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Is Fastlane Forum your action fake?

Scot

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If anyone noticed, I've hardly logged into the forum over the past week.

I began to think about something. Is the Fastlane Forum my action fake? I scroll through the posting page, I comment, give value, learn and digest information.

I've commented hundreds of times, helped others and encouraged many more. I'm accomplishing a lot. Right?

My progress thread hasn't been touched. And worse, my "business" is at a stand still.

But man did I give lots of value on so and so's thread.


The beauty of my day job is the vast amount of free time I have in between sales calls. All of which I've spent here. Is it a self discipline problem? Probably. But it's a problem that disguised itself. After all, I was helping, that's good, right?

I'm not going anywhere, but you may see less of me for a bit. While I enjoy helping and contributing, I'm neglecting my own progress and development.


Don't let this forum be an action fake. Don't let your lack of discipline poison this website for you. Fastlane Forum is a virtual gold mine and an incredible resource that I wish every budding entrepreneur had. But too much of a good thing can bog you down.

@Vigilante posed this to us at the Tampa meetup. If you leave the meetup and come to the next one with no difference in your progress, you're wasting everyone's time. I don't want my only accomplishment at the next meetup to be my sweet post/like count.

Just some thoughts for today.
 
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G-Man

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Been wondering this a lot lately. I spend too much time on here. The only upside is that it genuinely has helped me keep a positive outlook and big picture view during the shitstorm of the past month.

Might just be rationalizing the time wasting, though.
 

Scot

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Been wondering this a lot lately. I spend too much time on here. The only upside is that it genuinely has helped me keep a positive outlook and big picture view during the shitstorm of the past month.

Might just be rationalizing the time wasting, though.

I've rationalized it a lot. And now I'm looking at my "business" wondering if I need to kill it. But I may be lying to myself on its viability because I don't want to post a failure on my progress thread.

If your time spent on business is focused on getting likes and comments on a progress thread... you are doing things very wrong.
 

fandeuler

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If anyone noticed, I've hardly logged into the forum over the past week.

I began to think about something. Is the Fastlane Forum my action fake? I scroll through the posting page, I comment, give value, learn and digest information.

I've commented hundreds of times, helped others and encouraged many more. I'm accomplishing a lot. Right?

My progress thread hasn't been touched. And worse, my "business" is at a stand still.

But man did I give lots of value on so and so's thread.


The beauty of my day job is the vast amount of free time I have in between sales calls. All of which I've spent here. Is it a self discipline problem? Probably. But it's a problem that disguised itself. After all, I was helping, that's good, right?

I'm not going anywhere, but you may see less of me for a bit. While I enjoy helping and contributing, I'm neglecting my own progress and development.


Don't let this forum be an action fake. Don't let your lack of discipline poison this website for you. Fastlane Forum is a virtual gold mine and an incredible resource that I wish every budding entrepreneur had. But too much of a good thing can bog you down.


Just some thoughts for today.
I completely agree, it's easy to get caught up in reading here and replying to threads for hours and hours. Sometimes it's nice to take a break here to relax and see what's going on however still need to remain disciplined in your tasks to make sure you are completing what needs to be done.
 
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G-Man

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But I may be lying to myself on its viability because I don't want to post a failure on my progress thread.

  1. No one here will look down on you if you have a failure
  2. If we did, who gives a F*ck? At the end of the day, we're basically still strangers on the internet.
 

Scot

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  1. No one here will look down on you if you have failure
  2. If we did, who gives a F*ck? At the end of the day, we're basically still strangers on the internet.


Yeah, I get that for sure. Failures are actually celebrated here. It's more of a, not wanting to admit it to myself.
 
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I was heavily active here when I first joined and then took maybe 6 months off with only one or two posts. Not because it was an action fake but I think for some it will allow you to feel like your moving forward but action may be required at that point. I used to read couple hours a day and give out advise etc, but I needed to be in more of a action phase at that time. It's probably different per person of how much time they need/can spend on here and why.

