I'm 47, no net worth, facing some critical decisions...

[JAJT]

I'm 47, I have no net worth

I make 85k a year.

You're going to get a lot of tough love over this. Just know this - everyone here wants you to be here. Everyone wants you to start something and do amazing things with your life and break free.

Just take this as fact.

That being said - you need to get your shit together sir.

Take your income, divide it in half, and learn to live on that without exception. Cut out all the bullshit you are currently throwing your money away on and get it out of your life. Fancy car? Ditch it. Eating out? Stop that. Buying everything you walk by? Cut that shit out. You are clearly living like you've "made it" well before you've actually done so.

Now, take that other half, roughly forty goddamn thousand dollars, and build something with it. You can throw away 3 grand a month every month of the year on learning to be an entrepreneur now. Most of us here started with that amount TOTAL, forget about some kind of renewable pool you can keep dipping into.

Like real estate? You could put $20k down on a house TWICE every year and rent it out and cash flow it.
Like physical products? Go bring in a dozen different things you think might work and try to sell them on Amazon.
Invent something.
Build apps.
Build SaaS solutions.

Whatever.

Change your habits. Change your life. You are in a golden position to make something happen without the financial risk that many of us face.

Any advice is appreciate. I know all you guys have already drank the kool-aide and are probably going to be very one sided, and even have some harsh words for me, but that's ok. I'm asking for it here.

This is also both insulting and ridiculous.

Drank the kool-aid?

You make top tier income and have zero net worth. I don't know what you are drinking from but frankly I think the kool aid tastes better.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

A false dilemma is a type of informal fallacy in which something is falsely claimed to be an "either/or" situation, when in fact there is at least one additional option.

Or it's used to justify our self-immolated excuses for our failures.

I don't want to be another guy mucking around with making websites to drive traffic.

And yet those guys make more $$ than you, have more net worth than you, and have more freedom than you. And who is mucking around?

After reading this thread, I wonder if @mrconder will post again?

Doubtful as it was this post and gone. However it could be he is at work and doesn't have the time to be mucking around on forums.

I could spin my wheels trying business after business while falling further and further behind in my current career and potentially loose my ability to support myself.

LOL, how much further can you fall behind? Your net worth is zero.

Maybe the solution is simply to pray for "DeMarco" luck -- I stumbled into a successful business for over a decade, stumbled into two business liquidation events, stumbled into an international best selling book, stumbled into a successful "insurance" business, and stumbled into one of the web's most trafficked entrepreneur forum -- one in which you seek help from.

That's right, pray to be clumsy so one day you can keep "stumbling" into things like me.

 

[biophase]

LOL, what a great first post. No wonder he is 47 with $0. But just in case he does come back. I'd like some more information about his insanely hot "now single" girlfriend who makes $250k a year. Pics?

 

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[lowtek]

welcome to the forum, sorry you've arrived by such painful circumstances. From the title, sounds like you've lead a scripted life. At least you didn't get married and lose half your shit in a messy divorce.

I agree with you, many money chasers gravitate towards affiliate marketing and self help ebooks - but that's not what most of the people here go for. If anything, I would say this forum has a heavy bent towards ecommerce.

Just to correct some of your misconceptions: any business you do on the internet is going to require driving traffic, and there is so much traffic out there that it's not really a zero sum game. The consumers far, far outweigh the producers, so you'll always be able to get eyes on your products and services.

Also, despite the fact that MJ DeMarco built an internet business in the glory days, doesn't mean you can't build one now (if that's what you want). I did adwords for ecommerce, and one of my customers was turning over a million a year just from adwords (revenue). Another one is on track to hit a million this year total. Paid traffic + killer product = big time revenue

If that's not the path you want to pursue, and feel you'd like to get in on something big right now, there are a few nascent technologies that will be as transformative as the internet in the coming years:

• Blockchain technology (the underlying tech for bitcoin and other crypto currencies)
• Internet of Things (smart, connected homes - there WILL be sensors in everything)
• 3D printing ( completely personalized consumption on demand )
• Artificial Intelligence (leveraging all the data to make machines more suited to our everyday lives)

Any one of these could form the basis for a fastlane pursuit. If technology isn't your thing (though you ARE a systems engineer), there are lots of opportunities in other service industries that aren't as sexy. I know a contractor who is also a realtor, he offers financing to his customers so they don't pay for renovations until the house sells. Total risk reversal and the dude is booked out so far he had to shut off his marketing, but still can't keep up with demand.

