9 Dream-Killing Lies You Sell Yourself...

[Xeon]

It's been a long, long time. But it seems like yesterday.

In 2007, I launched The Fastlane Forum. During this time, I've encountered 1000s of entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs. I soon discovered a complex reality that most people are liars—not to others, but to themselves. Here are the 9 common lies that want to convince you to sell your dreams for slaughter. And 9 easy paradigm shifts to insure your dreams stay alive and tracked for reality.

9 Dream-Killing Lies You Sell Yourself...

LIE #1: I'm not good at X.

Of course, you're not. No one is born an instant expert. We all crawled before we walked. Seinfeld's first words weren't a joke. Ronaldo didn't emerge from mom with a football. The question is, if you aren't good at X, what do you need to do to get good at X?

The fact is, "I'm not good at X" is not a fixed status but a variable one. You can suck at X today, but be better at it tomorrow. BETTER is the key; minor daily improvements create major results.

The sibling to this lie is, "Well, I just lack the education."

PARADIGM SHIFT: I'm not good at X today, but I can be better at X tomorrow.

LIE #2: I don't have time for business.

You don't have time because it isn't a priority. It isn't urgent. Other things come first. Game of Thrones. Call of Duty. Sleep and leisure. The 55th Yankees game you just watched. Would you "find time" if failure in the next three months meant the death of the loved one? You would. What's most important always finds time.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I don't have time with my current lifestyle patterns, but with the proper adjustments and reprioritizations, I can find time.

LIE #3: X just got lucky.

Yes, X did. Out of all the numbers in the alphabet, X was incredibly active, engaged, and committed to success. As such, X manipulated probability and gave themself a better chance of getting in luck's spotlight.

PARADIGM SHIFT: Luck is a function of probability, and my habitual actions can improve my chances for luck to appear.

LIE #4: Someday I'll start a business.

No, you won't. You're too comfortable, and comfort doesn't incite action. Most people allow their dreams to be bribed with a few hours of television, video games, or sleep. There will never be a perfect day, week, or month. Life is too aggressively chaotic with its own momentum. It is why Someday exists. Someday is a pacification to make yourself feel good for not quitting, but delaying. And we all know someday becomes never. Someday is a fat lie.

PARADIGM SHIFT: My best time to start a business is today. Someday is a pacifying excuse to disguise the truth of never.

LIE #5: There are no good ideas.

Never has there been one sentence that stinks of entrepreneurial ignorance. Most new businesses are built on marginal improvement and better efficiencies, not about becoming the next Steve Jobs. If life had no problems, there would be no ideas. Ideas are about solving problems, removing angsts, fixing inconveniences, delivering peace, sparking fun, and offering different ingredients.

PARADIGM SHIFT: If I see ideas as a function of life's imperfections, voids, and distress, I will have plenty of ideas.

LIE #6: I'm too old, stupid, or X.

If you have something I want or desperately need, I will not care about your personal histrionics or demographics. How much is it, and when can I get it? The injured man in the street comes to mind... if I'm bleeding in an alley and a man offers me a tourniquet, I'm not going to care how old the man is, how he's a bad father, or about his bankruptcy 24 years ago.

PARADIGM SHIFT: Relative value will be colorblind to my deficiencies and past transgressions. If I can provide value to culture, culture will overlook my self-constructed inadequacies.

LIE #7: I don't have enough money.

While this might be true, you also don't have enough discipline or focus. It's stunningly amazing how the people who claim to have no money also have no job, no education, no specialized skills, and no motivation to change the status quo. But you can bet they have the latest iPhone, a device that has instant access to unlimited knowledge.

I don't have money really means no one will give me money, and I'm too lazy to earn my own through hard work, ingenuity, and persistence. To get money to start my business, I taught myself a specialized skill (web design) that 10X'd my earning wages. Money followed.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I can increase my income and build capital by investing in education and teaching myself a specialized skill that will multiply my wages by several magnitudes.

LIE #8: I don’t have the right connections.

While having a solid network of connections can be helpful, it is not essential for success. Connections is always a function of activity. It is a function of productivity and results. Do you think someone with 1 million subscribers to their YouTube channel is struggling with "the right connections?" Be active and connections will follow, plus money.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I can expand my network by consistently acting and moving on my goals.

LIE #9: Entrepreneurship is risk.

