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Four Years of The Fastlane Forum

RHL

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Continuation of this thread: One Year of FLF.
@RHL Update! Update! Update!

Sorry for being gone for so long, but I had a good excuse:
b1wUWQH.png


Unfortunately, I read this thread while I was away:

I'm gonna be a dad.. Did I just lose the fastlane?

And realized that I had lost the fastlane. There's just too many red gumballs in this machine for my liking, especially with a child to support. So I decided that I'd rather stick to the slow lane and fill up a 401K. I'll have plenty of time to get to know my child after I retire from a regular 9-5, and my baby is 40, and has grown up, has a family, and has moved away. Thanks for everything; this has been an interesting period in my life. I envy you young guys and gals who can still experiment with this stuff safely. All the best!















Lol, jk.

When I was a child, everything in our house was focused on getting college scholarships and getting into the best colleges possible. I did not have one summer "off" from school after about age 13. Nights, weekends, you name it. It was the a high-pressure academic situation similar to what many children of East-Asian/Indian immigrants are unfortunately familiar with. Every year, there was this desperate scramble to memorize more speeches and facts and perform more outlandish feats to dazzle unqualified volunteer judges and bored corporate donors who had to tolerate listening to us to promote their brands. My family was fairly poor during this time; my dad had been out of work for years, though he took whatever dead-end, brutal, crap jobs he could find to put a few extra bucks on the table. My mom worked part time. Everything depended on going to the best school on a full ride. My entire sense of self worth hinged on where I went to university and whether or not I got a full ride. People were measured and graded based on where they were "going" or "got into." Those who weren't going to college weren't worthy of consideration at all.

By the time I got to college, everything was suffocating. I couldn't imagine a life where the organic and physical chemistry and differential equations I had to suffer through became a daily routine, but I knew that if I didn't want my kids to have to run the awful gauntlet I'd been through, I'd need to be either an engineer (and preferably computer, petroleum, or aerospace) or go into medicine.

I dreamed that things would be different in my personal life too.

I wanted to be able to support the faltering homeless shelter I volunteered at when I was a teen. I thought about providing real programs for the clients so that the neurotypical ones (and any who could live on their own) could get back on their feet.

I dreamed about not picking up my girlfriend in my 265,000 mile, 12-year-old Chrysler that needed air in its back tire before every trip. I dreamed about driving that POS with its screeching fan belts and rattling catalytic converters into the river and taking her to the next campus formal an Aston Martin DB9 that had just come out, which I thought was the most beautiful car I'd ever seen.

But I saw no way to get any of the things I wanted, except for 10+ years of higher education and brutal 70-hour weeks for the rest of my life. I knew it was what I was supposed to do. What my family wanted me to do. What I had been prepared for my whole life.

I've been here for four years, as long as it takes to get a college degree. It's now 2017.

It's Tuesday again. Do you know where I am?

Not at work.


Before I brought my child home from the hospital, my wife and I locked in a maxed out 5-year-schedule joint gift 529 for the baby for college. With the money that investment generates (large initial investment into the market + time), my child will never worry about paying for college or grad school. Ever.

I spend my time doing the things I want to do. Charity. Volunteering. Writing. Reading with my baby in the hammock on the porch all day yesterday (Monday). Focus on vocation and inspiration with no need to concern myself with pay.

What began as a side hustle is growing into a real machine. What began as a the gentle sprinkling of occasional sales and ill-conceived side-hustles has precipitated into a focused deluge at the hands of automation and subcontractors.

I was sitting at a party this weekend and a guy heard my phone buzzing under the booming music and said, "sounds like somebody's really trying to get a hold of you."

"No, I get that alert every time I sell some of X, so I leave it on. It makes my day."

By the 5th time the buzz came in, the guy said "Are you kidding me?"

