ludicrous amounts on my bikes, so I understand. During one race I came up to Calvin Macdonald (CEO of Lululemon, but I didn't know him at that time time, so he was just a Calvin to me) and complimented him on his taste in bikes. We had the same bike, so he laughed and we connected. We spent the next 2+ hours racing together (endurance events are like that, long!). It was a way to connect, to share our passions the way @fastlane_dad did with cars. The joy from buying one of the most expensive bikes in the world wasn't material.

And here we have @biophase enjoying the bike for what it has to offer, it's riding ability (totally opposite from his joy from the beauty of exotic cars), he's not staring at the bike like a work of art.

See, it doesn't matter your reasons but the common thread is this: both of these guys derived joy from such purchases. That's what it is all about. Not a short term boost of dopamine or an "ego boost". Nothing of the sort, instead a lasting joy from beauty to community. Fascinating, isn't it? I can certainly relate to both.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[fastlane_dad]

I used to go to those events. But honestly I never had much in common with the people there. I had no idea how many hp my car had it which options. Plus when they wanted to go for a drive, it just wasn’t for me.

Funny thing is that the culture is prevalent in any niche. Substitute cars for any other hobby. Last summer, I was riding another forum member’s insanely expensive $12,000 mountain bike and was at the lift line. I heard a couple guys talking about how nice the bike was and the components on the bike. They asked me some question about the shock and I just said, I have no idea.

Spot on - there are countless niches , passions and groups with which 'community' is created.

The crazy part is MANY times, entrepreneur fastlane riches are hidden within these communities to either support, service or sell products to the crowd. Whatever the products or services may be - I know I've paid ridiculous sums of money to sometimes try the latest 'quick spray on wax' or take it to the best detailer in town, etc.

 

[Fiza Hanif]

1. What and who is worth suffering for?
2. What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
3. Based on your daily habits, where will you be in 5-10-20 years?
4. What one thing, that if you started to do today would have the greatest impact on your life in 6 months?
5. What one thing that if you stopped doing today would have the greatest impact on your life in a week?
6. If you did not have to work to make a living anymore (business owners included), what would you do every day?
7. Who do you admire (past or present)?
8. What unreasonable and unrealistic dream do you have about your life? (Wouldn't it be nice if... )
9. If you were to touch every item you own with your hand, how many give you joy when you do? And why do you keep the rest?
10. What are your greatest accomplishments so far?

Great questions!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Fiza Hanif]

You don't change your personality, opinions or even clothes based on whom you're meeting that day. That's a sign of maturity.

Good one

 

[Fiza Hanif]

Add to the list folks! What makes you more creative?

Neutral observation. External or internal...

 

[biophase]

This is interesting. For all the new and aspiring entrepreneurs on the forum, take notice. Here are two guys who have made it. They have the net worth. They owned super cars and yet their enjoyment came from totally different places. Let's dive in...
1. @biophase sees the cars as beautiful. He enjoyed his exotics because they gave him joy.
2. @fastlane_dad likes the cars but it's not even about the cars. Its people first - super cars are just a thing in common, a passion. The real joy comes from people and community.



I am guilty of spending ludicrous amounts on my bikes, so I understand. During one race I came up to Calvin Macdonald (CEO of Lululemon, but I didn't know him at that time time, so he was just a Calvin to me) and complimented him on his taste in bikes. We had the same bike, so he laughed and we connected. We spent the next 2+ hours racing together (endurance events are like that, long!). It was a way to connect, to share our passions the way @fastlane_dad did with cars. The joy from buying one of the most expensive bikes in the world wasn't material.

And here we have @biophase enjoying the bike for what it has to offer, it's riding ability (totally opposite from his joy from the beauty of exotic cars), he's not staring at the bike like a work of art.

See, it doesn't matter your reasons but the common thread is this: both of these guys derived joy from such purchases. That's what it is all about. Not a short term boost of dopamine or an "ego boost". Nothing of the sort, instead a lasting joy from beauty to community. Fascinating, isn't it? I can certainly relate to both.

Thanks for sharing.

Yup you nailed it with me. The engineering within a car or bike are both amazing. But one I just look at and the other I use.

I could care less about the Brembo brakes and cross drilled rotors on a Ferrari. But on a mountain bike, I’ll pay more to get bigger brake rotors so they don’t fade on me.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MJ DeMarco]

On the other hand, I see certain cars as beautiful works of art. I like to look at them more than driving them. I can’t pay for a work of art to have it sit in a dark garage. If I had a huge garage that was merged into my living room, I would have a couple super cars.

Agree on this as a piece of art work. I would do this as well, I would love to have a beautiful exotic car sitting in the middle of my living room, under the lights, and shined to perfection. I don't view this the same as an exotic car garage where you display 10 vehicles, like a lot of HNW collectors do.

 

[biophase]

Agree on this as a piece of art work. I would do this as well, I would love to have a beautiful exotic car sitting in the middle of my living room, under the lights, and shined to perfection. I don't view this the same as an exotic car garage where you display 10 vehicles, like a lot of HNW collectors do.

New house goals!

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

Agree on this as a piece of art work. I would do this as well, I would love to have a beautiful exotic car sitting in the middle of my living room, under the lights, and shined to perfection. I don't view this the same as an exotic car garage where you display 10 vehicles, like a lot of HNW collectors do.

New house goals!

There's a bar in NOLA I went to with my buddies for my friend's bachelor party where they had these two cars displayed this way.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Guest-5ty5s4]

ya know, I have interacted with, replied to, and liked posts by @biophase sooo many times and I don't think he has ever liked or replied back once, ever.

 

[Antifragile]

ya know, I have interacted with, replied to, and liked posts by @biophase sooo many times and I don't think he has ever liked or replied back once, ever.

I liked your post to make you feel better. Pity like. But still counts, right?

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

I liked your post to make you feel better. Pity like. But still counts, right?

Yes. You’re so kind.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[AnneC]

ya know, I have interacted with, replied to, and liked posts by @biophase sooo many times and I don't think he has ever liked or replied back once, ever.

You have a higher probability of @biophase responding if you have a female forum name and your profile photo is of a cute blonde girl.

 

[Antifragile]

If you are so smart, why aren't you happy?