Starting a business is inherently risky, but avoiding the risk is riskier. As I like to say, the pain of regret is far greater than the pain of failure.

PARADIGM SHIFT: All of life is a risk, some risks have lifelong returns, others have lifelong regrets.

Stop lying and get busy doing.

This needs to be in the next edition of Unscripted .

Also, quite surprised MJ knows about Ronaldo and football lol

 

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[Ing]

I've fired like 8 of my employees.

I've been fired from my business 0 times and will continue to be the boss's favorite forever and ever.

I had no employees, but I fired myself, when I started my last business.
I m too old and too stupid!

Joking, inspiring write up!

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Also, quite surprised MJ knows about Ronaldo and football lol

I have to think more internationally, most of my readers are outside of the US .

 

[ADR]

This is GOLD, MJ....Thanks so much.

Stupid question: Is there a way to pin or favourite this post?

You can “Watch” this post without email notifications. The button is at the beginning of the post.

 

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[Robin 133]

Awesome post. Like the straightforward replacement options.

Been selling myself some of those lies of late, so a timely reminder.

 

[xxx22]

It's been a long, long time. But it seems like yesterday.

In 2007, I launched The Fastlane Forum. During this time, I've encountered 1000s of entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs. I soon discovered a complex reality that most people are liars—not to others, but to themselves. Here are the 9 common lies that want to convince you to sell your dreams for slaughter. And 9 easy paradigm shifts to insure your dreams stay alive and tracked for reality.

9 Dream-Killing Lies You Sell Yourself...

LIE #1: I'm not good at X.

Of course, you're not. No one is born an instant expert. We all crawled before we walked. Seinfeld's first words weren't a joke. Ronaldo didn't emerge from mom with a football. The question is, if you aren't good at X, what do you need to do to get good at X?

The fact is, "I'm not good at X" is not a fixed status but a variable one. You can suck at X today, but be better at it tomorrow. BETTER is the key; minor daily improvements create major results.

The sibling to this lie is, "Well, I just lack the education."

PARADIGM SHIFT: I'm not good at X today, but I can be better at X tomorrow.

LIE #2: I don't have time for business.

You don't have time because it isn't a priority. It isn't urgent. Other things come first. Game of Thrones. Call of Duty. Sleep and leisure. The 55th Yankees game you just watched. Would you "find time" if failure in the next three months meant the death of the loved one? You would. What's most important always finds time.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I don't have time with my current lifestyle patterns, but with the proper adjustments and reprioritizations, I can find time.

LIE #3: X just got lucky.

Yes, X did. Out of all the numbers in the alphabet, X was incredibly active, engaged, and committed to success. As such, X manipulated probability and gave themself a better chance of getting in luck's spotlight.

PARADIGM SHIFT: Luck is a function of probability, and my habitual actions can improve my chances for luck to appear.

LIE #4: Someday I'll start a business.

No, you won't. You're too comfortable, and comfort doesn't incite action. Most people allow their dreams to be bribed with a few hours of television, video games, or sleep. There will never be a perfect day, week, or month. Life is too aggressively chaotic with its own momentum. It is why Someday exists. Someday is a pacification to make yourself feel good for not quitting, but delaying. And we all know someday becomes never. Someday is a fat lie.

PARADIGM SHIFT: My best time to start a business is today. Someday is a pacifying excuse to disguise the truth of never.

LIE #5: There are no good ideas.

Never has there been one sentence that stinks of entrepreneurial ignorance. Most new businesses are built on marginal improvement and better efficiencies, not about becoming the next Steve Jobs. If life had no problems, there would be no ideas. Ideas are about solving problems, removing angsts, fixing inconveniences, delivering peace, sparking fun, and offering different ingredients.

PARADIGM SHIFT: If I see ideas as a function of life's imperfections, voids, and distress, I will have plenty of ideas.

LIE #6: I'm too old, stupid, or X.

If you have something I want or desperately need, I will not care about your personal histrionics or demographics. How much is it, and when can I get it? The injured man in the street comes to mind... if I'm bleeding in an alley and a man offers me a tourniquet, I'm not going to care how old the man is, how he's a bad father, or about his bankruptcy 24 years ago.

PARADIGM SHIFT: Relative value will be colorblind to my deficiencies and past transgressions. If I can provide value to culture, culture will overlook my self-constructed inadequacies.

