I have been lurking on the forum for a few weeks now. Don't quite remember how I stumbled here (I think I was researching e-commerce), but I couldn't be happier to have found you all. I had a long flight yesterday, so I took advantage of my time in the air and downloaded TMF on my phone. Well, it's now 2pm the next day and I still can't put it down! I feel as though it voices all the things I have been feeling in a way I couldn't quite put into words. I now have a grasp on these feelings, and I can categorize them and act on them.
A little backdrop for you all:
I am a 21 year old who became disenchanted with college extremely quickly, and dropped out after two years. The past two years of my life have been spent leveraging my intrinsic worth in my field, and I have worked my way into a decent, salaried, slowlane position.
Well, the same thing is happening now that happened after two years of going to college: the disenchantment arises. My work is interesting, in a field I enjoy, a little repetitive, but overall gratifying in and of itself. So why do I feel like every day is the worst day of my life? Because I create massive value for someone else, and because I am not compensated accordingly, and I have little say in changing that. The type of work that I do allows me to easily quantify my value to the company, and it is in the literal millions (essentially, the purchasing and selling of inventory). The job, however, is extremely slowlane and painfully corporate. IF the company continues to be successful and IF enough asses are kissed, I have the glorious chance at making a six figure salary in ten years time, working in the same office, working the same hours, and working with the same people. While most with no college degree would jump at that chance, it seems like a pretty dull future for me. And a lot of ifs!
So I came here to research e-commerce, as I am in search of the beautiful asset of time and freedom. I am not afraid to work hard - while going to school full time I had a full time job AND a part time job, and I rather enjoyed it! It resonates with me to divorce money from time, however, to allow myself to invest my precious time in the things that matter to me.
I have an idea now. I found a product on Alibaba with great margins, low barrier to entry, in a field that isn't all that crowded and hasn't seen much change in thirty years. I have a marketing strategy that will begin very niche, with a plan to expand from that concentrated niche via word of mouth to a related, bigger niche.
My slowlane job? It's the headwind that MJ talks about in his book. I know I need to get rid of it eventually, but at the time being it offers me a unique opportunity to not worry about bills while I work out all the kinks of my internet business. It is a drain on my time and my energy, and it kills me to feel like I am selling hours of my life for pennies on the dollar to a company that is making so much money from my work - but I will choose to stay positive and use this force for good. Instead of turning my back before I have a clear path before me to run to, I will hoist my sail and let the headwind work for me. The real enemy is complete stagnation, but with wind, no matter the direction, you can still get somewhere.
The imagery works for me, and will allow me to stay positive through this time of excitement. The impulse in me is to drop it all and throw myself 100% into this venture - the logical side of me says that my venture will be more successful if money is not my immediate motivator. If I have another source of income, I can focus on creating something that will add value, rather than something that will just make a buck.
This is all a bunch of rambling, but I'm very excited and just wanted to share where I am RIGHT NOW with everyone on here. I am prone to the "mental masturbation" that MJ talks about, and I am setting out today to stop with the lusting. My one and ONLY goal is to create my small niche brand and generate enough revenue by the end of the year to quit my slowlane job. The only mental masturbation I will indulge is the fantasy of walking into my bosses' office, shaking his hand and telling him thanks, with the knowledge that I will never be a cog in a wheel again.
Again, thank you MJ. So far, I have learned so much. Think like a producer. Value time above all else. Divorce time from income. Your book is inspiring and motivational without being "fluff".
Today I start my journey to independence. I am excited to be on the same road as all of you!
A little backdrop for you all:
I am a 21 year old who became disenchanted with college extremely quickly, and dropped out after two years. The past two years of my life have been spent leveraging my intrinsic worth in my field, and I have worked my way into a decent, salaried, slowlane position.
Well, the same thing is happening now that happened after two years of going to college: the disenchantment arises. My work is interesting, in a field I enjoy, a little repetitive, but overall gratifying in and of itself. So why do I feel like every day is the worst day of my life? Because I create massive value for someone else, and because I am not compensated accordingly, and I have little say in changing that. The type of work that I do allows me to easily quantify my value to the company, and it is in the literal millions (essentially, the purchasing and selling of inventory). The job, however, is extremely slowlane and painfully corporate. IF the company continues to be successful and IF enough asses are kissed, I have the glorious chance at making a six figure salary in ten years time, working in the same office, working the same hours, and working with the same people. While most with no college degree would jump at that chance, it seems like a pretty dull future for me. And a lot of ifs!
So I came here to research e-commerce, as I am in search of the beautiful asset of time and freedom. I am not afraid to work hard - while going to school full time I had a full time job AND a part time job, and I rather enjoyed it! It resonates with me to divorce money from time, however, to allow myself to invest my precious time in the things that matter to me.
I have an idea now. I found a product on Alibaba with great margins, low barrier to entry, in a field that isn't all that crowded and hasn't seen much change in thirty years. I have a marketing strategy that will begin very niche, with a plan to expand from that concentrated niche via word of mouth to a related, bigger niche.
My slowlane job? It's the headwind that MJ talks about in his book. I know I need to get rid of it eventually, but at the time being it offers me a unique opportunity to not worry about bills while I work out all the kinks of my internet business. It is a drain on my time and my energy, and it kills me to feel like I am selling hours of my life for pennies on the dollar to a company that is making so much money from my work - but I will choose to stay positive and use this force for good. Instead of turning my back before I have a clear path before me to run to, I will hoist my sail and let the headwind work for me. The real enemy is complete stagnation, but with wind, no matter the direction, you can still get somewhere.
The imagery works for me, and will allow me to stay positive through this time of excitement. The impulse in me is to drop it all and throw myself 100% into this venture - the logical side of me says that my venture will be more successful if money is not my immediate motivator. If I have another source of income, I can focus on creating something that will add value, rather than something that will just make a buck.
This is all a bunch of rambling, but I'm very excited and just wanted to share where I am RIGHT NOW with everyone on here. I am prone to the "mental masturbation" that MJ talks about, and I am setting out today to stop with the lusting. My one and ONLY goal is to create my small niche brand and generate enough revenue by the end of the year to quit my slowlane job. The only mental masturbation I will indulge is the fantasy of walking into my bosses' office, shaking his hand and telling him thanks, with the knowledge that I will never be a cog in a wheel again.
Again, thank you MJ. So far, I have learned so much. Think like a producer. Value time above all else. Divorce time from income. Your book is inspiring and motivational without being "fluff".
Today I start my journey to independence. I am excited to be on the same road as all of you!
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