I'm not. And I haven't needed a college degree or paid training for any of it.
ENdwVQ4.jpg

This is some bullshit

Before I got my copy of TMF , my part in the script was a guy in his mid 20's living in a studio apartment and making $40,000/yr. By then I was driving a nice 2000 Dodge Neon with a rust hole in the door the size of a tennis ball and only 185,000 miles on it.

Where were you four years ago? Where are you now? Where will you be tomorrow?

Look at the final act of the script you're acting out. Look at the road you're on.

Now look were you want to be.

You can get there. If you try.








dNkkVc1.jpg

vmGukWE.jpg


z0lRYxT.jpg
 
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Last edited:

Greg R

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And realized that I had lost the fastlane. There's just too many red gumballs in this machine for my liking, especially with a child to support. So I decided that I'd rather stick to the slow lane and fill up a 401K. I'll have plenty of time to get to know my child after I retire from a regular 9-5, and my baby is 40, and has grown up, has a family, and has moved away. Thanks for everything; this has been an interesting period in my life. I envy you young guys and gals who can still experiment with this stuff safely. All the best!
Lol, jk.

You got me.

I thought to myself "@RHL quitting the Fastlane? No way!"
REP+ for making my day with this post.
 

Almantas

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Congratulations with the arrival of your baby!

Thanks for sharing your success journey! If you find some time, can you drop some of the main challenges you've faced while building a business and how you've overcome them? I think it would add some more magic sprinkles on your already awesome success story and enlighten some of us noobs, lol.
 
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Last edited:

Bearcorp

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Congratulations on your success and of course on the new born! exciting times :fistbump:

The buzz on your phone when a sale comes in never gets old does it!
 

MJ DeMarco

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Damn! I've got the tingles! Marked GOLD, liked, featured, and rep transferred! You've hit the motherlode, but most important, you've hit the UNSCRIPTED motherlode in life!
 

ZF Lee

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Damn! I've got the tingles! Marked GOLD, liked, featured, and rep transferred! You've hit the motherlode, but most important, you've hit the UNSCRIPTED motherlode in life!
Reps to OP
Me too, MJ! Tingles! Or, more like fire up my a$$ lol.
I really needed the push....these days haven't been my best. Thanks, @RHL

100% of your mentioned struggles and FTE I can relate wholly with. In fact they make up the bulk of my struggles even now as a student. It's insane to see that still lots of people do gauge their self-worth on choice of universities and scholarships.

But on the other hand, you went and got your own 'education', one that not only provided for you, but also enabled you to THRIVE. That's like a 'F*ck you' to SCRIPT indoctrination. A good 'F*ck you'. I like it.

The 'lost the Fastlane because I'm a dad' thread felt quite negative to me so I just flashed through it and didn't read it. I just don't believe it.

Congrats again, @RHL. Any further plans, now that you hit the motherlode, as MJ calls it? You mentioned you are writing...will we be seeing a book containing your Fastlane story? :)

PS: On a slight derail....@MJ DeMarco...was the 'Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Entrepreneurship' slogan part of UNSCRIPTED some kind of homage to the American Declaration of Independence? It hit me when I was studying Martin Luther's speech in relation to past background in college class...it gave me the chills.

I'd flip if you actually did so intentionally lol.
 

Thoelk

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Congratulations! Soon-to-be father as well!

But now the real question... How do you fit the baby inside your DB9? :D j/k
Super motivating post & what a nice way to hook your readers!
 
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juan917

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very inspirational. I've been here 2 years. Hopefully i see similar results in 2 more years :)
 

Andy Black

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Great story. Thanks for sharing.

Loved the picture of your baby, and your baby.
 
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MiguelHammond10

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Wishing you and your newborn many years of good health, love, and happiness. Congratulations!! As new parents may you be filled with much joy and happiness with the arrival of your new baby . and Thanks for sharing your success story , how are you now managing your Business and your family now that you are family Man.i just want to know the process, thank you.
 

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Yoda

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I'm just here to comment on my love for the location of the Engine Start button. Now go fill up your tire so you can get home to the new baby.
 
