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Guest92dX

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In order of most important things you need to do:

1. Destroy your delusions completely. Meditation, yoga, fitness, and other mental and physical activities help with this. I guarantee you haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg yet.

2. Start seeking out things that destroy or better yet deconstruct your worldview and biases. If it's politics then look at both sides of argument. If it's religion then look at both sides of an argument. If it's relationships then look at both sides of argument. If it's xyz then look at all sides of argument. Also, look for FACTS.

3. Get a hobby. Any hobby that DOESN'T make money. You need something you value and believe is good in it's own right. It will help center you and give you a higher purpose.

4. Join a gym. Do bodyweight training. It helps with making you functionally stronger and will give you MUCH more confidence in yourself than pumping weights. There's nothing great about being able to bench more than you weigh, but you CAN'T lift your girlfriend over your head with one arm. Most of those big guys in the gym can't do that. I know because I was one of them. Weights DON'T equal strength.

5. Get a job and start saving while you're in college. Do your best to keep college debt down. If you're solely on loans then you should reconsider. There are graduates (yes PhDs and M.S.) without work. There are people from Top 5% colleges that are jobless in this market.

6. Compete as hard as you can for internships so you can ultimately manage that crazy college debt. There are internships out there that pay in excess of $10K over the summer with food and housing. There were people I knew who had $30K to $50k saved up by graduation.

7. Get a job after college and start grinding out a business.

**If you can at all then move in with your parents to reduce all debt. Don't just go and get an apartment because you can. You don't want any unnecessary expenses. If you absolutely need an environment change then make it happen. Otherwise, you should focus on just starting your business. There is no glory in being on your own and broke. Relationships and everything else should be taking a backseat anyway.

Fyi - dating sites have statistically proven that you really aren't even SEEN as a catch until 34 - 45. Then you decline in total interest. Unless you're fit, wealthy, and socially well adjusted at 22, you won't be having many partners.

The caveat is if you have destroyed all your delusions. The fact does still remain that women date older men and men typically date younger women.


8. Read business books. The best business books read like a CASUAL text book. Here are some examples and also books you should read or preferably listen to. Each book in bold should be listened to around 4 or more times as they are the most valuable. You will learn something new each time. I guarantee you. If it's not in bold then listening or reading once is fine:

General Entrepreneurship -
Unscripted (it's a more advanced talk on the TMF )

Sales -
Spin Selling (big and small Sales)

Copywriting-
Cashvertising (crash course)

Marketing-
Traction (the 19 channels you'll most likely use)
80/20 Marketing (getting the most out of your marketing)
No B.S. Direct Marketing (Understanding how to construct marketing)

Scientific Advertising (Theory and Principles)
Guerrilla Marketing (Cheap marketing methods to get interest)

Organizational Development and Scaling-
Ready. Fire. Aim. (Scaling and Development)
The Pumpkin Plan (Scaling, Development, and cycles)


Profit Center Management-
Profit First (managing your money)
Rework (managing your business)

Business Models-
The Automatic Customer (subscription models and not just SAAS)
Business Model Generation (How to build innovative models)

Delusion Damage-
From Sex to Superconsciousness (made for the millenial)
The Tao of Allowing (your path to reconciliation with your true self)
Letting Go (the psychiatric method of surrender)
Standing as Awareness (Workbook in the same vein)
The Direct Path (Workbook in the same vein)

**These are the books that are most valuable imho. After 6 or 7 failures, these are the books that resonate with me. Fwiw, I personally think most businesses can be started for $0 or $100 or less if it is nearly commoditized. For products in most industries it is $1000 or less. This does not include your marketing. This is also only true if you believe that money doesn't guarantee you'll succeed. For me, money is an accelerant, not a guarantee. It helps you start faster, not better.**

9. Learn an industry. Read white papers. Go to conferences. Immerse yourself in an industry that you value and like. Vertical is cool. You don't have to have a ubiquitous opportunity business. The reason is that non-vertical based businesses have huge costs associated with growing them.

For example, if you wanted to build the next social media giant before it was considered vertical then you would have needed xyz millions or billions in funding.

