The Entrepreneur Forum | Financial Freedom | Starting a Business | Motivation | Money | Success

Welcome to the only entrepreneur forum dedicated to building life-changing wealth.

Build a Fastlane business. Earn real financial freedom. Join free.

Join over 80,000 entrepreneurs who have rejected the paradigm of mediocrity and said "NO!" to underpaid jobs, ascetic frugality, and suffocating savings rituals— learn how to build a Fastlane business that pays both freedom and lifestyle affluence.

Free registration at the forum removes this block.

Do you feel like giving up? Read this...

sparechange

Platinum Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
161%
Nov 11, 2016
2,804
4,502
Canada (Vancouver)
Spent the last few days reading almost all the Gold and Notable threads. Narrowed down my choice to two things I want to do. I'm almost ready to commit my time to one of the two.

Action faker
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,565
68,696
Ireland
Narrowed down my choice to two things I want to do. I'm almost ready to commit my time to one of the two.
What will you do to make a sale this week, or at least help someone?
 

TheProcess

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
81%
Nov 14, 2018
180
146
What will you do to make a sale this week, or at least help someone?
Well I was very inspired by the YouTube thread, and it's something that I've been wanting to do for a very long time now, and I think I have the potential to be good at it. So I'm going shopping tomorrow to get a camera and tripod and the rest of the equipment that I would need to start filming. After that, my focus will be on creating my first video.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,565
68,696
Ireland
Well I was very inspired by the YouTube thread, and it's something that I've been wanting to do for a very long time now, and I think I have the potential to be good at it. So I'm going shopping tomorrow to get a camera and tripod and the rest of the equipment that I would need to start filming. After that, my focus will be on creating my first video.
You can likely use a smartphone if you have one. A wee tripod can help, but isn't necessary. Just don't go down the rabbit-hole of buying equipment. Get something recorded and uploaded tonight?

Watch the video here. It's only 2 mins.

You can likely use Zoom or Loom to record video from your laptop. I did a quick video here this morning with just my headphones as the mic. Sure, sound isn't great, but I didn't let that stop me hitting record when I thought the discussion might have helped others.
 

TheProcess

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
81%
Nov 14, 2018
180
146
You can likely use a smartphone if you have one. A wee tripod can help, but isn't necessary. Just don't go down the rabbit-hole of buying equipment. Get something recorded and uploaded tonight?

Watch the video here. It's only 2 mins.

You can likely use Zoom or Loom to record video from your laptop. I did a quick video here this morning with just my headphones as the mic. Sure, sound isn't great, but I didn't let that stop me hitting record when I thought the discussion might have helped others.
Just watched it. While I usually agree with your great advice, I will have to disagree here. The goal of my channel will be to provide high quality content. Uploading my first video might take up to a week. I have to think about many things such as what "theme" I want my channel to follow and be about.

And yes, I won't be going down the rabbit-hole of buying equipment, I'll probably just start off with a camera, mic and tripod.
 

sparechange

Platinum Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
161%
Nov 11, 2016
2,804
4,502
Canada (Vancouver)
Just watched it. While I usually agree with your great advice, I will have to disagree here. The goal of my channel will be to provide high quality content. Uploading my first video might take up to a week. I have to think about many things such as what "theme" I want my channel to follow and be about.

And yes, I won't be going down the rabbit-hole of buying equipment, I'll probably just start off with a camera, mic and tripod.

So your going to be another Youtuber?

Dude, get a job you are not meant for this.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,565
68,696
Ireland
Just watched it. While I usually agree with your great advice, I will have to disagree here. The goal of my channel will be to provide high quality content. Uploading my first video might take up to a week. I have to think about many things such as what "theme" I want my channel to follow and be about.

And yes, I won't be going down the rabbit-hole of buying equipment, I'll probably just start off with a camera, mic and tripod.
Maybe have two channels. One for messing about on uploading content daily and getting better through doing.

The other for your more focused content?

My “Andy Black Jnr” channel is my sandpit where I upload videos however I want to.

All I’m suggesting is you *consider* getting started sooner rather than later.
 

JHZ

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
200%
Nov 24, 2017
49
98
25
México
So your going to be another Youtuber?

