Andy Black
Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
LEGACY MEMBER
To date I've had 700+ PMs with fellow forum members.
(EDIT: 3,500+ PMs now.)
I PM to give thanks for following me or for giving me rep. I always ask how things are going, and strike up a brief conversation.
I've noticed some common themes from these conversations (especially with people trying to get started or trying to "get traction").
My main learnings are that:
Sound familiar?
There's been some classic GOLD threads addressing this, and here's a few:
I wrote a post along similar lines:
And Justin Jackson wrote a great article here:
In my opinion:
If your goal is to help others, then things get a lot less complicated.
If your goal is to help others, then you're less likely to get in your own way - because you're not even in the picture anymore.
If your goal is to help others, then you'll realise that giving thanks to other forum members can add a lot of value to their lives, and to the forum. (We know we should give to receive, but I'd no idea of the power of "giving thanks" until I thanked so many people in the forum.)
A few months ago I decided to "learn to create talking head videos".
I got tangled up that first evening, because my goal was wrong.
My goal was to create a video.
My goal was not to say "thank you" to @SinisterLex for the videos he was adding to the forum.
I screwed up.
I over-complicated things.
I got in my own way.
I believed I couldn't add value to the forum.
All because I was thinking about "me", and not thinking about Lex.
After I gave myself a stern talking to, I created my very first talking head video.
Here it is (and it's very relevant to this thread):
I've done 16 videos so far, and it's not until this evening that I've noticed a common theme.
Here's another video that might help you:
Here's another where I talk about my "founding story"... a story from 2009 that still sends shivers down my spine when I remember it:
I talk a bit more about that story in this radio interview.
(EDIT: 3,500+ PMs now.)
I PM to give thanks for following me or for giving me rep. I always ask how things are going, and strike up a brief conversation.
I've noticed some common themes from these conversations (especially with people trying to get started or trying to "get traction").
My main learnings are that:
- People often over-complicate things.
- People often get in their own way.
- People often believe they can't give value to the forum yet (saying nice things like "I'd love to give back when I can add value.")
Sound familiar?
There's been some classic GOLD threads addressing this, and here's a few:
- Save Yourself Years of Frustration; It Worked For Me! (Thanks @MustImprove)
- Getting started is this simple... (Thanks @RHL)
- The "Astonishing Secrets" Thread (Thanks @IceCreamKid)
I wrote a post along similar lines:
And Justin Jackson wrote a great article here:
In my opinion:
- Over-complicating things, getting in your own way, and not believing you can add value are all symptoms of the same thing.
- Each of the posts listed above are trying to address this exact same thing.
- The symptoms above are all related to being "me" centric, and the posts above are all ways to stop being "me" centric.
If your goal is to help others, then things get a lot less complicated.
If your goal is to help others, then you're less likely to get in your own way - because you're not even in the picture anymore.
If your goal is to help others, then you'll realise that giving thanks to other forum members can add a lot of value to their lives, and to the forum. (We know we should give to receive, but I'd no idea of the power of "giving thanks" until I thanked so many people in the forum.)
A few months ago I decided to "learn to create talking head videos".
I got tangled up that first evening, because my goal was wrong.
My goal was to create a video.
My goal was not to say "thank you" to @SinisterLex for the videos he was adding to the forum.
I screwed up.
I over-complicated things.
I got in my own way.
I believed I couldn't add value to the forum.
All because I was thinking about "me", and not thinking about Lex.
After I gave myself a stern talking to, I created my very first talking head video.
Here it is (and it's very relevant to this thread):
I've done 16 videos so far, and it's not until this evening that I've noticed a common theme.
Here's another video that might help you:
Here's another where I talk about my "founding story"... a story from 2009 that still sends shivers down my spine when I remember it:
I talk a bit more about that story in this radio interview.
Who will you help this week?
Who will you thank today?
Who will you thank today?
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Last edited:
Membership Required: Upgrade to Expose Nearly 1,000,000 Posts
Ready to Unleash the Millionaire Entrepreneur in You?
Become a member of the Fastlane Forum, the private community founded by best-selling author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur MJ DeMarco. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has poured his heart and soul into the Fastlane Forum, helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time, win their financial freedom, and live their best life.
With more than 39,000 posts packed with insights, strategies, and advice, you’re not just a member—you’re stepping into MJ’s inner-circle, a place where you’ll never be left alone.
Become a member and gain immediate access to...
- Active Community: Ever join a community only to find it DEAD? Not at Fastlane! As you can see from our home page, life-changing content is posted dozens of times daily.
- Exclusive Insights: Direct access to MJ DeMarco’s daily contributions and wisdom.
- Powerful Networking Opportunities: Connect with a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs who can offer mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities.
- Proven Strategies: Learn from the best in the business, with actionable advice and strategies that can accelerate your success.
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most..."
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Surround yourself with millionaire success. Join Fastlane today!
Join Today