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2018: A Year In Review (How Was Yours?)

A detailed account of a Fastlane process...
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GuestUser4aMPs1

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With 2018 in the twilight, It's that time to reflect over the past year's progress and plan the next.
  • What things went well?
  • What are the biggest lessons learned?
  • What would have you done differently?
  • Knowing that, what could you improve on moving forward?

With 2019...
  • What did you learn about yourself? How will that shape your 2019 goals?
  • If you knew you could never fail, what would you do?
  • What is your plan?

Just some things to spur discussion. I'll post mine once everything's accounted for.

GO!
 
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maikooo

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  1. What things went well?
  2. What are the biggest lessons learned?
  3. What would have you done differently?
  4. Knowing that, what could you improve on moving forward?
With 2019...
  1. What did you learn about yourself? How will that shape your 2019 goals?
  2. If you knew you could never fail, what would you do?
  3. What is your plan?
2018
  1. Made $$$ with my "own hands", in this case, my own head, and skills acquired during the slow-laner life. Learned tons of stuff by doing so which I can use for the next biz idea
  2. Don't start a podcast unless you have a product/service and the podcast is part of your marketing & sales strategy
  3. I'd have expressed my expectations better in negotiations. Some deals just don't work for you and there is nothing bad about saying "no".
  4. Learn to say "no". Biz deals need to work well for both sides!
2019
  1. I can do anything I wish for. There are tons of resources everywhere and with maximum focus, dedication, and resilience I can do anything.
  2. Went to Casino and played until they go bankrupt :)
  3. Help other people and grow a business! Money is the byproduct of how well you are serving your customers!
 

Required

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Good questions!

About reflecting previous year, I would suggest some more questions to the conversation


What was your:

  • Wisest decision you made...
  • Biggest risk you took...
  • Biggest surprise of the year...
  • Most important thing you did for others...
  • Biggest thing you completed...
 

LiveEntrepreneur

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With 2018 in the twilight, It's that time to reflect over the past year's progress and plan the next.
  • What things went well?
  • What are the biggest lessons learned?
  • What would have you done differently?
  • Knowing that, what could you improve on moving forward?

With 2019...
  • What did you learn about yourself? How will that shape your 2019 goals?
  • If you knew you could never fail, what would you do?
  • What is your plan?

Just some things to spur discussion. I'll post mine once everything's accounted for.

GO!
Was an ok year. I feel like I make progress every year but it's too slow.

  • What things went well? - I learned to deliver value, a lot of mindset improvements, still working on it though. No financial improvements.

  • What are the biggest lessons learned? Really difficult to say, not sure if I even have one. But there were a few important things. One is having a why for what you are doing. If you don't you will feel lost and it won't make sense.
I guess self-discipline is another one. I learnt that motivation doesn't last, when it gets tough you will lose it quite quickly. So it's important to have enough self-discipline to get it done.

Another crucial one I think is that you simply learn by doing. I got caught too much in the cycle of reading books, watching courses and then saying to myself "What do I do now?", or "Why haven't I learnt anything". It's like I guess having one guy who has read 100 books on swimming versus someone who hasn't read books on swimming but has 100 hours of practice, it's pretty obvious who will be the better swimmer.

  • What would have you done differently? - I did make an app for experience but ultimately made no money on it. Though it wasn't my goal I could of probably gone better ways about it, like a shopify store or something. I might of taken "Provide value" too literally lol.

  • Knowing that, what could you improve on moving forward? I could definitely improve on taking more action.
 
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Rabby

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What things went well?
We did fine, despite dropping a whole product category. The logistics got so much easier that half our work went away. We lost a small amount of revenue, but our net profit actually improved.

What are the biggest lessons learned?
I was disturbed about dropping something that represented six figures in revenue. I shouldn't have been. It was barely better than a break-even part of the business, and we replaced it with more profitable offerings -- more of what the market obviously wanted. (Or, wanted enough to pay the real price for it.) "Fixing" the old version of our product so that it was more profitable was a losing battle compared to offering the people what they really needed or wanted. Which is convenience, online delivery, instant automated kaboom done. Plus, we gained a level in quality control and actually improved our offerings in the process. Looking back, I could have reversed the decision to change things if it turned disastrous, so I shouldn't have sweat it in the first place.