Dude, get a job you are not meant for this.
I don't think its fair to the OP to just say "You are not meant for this, give up". Lots of folks struggle at the beginning to find their way and make progress. Action faking and indecision is not a fixed attribute that can not be changed, its a habit that can be worked on.

As for a YouTube channel, a member of the forum has a progress thread doing exactly that, he is doing pretty well. Also, don't trash the idea of getting a job. A job is not giving up, a job can be a way for you to grow , learn, get some real world experience and acquire capital. Whatever you choose to do, just start.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Itsmeantonios

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
98%
May 28, 2020
46
45
Canada
I've been struggling to think of ideas since I finished reading Unscripted and Fastlane last week. I spend hours every day on my laptop trying to come up with ideas.

Everything I think up, I consider "does this provide value?" do a bit of research around the topic and come back with "no."

I posted a thread before that I had an app idea but I've decided to abandon it for moral reasons. Essentially my idea was to make an app to track celebrities. Integrate the google maps API into the app and users would post pins where they've sighted "X" celebrity and only the most recent one would get pinned to the map. I decided that celebrities are likely already bothered enough while out in public and I didn't want to contribute more to that. I thought it would have been a good money maker idea, and it would provide value to those obsessed with celebrities, but the outcome for those celebrities would likely be negative.

Every idea even if it's small I come back with "this doesn't provide value" and I'm back at the beginning. I'm starting to get disheartened because I have no specific industry or anything I would like to target. I just randomly think of things but never anything that solves an actual problem or provides value.

A business HAS TO solve a problem or provide better value than something else if it is going to make a difference, so it's very important to have that.

I'm in my mid 30s with a lot of life experience in several fields and still struggling to come up with ideas. It's hard to imagine how people do it. Maybe I am just in the wrong mindset. I don't know.


I am rambling now. I'm not sure I have advice for you other than not starting a youtube channel unless you really think your content really provides value to people, otherwise it will remain in obscurity as the platform is massive.
 

Ing

Gold Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
102%
Jun 8, 2019
1,621
1,651
58
Bavaria
Get rid of your couch potatoe mentality.
Wou wont help someone sitting there and read threads about others doing it.
Leave your house, visit your neighbor and talk to him.
Maybe he needs help.
 

Vadim26

Silver Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
193%
Nov 23, 2018
307
592
Vancouver, BC.
I've been struggling to think of ideas since I finished reading Unscripted and Fastlane last week. I spend hours every day on my laptop trying to come up with ideas.

Everything I think up, I consider "does this provide value?" do a bit of research around the topic and come back with "no."

I posted a thread before that I had an app idea but I've decided to abandon it for moral reasons. Essentially my idea was to make an app to track celebrities. Integrate the google maps API into the app and users would post pins where they've sighted "X" celebrity and only the most recent one would get pinned to the map. I decided that celebrities are likely already bothered enough while out in public and I didn't want to contribute more to that. I thought it would have been a good money maker idea, and it would provide value to those obsessed with celebrities, but the outcome for those celebrities would likely be negative.

Every idea even if it's small I come back with "this doesn't provide value" and I'm back at the beginning. I'm starting to get disheartened because I have no specific industry or anything I would like to target. I just randomly think of things but never anything that solves an actual problem or provides value.

A business HAS TO solve a problem or provide better value than something else if it is going to make a difference, so it's very important to have that.

I'm in my mid 30s with a lot of life experience in several fields and still struggling to come up with ideas. It's hard to imagine how people do it. Maybe I am just in the wrong mindset. I don't know.


I am rambling now. I'm not sure I have advice for you other than not starting a youtube channel unless you really think your content really provides value to people, otherwise it will remain in obscurity as the platform is massive.

And what’s stopping you from verifying idea with quick MVP?

Rarely idea is great from the start, but it becomes one through “act-access-adjust” process.

Here’s a good article:


I am sure you will get more help if you create a separate thread.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Itsmeantonios

Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
98%
May 28, 2020
46
45
Canada
And what’s stopping you from verifying idea with quick MVP?

Rarely idea is great from the start, but it becomes one through “act-access-adjust” process.

Here’s a good article:


I am sure you will get more help if you create a separate thread.