One possibility, is take the higher paying job and stack all the extra cash. Buy one piece of cash flow producing real estate a year - 4 plexes and above. Actively seek out hustles to make extra money, and dump that into real estate. After several years you can bump that up to one every 8 months or so. Within 10 years you'd have enough cash flow to actively retire comfortably. It's unsexy, doesn't require any internet traffic, and is reasonably low risk.

Regardless of the long term path you choose, the first steps are to get some easy wins:

• hit the gym, lose some fat and gain some muscle mass. You'll look and feel much better, and you will have the momentum to generate more quick wins in other areas
• Think pretty hard about how you can monetize your systems engineering knowledge. Can you do any consulting on the side? Plenty of hardware based startups would probably need solid advice, and have the money to pay.
• Find a small hobby that allows you to socialize with the outside world. In the wake of a breakup, it's easy to fall into depression, which leads to being antisocial and just reinforces the depression. Break that cycle.
• Explore the world of options for making fastlane money, and find something that you could dedicate the next decade of your life to.

Hope that helps, and once again, welcome to the forum.

 

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[Chazmania]

My insanely hot girlfriend just broke up with me. Not only is she beautiful, but is a COO for a global company making around $250k a year. I think I developed a false sense of security because we had been talking about marriage. I felt if anything happened with my current employment, I'd be safe with her, have time to re-tool and get things worked out. I suppose I thought we would be going into retirement together.

I realize DeMarco made money in the early days of the internet, stumbling upon leadgen and other strategies back when there was competitively little competition. I'd like to seem him do it again right now with no credit, no net worth, and know name recognition.

Any advice is appreciate. I know all you guys have already drank the kool-aide and are probably going to be very one sided

You asked so here goes:

1st off your attitude sucks and there's no doubt as to why your girl left you. You rode her coat tails and provided no value. Also you're in here looking for help but criticizing in advance the people you're asking . Your thread says so much about you.

And throwing down a veiled challenge to MJ is a shitty thing to do while on his forum looking for help. I think he could start from scratch because he gets the whole 'provide real value and money follows' concept. That and 'process 1st, event 2nd' among other fundamental concepts. That model worked since the dawn of man much less the internet and lead gen.

I do have a few good idea on how you could get your shit together but why bother?

Here's one though: Re-read your own story, the answers are already in there.

 

[ravenspear]

If you make 85k per year and have 0 net worth at the age of 47 then you've clearly been living on the sidewalk.

I'd suggest that you first make the transition to the slowlane. It's much easier and a much smaller step than the fastlane and will at least put you on a more solid financial footing. If your current financial situation is a driver for your lack of confidence in other endeavors then it will likely improve other aspects of your life as well.

Since you've read TMF I assume you know what this means. It means you need to stop living above your means, get out of debt, and start actually keeping a significant percentage of the money you make. I've recently made a similar transition and it has improved my life significantly and put me on a much better footing for future opportunities.

Transitioning to the fastlane is partly about being ready to capitalize on opportunities that are presented to you. This is usually hard to do if you have no savings and spend 100% of what you make.

 

[GuestUser450]

Welcome.
Beneficial things to grasp, in no particular order: humility, empathy and manners.

. I don't know I'm quite sold on the "fastlane" approach, because so many people doing this are just trying to find affiliate products to sell

Not trying to be a dick, but you should read the book again.

DeMarco made money in the early days of the internet, stumbling upon leadgen and other strategies back when there was competitively little competition.