Conversely, if you wanted to build xyz software business in an established vertical where people pay and the business model doesn't need a total revamp then your costs are lower. For example, certain businesses were built entirely on pre-sales while the product was in development and only showing screenshots. They just built an audience who was willing to pay for their problem to be solved in a unique way.

This is also true for physical products, but it is challenging to have any issues resolved if you're making fast moving or slow moving consumer goods.

The best way to handle those situations is to research heavily and make sure the audience seems viable through audience/community building. Then you want backup funds.


Also focus on walking the path. It isn't linear. You've received some good advice here, but you ultimately have to make your own decisions.
 
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Real Deal Denver

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2. Start seeking out things that destroy or better yet deconstruct your worldview and biases. If it's politics then look at both sides of argument. If it's religion then look at both sides of an argument. If it's relationships then look at both sides of argument. If it's xyz then look at all sides of argument. Also, look for FACTS.

Um, I like your entire post Crane, except that point.

I am incredibly biased. Or, the word I prefer - focused. I am not right all the time, but I do have solid ideas on how to accomplish things. I've also worked in companies that don't - they have meetings all the time to discuss things. It's so counterproductive and maddening! They're bloated and incredibly inefficient. But too often, that's intentional. They're busy building "empires" instead of being successful. If you don't know what that means, you will when you live it.

I once built a department completely from scratch, and far surpassed every milestone that stood from the way things had been done before. Sure they was room for improvement - but I at least doubled the tangible results, while greatly improving quality across the board. Part of the reason for that success was that I didn't piss away time in great study, planning, discussing, or fine tuning things. I just did it. Results are what matters! Everything else is just experience - but the more experience you have the better results you can produce!

I take a firm stand on everything you mentioned to "deconstruct." I don't have time to deconstruct and rebuild things. I'm going to guess you're a recent graduate of some sort. Sure, academia is great - we can sit around all day long and think of what ifs. That's not to say that I don't consider other sides or other opinions. Sure I do. However, I'm quick to make a decision, and quicker still to make sure it is implemented and yields results. Focus.

Closely related, but somewhat opposite, to your "deconstructing" theory is my own theory of: If a man doesn't stand for something, he'll fall for anything. Think about that for a long long time. It will serve you well throughout your life if you remember it and apply it at the right times.

And, by the way, my religious beliefs give me great strength. I don't have time for pea brain idiots that want to discuss them because they think they can explain how the universe was made, the meaning of life, or any other grand scheme that they think they have mastered. They're so pitiful, they're laughable. On that thought, here's another saying to remember: you don't even know what you don't even know.
 

Philip Marlowe

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This is interesting. Having a job has some real advantage. MJ got his limo idea that made him millions from having a job. But that is rare.

It's not as rare as you might think. That's why you shouldn't be too quick to dismiss a job, even a corporate one.

With respect to the "slowlane", I'm in a corporate job that pays very well and I know many people in the same boat. For some reason people have equated these jobs with cubicle farms. Sure, I did that for a few years and then eventually broke free and I can tell you it's not bad at all (I love my job and the pay/benefits make it very hard to leave. They do that for a reason!).

The caveat to the above is that I realize my job is fragile. A change in the market, fickle customer, bad year, etc. can all impact me which is why the Fastlane is where I focus my creative energy. Unlike some people though, my job isn't "pushing" me to the Fastlane but rather the entire premise of MJ's writing is "pulling" me to the Fastlane.

To my first sentence in this post, what I learned along the way is the basis (in subject matter) for my Fastlane hustle. Many others on this forum learned something in their day job and realized they could do it better, scale it larger, or provide value in a more meaningful way.

You're way ahead of your peers for thinking big thoughts at 17 - congratulations. But don't get to caught-up in worrying about taking a job. Just remember it's temporary and that there's always room during school or a job to build your dreams on the side. Also, try not to look down on those who don't "get it". It's easy to think you're Neo watching everyone else who's plugged-in, but many people aren't comfortable working for themselves and that's fine.

Good luck!

-PM
 

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It's not as rare as you might think. That's why you shouldn't be too quick to dismiss a job, even a corporate one.

With respect to the "slowlane", I'm in a corporate job that pays very well and I know many people in the same boat. For some reason people have equated these jobs with cubicle farms. Sure, I did that for a few years and then eventually broke free and I can tell you it's not bad at all (I love my job and the pay/benefits make it very hard to leave. They do that for a reason!).

