Borrowing Money to Attend 2018 Fastlane Summit

[WJK]

I am insanely stupid. Or, incredibly smart.


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This isn't a how to guide or anything. Just letting some thoughts come out. Hopefully this'll meet one of @LightHouse actions.


We are going to need some back history for this thread. Maybe this belongs in the introduction section?

In 2006 I started working with a friend, doing autobody. Something that I was very very very good at. In 2008 we formed a LLC, and got our dealer licenses. We started buying wrecks. At first, it was salvage title vehicles. Both of us quickly realized that people didn't want rebuilt salvage vehicles. We switched our strategy. Starting buying wrecks with clear titles.

Everything was going smoothly. Until, one day I realized... My friend/business partner was stealing from me. I was crushed. Depressed. Everything you can think of. I had it in spades. This was in 2010. I practically did nothing until April 14th, 2011.

April 14th, 2011 - When I started working for Lowes Home Improvement. I'll briefly go over this. From April 14th, 2011 to March 1st, 2014. I worked these positions; Seasonal Lumber, Part-Time Lumber, Full-Time Lumber, Over-Nights Lumber, lastly Sales Specialist Millwork. I quit March 1st, 2014 as a Sales Specialist.

Between 2011 - 2014 I found The Millionaire Fastlane forum & book. I read a ton. Thought of ideas. Thought being the operative word. I never tried anything. If you were at the 2018 Fastlane Summit. @Get Right has more failed business than I do.

When I was working at Lowes as a Sales Specialist, I was making decent money. While reading the book. I quickly realized some of the pitfalls I was in. With the autobody business, etc.

One thing came out of working for Lowes. I was able to buy a plot of land sale. With the plot of land. I was able to get a small loan. I bought a mobile home. With some money left over. I renovated the mobile home. I am currently living in it now. Was able to pay off my car loan as well.

During 2014 I started buying things off craigslist and reselling them. I am still doing this. I needed to get a job again. So, July 2015. I was proudly a Freight Associate for The Home Depot. During which I quit the forum around this time.

I did absolutely nothing in for about a one year. Not even reselling items on craigslist. I'm not sure what prompted me into rejoining the forum.

When I came back to the forum. Feb 26th, 2016. First thread I noticed getting some serious attention was @SinisterLex Gold thread: Copywriting. I knew a few things about copy. I read stuff about copy. I'll give that try. I read a lot of books about copy. I joined his copywriting course in like July or August 2017.

Now this is where some major bullshit occurs.

Lex was very generous working with me over skype. I was accepted onto UpWork. Know how actionable I was? Zero. Zero. Zero. I say zero, because I basically wasted Lex's time for about a month. In which a user on this forum contacted me about writing copy for them during this time with Lex.

Know what happened? I blew him off as well. It gets better. Another user wanted copywriting as well. A very RESPECTED user at that. Guess what happened? I essentially blew this person off.

Let that set in for a moment.... Ready?

This was from September to December of 2017. Guess what? I quit my job at Home Depot in November 2017.

I was able to get a ticket to go to the 2018 Fastlane Summit. From which at that time. My money was slowly depleting. You would think, urgency would kick in at this point. Nope. I tried all of January to buy/sell on craigslist. I was moderately successful. But... No cigar.

How would I pay for the summit? Plane, Hotel, etc... I went to my bank. Asked for a 6 month loan for $1,500.00 dollars. I got the loan.

So, I goto the summit. Here I am in a room with people much much much successful than I am. You would think I would be beating the door down... to do what? Build relationships. I made some friends. but I could have been more successful.

I am completely uncomfortable. Embarrassed. Lazy. @Kung Fu Steve would you say those are limiting beliefs?

@million$$$smile made some very nice things to say about me. That I was listener. Which, I can agree with. Not entirely true though. I see myself as not bringing any value to the table.

@Eskil you asked what my takeaway was from the summit? If I took a stab at this question. It would be that everyone goes through ups and downs. We all get up and put our pants on the same way.

I may not have the right mentality right now. To actually see what should be my biggest takeaway would be. I just know one thing. I will be at the 2019 Fastlane Summit. I had a great time. Despite some things I could have done better.

For those who read all of this... I hope you find value.

Thank you @Red @Eskil @AllenCrawley @MJ DeMarco for putting on the event.

It sounds to me like you are stuck and afraid. We've all been there. You're trying to bite off more than you can chew. Remember, you eat an elephant one bite at a time. And it also obvious that you have no idea where to begin.

I ask myself the same question over and over again during the day...

What can do at this moment to further my goal of ________? Even if that action is thinking about my goal. Even if it's making a list of stuff to do. Even if its' a tiny, seemingly unimportant step.

Every goal can be broken down into baby steps. When I get that current step done, I ask the question again and decide on the next tiny step.

You're hitting yourself over the head for being human. Give yourself a break and give yourself permission to fail. (Every failure is a lesson that you don't have to repeat again the same way.) Yes, you've been around these successful people. Maybe you need time to absorb their lessons. Maybe you need more pieces to put it all together. Maybe you need some peace and quiet to understand what they've been telling you. In any case, mull it over and good luck!