LIE #7: I don't have enough money.

While this might be true, you also don't have enough discipline or focus. It's stunningly amazing how the people who claim to have no money also have no job, no education, no specialized skills, and no motivation to change the status quo. But you can bet they have the latest iPhone, a device that has instant access to unlimited knowledge.

I don't have money really means no one will give me money, and I'm too lazy to earn my own through hard work, ingenuity, and persistence. To get money to start my business, I taught myself a specialized skill (web design) that 10X'd my earning wages. Money followed.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I can increase my income and build capital by investing in education and teaching myself a specialized skill that will multiply my wages by several magnitudes.

LIE #8: I don’t have the right connections.

While having a solid network of connections can be helpful, it is not essential for success. Connections is always a function of activity. It is a function of productivity and results. Do you think someone with 1 million subscribers to their YouTube channel is struggling with "the right connections?" Be active and connections will follow, plus money.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I can expand my network by consistently acting and moving on my goals.

LIE #9: Entrepreneurship is risk.

Starting a business is inherently risky, but avoiding the risk is riskier. As I like to say, the pain of regret is far greater than the pain of failure.

PARADIGM SHIFT: All of life is a risk, some risks have lifelong returns, others have lifelong regrets.

Stop lying and get busy doing.

For myself I'd add not believing any of this is possible/or in my future, it's just a hunch that I will not achieve/do anything meaningful with this and it's just a good old job and retirement at almost 70, my family are very much risk averse and I grew up with the same concepts, at least I don't work for the government like my mother and grandmother

 

[FluidWater]

PARADIGM SHIFT: All of life is a risk, some risks have lifelong returns, others have lifelong regrets.

I resonate with this heavily.

It is risky to drive in your car, but, you receive much more value that risk by driving rather than walking.

 

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[Gib Berish]

One mental model I've started using to combat the belief of fear that's been helpful is...

Put a seatbelt on fear and let it ride in the passenger seat. It'll be an annoying passenger, but you control the vehicle..

Nice!

 

[Simbad]

It's been a long, long time. But it seems like yesterday.

In 2007, I launched The Fastlane Forum. During this time, I've encountered 1000s of entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs. I soon discovered a complex reality that most people are liars—not to others, but to themselves. Here are the 9 common lies that want to convince you to sell your dreams for slaughter. And 9 easy paradigm shifts to insure your dreams stay alive and tracked for reality.

9 Dream-Killing Lies You Sell Yourself...

LIE #1: I'm not good at X.

Of course, you're not. No one is born an instant expert. We all crawled before we walked. Seinfeld's first words weren't a joke. Ronaldo didn't emerge from mom with a football. The question is, if you aren't good at X, what do you need to do to get good at X?

The fact is, "I'm not good at X" is not a fixed status but a variable one. You can suck at X today, but be better at it tomorrow. BETTER is the key; minor daily improvements create major results.

The sibling to this lie is, "Well, I just lack the education."

PARADIGM SHIFT: I'm not good at X today, but I can be better at X tomorrow.

LIE #2: I don't have time for business.

You don't have time because it isn't a priority. It isn't urgent. Other things come first. Game of Thrones. Call of Duty. Sleep and leisure. The 55th Yankees game you just watched. Would you "find time" if failure in the next three months meant the death of the loved one? You would. What's most important always finds time.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I don't have time with my current lifestyle patterns, but with the proper adjustments and reprioritizations, I can find time.

LIE #3: X just got lucky.

Yes, X did. Out of all the numbers in the alphabet, X was incredibly active, engaged, and committed to success. As such, X manipulated probability and gave themself a better chance of getting in luck's spotlight.

PARADIGM SHIFT: Luck is a function of probability, and my habitual actions can improve my chances for luck to appear.

LIE #4: Someday I'll start a business.

No, you won't. You're too comfortable, and comfort doesn't incite action. Most people allow their dreams to be bribed with a few hours of television, video games, or sleep. There will never be a perfect day, week, or month. Life is too aggressively chaotic with its own momentum. It is why Someday exists. Someday is a pacification to make yourself feel good for not quitting, but delaying. And we all know someday becomes never. Someday is a fat lie.

PARADIGM SHIFT: My best time to start a business is today. Someday is a pacifying excuse to disguise the truth of never.

LIE #5: There are no good ideas.