Thank you for the reply. I have been reading the Lean Startup book which covers this MVP concept. Most of my ideas have been software related. I am not a software developer, nor do I have the money to pay someone to develop a software MVP. That leaves me two options - think of non-software products or services that I can prototype up myself with stuff from the hardware store or wherever, or learn software development (or both :D). I have been trying to learn more about ways I can fake this, like the example of that Buffer idea. Create a landing page for my software idea to see if there is any interest without having to actually make it yet.

Or for a physical product idea - create an amazon listing for my product and a single page website about the product which shows the product out of a stock with a button to request an email when it's back in stock. Something like that. I don't know yet.

These are all things I am still considering. I have a lot to learn and have been mostly undecided about which direction I would like to focus.

Anyway, it was not my intention to hijack this thread. Sorry OP!!!! I wish you the best of luck with your struggles. I feel like we all struggle with these types of things.
 

sparechange

Platinum Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
161%
Nov 11, 2016
2,804
4,502
Canada (Vancouver)
I don't think its fair to the OP to just say "You are not meant for this, give up". Lots of folks struggle at the beginning to find their way and make progress. Action faking and indecision is not a fixed attribute that can not be changed, its a habit that can be worked on.

As for a YouTube channel, a member of the forum has a progress thread doing exactly that, he is doing pretty well. Also, don't trash the idea of getting a job. A job is not giving up, a job can be a way for you to grow , learn, get some real world experience and acquire capital. Whatever you choose to do, just start.

Youtube can be great sure, but op is a money chasing action faker imo, reading a bunch of threads and whatever is not going to help him.

Once he realizes how hard Youtube is I'm sure he will quickly quit that as well, and the cycle continues. Hopefully he can prove me wrong, but I doubt it.

Having a career is not a bad thing, infact I'd even go as far to say that for most people its a much better option.
 

TheProcess

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
81%
Nov 14, 2018
180
146
I've been struggling to think of ideas since I finished reading Unscripted and Fastlane last week. I spend hours every day on my laptop trying to come up with ideas.

Everything I think up, I consider "does this provide value?" do a bit of research around the topic and come back with "no."

I posted a thread before that I had an app idea but I've decided to abandon it for moral reasons. Essentially my idea was to make an app to track celebrities. Integrate the google maps API into the app and users would post pins where they've sighted "X" celebrity and only the most recent one would get pinned to the map. I decided that celebrities are likely already bothered enough while out in public and I didn't want to contribute more to that. I thought it would have been a good money maker idea, and it would provide value to those obsessed with celebrities, but the outcome for those celebrities would likely be negative.

Every idea even if it's small I come back with "this doesn't provide value" and I'm back at the beginning. I'm starting to get disheartened because I have no specific industry or anything I would like to target. I just randomly think of things but never anything that solves an actual problem or provides value.

A business HAS TO solve a problem or provide better value than something else if it is going to make a difference, so it's very important to have that.

I'm in my mid 30s with a lot of life experience in several fields and still struggling to come up with ideas. It's hard to imagine how people do it. Maybe I am just in the wrong mindset. I don't know.


I am rambling now. I'm not sure I have advice for you other than not starting a youtube channel unless you really think your content really provides value to people, otherwise it will remain in obscurity as the platform is massive.
Andy Black says to simply help people and then things fall into place. Check out some of the threads that he linked on this thread. And yea i'm in the same boat as you, but I'm sure we'll get out of it brother!
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

TheProcess

Bronze Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
81%
Nov 14, 2018
180
146
And what’s stopping you from verifying idea with quick MVP?

Rarely idea is great from the start, but it becomes one through “act-access-adjust” process.

Here’s a good article:


I am sure you will get more help if you create a separate thread.
I'm familiar with an MVP and the lean startup method. Great book on that.
 

MJ DeMarco

I followed the science; all I found was money.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
445%
Jul 23, 2007
38,082
169,503
Utah
I took a quick look through your threads just now.

Your intro:

You felt lost and wanted to quit college.



Fortunately, you decided not to quit.



You tried Lex's Upwork tutorial, but gave up the same day.




You started a progress thread and got some really good advice.