I think proper use of the forum which I do now is more along the lines of getting actionable advice or researching topics that I'm currently acting on and seeking information. I maybe only "browse" for fun 2-3 threads a day. Anything else posts/reading serves a practical purpose.
 

G-Man

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Yeah, I get that for sure. Failures are actually celebrated here. It's more of a, not wanting to admit it to myself.

Maybe it's a failure and you have to admit it to yourself.

Maybe this situation will open you up to possibilities that you don't currently see for success.

3 weeks ago we were looking at locking the doors and walking away. Anything can happen. No matter what happens, you just became a more valuable asset to yourself.
 

fandeuler

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I've rationalized it a lot. And now I'm looking at my "business" wondering if I need to kill it. But I may be lying to myself on its viability because I don't want to post a failure on my progress thread.

If your time spent on business is focused on getting likes and comments on a progress thread... you are doing things very wrong.

I think before you decide to kill the business you need to consider what am I doing, what has worked or hasn't worked, what can be done better, did I research my product well, how can I better research products in the future, what are my competitors or similar businesses doing, etc... Basically analyze what you've done so then you can figure out a way to make this business work or at least turn it into a well thought out learning experience so then you know not to make the same mistakes with future businesses.
 
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MJ DeMarco

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I have no co-workers.

I have no break-room.

I have no peers to chat with as I sit at my desk.

Action fake?

Naw, you guys are my peeps, my comrades in battle, and my water-cooler.

:blush:
 

Scot

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I have no co-workers.

I have no break-room.

I have no peers to chat with as I sit at my desk.

Action fake?

Naw, you guys are my peeps, my comrades in battle, and my water-cooler.

:blush:

Agreed.

I just find myself being "that guy" who's been hovering around the water cooler instead of doing my TPS Reports. IMG_6249.JPG

Edit: This thread is here to show people my mistake and to make people aware that they can action fake by over indulging here.
 

c_morris

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As a newbie, I think that the information on here is priceless. I'm spending a lot of time in here trying to absorb as much as I can, as quickly as I can. If I'm still doing it a month from now without any progress, then it's time to go away and work.

Sent from my Galaxy S7 using Tapatalk
 
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Scot

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As a newbie, I think that the information on here is priceless. I'm spending a lot of time in here trying to absorb as much as I can, as quickly as I can. If I'm still doing it a month from now without any progress, then it's time to go away and work.

Sent from my Galaxy S7 using Tapatalk

Exactly. This forum can help propel your business to great heights. But it won't get anywhere without you behind the wheel.
 

Andy Black

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I have no co-workers.

I have no break-room.

I have no peers to chat with as I sit at my desk.

Action fake?

Naw, you guys are my peeps, my comrades in battle, and my water-cooler.

:blush:
I didn't even recognise the new avatar when I Liked this, quoted it, then wondered who wrote it.

This forum is also my water-cooler.



A while ago I wondered if I was in here too much, tried to log in less, realised I couldn't, so decided to go all-in instead.



Logging in daily has definitely helped me, but I don't browse the forum aimlessly.

I follow interesting people doing interesting things and use my News Feed. Where else will you get to see so many people doing so many different things but with the same entrepreneurial and generous mindset?

I rarely browse the list of most recent posts as that's how you lose hours getting distracted.

The danger is getting sucked into arguments and pointless discussions, but that's the same as IRL.



Don't underestimate how much quicker you learn when you try to teach as well.

The clarity I get from articulating my own thoughts while helping others has been very helpful for me.

I've probably got enough material to write a few small books in here - if I could but find it all.


I can't remember who I was talking to about this, maybe @Fox?, but we both agreed that repeating ourselves so much has also helped us in sales situations. Our stories just flow better.

We get to the point quicker too (or not in my case).


I've found great partners in here.

Many forum members have referred me to businesses outside the forum and brought me probably 6 figures in business.

I've created an accidental podcast by recording chats with fellow forum members.

Forum members have kept me going by PM'ing the occasional thanks and story of how something I've posted has helped them.


I've given a lot, but I've received a lot more.
 