Never has there been one sentence that stinks of entrepreneurial ignorance. Most new businesses are built on marginal improvement and better efficiencies, not about becoming the next Steve Jobs. If life had no problems, there would be no ideas. Ideas are about solving problems, removing angsts, fixing inconveniences, delivering peace, sparking fun, and offering different ingredients.

PARADIGM SHIFT: If I see ideas as a function of life's imperfections, voids, and distress, I will have plenty of ideas.

LIE #6: I'm too old, stupid, or X.

If you have something I want or desperately need, I will not care about your personal histrionics or demographics. How much is it, and when can I get it? The injured man in the street comes to mind... if I'm bleeding in an alley and a man offers me a tourniquet, I'm not going to care how old the man is, how he's a bad father, or about his bankruptcy 24 years ago.

PARADIGM SHIFT: Relative value will be colorblind to my deficiencies and past transgressions. If I can provide value to culture, culture will overlook my self-constructed inadequacies.

LIE #7: I don't have enough money.

While this might be true, you also don't have enough discipline or focus. It's stunningly amazing how the people who claim to have no money also have no job, no education, no specialized skills, and no motivation to change the status quo. But you can bet they have the latest iPhone, a device that has instant access to unlimited knowledge.

I don't have money really means no one will give me money, and I'm too lazy to earn my own through hard work, ingenuity, and persistence. To get money to start my business, I taught myself a specialized skill (web design) that 10X'd my earning wages. Money followed.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I can increase my income and build capital by investing in education and teaching myself a specialized skill that will multiply my wages by several magnitudes.

LIE #8: I don’t have the right connections.

While having a solid network of connections can be helpful, it is not essential for success. Connections is always a function of activity. It is a function of productivity and results. Do you think someone with 1 million subscribers to their YouTube channel is struggling with "the right connections?" Be active and connections will follow, plus money.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I can expand my network by consistently acting and moving on my goals.

LIE #9: Entrepreneurship is risk.

Starting a business is inherently risky, but avoiding the risk is riskier. As I like to say, the pain of regret is far greater than the pain of failure.

PARADIGM SHIFT: All of life is a risk, some risks have lifelong returns, others have lifelong regrets.

I apologize in advance for my English. automatic translator.

It's difficult, very difficult to lean towards an idea, especially when you're almost 40. I want this case to work out with 100% confidence. Or something really new and in demand by the masses. My partner has an idea of loft furniture, in fact, I don't see any problems in organizing this production with my own hands with minimal investments. But the market is already full of it, and there is no certainty that it will "shoot" with us.

There is my idea to open a self-service car wash, the place is great, the plans are grandiose... to build several premises for rent, etc. But there are no finances (.And so all my life, there is a possibility but there is no certainty, there is confidence, but there is no possibility..

 

[Sebzmaniac]

Lol, I know right? Facebook had such options. I was also considering it. This post can be pinned or saved for later

This is GOLD, MJ....Thanks so much.

Stupid question: Is there a way to pin or favourite this post?

 

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[sanas915]

Thanks for this great post , I found that I lie a lot to myself and I'll remember to correct myself !

 

[The One]

It's been a long, long time. But it seems like yesterday.

In 2007, I launched The Fastlane Forum. During this time, I've encountered 1000s of entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs. I soon discovered a complex reality that most people are liars—not to others, but to themselves. Here are the 9 common lies that want to convince you to sell your dreams for slaughter. And 9 easy paradigm shifts to insure your dreams stay alive and tracked for reality.

9 Dream-Killing Lies You Sell Yourself...

LIE #1: I'm not good at X.

Of course, you're not. No one is born an instant expert. We all crawled before we walked. Seinfeld's first words weren't a joke. Ronaldo didn't emerge from mom with a football. The question is, if you aren't good at X, what do you need to do to get good at X?

The fact is, "I'm not good at X" is not a fixed status but a variable one. You can suck at X today, but be better at it tomorrow. BETTER is the key; minor daily improvements create major results.

The sibling to this lie is, "Well, I just lack the education."

PARADIGM SHIFT: I'm not good at X today, but I can be better at X tomorrow.

LIE #2: I don't have time for business.

