fastlane_dad
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-- OK so someone asked me in a PM how to deal with friends / family that is unsupportive -- and I thought It would be a great idea to make a post about it and what I have faced, on the road to my FASTLANE SUCCESS! I know MANY of you are encountering similar, so here's a bit of my journey with that.
When I was asked this - it triggered a reaction in me. I almost forgot about the startup challenges, and separating from the 'pact' when you are thinking of doing ANYTHING on your own.
My life is so ingrained now in entrepreneurship between building up / selling businesses, reading constantly, collaborating with others, investing and looking for opportunities (and value to add!) as I go through my daily life - that I forgot what all the outsider doubts were like when I was first 'starting off'.
Close to two decades later I am now seen as 'the successful entrepreneur', and if anything there is more belief now in me from those around me then I have in myself some days ! But it wasn't always this way...
To preface this story, I was on a traditional slowlane path. I did well in high school, especially in math and science. That naturally led to pursuing an engineering degree in college (bc they pay well!) - which led to a grim existence inside a corporate cubicle that provided luke warm coffee for $0.89 and 2 weeks off every year.
A year or two into my cubicle journey (and a good paycheck for the time) - I was disgruntled and continuously looking for additional opportunities to make money and get out of the 4 walled rat race.
I started working on an online marketing/digital marketing opportunity that I engulfed myself 24-7 in outside of my day job. This is the first point where some friends started falling by wayside, and I really learned what 'values' are. Several of friendships were either severed, or business partners lost because it turned out work ethic and opportunity meant COMPLETELY different things to all of us. I was 24 years old at the time, and this was my first 'big break' financially wise in the world of working for myself.
Needless to say, I was able to accumulate a tidy sum of money and move out to Arizona with a few close buddies. Simultaneously, I quit my corporate job exactly 2 years after I went in full time post my degree.
This is when the FAMILY feuds started. I was seen as an 'irresponsible , not-knowing-anything fool' - who left his 'prestigious' job to move across the USA with no 'job' or 'real opportunities' in mind.
I was constantly 'criticized' for not using my degree, and had to justify my plans and existence constantly. I was at that time building up my first fastlane business and definitely was already making enough to sustain myself! This was a VERY tense time in my life - never mind the fact that starting something from nothing carries tremendous challenges - on top of that I was battling close family that had far less belief in me then they should have. They viewed everything I'm doing at the time 'as a joke', and kept urging me to 'find a real job' and drop whatever 'hobby' I'm currently pursuing.
What was not seen yet at the time, was that the groundwork , and the beginnings were occurring to a business that would yield me MILLIONS in profits each year down the line, and the freedom to live life on my own terms.
To all those with un-supportive parents, friends and or acquaintances - YES you will get challenged on every step of your move. Friendships will be lost, and potentially family relationships severed.
Depending on what your life is like today, and who you are surrounding yourself with - that fight might be NASTY and I know it's challenging for every single one of you out there.
Just know that you aren't alone, and to build something big, meaningful and to have the SPACE and time to fight for your values - you must be willing to stand alone (or with an army of fastlaners online) - and fight until the skies are more clear.
When I was asked this - it triggered a reaction in me. I almost forgot about the startup challenges, and separating from the 'pact' when you are thinking of doing ANYTHING on your own.
My life is so ingrained now in entrepreneurship between building up / selling businesses, reading constantly, collaborating with others, investing and looking for opportunities (and value to add!) as I go through my daily life - that I forgot what all the outsider doubts were like when I was first 'starting off'.
Close to two decades later I am now seen as 'the successful entrepreneur', and if anything there is more belief now in me from those around me then I have in myself some days ! But it wasn't always this way...
To preface this story, I was on a traditional slowlane path. I did well in high school, especially in math and science. That naturally led to pursuing an engineering degree in college (bc they pay well!) - which led to a grim existence inside a corporate cubicle that provided luke warm coffee for $0.89 and 2 weeks off every year.
A year or two into my cubicle journey (and a good paycheck for the time) - I was disgruntled and continuously looking for additional opportunities to make money and get out of the 4 walled rat race.
I started working on an online marketing/digital marketing opportunity that I engulfed myself 24-7 in outside of my day job. This is the first point where some friends started falling by wayside, and I really learned what 'values' are. Several of friendships were either severed, or business partners lost because it turned out work ethic and opportunity meant COMPLETELY different things to all of us. I was 24 years old at the time, and this was my first 'big break' financially wise in the world of working for myself.
Needless to say, I was able to accumulate a tidy sum of money and move out to Arizona with a few close buddies. Simultaneously, I quit my corporate job exactly 2 years after I went in full time post my degree.
This is when the FAMILY feuds started. I was seen as an 'irresponsible , not-knowing-anything fool' - who left his 'prestigious' job to move across the USA with no 'job' or 'real opportunities' in mind.
I was constantly 'criticized' for not using my degree, and had to justify my plans and existence constantly. I was at that time building up my first fastlane business and definitely was already making enough to sustain myself! This was a VERY tense time in my life - never mind the fact that starting something from nothing carries tremendous challenges - on top of that I was battling close family that had far less belief in me then they should have. They viewed everything I'm doing at the time 'as a joke', and kept urging me to 'find a real job' and drop whatever 'hobby' I'm currently pursuing.
What was not seen yet at the time, was that the groundwork , and the beginnings were occurring to a business that would yield me MILLIONS in profits each year down the line, and the freedom to live life on my own terms.
To all those with un-supportive parents, friends and or acquaintances - YES you will get challenged on every step of your move. Friendships will be lost, and potentially family relationships severed.
Depending on what your life is like today, and who you are surrounding yourself with - that fight might be NASTY and I know it's challenging for every single one of you out there.
Just know that you aren't alone, and to build something big, meaningful and to have the SPACE and time to fight for your values - you must be willing to stand alone (or with an army of fastlaners online) - and fight until the skies are more clear.
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