Ignoring the passive aggressive left-handed compliment about falling into a successful business...Of course there are methods that worked yesterday that don't work today, but the fundamentals don't change. Having a system that enables you to recognize and leverage opportunities is what we talk about, not fly-by-night hustles.

I make 85k a year.

You're in the top 1%. Downgrade and live off 40k, start investing the rest.

 

[Envision]

I'm 47, I have no net worth, work for a dead end company, and my skills haven't been updated in awhile. I'm a systems engineer (not software), but I haven't been challenged in a long time. My insanely hot girlfriend just broke up with me. Not only is she beautiful, but is a COO for a global company making around $250k a year. I think I developed a false sense of security because we had been talking about marriage. I felt if anything happened with my current employment, I'd be safe with her, have time to re-tool and get things worked out. I suppose I thought we would be going into retirement together.

We broke up two months ago. I've been shell shocked and confidence is completely gone. I've been reading books, trying to figure out what direction to take my life. I read the Rational Male and it really got me thinking my lack of confidence stems from my current financial position. Next, I read The Millionaire Fastlane . I want to believe I have it in me to make something happen, a hail mary before I need to chill and stop working. On the other hand, I could focus on my energy on a career pivot, or just sharpening my current skills. I don't have the time or energy for both.

I feel like I have a critical, pivotal decision to make here and I don't have any room for error. I don't know I'm quite sold on the "fastlane" approach, because so many people doing this are just trying to find affiliate products to sell, or putting out their own version of "how to make money," e-books. I'm really leery of all self-help authors who make their money telling others how to get rich. I realize DeMarco made money in the early days of the internet, stumbling upon leadgen and other strategies back when there was competitively little competition. I'd like to seem him do it again right now with no credit, no net worth, and know name recognition. I don't want to be another guy mucking around with making websites to drive traffic. It seems there are way to many people doing that, so it fails at least 1 of the requirements.

At any rate, I guess I have some degree of fear here. I make 85k a year. I could pivot into technical project management or an IT leadership role and make well over 6 figures, but for how long? Alternatively, I could spin my wheels trying business after business while falling further and further behind in my current career and potentially loose my ability to support myself.

Any advice is appreciate. I know all you guys have already drank the kool-aide and are probably going to be very one sided, and even have some harsh words for me, but that's ok. I'm asking for it here.

LOL, so you come onto a forum bitching about how your girlfriend left you and your 47 with nothing going for you and you insult the group of people and the owner of the forum in which you're asking for help?

Your mindset is not there. I would start with that. Read Tony Robbins books on mindset (NOT MONEY) and start to figure out why you are thinking the way you are.

You won't get anywhere in your career or fastlane endeavors until you sort yourself out and I hate to say it but at 47 a lot of the dead wood (beliefs/thought structures) you've created over your life is going to be a bitch to burn off and get rid of.

P.S Ill help kick start the restructuring of your beliefs. There is no kool aid, the simple statement you made proves that you have belief systems that need to be adjusted in order to succeed. To say that there is kool aid tells your subconscious that this is something that only exists for some people/doesn't exist at all/ or is some crazy idea that you probably cant do. You basically put yourself in the position to fail before you start and then you wonder why you fail.

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at begin to change.

 

[rollerskates]

The first rule of the Fast Lane is...

we don't talk about the fast lane!

Kidding. Welcome to the forum, btw. The real first rule of fast lane is to find a need and fulfill it. It's not about dabbling in affiliates. The need doesn't have to be grand or ambitious, but it has to be able to scale. Like if you create a widget, you scale it up by having it manufactured and drop shipped. It's not only about pixels and links.

Look around you. What do people use? Can you make it better? That's how to figure out a fast lane venture.

I felt if anything happened with my current employment, I'd be safe with her, have time to re-tool and get things worked out.

Dude, no, this is a bad plan. Just like we women say "a man is not a plan", the other is also true. Trust me that if you ended up with her, you would likely never be able to "get things worked out" for yourself regarding your own business. You'd roll out of bed, grab a cup of coffee, surf the net, forget to shave, look around, realize you're not homeless and lather, rinse, repeat.

