Fastlane Approach to a Slowlane Job

[G-Man]

Around here I’ve heard (and participated in) a lot of mocking of the 9-5 life. I think that while the traditional slowlane approach to a full-time job deserves mocking, there is a Fastlane approach to said employment that has the potential to pay off big later, especially for someone that’s still in their 20s. My experience is that your day job can actually help put you on the Fastlane if you approach it proactively and with the right mindset.

• Job Selection: This is a huge case of beginning with the end in mind. Most young people choose their early jobs based almost solely on how much they pay with a possible bias toward the job they think will require less hours. This is the opposite of how to properly look at a job. A job should be viewed as an opportunity to learn and network.

• Learning: Will I be able to take a lot of responsibility early on? Will I be able to interact directly with the marketplace the business is in? Will I be surrounded by people that are better than me? If you find yourself answering “yes” to these questions, you’ve just found an opportunity to learn the sorts of things that give you the tools to go Fastlane later.

• Networking: Will I be able to interact with customers, vendors, and possibly a mentor? Here the question is really if you’ll be able to stay proactive enough to really utilize the contacts you gain.

The downside: a paycheck. A paycheck should be an asset because it helps you build the kitty for your Fastlane business, but, in reality, unless you are a hyper-motivated person, it dis-incentivizes the cultivation of your greatest money producing asset: YOU. Motivation to work on the Fastlane business is hard when you’ve just put in a long day at the mine. Go ahead, ask me how much after hours work I got done between Monday and Thursday of last week.

To corrupt the words of George Washington: A 9-5 job, like fire, is a dangerous servant, and a terrible master.

Would love it if others would chime in on how they think a "normal job" helped or hurt their fastlane progress.

 

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[MidwestLandlord]

Go ahead, ask me how much after hours work I got done between Monday and Thursday of last week.

How much?

Would love it if others would chime in on how they think a "normal job" helped or hurt their fastlane progress.

I've only had one job where I did not work for a fastlaner, or someone really close to fastlane anyway. This was absolutely intentional, even though I had never heard of fastlane, and MJ's book wasn't even published yet. I knew from day one I wanted more than a job, so I took jobs that gave me access to people that had already done what I wanted.

Then I did my best to get noticed by providing them with more value than a normal employee. All of them ended up being a mentor to me whether they realized it or not. So I surrounded myself with the mindset and success I wanted to have.

I've always had a side project since I was 16 years old. None of them fastlane, but it kept me from getting complacent.

Wife, kids, and investing in "slowlane in disguise" businesses hurt my fastlane endeavors more than any slowlane job ever could.

I think almost any job can help with fastlane if your mindset is right. The worst thing about slowlane jobs though is being around slowlane people and their mindset.

Even my only slowlane job (without access to a fastlaner) taught me something though, and that was that I am way more productive in the morning. I've been getting up at 5am daily since that job when I was 16 years old. Good habit to have.

 

[G-Man]

How much?

Slightly less work than a Kardashian.

Wife, kids, and investing in "slowlane in disguise" businesses hurt my fastlane endeavors more than any slowlane job ever could.

Guilty here, too. Partly because I grew up in a family business that was actually just a job disguised as a business.

I think almost any job can help with fastlane if your mindset is right. The worst thing about slowlane jobs though is being around slowlane people and their mindset.

It can infect you with laziness, stupidity, and worst of all risk aversion. Hence the GW quote at the end

 

[jlwilliams]

I've been guilty of letting a job I took "to get me over for a while" turn me into a riskless paycheck addict for a few years. It happens. It's easy to get sucked into the groove of show up, perform to expectations or just a bit above, and bring home a boring predictable check. Oohhhh look, I scored overtime! Sickening in retrospect.

Jobs aren't all bad. One gem that I took from Rob Kiosaki was to take a job for what it teaches you, not what it pays you. I think that was one of the best bits I gleaned from the "two dads" book. In fact right now I'm considering an offer to do commission only sales for a company with (what seems to be) good modern sales training. More than training, it would be an opportunity to polish my rusty presentation skills with measurable feedback. ( Money equals positive feedback in this instance.)

Re reading before clicking post when it hit me. I read the two dads book on lunch breaks at that same job I mentioned. Not all bad, I guess.

 

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