Scot

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I didn't even recognise the new avatar when I Liked this, quoted it, then wondered who wrote it.

This forum is also my water-cooler.



A while ago I wondered if I was in here too much, tried to log in less, realised I couldn't, so decided to go all-in instead.



Logging in daily has definitely helped me, but I don't browse the forum aimlessly.

I follow interesting people doing interesting things and use my News Feed. Where else will you get to see so many people doing so many different things but with the same entrepreneurial and generous mindset?

I rarely browse the list of most recent posts as that's how you lose hours getting distracted.

The danger is getting sucked into arguments and pointless discussions, but that's the same as IRL.



Don't underestimate how much quicker you learn when you try to teach as well.

The clarity I get from articulating my own thoughts while helping others has been very helpful for me.

I've probably got enough material to write a few small books in here - if I could but find it all.


I can't remember who I was talking to about this, maybe @Fox?, but we both agreed that repeating ourselves so much has also helped us in sales situations. Our stories just flow better.

We get to the point quicker too (or not in my case).


I've found great partners in here.

Many forum members have referred me to businesses outside the forum and brought me probably 6 figures in business.

I've created an accidental podcast by recording chats with fellow forum members.

Forum members have kept me going by PM'ing the occasional thanks and story of how something I've posted has helped them.


I've given a lot, but I've received a lot more.

Awesome wrote up Andy. This is where I want to be. The forum is a great resource and I need to treat it as such. But I need to be productive with it.

As with any business tool, it needs to be leveraged properly.
 
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MidwestLandlord

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I have no co-workers.

I have no break-room.

I have no peers to chat with as I sit at my desk.

Action fake?

Naw, you guys are my peeps, my comrades in battle, and my water-cooler.

:blush:

So much this.

I agree with you @Scot , that this place can be an action fake.

But this entrepreneur gig can be kinda lonely, and this place gives me somewhere I can talk to people about business, and they actually understand what I am saying.

Most people in my life can't "talk shop" because they don't have a "shop" to talk about, ya know?

On the inside I get direct, actionable, money making advice...and on the outside I get to talk to y'all and that helps solidify thoughts in my head about various things, plus it's entertaining. I greatly enjoy providing value where I can as well.

I've learned so much here, and now I am applying it. If all people do is read and not apply the info though? Yeah, action fake.
 

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Naw, you guys are my peeps, my comrades in battle, and my water-cooler.

This. At most businesses, you've got your team or colleagues to talk shop with. When you're a solopreneur, you need this kind of community, or a circle, or a hangouts group, or something, to keep your feet on the ground and keep you from going crazy. When you're doing this stuff, you are a stranger in a strange land. You need somewhere that's not going to sweat you for putting that $80K into a fix-and-flip rather than an IRA.
 

Scot

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@MidwestLandlord and @RHL thanks for putting that into perspective.

I find myself very lonely when it comes to talking shop. I can't talk with my coworkers because moonlighting is very frowned upon in my industry. But you're right, the forum is definitely a place where we are amongst friends and likeminded individuals.
 
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million$$$smile

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If I'm going to be online reading, I'll take this over Facebook any day of the week. I can identify with you here unlike FB for the most part.

If your building a new business, the time will take care of itself, if your excited about building it... You won't be on here as much.
 

G-Man

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If I'm going to be online reading, I'll take this over Facebook any day of the week.

Now that I think of it, since I started on this forum, I never look at Facebook any more. So,... a better water cooler it is!
 

RHL

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I can't talk with my coworkers because moonlighting is very frowned upon in my industry.

What you work on and talk about on FLF isn't moonlighting. Moonlighting is what you're doing while you're at work.
 
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Scot

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What you work on and talk about on FLF isn't moonlighting. Moonlighting is what you're doing while you're at work.

No I mean, if I tell my coworkers im building a company on the side, that would be a bad idea. The last thing I need is a manager saying "oh the reason why your numbers are down is because you are working on something else" My job doesn't really have "off time".
 