You had a minimum wage job as a dishwasher and landed a better-paying job that allowed you to work from home on a company laptop. This sounds like a dream to give you the flexibility to pursue entrepreneurship.


The job apparently brought you good things.


You don't have a clear goal and don't really know how to set one.




Your schedule is not very disciplined.



You do have high expectations for yourself.



You realize that you need discipline and work ethic.




You've actually had a bunch of really good contacts with potential mentors.






You experience a fair amount of anger at times. This reduces your ability to produce.





You've asked for a fair amount of advice.

You started a business! Yay!


That was April 22, 2020.

By April 28, you and your cofounder had already decided to part ways.



On May 4, you were still excited about the business and asking about how to build your social media presence.

By May 6, you were losing interest. You're not even really sure why or what to do about it.



And on May 12, you shared your observation that you work better with others.


Here's what stands out to me the most from all this. This is the common thread I see running through your posts.

I think you struggle with self-motivation. And that defeats your progress, which leads to self-hatred and beating yourself up.

(I say this out of kindness, not out of accusation or "piling on" to the self-beating you're already giving yourself. I am very similar. I know how it feels. I know how frustrating it can be to just not be able to MAKE YOURSELF DO WHAT YOU KNOW IS IN YOUR BEST INTEREST.)





So - here are some practical thoughts that I think can help you get out of the negative feedback loop you're currently stuck in, and change it for a positive one.

  1. You will likely continue to experience failure and frustration until you man up and develop self-discipline. It is urgent that you do this now. Otherwise, you could end up twice your age, still leaning on other people to crack the whip over you to get you to produce. 40-year-old you WILL NOT FIND THIS FUN. I would recommend a dopamine fast to kick off the process. Hike the Appalachian Trail or something. Get yourself outdoors and away from devices and TV, at least for a few days. Detox your brain from the dopamine drip you've been feeding it. Dig up the soil and plant a garden. Whatever. Interact with the physical world, not the digital one, for a few days.
  2. Design a setup where you can START winning and KEEP winning. Find the smallest possible WIN that contributes to your goals. In your old execution thread, your "WIN" that you were working for was "Making a sale." No. Break it down further than that. What do you need to do prior that sale, in order to lead up to a sale? Who do you need to BE in order to get that sale? Maybe you say, "OK, my win will be waking up at 6:00 AM every day for a week." No. Break it down even further, because waking up like that is not going to be a slam dunk. So you say, OK, my win will be waking up ONCE at 6:00 AM. No. Break it down even before that. Because you'll be going to bed too late to get up at 6:00 AM. So you say, "OK, my win will be to go to bed by 9:00." But then, you're not going to be tired at 9:00, so you're going to be tempted to stay on your computer. So you back up to the REAL step. "OK, my win will be that every time I catch myself wasting time on a distraction, IN THAT SAME MOMENT, I'm going to STOP and do something productive." (Define what it is so it's concrete. Also define a reward, and deliver that reward to yourself consistently. Even if it's just a silly reward like one chocolate chip.). NOW you're on track. This is defining your wins in a direction that will serve you.
  3. Verbal thrashings will not make you more productive or more motivated. What you're trying to do is alternatively hype yourself up into action (works for a while and then fails) and then scold yourself for not acting up to your standards (works for a while and then fails). This is not the solution.
  4. There may be a biological component to what you're experiencing. The way you describe yourself sounds similar to ADHD. Read about the executive function in the brain. Your executive function is the part of you that says, "OK, I'm going to do this now." You maybe be struggling to get the executive function to turn on. If this is the case, there are two easy ways to self-medicate. Try experimenting with yourself with these two things to see if it helps. One is caffeine. Try drinking coffee shortly before doing a task you struggle with. See if this improves your ability to DO what you've DECIDED to do. The second one is vigorous exercise (whatever level of physical exertion that will leave you breathless and sweating). Try exercise immediately before you sit down to do something that requires focus.
  5. There may be a psychological component to what you're experiencing. I suspect depression. There is so much help to be found in therapy, and the outcome can be removing that mysterious inner "boredom" that causes you to reject idea after idea.
  6. There may also be an inner resistance to the idea of what "working" and "adulthood" means. I have had to deal with this. Everything on the inside of me would be screaming, "NO! I don't consent to this. I want to be GREAT! I want to do things that are COOL! I want to be amazing! I reject drudgery! I reject monotony. I'm not ok with the next few decades of my life being dedicated to toiling and slaving away." It can be very difficult to come to terms with this, square your shoulders, look work in the face, and say, "OK. This is my existence until I make it. Deal." Work is not fun or pretty or sexy. It's the RESULTS of work that we like. As children, we enjoyed the results of our PARENTS' work without having to put in the work. As adults, we don't get to skip ahead to the results. It's a rude awakening.
[edit: This posted prematurely while I was still fleshing out my thoughts on #2]