What would have you done differently?
Done away with the inefficiency two years earlier, I guess. Built the systems and controls that I'm building now when I was 10 years old ;) But alas, I can not time travel. Yet.

Knowing that, what could you improve on moving forward?
Decisive risk-taking. Or uncertainty-navigating, is perhaps a better term. If you're worried you're going to break something, in reality you're probably strangling it to death instead of letting it adapt to the market.

With 2019...
What did you learn about yourself? How will that shape your 2019 goals?
I'm a scaredy-cat. I also learned that I'm slowwww at executing things myself, because I have a lot of hats that I can wear and be distracted by. A lot of what I'm doing for 2019 is making the plan and the controls for ensuring execution, and incentivizing the right person to do the actual execution. I'm not all the way there on things like product development, which I still tend to do myself, but I need to get there.

If you knew you could never fail, what would you do?
Probably the same things I do now. Maybe if failure was absolutely impossible I would extend more?

What is your plan?

I have two products which have grown out of my business, neither of which is monetized yet. Which is to say, not enough people are benefiting from them. We think we can make our in-house developed management software market ready in the first quarter. Which of course means the end of the second quarter, because software. I plan to start marketing it early, and to pass a passable marketing system over to my executor to implement and improve. Second product is content, more scalable than what we're selling now, and the plan is already written... so following through with that is the plan.
 

Tidder Jail

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I got caught too much in the cycle of reading books, watching courses and then saying to myself "What do I do now?", or "Why haven't I learnt anything". It's like I guess having one guy who has read 100 books on swimming versus someone who hasn't read books on swimming but has 100 hours of practice, it's pretty obvious who will be the better swimmer.

This is pretty much me, what have you done to change that ?
 

Thomas Baptiste

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  • What things went well?
  • What are the biggest lessons learned?
  • What would have you done differently?
  • Knowing that, what could you improve on moving forward?

Joined the community after reading TMF and pondering on what to do next with my life. I quit my slowlane job that was sucking the life out of me, and started a paid internship that will hopefully result in something mutually beneficial.

Biggest lesson I learned in 2018 is to not take life for granted. I learned to appreciate and protect my time, health, relationships, entertainment, and ambitions.

I regret not taking control of my life earlier. Looking back on it, I went through a lot of suffering because I refused to be responsible for myself/ my life.

Going forward I simply want my 2019 to not be a repeat of 2018. Wish it will be a progressive year not for just me, but for everyone here in the community. You guys are great. Happy New Year!
 
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The-J

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A lot has changed.

I took a J-O-B for the first time in a while. I had been freelancing for years, started several ill-fated projects that lost thousands, and was offered an opportunity to work with a Fastlane forum member at a very fast growing company. I took it.

Zero regrets. I'm now in a position to drive growth in a fast growing business that's changing the way people buy in that category. It's been harder than anything i've done before.

Most jobs suck the life out of you. This job actually energizes and motivates me to grow as an entrepreneur and as a person. I don't dread Mondays. It's exposed some of my most glaring weaknesses, and it's hard and uncomfortable to deal with those. But it's been a blessing, even though getting a JOB is seen kind of negatively around here.

2019 is going to be interesting, to say the least.
 
Last edited:
G

GuestUser4aMPs1

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Made $$$ with my "own hands", in this case, my own head, and skills acquired during the slow-laner life. Learned tons of stuff by doing so which I can use for the next biz idea
Awesome Progress! Those first sales are always the best :)

Don't start a podcast unless you have a product/service and the podcast is part of your marketing & sales strategy
AMEN. I see this happen way too often to admit.
 

Rabby

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This is pretty much me, what have you done to change that ?

Not the OP, but I've felt the same way before. One thing you can do is set aside time every day to make something before you can spend time reading. It can be the worst thing you ever made. Stick illustrations, an absolutely terrible info-product, or play-doh. But get in the habit of actually implementing an idea in physical form every day. At least for a while. It helps break the handcuffs.
 
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G

GuestUser4aMPs1

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This is pretty much me, what have you done to change that ?

I've just changed my approach / reasons for reading.

1: Figure out what you want.
2: Figure out what's standing in the way of what you want.
3: Take action on that "thing." If there's a chasm, build a bridge.
4: Don't know what action to take? Ask someone who's been there. Take action.
5: Still clueless? Read to find out a possible solution. Then take action.