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Vigilante

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Continuation of this thread: One Year of FLF.


Sorry for being gone for so long, but I had a good excuse:
b1wUWQH.png


Unfortunately, I read this thread while I was away:

I'm gonna be a dad.. Did I just lose the fastlane?

And realized that I had lost the fastlane. There's just too many red gumballs in this machine for my liking, especially with a child to support. So I decided that I'd rather stick to the slow lane and fill up a 401K. I'll have plenty of time to get to know my child after I retire from a regular 9-5, and my baby is 40, and has grown up, has a family, and has moved away. Thanks for everything; this has been an interesting period in my life. I envy you young guys and gals who can still experiment with this stuff safely. All the best!















Lol, jk.

When I was a child, everything in our house was focused on getting college scholarships and getting into the best colleges possible. I did not have one summer "off" from school after about age 13. Nights, weekends, you name it. It was the a high-pressure academic situation similar to what many children of East-Asian/Indian immigrants are unfortunately familiar with. Every year, there was this desperate scramble to memorize more speeches and facts and perform more outlandish feats to dazzle unqualified volunteer judges and bored corporate donors who had to tolerate listening to us to promote their brands. My family was fairly poor during this time; my dad had been out of work for years, though he took whatever dead-end, brutal, crap jobs he could find to put a few extra bucks on the table. My mom worked part time. Everything depended on going to the best school on a full ride. My entire sense of self worth hinged on where I went to university and whether or not I got a full ride. People were measured and graded based on where they were "going" or "got into." Those who weren't going to college weren't worthy of consideration at all.

By the time I got to college, everything was suffocating. I couldn't imagine a life where the organic and physical chemistry and differential equations I had to suffer through became a daily routine, but I knew that if I didn't want my kids to have to run the awful gauntlet I'd been through, I'd need to be either an engineer (and preferably computer, petroleum, or aerospace) or go into medicine.

I dreamed that things would be different in my personal life too.

I wanted to be able to support the faltering homeless shelter I volunteered at when I was a teen. I thought about providing real programs for the clients so that the neurotypical ones (and any who could live on their own) could get back on their feet.

I dreamed about not picking up my girlfriend in my 265,000 mile, 12-year-old Chrysler that needed air in its back tire before every trip. I dreamed about driving that POS with its screeching fan belts and rattling catalytic converters into the river and taking her to the next campus formal an Aston Martin DB9 that had just come out, which I thought was the most beautiful car I'd ever seen.

But I saw no way to get any of the things I wanted, except for 10+ years of higher education and brutal 70-hour weeks for the rest of my life. I knew it was what I was supposed to do. What my family wanted me to do. What I had been prepared for my whole life.

I've been here for four years, as long as it takes to get a college degree. It's now 2017.

It's Tuesday again. Do you know where I am?

Not at work.


Before I brought my child home from the hospital, my wife and I locked in a maxed out 5-year-schedule joint gift 529 for the baby for college. With the money that investment generates (large initial investment into the market + time), my child will never worry about paying for college or grad school. Ever.

I spend my time doing the things I want to do. Charity. Volunteering. Writing. Reading with my baby in the hammock on the porch all day yesterday (Monday). Focus on vocation and inspiration with no need to concern myself with pay.

What began as a side hustle is growing into a real machine. What began as a the gentle sprinkling of occasional sales and ill-conceived side-hustles has precipitated into a focused deluge at the hands of automation and subcontractors.

I was sitting at a party this weekend and a guy heard my phone buzzing under the booming music and said, "sounds like somebody's really trying to get a hold of you."

"No, I get that alert every time I sell some of X, so I leave it on. It makes my day."

By the 5th time the buzz came in, the guy said "Are you kidding me?"

I'm not. And I haven't needed a college degree or paid training for any of it.