Wow, just wow.

You should have charged $250/hour for that.

Thank you for taking time for trying to help someone. If it doesn't help him, it will help others.
 

Fox

Legendary Contributor
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
Forum Sponsor
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
690%
Aug 19, 2015
3,881
26,766
Europe
I took a quick look through your threads just now.

Your intro:

You felt lost and wanted to quit college.



Fortunately, you decided not to quit.



You tried Lex's Upwork tutorial, but gave up the same day.




You started a progress thread and got some really good advice.

You had a minimum wage job as a dishwasher and landed a better-paying job that allowed you to work from home on a company laptop. This sounds like a dream to give you the flexibility to pursue entrepreneurship.


The job apparently brought you good things.


You don't have a clear goal and don't really know how to set one.




Your schedule is not very disciplined.



You do have high expectations for yourself.



You realize that you need discipline and work ethic.




You've actually had a bunch of really good contacts with potential mentors.






You experience a fair amount of anger at times. This reduces your ability to produce.





You've asked for a fair amount of advice.

You started a business! Yay!


That was April 22, 2020.

By April 28, you and your cofounder had already decided to part ways.



On May 4, you were still excited about the business and asking about how to build your social media presence.

By May 6, you were losing interest. You're not even really sure why or what to do about it.



And on May 12, you shared your observation that you work better with others.


Here's what stands out to me the most from all this. This is the common thread I see running through your posts.

I think you struggle with self-motivation. And that defeats your progress, which leads to self-hatred and beating yourself up.

(I say this out of kindness, not out of accusation or "piling on" to the self-beating you're already giving yourself. I am very similar. I know how it feels. I know how frustrating it can be to just not be able to MAKE YOURSELF DO WHAT YOU KNOW IS IN YOUR BEST INTEREST.)





So - here are some practical thoughts that I think can help you get out of the negative feedback loop you're currently stuck in, and change it for a positive one.

