Long post, but you will understand my story after reading. I hope you enjoy and learn from this like I have.
Hey everyone, names Duane Medley. I'm 21, reside in Lakeland, FL. I'm from Charleston, SC, but I moved down to Lakeland to go to college four years ago. The first year I didn't go to college, I worked 3 jobs; pool cleaning, house cleaning, and fast food. Saved up $20,000 in that time period. I took some of that money and threw it in the stock market and the rest has gone into college. Two years into college, I start to see patterns in everyone's mindset and teachers implementing mindsets for us. I'm sure everyone's well aware of this mindset, "get a good job" or "work my a$$ off and climb up to the highest position possible" etc etc.
I honestly just felt different from everyone else in college. Like I don't fit in with the college group. Everyone just wants to do the bear minimum in life and then go spend the rest of their life consuming.
I wanted more than that, so I developed a strategy. I signed up as a chemical engineer major, which is what interested me the most and yielded the highest return for my effort. I was going to get out of college, and with my dad being an engineer, find a job that paid between 75k-90k/year. From there, I planned on buying a 2-4 unit house, living in one unit, and renting the rest of it out to lower my expenses. Give myself a decent budget to enjoy myself, but also save about 70% of what I made (I've lived on my own before, so I have a small understanding of the expenses that come with life). The goal after that was, before I got married or had kids, to build up a portfolio of 14 houses, it'd take me about 3 years to do so and I wouldn't have to do much financing beyond banks. At the 14 house mark, my houses easily afford me a decent house to live in and cover all of my bills. It goes a lot deeper than that, I've done hours of research and understanding the real estate market, but that's just to summarize the plan.
Seemed like a pretty good plan in my head, the money I made in my job went to building my portfolio and my houses paid for my lifestyle, but there was one huge side effect. I wouldn't have time for a life and I'd be miserable working the 9-5 mon-fri. I didn't realize that until the beginning of this year. I got an internship and actually worked at a plant I'd be on and man it was terrible. The takeaway: AFTER WORKING THIS INTERNSHIP I REALIZED I STILL DIDN'T HAVE THAT SENSE OF PURPOSE FEELING, JUST LIKE WHEN I WAS TALKING TO MY COLLEGE CLASSMATES ABOUT OUR FUTURE AND THEY WERE JUST GOING TO DO THE BARE MINIMUM.
Now I'm almost done with college, on the fence about the degree I have and not liking the plan I set out on 4 years ago. My stocks have only gone up like 10% since I got them. So I think I've made even on them after Inflation. Terrible reality strikes me and if I truly want to be happy, I've got to re-focus and re-correct. Find my vision, find my purpose, because I know I'm currently not on it.
Once I find that thing of value, money will come and I can use my real estate knowledge to maintain any wealth I've acquired. So that's why I've joined this forum and am going to start doing my research on things. I want to find that thing that gives me my sense of purpose, but I don't think I will find it by looking into myself, but rather by realizing the needs people come to me with and fulfilling them. Take action on things that pass by and slowly work my way back in the right direction. Lots of learning and struggles.
Thanks to all those that read this, I look forward to talking to all of you.
Hey everyone, names Duane Medley. I'm 21, reside in Lakeland, FL. I'm from Charleston, SC, but I moved down to Lakeland to go to college four years ago. The first year I didn't go to college, I worked 3 jobs; pool cleaning, house cleaning, and fast food. Saved up $20,000 in that time period. I took some of that money and threw it in the stock market and the rest has gone into college. Two years into college, I start to see patterns in everyone's mindset and teachers implementing mindsets for us. I'm sure everyone's well aware of this mindset, "get a good job" or "work my a$$ off and climb up to the highest position possible" etc etc.
I honestly just felt different from everyone else in college. Like I don't fit in with the college group. Everyone just wants to do the bear minimum in life and then go spend the rest of their life consuming.
I wanted more than that, so I developed a strategy. I signed up as a chemical engineer major, which is what interested me the most and yielded the highest return for my effort. I was going to get out of college, and with my dad being an engineer, find a job that paid between 75k-90k/year. From there, I planned on buying a 2-4 unit house, living in one unit, and renting the rest of it out to lower my expenses. Give myself a decent budget to enjoy myself, but also save about 70% of what I made (I've lived on my own before, so I have a small understanding of the expenses that come with life). The goal after that was, before I got married or had kids, to build up a portfolio of 14 houses, it'd take me about 3 years to do so and I wouldn't have to do much financing beyond banks. At the 14 house mark, my houses easily afford me a decent house to live in and cover all of my bills. It goes a lot deeper than that, I've done hours of research and understanding the real estate market, but that's just to summarize the plan.
Seemed like a pretty good plan in my head, the money I made in my job went to building my portfolio and my houses paid for my lifestyle, but there was one huge side effect. I wouldn't have time for a life and I'd be miserable working the 9-5 mon-fri. I didn't realize that until the beginning of this year. I got an internship and actually worked at a plant I'd be on and man it was terrible. The takeaway: AFTER WORKING THIS INTERNSHIP I REALIZED I STILL DIDN'T HAVE THAT SENSE OF PURPOSE FEELING, JUST LIKE WHEN I WAS TALKING TO MY COLLEGE CLASSMATES ABOUT OUR FUTURE AND THEY WERE JUST GOING TO DO THE BARE MINIMUM.
Now I'm almost done with college, on the fence about the degree I have and not liking the plan I set out on 4 years ago. My stocks have only gone up like 10% since I got them. So I think I've made even on them after Inflation. Terrible reality strikes me and if I truly want to be happy, I've got to re-focus and re-correct. Find my vision, find my purpose, because I know I'm currently not on it.
Once I find that thing of value, money will come and I can use my real estate knowledge to maintain any wealth I've acquired. So that's why I've joined this forum and am going to start doing my research on things. I want to find that thing that gives me my sense of purpose, but I don't think I will find it by looking into myself, but rather by realizing the needs people come to me with and fulfilling them. Take action on things that pass by and slowly work my way back in the right direction. Lots of learning and struggles.
Thanks to all those that read this, I look forward to talking to all of you.
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Membership Required: Upgrade to Expose Nearly 1,000,000 Posts
Ready to Unleash the Millionaire Entrepreneur in You?
Become a member of the Fastlane Forum, the private community founded by best-selling author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur MJ DeMarco. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has poured his heart and soul into the Fastlane Forum, helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time, win their financial freedom, and live their best life.
With more than 39,000 posts packed with insights, strategies, and advice, you’re not just a member—you’re stepping into MJ’s inner-circle, a place where you’ll never be left alone.
Become a member and gain immediate access to...
- Active Community: Ever join a community only to find it DEAD? Not at Fastlane! As you can see from our home page, life-changing content is posted dozens of times daily.
- Exclusive Insights: Direct access to MJ DeMarco’s daily contributions and wisdom.
- Powerful Networking Opportunities: Connect with a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs who can offer mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities.
- Proven Strategies: Learn from the best in the business, with actionable advice and strategies that can accelerate your success.
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most..."
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Surround yourself with millionaire success. Join Fastlane today!
Join Today