Easier said than done, I know.
But if you're reading just for reading's sake, you probably won't learn anything.

If you read to solve a specific problem and apply it,
those lessons will be with you forever.

Of course, this doesn't discount the importance of reading in general to stay well rounded and sharp. That kind of reading will make you aware of answers you weren't even looking for. Just don't let it be the detriment.
 

Timmy C

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  • What things went well? Found the Fastlane Forum and @MJ DeMarco books. that's about it to be honest.
  • What are the biggest lessons learned?
  • Lesson 1.Your job is not secure.
  • Lesson 2. Some people are not worth having in your life, accept it move on.
    Lesson 3. Money matters alot.
  • Lesson 4. don't try make a relationship work, its either a hell yes! or a hell no!
  • Lesson 5. Learnt how brutal and cruel life can be, life doesn't care your age, lost 2 people this year both at the ripe age of 30.
  • Lesson 6. Cherish your loved ones and dont have regrets.

  • What would have you done differently?
  • I wouldn't have done a whole lot differently these are all lesson and experiences i will take with me down the road.
  • Knowing that, what could you improve on moving forward?
  • finding happiness every day, have quality time with loved ones. Play golf with the old man, go for a walk with mum with the dogs, be more apart of my nephews and nieces lives.

With 2019...
  • What did you learn about yourself? How will that shape your 2019 goals? I learnt i am tougher than i thought, been in some dark places this year. Through everything i have gone through this year my 2019 will not have a second wasted on this planet. I have educated myself,read more books and taken more action the last half of this year than i have my entire life. This will continue.
  • If you knew you could never fail, what would you do? Open up a MMA gym.
  • What is your plan? To continue trying to build my business, keep taking swings at the plate, so i can own my time.
  • Build my bank account back up again.
  • Beat my addictions a$$.
  • spend time with people who dont treat me like crap to make themselves feel better.
  • Value my time more, dont give it away so easily, especially to people or activities that dont help you reach those goals.
 

Jeff Noel

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What things went well?
I've been able to support my relationship financially through my girlfriend's business startup, which meant taking monthly expenses on my shoulders alone. The newly diagnosed health condition of my girlfriend also fixed a lot of health issues she had quite often. It gives her more control on her life, which also took out a look of stress and worries away.

What are the biggest lessons learned?
I'm lazy. I'm so lazy.

What would have you done differently?
Execute. Try, fail or succeed, but keep trying whatever happens and go through with my ideas.

Knowing that, what could you improve on moving forward?
Stop starring at people on their way to success (or already there) and concentrate on paving my way to financial freedom, which means: execute.

-------------------

With 2019...
What did you learn about yourself? How will that shape your 2019 goals?
See lesson learned; I will work on small achievable objectives instead of freezing while looking at the big picture. Concentrate on small steps.

If you knew you could never fail, what would you do?
Racetracks ownership to gain leverage, then motorcycle and car racing. All the way.
What is your plan?
Take responsibility for my life and my average living conditions. Develop wealth and money in small bits on a weekly basis to create the habit.
 
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LiveEntrepreneur

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This is pretty much me, what have you done to change that ?

Hey sorry didn't reply didn't see your message. This is a very tough one, I've been struggling with it for years. I can't wait till the day and make a post on this forum telling people how to fix it, but until then this is what I can tell you. This is what I believe is working so far:


* Take as much action as possible. I'll try to be specfic here as much as possible, I know just saying "Take action" is confusing. Basically if you are learning something like programming for example. Let's say you are learning the basics, and the first thing you learn is variables. Spend the next few days experimenting with it, DON'T move onto another topic. Play around with it until you are comfortable with it. What do I mean by experiment?

Move things around, try different scenarios, or better yet make a small project out of it. Remember the best way to learn is by doing. So try to make it as practical as possible. So if you are like me and overthink everything and need a step by step solution it would look like this:

Step 1: Learn what variables are
Step 2: Make a few mini projects until you are comfortable with them
Step 3: Move onto the next topic
Step 4: Repeat

Focus is one thing that I think was killing me when learning stuff, try to be focused by sticking with one topic at a time. It's like learning an instrument. If you are trying to learn 30 different drums beats in one day you probably won't remember them. Just do one and experiment with it.