 

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[96wells]

First of all, it must of been very hard for you to write this. At least it would of been for me.

And I was really hesitant about posting. But I just have to say it. You're in a very similar stage as I am. I just started copywriting too.

Quite frankly, you're much ahead of me. In fact, I got banned on Upwork. Talk about a disgrace.

And you got much more work experience than me. You were even in sales. It's easier to teach copywriting to a salesperson than an average joe like me. Really. Copywriting is like sales on paper.

But I did wanted to share with you something. And I had to turn my TV down and stop reading. I think this will really help with your mindset, and I struggled to find a way to convey my enthusiasm to you.

So I'll say it plainly. If you're happy first, success will follow. In the context of copywriting, if you think copywriting is fun, success in copywriting will follow.

Look. I got banned from Upwork. I don't make a dime right now. But it's like 6 am for me. I stayed up the whole night analyzing ads, writing them, and commented on them.

And it's because I'm passionate about this. I can't think of an alternate thing I want to do. I have a goal, to get into a big publishing house. And I'm going to get there.

And here's a secret. I'm on Lex's discord. I talk a lot of shit there about copy. I'm also in a group (which I shelled out my hard earned money for) that focuses on copy and is directly linked to the publishing house I want to be in.

Everytime I comment on there I know someone from the company is watching. And I know the more work I submit the closer I am to my goal.

And my goal is tied to everything. Literally. I want a place of my own. I want to be able to buy food I want to eat without thinking about how expensive it is. I want to invite interesting company and offer my services. I want to have influence and reach with copy. Copy, copy, god dam copy. It's on my mind 24/7.

I woke up today. I worked on copy. I am going to sleep later after finishing copying some copy. I am reading a book on copy right now. I just finished analyzing some copy.

All because I am lucky to have the online social support. All because I am happy first.

I really think I am crazy. Listen. I decided I wasn't good at copy. So in my group I work the longest, I post the most, and I'm the most humble. I at least try. I want the attention. Look at my avatar...

And I have big big goals. Everything is tied to it. Everything.

And I'm very happy learning this skill. Even if my goal fails... I just don't really have anything else.

I'm closing out before I overstay my welcome. But I wish you the best of luck. I did talk to you at the summit too.

 

[Ronak]

"What's the ONE Thing you can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?"

The focus question, taken from the book, "The One Thing".

One foot in front of the other.

Many great suggestions were offered here, it can easily get overwhelming to figure out what to do first.

Use the question above, and start working on that and ONLY that, until you accomplish it. If it's too big of a task, break it down into chunks until you have something you can implement right away, TODAY.

GO GO GO!

 

[dgr]

Wow. Amazing response. I’m proud to be a TFLF member.

This community amazes me more each day.

This thread goes directly to my bookmarks for those moments when I need an affectionate kick in the a$$

 

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[HackVenture]

@Raoul Duke wow you must be a really good dude in real life, so much support it's amazing.

I haven't met you before but I can sense the disappointment with yourself in your words, and I think with such a strong support network, you are in good hands.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Let me be clearer. The LOA only works when three things are true:

A. You're deeply appreciative and OK with not being or having whatever it is. This is different from being indifferent. It is equanimity.

B. It only works when you take massive action towards your goal.

C. You love yourself and have the RIGHT end goal in mind.

Agreed. Gratitude, massive action, and appreciation of who you are right now.

A comfortable paycheck is the enemy of motivation.

True.

This community amazes me more each day.

Sometimes it brings tears to my eyes.

We're rough around the edges, but in the end, we're trying to be helpful and we all want the same thing: Freedom, health, happiness, autonomy, self-reliance...

The hardest part is always getting started.

I think @Raoul Duke knows the Unscripted philosophy and its tenets clearly. He's an expert on it in theory (hence the memes and jokes) -- but now he just needs to begin executing it and carry it forward until it becomes a piece of his life.

Have I made a small step today toward the person who I want to be next year?

 

[dgr]

A comfortable paycheck is the enemy of motivation.

That's one of the hardest truths I realized last year. I'll leave my job next month because I was unable of taking any action to my goals. I notified in advance several months before leaving the company. They are friends and I want to finish some work first. The transition is being hard, but at least I'm taking (some) action. I feel good even with all the stress and anxiety I've had during this last month.

(I've installed a website blocker for first time in my life, because... you know... whit the anxiety... I was visiting some sites like when I was a teenager )

Sometimes it brings tears to my eyes.

We're rough around the edges, but in the end, we're trying to be helpful and we all want the same thing: Freedom, health, happiness, autonomy, self-reliance...

It thrives me too. It's funny, because the only thing I really know about most of you is your avatar and your comments and the fact that, on average, our time zones differ by 8h. But still feel a lot of proximity.

The hardest part is always getting started.