Before I got my copy of TMF , my part in the script was a guy in his mid 20's living in a studio apartment and making $40,000/yr. By then I was driving a nice 2000 Dodge Neon with a rust hole in the door the size of a tennis ball and only 185,000 miles on it.

Where were you four years ago? Where are you now? Where will you be tomorrow?

Look at the final act of the script you're acting out. Look at the road you're on.

Now look were you want to be.

You can get there. If you try.








dNkkVc1.jpg

vmGukWE.jpg


z0lRYxT.jpg

One of the best posts ever.

Proud of you, and congrats on winning in life.

That baby is why we do what we do.

Legacy.
 
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BrooklynHustle

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Continuation of this thread: One Year of FLF.


Sorry for being gone for so long, but I had a good excuse:
b1wUWQH.png


Unfortunately, I read this thread while I was away:

I'm gonna be a dad.. Did I just lose the fastlane?

And realized that I had lost the fastlane. There's just too many red gumballs in this machine for my liking, especially with a child to support. So I decided that I'd rather stick to the slow lane and fill up a 401K. I'll have plenty of time to get to know my child after I retire from a regular 9-5, and my baby is 40, and has grown up, has a family, and has moved away. Thanks for everything; this has been an interesting period in my life. I envy you young guys and gals who can still experiment with this stuff safely. All the best!















Lol, jk.

When I was a child, everything in our house was focused on getting college scholarships and getting into the best colleges possible. I did not have one summer "off" from school after about age 13. Nights, weekends, you name it. It was the a high-pressure academic situation similar to what many children of East-Asian/Indian immigrants are unfortunately familiar with. Every year, there was this desperate scramble to memorize more speeches and facts and perform more outlandish feats to dazzle unqualified volunteer judges and bored corporate donors who had to tolerate listening to us to promote their brands. My family was fairly poor during this time; my dad had been out of work for years, though he took whatever dead-end, brutal, crap jobs he could find to put a few extra bucks on the table. My mom worked part time. Everything depended on going to the best school on a full ride. My entire sense of self worth hinged on where I went to university and whether or not I got a full ride. People were measured and graded based on where they were "going" or "got into." Those who weren't going to college weren't worthy of consideration at all.

By the time I got to college, everything was suffocating. I couldn't imagine a life where the organic and physical chemistry and differential equations I had to suffer through became a daily routine, but I knew that if I didn't want my kids to have to run the awful gauntlet I'd been through, I'd need to be either an engineer (and preferably computer, petroleum, or aerospace) or go into medicine.

I dreamed that things would be different in my personal life too.

I wanted to be able to support the faltering homeless shelter I volunteered at when I was a teen. I thought about providing real programs for the clients so that the neurotypical ones (and any who could live on their own) could get back on their feet.

I dreamed about not picking up my girlfriend in my 265,000 mile, 12-year-old Chrysler that needed air in its back tire before every trip. I dreamed about driving that POS with its screeching fan belts and rattling catalytic converters into the river and taking her to the next campus formal an Aston Martin DB9 that had just come out, which I thought was the most beautiful car I'd ever seen.

But I saw no way to get any of the things I wanted, except for 10+ years of higher education and brutal 70-hour weeks for the rest of my life. I knew it was what I was supposed to do. What my family wanted me to do. What I had been prepared for my whole life.

I've been here for four years, as long as it takes to get a college degree. It's now 2017.

It's Tuesday again. Do you know where I am?

Not at work.


Before I brought my child home from the hospital, my wife and I locked in a maxed out 5-year-schedule joint gift 529 for the baby for college. With the money that investment generates (large initial investment into the market + time), my child will never worry about paying for college or grad school. Ever.

I spend my time doing the things I want to do. Charity. Volunteering. Writing. Reading with my baby in the hammock on the porch all day yesterday (Monday). Focus on vocation and inspiration with no need to concern myself with pay.

What began as a side hustle is growing into a real machine. What began as a the gentle sprinkling of occasional sales and ill-conceived side-hustles has precipitated into a focused deluge at the hands of automation and subcontractors.