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What you work on and talk about on FLF isn't moonlighting. Moonlighting is what you're doing while you're at work.

Quote of the day. It would be like saying your 9-5 is your side gig. :clench:
 

Scot

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I can be for sure but there are a lot of benefits too.

I have learned A LOT reading here, I have built a FB group with 1300+ people from here and Reddit and also built a huge network through PMs, FB and coaching. Sure there are sometimes I just goof off and read random threads but on the whole its been a massive plus. The last few weeks my posting amount has been less now that business is picking up even more.

It is very easy to kill a few productive hours though if not kept in check. I have had to lock down my urge to post gifs and memes although a few still slip through. I feel similar to what MJ posted above in that I work by myself and being in Colombia I don't have to many people to discuss business with offline.
 

G-Man

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I feel similar to what MJ posted above in that I work by myself and being in Colombia I don't have to many people to discuss business with offline.

This kind of applies for people that aren't solopreneurs, too. I can't discuss most of the shit that I'm trying to figure out with the people that work for me.

When the company was almost broke and I was getting PMs from @Scot @MidwestLandlord and @jpanarra you can be sure I wasn't having those discussions with folks on our payroll.

Even if you work in a building full of people, you may still have no other entrepreneurial folks to talk to.
 

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But this entrepreneur gig can be kinda lonely, and this place gives me somewhere I can talk to people about business, and they actually understand what I am saying.

Most people in my life can't "talk shop" because they don't have a "shop" to talk about, ya know?

I am very early in my true entrepreneurship journey but this ^^^^^^^. I spent far too many years hanging out in the wrong online places (haven't had coworkers for nearly 10 years!) and let me tell you, you end up like the people you hang with. That's why I'm here, I feel like I don't want to be a leech, but I don't have too much to offer valuewise, so I try to just read the gold/notable threads and not just be that couch surfer who never leaves. :smuggy:
 
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Even if you work in a building full of people, you may still have no other entrepreneurial folks to talk to.


Funny thing, I just posted a strip comic about this same exact issue I deal with at my work place. Everyone at my workplace celebrates fridays and dreads mondays like the rest of the United States. Where to me they both are indifferent and has no major impact on my work cycle and it drives me nuts, when i try to explain it to them they are dumbfounded and amazed that i have so much "energy" to keep going.

Also, what I noticed for me this forum is a good momentum boost for me in the morning. I usually browse/read/post in the mornings and ideas come up on my mind and i put them down in Trello/OneNote which is only a tab away. Also, the conversations we have on here is a huge boost when it comes to knowledge and motivation.

I could argue that my first few months on here, I was very active and you could say I was action faking, but it was a process where the actionfake eventually became real action and started getting me results. If it wasnt for this fourm, i'll probably still be action faking thinking i was being productive, now i know to ask myself, "what is the value in what im doing right now and when will it bring it to me" because of that, I know I'll make it sooner than later.. So thanks to all of you guys!
 

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Everyone at my workplace celebrates fridays and dreads mondays like the rest of the United States.

Monday is my favorite day of the week, no lie.

I kind of dread Fridays because the weekend is coming and it's hard to get things done on the weekend with everybody else at home being lazy!

I am very early in my true entrepreneurship journey but this ^^^^^^^. I spent far too many years hanging out in the wrong online places (haven't had coworkers for nearly 10 years!) and let me tell you, you end up like the people you hang with. That's why I'm here, I feel like I don't want to be a leech, but I don't have too much to offer valuewise, so I try to just read the gold/notable threads and not just be that couch surfer who never leaves. :smuggy:

Wrong online places? Yeah...been there, done that, bought the t shirt. (probably from one of the t shirt entrepreneurs on this forum haha)

This is the only forum I'm on now. I don't even use facebook or anything (I have a FB account, but just so I can talk to family via FB messenger)

I even use to hang out in that cesspool of loneliness and despair known as "Reddit" lol

Oh, and you have an almost 3:1 like to comment ratio so...I disagree on your "don't have too much to offer value wise" comment. Just sayin'
 

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