You don't have time because it isn't a priority. It isn't urgent. Other things come first. Game of Thrones. Call of Duty. Sleep and leisure. The 55th Yankees game you just watched. Would you "find time" if failure in the next three months meant the death of the loved one? You would. What's most important always finds time.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I don't have time with my current lifestyle patterns, but with the proper adjustments and reprioritizations, I can find time.

LIE #3: X just got lucky.

Yes, X did. Out of all the numbers in the alphabet, X was incredibly active, engaged, and committed to success. As such, X manipulated probability and gave themself a better chance of getting in luck's spotlight.

PARADIGM SHIFT: Luck is a function of probability, and my habitual actions can improve my chances for luck to appear.

LIE #4: Someday I'll start a business.

No, you won't. You're too comfortable, and comfort doesn't incite action. Most people allow their dreams to be bribed with a few hours of television, video games, or sleep. There will never be a perfect day, week, or month. Life is too aggressively chaotic with its own momentum. It is why Someday exists. Someday is a pacification to make yourself feel good for not quitting, but delaying. And we all know someday becomes never. Someday is a fat lie.

PARADIGM SHIFT: My best time to start a business is today. Someday is a pacifying excuse to disguise the truth of never.

LIE #5: There are no good ideas.

Never has there been one sentence that stinks of entrepreneurial ignorance. Most new businesses are built on marginal improvement and better efficiencies, not about becoming the next Steve Jobs. If life had no problems, there would be no ideas. Ideas are about solving problems, removing angsts, fixing inconveniences, delivering peace, sparking fun, and offering different ingredients.

PARADIGM SHIFT: If I see ideas as a function of life's imperfections, voids, and distress, I will have plenty of ideas.

LIE #6: I'm too old, stupid, or X.

If you have something I want or desperately need, I will not care about your personal histrionics or demographics. How much is it, and when can I get it? The injured man in the street comes to mind... if I'm bleeding in an alley and a man offers me a tourniquet, I'm not going to care how old the man is, how he's a bad father, or about his bankruptcy 24 years ago.

PARADIGM SHIFT: Relative value will be colorblind to my deficiencies and past transgressions. If I can provide value to culture, culture will overlook my self-constructed inadequacies.

LIE #7: I don't have enough money.

While this might be true, you also don't have enough discipline or focus. It's stunningly amazing how the people who claim to have no money also have no job, no education, no specialized skills, and no motivation to change the status quo. But you can bet they have the latest iPhone, a device that has instant access to unlimited knowledge.

I don't have money really means no one will give me money, and I'm too lazy to earn my own through hard work, ingenuity, and persistence. To get money to start my business, I taught myself a specialized skill (web design) that 10X'd my earning wages. Money followed.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I can increase my income and build capital by investing in education and teaching myself a specialized skill that will multiply my wages by several magnitudes.

LIE #8: I don’t have the right connections.

While having a solid network of connections can be helpful, it is not essential for success. Connections is always a function of activity. It is a function of productivity and results. Do you think someone with 1 million subscribers to their YouTube channel is struggling with "the right connections?" Be active and connections will follow, plus money.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I can expand my network by consistently acting and moving on my goals.

LIE #9: Entrepreneurship is risk.

Starting a business is inherently risky, but avoiding the risk is riskier. As I like to say, the pain of regret is far greater than the pain of failure.

PARADIGM SHIFT: All of life is a risk, some risks have lifelong returns, others have lifelong regrets.

Stop lying and get busy doing.

Top G.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

In light of this thread...

HOT! - MINDSET - Most of us ain't getting rich, and that's okay

I'm not rich and I don't know if I'll ever get rich. If I said, "only %5 of the members on this forum will get rich", you'd automatically think that you're in that %5. And that's simply not true. You're probably not. I'm sorry. And that's completely okay. You don't need a private jet, a...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

Here's another lie.

LIE #10: I don't need true Fastlane financial freedom as long as I own my time; my basic needs of food and shelter are enough.

Beware of such idealism. This might work in your 20s, but as you get older, this type of strategy is the same as thinking your first winning hour at the casino will continue for the next 8 hours.

If you read Unscripted , you're aware of the story of the "Mexican Fisherman" who decided to fish most of the day and only create wealth to fulfill his most basic needs, all so he can spend time with his amigos and drink wine.

This idealistic sap story is now littered around the web as some type of lifestyle doctrine, a reason why people should lower their standards, lower their expectations, and just "get by" so you can chill all day doing nothing.