  1. You will likely continue to experience failure and frustration until you man up and develop self-discipline. It is urgent that you do this now. Otherwise, you could end up twice your age, still leaning on other people to crack the whip over you to get you to produce. 40-year-old you WILL NOT FIND THIS FUN. I would recommend a dopamine fast to kick off the process. Hike the Appalachian Trail or something. Get yourself outdoors and away from devices and TV, at least for a few days. Detox your brain from the dopamine drip you've been feeding it. Dig up the soil and plant a garden. Whatever. Interact with the physical world, not the digital one, for a few days.
  2. Design a setup where you can START winning and KEEP winning. Find the smallest possible WIN that contributes to your goals. In your old execution thread, your "WIN" that you were working for was "Making a sale." No. Break it down further than that. What do you need to do prior that sale, in order to lead up to a sale? Who do you need to BE in order to get that sale? Maybe you say, "OK, my win will be waking up at 6:00 AM every day for a week." No. Break it down even further, because waking up like that is not going to be a slam dunk. So you say, OK, my win will be waking up ONCE at 6:00 AM. No. Break it down even before that. Because you'll be going to bed too late to get up at 6:00 AM. So you say, "OK, my win will be to go to bed by 9:00." But then, you're not going to be tired at 9:00, so you're going to be tempted to stay on your computer. So you back up to the REAL step. "OK, my win will be that every time I catch myself wasting time on a distraction, IN THAT SAME MOMENT, I'm going to STOP and do something productive." (Define what it is so it's concrete. Also define a reward, and deliver that reward to yourself consistently. Even if it's just a silly reward like one chocolate chip.). NOW you're on track. This is defining your wins in a direction that will serve you.
  3. Verbal thrashings will not make you more productive or more motivated. What you're trying to do is alternatively hype yourself up into action (works for a while and then fails) and then scold yourself for not acting up to your standards (works for a while and then fails). This is not the solution.
  4. There may be a biological component to what you're experiencing. The way you describe yourself sounds similar to ADHD. Read about the executive function in the brain. Your executive function is the part of you that says, "OK, I'm going to do this now." You maybe be struggling to get the executive function to turn on. If this is the case, there are two easy ways to self-medicate. Try experimenting with yourself with these two things to see if it helps. One is caffeine. Try drinking coffee shortly before doing a task you struggle with. See if this improves your ability to DO what you've DECIDED to do. The second one is vigorous exercise (whatever level of physical exertion that will leave you breathless and sweating). Try exercise immediately before you sit down to do something that requires focus.
  5. There may be a psychological component to what you're experiencing. I suspect depression. There is so much help to be found in therapy, and the outcome can be removing that mysterious inner "boredom" that causes you to reject idea after idea.
  6. There may also be an inner resistance to the idea of what "working" and "adulthood" means. I have had to deal with this. Everything on the inside of me would be screaming, "NO! I don't consent to this. I want to be GREAT! I want to do things that are COOL! I want to be amazing! I reject drudgery! I reject monotony. I'm not ok with the next few decades of my life being dedicated to toiling and slaving away." It can be very difficult to come to terms with this, square your shoulders, look work in the face, and say, "OK. This is my existence until I make it. Deal." Work is not fun or pretty or sexy. It's the RESULTS of work that we like. As children, we enjoyed the results of our PARENTS' work without having to put in the work. As adults, we don't get to skip ahead to the results. It's a rude awakening.
[edit: This posted prematurely while I was still fleshing out my thoughts on #2]

Amazing!!!

This post clearly took a ton of effort and time.

Very cool @Bekit.

Edit - ha same time as MJ. @Andy Black shared this with the mods as he has blown away also.
So much value in one post.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Vigilante

Legendary Contributor
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
596%
Oct 31, 2011
11,116
66,265
Gulf Coast
I took a quick look through your threads just now.

Your intro:

You felt lost and wanted to quit college.



Fortunately, you decided not to quit.



You tried Lex's Upwork tutorial, but gave up the same day.




You started a progress thread and got some really good advice.

You had a minimum wage job as a dishwasher and landed a better-paying job that allowed you to work from home on a company laptop. This sounds like a dream to give you the flexibility to pursue entrepreneurship.


The job apparently brought you good things.


You don't have a clear goal and don't really know how to set one.




Your schedule is not very disciplined.



You do have high expectations for yourself.



You realize that you need discipline and work ethic.




You've actually had a bunch of really good contacts with potential mentors.






You experience a fair amount of anger at times. This reduces your ability to produce.





You've asked for a fair amount of advice.

You started a business! Yay!


That was April 22, 2020.

By April 28, you and your cofounder had already decided to part ways.



On May 4, you were still excited about the business and asking about how to build your social media presence.

By May 6, you were losing interest. You're not even really sure why or what to do about it.



And on May 12, you shared your observation that you work better with others.


Here's what stands out to me the most from all this. This is the common thread I see running through your posts.

I think you struggle with self-motivation. And that defeats your progress, which leads to self-hatred and beating yourself up.

(I say this out of kindness, not out of accusation or "piling on" to the self-beating you're already giving yourself. I am very similar. I know how it feels. I know how frustrating it can be to just not be able to MAKE YOURSELF DO WHAT YOU KNOW IS IN YOUR BEST INTEREST.)





So - here are some practical thoughts that I think can help you get out of the negative feedback loop you're currently stuck in, and change it for a positive one.