The caveat to the above is that I realize my job is fragile. A change in the market, fickle customer, bad year, etc. can all impact me which is why the Fastlane is where I focus my creative energy. Unlike some people though, my job isn't "pushing" me to the Fastlane but rather the entire premise of MJ's writing is "pulling" me to the Fastlane.

To my first sentence in this post, what I learned along the way is the basis (in subject matter) for my Fastlane hustle. Many others on this forum learned something in their day job and realized they could do it better, scale it larger, or provide value in a more meaningful way.

You're way ahead of your peers for thinking big thoughts at 17 - congratulations. But don't get to caught-up in worrying about taking a job. Just remember it's temporary and that there's always room during school or a job to build your dreams on the side. Also, try not to look down on those who don't "get it". It's easy to think you're Neo watching everyone else who's plugged-in, but many people aren't comfortable working for themselves and that's fine.

Good luck!

-PM
Great Post Phillip. I much appreciate your advice. If I ever get a corporate job. It is for two reasons:
1. Make some money to help kick-start my fastlane business.
2. Understand the nature of the business/Industry I want to venture into.
 
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A. Rodriguez

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because first, you have to learn theoretically than apply it practically. I didn't focus on my studies then. now I'm suffering.
It doesn't sound reasonable learning theory for four or five years in college. Then begin taking action only after four years have gone. Mark didn't wait to finish college before starting Facebook. Bill gates didn't wait until graduation to begin Microsoft.

You mean that you're suffering because you couldn't graduate with a good degree? That's not a prerequisite for wealth.
 

Real Deal Denver

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It doesn't sound reasonable learning theory for four or five years in college. Then begin taking action only after four years have gone. Mark didn't wait to finish college before starting Facebook. Bill gates didn't wait until graduation to begin Microsoft.

You mean that you're suffering because you couldn't graduate with a good degree? That's not a prerequisite for wealth.

You, being 17, just got your drivers license a year or two ago right?

Now you want to be a millionaire?

If you knew the stories behind Bill and Mark, you would know the odds of repeating their success. And those odds are not good. I've been 17 over 40 times now - and I'm still waiting for my billionaire moment. Maybe I'm dumb, though. Right? Right.

Yes, it's possible. It's more likely, though, that a movie studio will hire you based on your fantastic looks and charisma and pay you 20 million a year to do one movie. There. You made it. It's just that simple - so go do it.

I love youth. We've all been there. So much unbridled optimism. Like Zig Ziglar said, he's not only taking off in a row boat to get Moby Dick, but he's taking the tartar sauce with him!
 

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I'm currently 17 and in my first year in college. Picking up TMF and reading it through was undoubtedly the best choice I've ever made in my life. Had I not made that decision to get that book, my wealth strategy as an aspiring entrepreneur would have remained flawed.

So, I'm thinking of what I can start now to kickstart my Journey to freedom. I've already made up my mind not to get a corporate job after college. What are the choices that one can make at 17 that can lead one to success in the fastlane?
I'm a little envious. You're way ahead of the curve. People started creating in college... Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Cuban, Marc Zuckerburg. Buy a notebook and start writing down ideas. Get on it now. Don't wait. You have your entire life to party. Start making money now. Easier to have small successes and failures early on. Go! Make it happen.
 
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I'm a little envious. You're way ahead of the curve. People started creating in college... Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Cuban, Marc Zuckerburg. Buy a notebook and start writing down ideas. Get on it now. Don't wait. You have your entire life to party. Start making money now. Easier to have small successes and failures early on. Go! Make it happen.
Thanks for the encouragement.
 

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Find something that interests you. Work for them, learn their business, leave and do your own thing.

That’s what I did when I was your age and it paid off. People will tell you, read a book or take a course but the truth is, go get your hands dirty kid. Sometimes the best way to start isn’t always for yourself (although some might disagree here). Sometimes, it’s best to go out and get your hands dirty working for someone else, learn and make contacts, then leave.
That's what I did. I was privileged to meet a very successful blogger and he showed me a few tips to building a valuable blog that will generate good income. I worked for him for a while. And now I'm focused on building my blog to b mm generate income.
 