Well here's the part of the story that isn't shared, as I wrote in Unscripted .

The reasonable moral to the story is “Money doesn’t buy happiness.” Except you didn’t hear the rest of the story…the one that isn’t shared.

Here it is: Soon after the American left, things changed.

The government, desperate for tax dollars, levied a series of boating, gaming, and license fees: To continue fishing, the Mexican must pay $400 for a fishing license, a $200 environmental fee, a $350 game endorsement, and $1,800 in mooring fees. If he doesn’t pay ASAP, the Mexican will be barred from fishing.

Unfortunately, after paying all the fees, the Mexican has little money left to insure and license his boat. Unable to legally operate at his favorite coastal town, the "Mexican Fisherman" drives three hours south to another town, where the quality of the fish is poor. The long drive takes its toll on the Mexican’s car, where it ultimately breaks down. In order to fix his car, he needs $200 for a water pump and $400 for a radiator. This is after he pays $600 to get his car towed back to his village.

But this story is about to get worse.

When the Mexican fails to pay the mooring fees to the harbor master, he loses his boat. The "Mexican Fisherman" who spent most of his days in a state of unpreparedness and merriment—strumming around with his friends, sipping wine—is now unable to support his family.

His wife divorces him.

The Mexican now sings a different tune with his amigos … something along the lines of “Money can buy happiness.”

Which one of these stories sounds more realistic?

In both stories, the Mexican has the same goal: freedom with his friends and family.

That's worthy.

Unfortunately, when money is removed from a real-world existence, idealism turns into a nightmare—a repeated reality found in every civilized country worldwide: bills, fees, taxes, life overhead, and money problems.

The problem isn’t the Mexican’s goal—freedom; the problem is he was lazy and disrespected money’s role. He didn’t save, prepare, or produce in excess of consumption.

Money buys happiness when you let it buy your a freedom not constrained by fiscal dramas, now, later, and in the distant future.

 

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[The-J]

This might work in your 20s, but as you get older, this type of strategy is the same as thinking your first winning hour at the casino will continue for the next 8 hours.

You've run this forum long enough to see what happens. Freelancers, Amazon business owners, dropshipping, affiliate marketers, "agency" owners, list goes on... these people (like me) make enough money to live, quit their jobs, and congratulate themselves on a job well done.

Then the money starts to dry up and they don't know what to do because they haven't actually been solving real business problems. They (like me) come to the forum asking "what do I do". They get real advice, don't take it because it's too much like hard work, and then go back to a job where they're getting paid less than they would get paid if they had simply stayed in their career that whole time.

But at least they got to go to Thailand!

 

[WillHurtDontCare]

Then the money starts to dry up and they don't know what to do because they haven't actually been solving real business problems. They (like me) come to the forum asking "what do I do". They get real advice, don't take it because it's too much like hard work, and then go back to a job where they're getting paid less than they would get paid if they had simply stayed in their career that whole time.

The game never ends. Unless you die, you've always got another hand to play.

People should take most of their problems less seriously. Things didn't work out, whatever, next.

 

[Bohemi]

thank you again for putting into words what I’ve been trying to figure out myself….

im still struggling with the whole idea of being a successful business woman, but looking back on these last few months (since i read the unscripted book and the millionaire fast lane) i can see how many things I’ve been able to change rapidly.

Because I started seeing the world without the script, I’ve managed to completely giving up playing games on my phone or my iPad.

I’ve quit drinking sodas AND started running again (I’ve been doing that 5 years ago but back then It was fearbased, now it is because i want to feel good and look good again). Im going for half marathon in september.
And im currently maybe 35kg overweight (at least) so the process is really hard but i know that all i have to do is to keep deciding to go for yet another run and i will get there.

I guess it will be the same with the whole entrepreneur idea that i keep in the someday-categori. If im willing to take just another step towards it, eventually i will get to the point where i don‘t feel the need to keep lying to myself anymore

Right now im diving into the great rat race escape book and therefore im back at the forum, showing up

thank you for putting all of this on paper for me to read

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

thank you again for putting into words what I’ve been trying to figure out myself….

im still struggling with the whole idea of being a successful business woman, but looking back on these last few months (since i read the unscripted book and the millionaire fast lane) i can see how many things I’ve been able to change rapidly.

Because I started seeing the world without the script, I’ve managed to completely giving up playing games on my phone or my iPad.