  1. You will likely continue to experience failure and frustration until you man up and develop self-discipline. It is urgent that you do this now. Otherwise, you could end up twice your age, still leaning on other people to crack the whip over you to get you to produce. 40-year-old you WILL NOT FIND THIS FUN. I would recommend a dopamine fast to kick off the process. Hike the Appalachian Trail or something. Get yourself outdoors and away from devices and TV, at least for a few days. Detox your brain from the dopamine drip you've been feeding it. Dig up the soil and plant a garden. Whatever. Interact with the physical world, not the digital one, for a few days.
  2. Design a setup where you can START winning and KEEP winning. Find the smallest possible WIN that contributes to your goals. In your old execution thread, your "WIN" that you were working for was "Making a sale." No. Break it down further than that. What do you need to do prior that sale, in order to lead up to a sale? Who do you need to BE in order to get that sale? Maybe you say, "OK, my win will be waking up at 6:00 AM every day for a week." No. Break it down even further, because waking up like that is not going to be a slam dunk. So you say, OK, my win will be waking up ONCE at 6:00 AM. No. Break it down even before that. Because you'll be going to bed too late to get up at 6:00 AM. So you say, "OK, my win will be to go to bed by 9:00." But then, you're not going to be tired at 9:00, so you're going to be tempted to stay on your computer. So you back up to the REAL step. "OK, my win will be that every time I catch myself wasting time on a distraction, IN THAT SAME MOMENT, I'm going to STOP and do something productive." (Define what it is so it's concrete. Also define a reward, and deliver that reward to yourself consistently. Even if it's just a silly reward like one chocolate chip.). NOW you're on track. This is defining your wins in a direction that will serve you.
  3. Verbal thrashings will not make you more productive or more motivated. What you're trying to do is alternatively hype yourself up into action (works for a while and then fails) and then scold yourself for not acting up to your standards (works for a while and then fails). This is not the solution.
  4. There may be a biological component to what you're experiencing. The way you describe yourself sounds similar to ADHD. Read about the executive function in the brain. Your executive function is the part of you that says, "OK, I'm going to do this now." You maybe be struggling to get the executive function to turn on. If this is the case, there are two easy ways to self-medicate. Try experimenting with yourself with these two things to see if it helps. One is caffeine. Try drinking coffee shortly before doing a task you struggle with. See if this improves your ability to DO what you've DECIDED to do. The second one is vigorous exercise (whatever level of physical exertion that will leave you breathless and sweating). Try exercise immediately before you sit down to do something that requires focus.
  5. There may be a psychological component to what you're experiencing. I suspect depression. There is so much help to be found in therapy, and the outcome can be removing that mysterious inner "boredom" that causes you to reject idea after idea.
  6. There may also be an inner resistance to the idea of what "working" and "adulthood" means. I have had to deal with this. Everything on the inside of me would be screaming, "NO! I don't consent to this. I want to be GREAT! I want to do things that are COOL! I want to be amazing! I reject drudgery! I reject monotony. I'm not ok with the next few decades of my life being dedicated to toiling and slaving away." It can be very difficult to come to terms with this, square your shoulders, look work in the face, and say, "OK. This is my existence until I make it. Deal." Work is not fun or pretty or sexy. It's the RESULTS of work that we like. As children, we enjoyed the results of our PARENTS' work without having to put in the work. As adults, we don't get to skip ahead to the results. It's a rude awakening.
[edit: This posted prematurely while I was still fleshing out my thoughts on #2]

I am very glad you have chosen to spend time here helping people. You are an encouragement.
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,565
68,696
Ireland

Sagemoney

Bronze Contributor
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
448%
Mar 12, 2018
73
327
Michigan
Youtube can be great sure, but op is a money chasing action faker imo, reading a bunch of threads and whatever is not going to help him.

Once he realizes how hard Youtube is I'm sure he will quickly quit that as well, and the cycle continues. Hopefully he can prove me wrong, but I doubt it.

Having a career is not a bad thing, infact I'd even go as far to say that for most people its a much better option.

TBH after reading TMF and unscripted I don’t think it’s possible to go back. Unscripted should probably have a disclaimer because it will change your life permanently if you truly comprehend it.

What’s been seen cannot be unseen, maybe he can invent something short of a men in black memory flash to “reignorize” himself.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

sparechange

Platinum Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
161%
Nov 11, 2016
2,804
4,502
Canada (Vancouver)
@TheProcess What have you done today? More action faking?
 