A. Rodriguez

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Find something that interests you. Work for them, learn their business, leave and do your own thing.

That’s what I did when I was your age and it paid off. People will tell you, read a book or take a course but the truth is, go get your hands dirty kid. Sometimes the best way to start isn’t always for yourself (although some might disagree here). Sometimes, it’s best to go out and get your hands dirty working for someone else, learn and make contacts, then leave.
That's what I did. I was privileged to meet a very successful blogger and he showed me a few tips to building a valuable blog that will generate good income. I worked for him for a while. And now I'm focused on building my blog to generate a steady flow of income.
 
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Telamon25346

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You, being 17, just got your drivers license a year or two ago right?

Now you want to be a millionaire?

If you knew the stories behind Bill and Mark, you would know the odds of repeating their success. And those odds are not good. I've been 17 over 40 times now - and I'm still waiting for my billionaire moment. Maybe I'm dumb, though. Right? Right.

Yes, it's possible. It's more likely, though, that a movie studio will hire you based on your fantastic looks and charisma and pay you 20 million a year to do one movie. There. You made it. It's just that simple - so go do it.

I love youth. We've all been there. So much unbridled optimism. Like Zig Ziglar said, he's not only taking off in a row boat to get Moby Dick, but he's taking the tartar sauce with him!

this comment comes off very negative, not sure if it was your intention. it isn't really based on luck that determines if you're a millionaire. sure if you look good and have charisma you can act and say some lines for $20million. but all it really takes is trying, failing, and trying again. mark and bill and almost all other millionaires just tried at the right time, who knows how many failures they might've had before. the process is what makes people millionaires, not chance or some "lucky Opportunity". thinking like this is probably why one might end up "waiting" for their billionaire moment.
 

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[QUOTE="KrzyszWawrzyniak, post: 669711, member: 50113"

]
I'm 19 and one half now. If I could turn back the time and be 17 again I would:

.[/QUOTE]



it looks like a joke isn't it ?

what's the difference between 17 and 19 here ?




you guys are young . you don't have any overview of life


i was reading a book on politics.

the author said that nobody should be allowed to do any political activity until he or she is at least 30

i agree.

why ?

because young people are like naive fishes in the ocean

they have no awareness

and soon, the sharks will eat them alive or at least manipulate them





.
 

KrzyszWawrzyniak

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it looks like a joke isn't it ?

what's the difference between 17 and 19 here ?




you guys are young . you don't have any overview of life


i was reading a book on politics.

the author said that nobody should be allowed to do any political activity until he or she is at least 30

i agree.

why ?

because young people are like naive fishes in the ocean

they have no awareness

and soon, the sharks will eat them alive or at least manipulate them





.

Adopt me master
 
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Temujin

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[QUOTE="So, I'm thinking of what I can start now to kickstart my Journey to freedom. I've already made up my mind not to get a corporate job after college. What are the choices that one can make at 17 that can lead one to success in the fastlane?[/QUOTE]

Focus on continuously educating yourself. Pick up and read books outside of your class books. Study ongoing events looking for where you can find opportunity in the market.

Most importantly, do the shit no-one wants to do. IF you can affect a million people, you are a millionaire.
 

Temujin

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[QUOTE="KrzyszWawrzyniak, post: 669711, member: 50113"

]
I'm 19 and one half now. If I could turn back the time and be 17 again I would:

.



it looks like a joke isn't it ?

what's the difference between 17 and 19 here ?




you guys are young . you don't have any overview of life


i was reading a book on politics.

the author said that nobody should be allowed to do any political activity until he or she is at least 30

i agree.

why ?

because young people are like naive fishes in the ocean

they have no awareness

and soon, the sharks will eat them alive or at least manipulate them





.[/QUOTE]


I disagree,

17-19 is a huge time gap, When I was 17 I was a bum snowboarder, at 19, I became my own boss through e-commerce. Now I think the main point here is to recognize, That time is an asset for youth. Getting started now will, of course, benefit you in the future but don't expect results right away. Early adulthood is what shapes you, what you feed your mind now will have the most lasting power as you grow older and into your late 20-30s.

It's good that we are naive because are willing to try things that are high risk, we don't let the normal dogma depict our fate.
 

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