I was sitting at a party this weekend and a guy heard my phone buzzing under the booming music and said, "sounds like somebody's really trying to get a hold of you."

"No, I get that alert every time I sell some of X, so I leave it on. It makes my day."

By the 5th time the buzz came in, the guy said "Are you kidding me?"

I'm not. And I haven't needed a college degree or paid training for any of it.

Before I got my copy of TMF , my part in the script was a guy in his mid 20's living in a studio apartment and making $40,000/yr. By then I was driving a nice 2000 Dodge Neon with a rust hole in the door the size of a tennis ball and only 185,000 miles on it.

Where were you four years ago? Where are you now? Where will you be tomorrow?

Look at the final act of the script you're acting out. Look at the road you're on.

Now look were you want to be.

You can get there. If you try.








dNkkVc1.jpg

vmGukWE.jpg


z0lRYxT.jpg
Loved reading your story... Congrats on your success!
 

Scot

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You tricked me too!

Awesome story! That's my biggest drive, to build a legacy for my family and make sure my future children don't need to worry about money or college.

Thanks for the inspiration today.
 
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RHL

The coaching was a joke guys.
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And you have your DB9!!!!!!!!!!!!! :clench::clench::clench:

Yeah. Maybe next I'll get the official TMF Company Car to keep her company:

1401737292895.jpg


How do you fit the baby inside your DB9? :D j/k

It's actually bugging the living daylights out of me, but those back seats are so small that they don't really fit a baby's car seat (rear-facing). Anyone who wants an extremely, extremely niche INE, lots of people on car forums are complaining about a lack of a backward-facing car seat for four-seat coup supercars. A seat custom designed for the Maser GT, 911, Aston Martins, and Bentleys could sell for serious scratch. Make it out of carbon fiber or premium materials, trim it with a quilting that matches the cars, and charge a big premium for it. There's definitely demand. Dunno if it'd be enough to offset R&D, but you'd literally be the lone player in the space. Something to think about.

Anyway, thank you for all the well wishers. I recommend TMF to everybody. It's truly the best modern business book, and Unscripted is going to be getting name-dropped in all those conversations now too.

To all the other parents and soon-to-be parents out there, congratulations and I wish you all the best. If you're thinking about parenting, NOW is the time to go harder than you've ever gone before. My baby's first smile, first laugh, first roll-over, first crawl, (the first time a diaper exploded and my wife and I had to basically power-wash the baby in the sink), I was there for all of it. I was there, and I could have been looking at Excel spreadsheets under a florescent light and heard about it from a stranger at a daycare. I was there.

You be there, too.
 

amp0193

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heard about it from a stranger at a daycare. I was there.

My wife works at a daycare.

The employees don't tell the parents about any "firsts"... they just feel too bad for the parents for having missed it.

They just let the parent come and tell them a week later that Johnny crawled for the first time!!
 
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MJ DeMarco

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MJ DeMarco...was the 'Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Entrepreneurship' slogan part of UNSCRIPTED some kind of homage to the American Declaration of Independence?

Yes. UNSCRIPTED is about making a declaration of independence -- kinda what just happened in this thread!
 

inputchip

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My baby's first smile, first laugh, first roll-over, first crawl, (the first time a diaper exploded and my wife and I had to basically power-wash the baby in the sink), I was there for all of it. I was there, and I could have been looking at Excel spreadsheets under a florescent light and heard about it from a stranger at a daycare. I was there.

You be there, too

This is enough motivation for me. If this doesn't make you want get out of bed and work your a$$ off, I don't know what will. The material things are a nice bonus. The real prize is the the FREEDOM. Thank you @RHL for the motivation!
 

amp0193

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This.

I seriously want to have this same conversation in the future :D

Damn.
Damn.

Goddamn.

I used to get so many beeps on my phone, my co-worker asked "What are you, a drug dealer?"


Something like that...
 

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