You don't HAVE TO fast lane your life, it's not a requirement. But if you want to, like I said, find a need and fulfill it.

 

[MidwestLandlord]

I've never understood the point of "let me have it!" threads that include intentionally provocative wording intended to rouse an emotional response and start arguments.

Weird.

 

[mrconder]

I say we change mrconder's username to Mr-FalseDilemma.

But then again, if we remove the false dilemmas, what would be left to prop up the excuses?

I appreciate the replies, especially the harsh ones. Clearly, I have a lot to work out with in head. Thanks everyone.

 

[mrconder]

I'm 47, I have no net worth, work for a dead end company, and my skills haven't been updated in awhile. I'm a systems engineer (not software), but I haven't been challenged in a long time. My insanely hot girlfriend just broke up with me. Not only is she beautiful, but is a COO for a global company making around $250k a year. I think I developed a false sense of security because we had been talking about marriage. I felt if anything happened with my current employment, I'd be safe with her, have time to re-tool and get things worked out. I suppose I thought we would be going into retirement together.

We broke up two months ago. I've been shell shocked and confidence is completely gone. I've been reading books, trying to figure out what direction to take my life. I read the Rational Male and it really got me thinking my lack of confidence stems from my current financial position. Next, I read The Millionaire Fastlane . I want to believe I have it in me to make something happen, a hail mary before I need to chill and stop working. On the other hand, I could focus on my energy on a career pivot, or just sharpening my current skills. I don't have the time or energy for both.

I feel like I have a critical, pivotal decision to make here and I don't have any room for error. I don't know I'm quite sold on the "fastlane" approach, because so many people doing this are just trying to find affiliate products to sell, or putting out their own version of "how to make money," e-books. I'm really leery of all self-help authors who make their money telling others how to get rich. I realize DeMarco made money in the early days of the internet, stumbling upon leadgen and other strategies back when there was competitively little competition. I'd like to seem him do it again right now with no credit, no net worth, and know name recognition. I don't want to be another guy mucking around with making websites to drive traffic. It seems there are way to many people doing that, so it fails at least 1 of the requirements.

At any rate, I guess I have some degree of fear here. I make 85k a year. I could pivot into technical project management or an IT leadership role and make well over 6 figures, but for how long? Alternatively, I could spin my wheels trying business after business while falling further and further behind in my current career and potentially loose my ability to support myself.

Any advice is appreciate. I know all you guys have already drank the kool-aide and are probably going to be very one sided, and even have some harsh words for me, but that's ok. I'm asking for it here.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

I appreciate the replies, especially the harsh ones. Clearly, I have a lot to work out with in head. Thanks everyone.

Kudos for taking some heat and not getting defensive, and instead being introspective on what others have said. That indicates YOU CAN make a change.

The same type of great effort you put forth into your health and fitness excellencies need to be applied toward business. Do that, and you'll get there.

Good luck.

 

[Jon L]

You're here asking for someone else to 'fix me, I'm broken.' Doesn't work that way. This is all you.
There is no decision you can ever make that will be risk-free. With that said, here are some options:

1. Continue on in your career, but take the bull by the horns and make something of it. If you're coasting in your current job, quit it!
2. Abandon your career, dive headlong into some entrepreneurial venture. This option will force you to take the bull by the horns and get something done. Its that, or starve. This is by far the hardest of the three options. You will eat mac and cheese for a while. You may not succeed.
   
3. Continue on in your career, but focus on a side venture, take THAT bull by the horns and ride it for all its worth.

What is the common thread in all of these options? (and in most of the responses above):

• Take the bull by the horns and get something done.

 

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[MidwestLandlord]

At any rate, I guess I have some degree of fear here. I make 85k a year. I could pivot into technical project management or an IT leadership role and make well over 6 figures, but for how long? Alternatively, I could spin my wheels trying business after business while falling further and further behind in my current career and potentially loose my ability to support myself.