Now, let's say you have learned the basics of programming, they cover topics such as this:

* Variables
* If statements
* For loops
* classes
*interfaces

After you have learned everything and experimented everything, now it's time to try and combine anything and try make as many projects as possible. You will build your skills, and problems solving abiltiies this way. And once you have a handle on the basics you can start doing more advanced stuff. You can also combine 2 concepts at once like varibles + if statements this I also recommend, and make projects based off that.

Moral of the story is you learning by doing not by reading. Here is some additional tips that I would recommend that work for me and I think they will work for you. If you are reading a book for example, don't just read the whole way through it. Keep looking for information that you can implement. Find things that are actionable. For example if you read the book 7 habits of highly effective people, and your goal is to improve yourself.

One of the chapters says looking for win-win situations. So what you can do is, everytime you are reading have a small notepad with you and split it into 2 sides. One side will say "What I've learned?", the other side might say "how will I implement this?". Like this:

What have I learned? . how will I implement this?
Look for win-win situations . Discuss possible solutions with other party

Be polite . I'll greet people nicely


It could like something like this list above.

One book that I really must mention that you should read, which will make your life easier is called "How to be an imperfectionist" by Stephen Guise. (Thanks @HackVenture ! for that).


Good luck on your journey!
 

Tidder Jail

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Hey sorry didn't reply didn't see your message. This is a very tough one, I've been struggling with it for years. I can't wait till the day and make a post on this forum telling people how to fix it, but until then this is what I can tell you. This is what I believe is working so far:


* Take as much action as possible. I'll try to be specfic here as much as possible, I know just saying "Take action" is confusing. Basically if you are learning something like programming for example. Let's say you are learning the basics, and the first thing you learn is variables. Spend the next few days experimenting with it, DON'T move onto another topic. Play around with it until you are comfortable with it. What do I mean by experiment?

Move things around, try different scenarios, or better yet make a small project out of it. Remember the best way to learn is by doing. So try to make it as practical as possible. So if you are like me and overthink everything and need a step by step solution it would look like this:

Step 1: Learn what variables are
Step 2: Make a few mini projects until you are comfortable with them
Step 3: Move onto the next topic
Step 4: Repeat

Focus is one thing that I think was killing me when learning stuff, try to be focused by sticking with one topic at a time. It's like learning an instrument. If you are trying to learn 30 different drums beats in one day you probably won't remember them. Just do one and experiment with it.

Now, let's say you have learned the basics of programming, they cover topics such as this:

* Variables
* If statements
* For loops
* classes
*interfaces

After you have learned everything and experimented everything, now it's time to try and combine anything and try make as many projects as possible. You will build your skills, and problems solving abiltiies this way. And once you have a handle on the basics you can start doing more advanced stuff. You can also combine 2 concepts at once like varibles + if statements this I also recommend, and make projects based off that.

Moral of the story is you learning by doing not by reading. Here is some additional tips that I would recommend that work for me and I think they will work for you. If you are reading a book for example, don't just read the whole way through it. Keep looking for information that you can implement. Find things that are actionable. For example if you read the book 7 habits of highly effective people, and your goal is to improve yourself.

One of the chapters says looking for win-win situations. So what you can do is, everytime you are reading have a small notepad with you and split it into 2 sides. One side will say "What I've learned?", the other side might say "how will I implement this?". Like this:

What have I learned? . how will I implement this?
Look for win-win situations . Discuss possible solutions with other party

Be polite . I'll greet people nicely


It could like something like this list above.

One book that I really must mention that you should read, which will make your life easier is called "How to be an imperfectionist" by Stephen Guise. (Thanks @HackVenture ! for that).


Good luck on your journey!
Thank you :smile2:
 

maikooo

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  1. Wisest decision you made...
  2. Biggest risk you took...
  3. Biggest surprise of the year...
  4. Most important thing you did for others...
  5. Biggest thing you completed...
  1. Follow up on cold emails 2x
  2. Negotiating with a guy I have known for a long time and we had sort of a mini-mastermind, having lunch every month.
  3. Affirmations DO work
  4. Inspired them with my hard work
  5. Landed paying clients in 3 months
 
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maikooo

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1: Figure out what you want.
2: Figure out what's standing in the way of what you want.
3: Take action on that "thing." If there's a chasm, build a bridge.
4: Don't know what action to take? Ask someone who's been there. Take action.
5: Still clueless? Read to find out a possible solution. Then take action.
.

THIS ^^
 

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