I’ve quit drinking sodas AND started running again (I’ve been doing that 5 years ago but back then It was fearbased, now it is because i want to feel good and look good again). Im going for half marathon in september.
And im currently maybe 35kg overweight (at least) so the process is really hard but i know that all i have to do is to keep deciding to go for yet another run and i will get there.

I guess it will be the same with the whole entrepreneur idea that i keep in the someday-categori. If im willing to take just another step towards it, eventually i will get to the point where i don‘t feel the need to keep lying to myself anymore

Right now im diving into the great rat race escape book and therefore im back at the forum, showing up

thank you for putting all of this on paper for me to read

Congrats on these small changes! Done regularly = BIG CHANGES!

 

[Sebzmaniac]

In light of this thread...

HOT! - MINDSET - Most of us ain't getting rich, and that's okay

I'm not rich and I don't know if I'll ever get rich. If I said, "only %5 of the members on this forum will get rich", you'd automatically think that you're in that %5. And that's simply not true. You're probably not. I'm sorry. And that's completely okay. You don't need a private jet, a...

www.thefastlaneforum.com

Here's another lie.

LIE #10: I don't need true Fastlane financial freedom as long as I own my time; my basic needs of food and shelter are enough.

Beware of such idealism. This might work in your 20s, but as you get older, this type of strategy is the same as thinking your first winning hour at the casino will continue for the next 8 hours.

If you read Unscripted , you're aware of the story of the "Mexican Fisherman" who decided to fish most of the day and only create wealth to fulfill his most basic needs, all so he can spend time with his amigos and drink wine.

This idealistic sap story is now littered around the web as some type of lifestyle doctrine, a reason why people should lower their standards, lower their expectations, and just "get by" so you can chill all day doing nothing.

Well here's the part of the story that isn't shared, as I wrote in Unscripted .




Which one of these stories sounds more realistic?

In both stories, the Mexican has the same goal: freedom with his friends and family.

That's worthy.

Unfortunately, when money is removed from a real-world existence, idealism turns into a nightmare—a repeated reality found in every civilized country worldwide: bills, fees, taxes, life overhead, and money problems.

The problem isn’t the Mexican’s goal—freedom; the problem is he was lazy and disrespected money’s role. He didn’t save, prepare, or produce in excess of consumption.

Money buys happiness when you let it buy your a freedom not constrained by fiscal dramas, now, later, and in the distant future.

MJ, does this correlate to the "frugality scam"?

 

[jjbiggs]

It's been a long, long time. But it seems like yesterday.

In 2007, I launched The Fastlane Forum. During this time, I've encountered 1000s of entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs. I soon discovered a complex reality that most people are liars—not to others, but to themselves. Here are the 9 common lies that want to convince you to sell your dreams for slaughter. And 9 easy paradigm shifts to insure your dreams stay alive and tracked for reality.

9 Dream-Killing Lies You Sell Yourself...

LIE #1: I'm not good at X.

Of course, you're not. No one is born an instant expert. We all crawled before we walked. Seinfeld's first words weren't a joke. Ronaldo didn't emerge from mom with a football. The question is, if you aren't good at X, what do you need to do to get good at X?

The fact is, "I'm not good at X" is not a fixed status but a variable one. You can suck at X today, but be better at it tomorrow. BETTER is the key; minor daily improvements create major results.

The sibling to this lie is, "Well, I just lack the education."

PARADIGM SHIFT: I'm not good at X today, but I can be better at X tomorrow.

LIE #2: I don't have time for business.

You don't have time because it isn't a priority. It isn't urgent. Other things come first. Game of Thrones. Call of Duty. Sleep and leisure. The 55th Yankees game you just watched. Would you "find time" if failure in the next three months meant the death of the loved one? You would. What's most important always finds time.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I don't have time with my current lifestyle patterns, but with the proper adjustments and reprioritizations, I can find time.

LIE #3: X just got lucky.

Yes, X did. Out of all the numbers in the alphabet, X was incredibly active, engaged, and committed to success. As such, X manipulated probability and gave themself a better chance of getting in luck's spotlight.

PARADIGM SHIFT: Luck is a function of probability, and my habitual actions can improve my chances for luck to appear.

LIE #4: Someday I'll start a business.