BlindSide

Bronze Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
204%
Mar 16, 2017
193
394
30
Los Angeles
@TheProcess What have you done today? More action faking?
Post something constructive. I’m 100% convinced your words aren’t helping. And it’s not just that - it doesn’t seem like you want to. Seems like you enjoy a chance to try and bully.
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,565
68,696
Ireland
Action faker

Youtube can be great sure, but op is a money chasing action faker imo, reading a bunch of threads and whatever is not going to help him.

Once he realizes how hard Youtube is I'm sure he will quickly quit that as well, and the cycle continues. Hopefully he can prove me wrong, but I doubt it.

Having a career is not a bad thing, infact I'd even go as far to say that for most people its a much better option.

@TheProcess What have you done today? More action faking?

I’m curious what your motives are @sparechange.
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Kevin88660

Platinum Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
Read Unscripted!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
118%
Feb 8, 2019
3,457
4,078
Singapore
Just watched it. While I usually agree with your great advice, I will have to disagree here. The goal of my channel will be to provide high quality content. Uploading my first video might take up to a week. I have to think about many things such as what "theme" I want my channel to follow and be about.

And yes, I won't be going down the rabbit-hole of buying equipment, I'll probably just start off with a camera, mic and tripod.
If you know something really deep enough, it probably will do well.

It is a hyper-competitive market these days and you will realize a pattern.

The person who has success in sharing food was a former chef.

The person who has success in weight management theme is still actively participating in competition.

The person who has success in sharing science topic...and science fiction/conspiracy- not really a scientist but was a former programmer who is a science topic hobbyist.

The person who has success in sharing entrepreneurship topics were business people who are still active.

.....
 

sparechange

Platinum Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
161%
Nov 11, 2016
2,804
4,502
Canada (Vancouver)
I’m curious what your motives are @sparechange.

Hopefully spurring him on with insults, if he doesn't take offense to it, I will keep calling him an action faker until he either gets offended and does something to prove me wrong.

Otherwise I unfortunately get to say '' I told you so '' Anger is one of the greatest motivaters in the world.
 

sparechange

Platinum Contributor
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
161%
Nov 11, 2016
2,804
4,502
Canada (Vancouver)
Post something constructive. I’m 100% convinced your words aren’t helping. And it’s not just that - it doesn’t seem like you want to. Seems like you enjoy a chance to try and bully.

Well hopefully OP can prove me wrong, I would be delighted, lots of people have given him great advice, what has he done with it? Let's hear it @TheProcess
 
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

Raoul Duke

Legendary Contributor
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Summit Attendee
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
324%
Feb 26, 2016
2,209
7,149
Well hopefully OP can prove me wrong, I would be delighted, lots of people have given him great advice, what has he done with it? Let's hear it @TheProcess

Still shopping for his/her youtube video camera....
 

Andy Black

Help people. Get paid. Help more people.
Staff member
FASTLANE INSIDER
EPIC CONTRIBUTOR
Read Fastlane!
Speedway Pass
User Power
Value/Post Ratio
370%
May 20, 2014
18,565
68,696
Ireland
Hopefully spurring him on with insults, if he doesn't take offense to it, I will keep calling him an action faker until he either gets offended and does something to prove me wrong.

Otherwise I unfortunately get to say '' I told you so '' Anger is one of the greatest motivaters in the world.
I'm not saying @TheProcess is, but sometimes people are in a bad place mentally and the tough love approach may make things much worse. You've said your piece, and now you've explained it's coming from a good place. @TheProcess seems to be taking advice on the chin, and has the manners to reply and thank people who have taken the effort to help him. These are good character traits. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day, so maybe give him a bit of slack to work things out?

You may well be or become best friends over this, but remember he's displaying bravery putting himself out there. There's lots of people lurking in the forum who we'd all agree would do better to stop just consuming and to start producing.
 

Post New Topic

Please SEARCH before posting.
Please select the BEST category.

Post new topic

Guest post submissions offered HERE.

Latest Posts

New Topics

Fastlane Insiders

View the forum AD FREE.
Private, unindexed content
Detailed process/execution threads
Ideas needing execution, more!

Join Fastlane Insiders.

Top