I think @Raoul Duke knows the Unscripted philosophy and its tenets clearly. He's an expert on it in theory (hence the memes and jokes) -- but now he just needs to begin executing it and carry it forward until it becomes a piece of his life.

Have I made a small step today toward the person who I want to be next year?

I disagree a bit with the first sentence. The hardest part is not getting started. Is to keep on.

Is easy to go to the gym... the first day. The most difficult is to keep going each day and work even harder.

"He needs to begin executing it and carry it forward..."
This is the key. At least for me, it is. It's easy to come back to our default behaviour. That in my case is, as happens with Raoul, consuming more theory.

Your last question is something to frame or write in the bathroom mirror (tho' maybe in a future-oriented form, like "What small step I'm going to..."). Anyway, @Raoul Duke, the key word here is "small"...

And not only on attending the summit has you taken a step. This thread itself is a huuuge step forward. It requires courage. Take advantage of the results of it (the support).

 

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[96wells]

The thing about starting up. There's a good way to make sure you start up each time, as long as you pay attention to the things I'm about to tell you, and not forget it.

First, make sure you have a social circle that revolves around your task (copywriting).

As I mentioned, I have a group that have a clear goal each month. Write 100 ads, analyze space ads, and so forth. So everytime I post my assignment I get that social validation. I also update my schedule, to-do list, and stats everyday in that group.

Social validation is a strong thing. Don't ever overlook it. How hard was it for you to jack off on the forums or social media? Not much effort at all. In fact, you can even say sometimes you spend way too much time on them.

So make sure you have a mastermind, even if have to pay for it. Then working will be similar to browsing the forums or social media, with it's own social rewards.

Second, make sure you do some sort of visualization/stats every morning. Like I said, I update my stats everyday in that group. It's related to copywriting most of the time, so I don't feel out of place doing so.

Announcing your goals and stats in public does wonders. It's one of the only thing that motivates me. Use the social pressure to propel you to copywriting success.

Visualization just means you take 1-5 minutes each day to write down what you want in your future. Make sure it is emotionally compelling to (specifically) you. And you stats can be based on your goals in your visualization.

I personally think getting started on your goals is the hardest part. If you get started then you just keep on rolling. So minimize the time it takes you to get started. What I am about to say next will be controversial.

Third, I work with a television in front of me. And I already mentioned I have social media and a mastermind as a tool to get me motivated. So why a television? Because I want to watch television so I would go to it naturally. When I am naturally at the television, my work is already placed right in front of me.

See, I tricked my mind. Because now I see the work in front of me, I would feel guilty not doing it. I would also feel guilty not updating my stats in my social media and mastermind. So I minimized the time it got me to get started by using an incentive. It's easy to maintain your habit of watching television. So I just attached work to watching television.

Listen, I'm lazy as F*ck. People will preach saying television is a bad thing and it will make you lazy. But the way I see it, most of these people take their productiveness for granted.

Most of them probably work in an environment with other co-workers. Real life socializing is an incentive much like social media or television (lesser so). So when you think about it that way... they're doing it too.

Think about television this way. It's like a secondary social incentive when you see humans on the television. It's like reading a book vs going out. Both works, but just because social media and mastermind is better at motivating you, doesn't mean you should neglect television because that's motivating too.

And you and I... we might not have this real life social thing *sob...*

In a nutshell, I rather take the lost time in productiveness to get started than to do nothing at all.

Starting is the hardest (similar to activation energy and enzymes in chemistry and inertia in physics), but once you get going, your productiveness will snowball and at the end of the day you'll feel like you got a lot done. Do that everyday and you will be successful without much resistance...

(except your mindset, which I tried to say in my last post... be happy first... but happiness and mindset deserves a thread on its own. And MJ's book is the bomb on mindset...)

Also coffee helps.

So there you have it. I just gave you the secrets of starting a task and maintaining a habit. I didn't even charge you a cent. This seems like common sense, but you'll be surprised how often I am still pinchy on shelling out some money for a mastermind or creating one for free...

--
a) There's a ted talk I cannot find. It's about a guy who, in order to stay alive, have to have a daily injection. The way he did it was by watching a movie each day, and during the movie he would inject himself. The movie helped him with the tough action of injecting himself and staying on schedule. The movie helped him through the initial inertia.

b) The book Think and Grow Rich goes into mastermind a lot. I would say...It's the number 1 principle of the book.

c) There is also an article a long time ago about how a professor never works. He just procrastinates. So what he did was create a list of things he procrastinate on, and he would just procrastinate away at his work. In essence, what he's saying is, he never works. I don't know if this meant he shifted his viewpoint, or he used pleasurable activities as a catalyst. Anyways, it was a famous paper but for the life of me I forgot.

 

[KLaw]

"Go start or update a progress thread. Put a link to it here. We'll come over with you and help you along the way."
Did I miss the link to your progress thread?

 

[LightHouse]

Bump

 

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[Andy Black]

We talking before about having a skype call. When are you free? Thanks @Andy Black!

Oh shoot. This fell between the cracks. Let’s arrange a chat sometime.