No, you won't. You're too comfortable, and comfort doesn't incite action. Most people allow their dreams to be bribed with a few hours of television, video games, or sleep. There will never be a perfect day, week, or month. Life is too aggressively chaotic with its own momentum. It is why Someday exists. Someday is a pacification to make yourself feel good for not quitting, but delaying. And we all know someday becomes never. Someday is a fat lie.

PARADIGM SHIFT: My best time to start a business is today. Someday is a pacifying excuse to disguise the truth of never.

LIE #5: There are no good ideas.

Never has there been one sentence that stinks of entrepreneurial ignorance. Most new businesses are built on marginal improvement and better efficiencies, not about becoming the next Steve Jobs. If life had no problems, there would be no ideas. Ideas are about solving problems, removing angsts, fixing inconveniences, delivering peace, sparking fun, and offering different ingredients.

PARADIGM SHIFT: If I see ideas as a function of life's imperfections, voids, and distress, I will have plenty of ideas.

LIE #6: I'm too old, stupid, or X.

If you have something I want or desperately need, I will not care about your personal histrionics or demographics. How much is it, and when can I get it? The injured man in the street comes to mind... if I'm bleeding in an alley and a man offers me a tourniquet, I'm not going to care how old the man is, how he's a bad father, or about his bankruptcy 24 years ago.

PARADIGM SHIFT: Relative value will be colorblind to my deficiencies and past transgressions. If I can provide value to culture, culture will overlook my self-constructed inadequacies.

LIE #7: I don't have enough money.

While this might be true, you also don't have enough discipline or focus. It's stunningly amazing how the people who claim to have no money also have no job, no education, no specialized skills, and no motivation to change the status quo. But you can bet they have the latest iPhone, a device that has instant access to unlimited knowledge.

I don't have money really means no one will give me money, and I'm too lazy to earn my own through hard work, ingenuity, and persistence. To get money to start my business, I taught myself a specialized skill (web design) that 10X'd my earning wages. Money followed.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I can increase my income and build capital by investing in education and teaching myself a specialized skill that will multiply my wages by several magnitudes.

LIE #8: I don’t have the right connections.

While having a solid network of connections can be helpful, it is not essential for success. Connections is always a function of activity. It is a function of productivity and results. Do you think someone with 1 million subscribers to their YouTube channel is struggling with "the right connections?" Be active and connections will follow, plus money.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I can expand my network by consistently acting and moving on my goals.

LIE #9: Entrepreneurship is risk.

Starting a business is inherently risky, but avoiding the risk is riskier. As I like to say, the pain of regret is far greater than the pain of failure.

PARADIGM SHIFT: All of life is a risk, some risks have lifelong returns, others have lifelong regrets.

Stop lying and get busy doing.

Love your books and your values

 

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[PC123]

As I like to say, the pain of regret is far greater than the pain of failure.

#9 hit home, especially what MJ says - "... pain of regret is far greater than the pain of failure".
This one is written on top of my daily SUMO planner page.

 

[MrE]

LIE #2: I don't have time for business.

You don't have time because it isn't a priority. It isn't urgent. Other things come first. Game of Thrones. Call of Duty. Sleep and leisure. The 55th Yankees game you just watched. Would you "find time" if failure in the next three months meant the death of the loved one? You would. What's most important always finds time.

PARADIGM SHIFT: I don't have time with my current lifestyle patterns, but with the proper adjustments and reprioritizations, I can find time.

BINGO!!! I was using this excuse for years as I worked 50-55 hours a week driving around in a big brown delivery truck and it was sucking life out of me. I knew I had to make a change so I started getting to bed as early as I could after work (usually 930-10) and then getting up no later then 533 in the am to have focused intentional time. The 1.5 - 2 hours each morning has been life changing, which is making up for the life sucking J.O.B.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I was using this excuse for years as I worked 50-55 hours a week driving around in a big brown delivery truck

UPS? Do they MAKE you do those hours? Or do you choose them and get overtime?

 

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[MrE]

UPS? Do they MAKE you do those hours? Or do you choose them and get overtime?

Yes UPS. We are required to 'work as directed' which is ambiguous.
No more than 60 hours per week per DOT.
Drivers can opt to be on a 9.5 list which means they are not supposed to work more than 9.5 hours per day.
Anything over 8 hours per day is overtime.
The pay is really good. Mediocre comfort good.