"A false dilemma is a type of informal fallacy in which something is falsely claimed to be an "either/or" situation, when in fact there is at least one additional option.

The options may be a position that is between two extremes (such as when there are shades of grey) or may be completely different alternatives.

A false dilemma can arise intentionally, when a fallacy is used in an attempt to force a choice or outcome."

(From Wikipedia. Emphasis mine)

 

[G-Man]

Well said. I've decided that I can't always be "that guy".

Nobody likes a quitter, Jon.

 

[c_morris]

1st off, thanks for coming back to face the music so to speak. Hopefully you will learn something and can move forward.

I'm worried if engage in fastlane pursuits, my health will suffer and I'll become a fat slob like most people at the apex of the technology game. All the top tech people I know personally do not take care of themselves and are headed for an early grave.

People often attach 2 ideas or circumstances to each other and view them as 1 problem.

"I WANT to build a business, BUT I have no money"
"I WANT to build a business, BUT I don't want my health to suffer"
"I WANT to build a business, BUT I don't have time"

Changing the BUT to AND, helps you disassociate the 2 from each other. From there you can solve for the AND while keeping your WANT in tact.

"I WANT to build a business, AND I have no money"
"I WANT to build a business, AND I don't want my health to suffer"
"I WANT to build a business, AND I don't have time"

 

[AndrewNC]

I'm 47, I have no net worth, work for a dead end company, and my skills haven't been updated in awhile. I'm a systems engineer (not software), but I haven't been challenged in a long time. My insanely hot girlfriend just broke up with me. Not only is she beautiful, but is a COO for a global company making around $250k a year. I think I developed a false sense of security because we had been talking about marriage. I felt if anything happened with my current employment, I'd be safe with her, have time to re-tool and get things worked out. I suppose I thought we would be going into retirement together.

We broke up two months ago. I've been shell shocked and confidence is completely gone. I've been reading books, trying to figure out what direction to take my life. I read the Rational Male and it really got me thinking my lack of confidence stems from my current financial position. Next, I read The Millionaire Fastlane . I want to believe I have it in me to make something happen, a hail mary before I need to chill and stop working. On the other hand, I could focus on my energy on a career pivot, or just sharpening my current skills. I don't have the time or energy for both.

I feel like I have a critical, pivotal decision to make here and I don't have any room for error. I don't know I'm quite sold on the "fastlane" approach, because so many people doing this are just trying to find affiliate products to sell, or putting out their own version of "how to make money," e-books. I'm really leery of all self-help authors who make their money telling others how to get rich. I realize DeMarco made money in the early days of the internet, stumbling upon leadgen and other strategies back when there was competitively little competition. I'd like to seem him do it again right now with no credit, no net worth, and know name recognition. I don't want to be another guy mucking around with making websites to drive traffic. It seems there are way to many people doing that, so it fails at least 1 of the requirements.

At any rate, I guess I have some degree of fear here. I make 85k a year. I could pivot into technical project management or an IT leadership role and make well over 6 figures, but for how long? Alternatively, I could spin my wheels trying business after business while falling further and further behind in my current career and potentially loose my ability to support myself.

Any advice is appreciate. I know all you guys have already drank the kool-aide and are probably going to be very one sided, and even have some harsh words for me, but that's ok. I'm asking for it here.

Interesting story...now let me tell you my story...

The Witchdoctor Part 1

Last night I did a past life regression hypnosis.

After going deep into trance, my soul teleported back many many lifetimes and it was about 15,000 years ago. It was some type of tribal era where everybody lived in the wilderness. People came together to form small groups for security, connection, and protection.

Let's call them tribes...Tribes in the wilderness.

Me? I was a witchdoctor who lived in a cave on the mountain doing my own thing. In this timeframe, I developed some type of special powers where I can cast spells on people and predict the future for them. From time to time I come down to this village to share in the festivities. When someone is lost and wandering through the wilderness with no direction, I cast a spell on them and point them in the direction of this tribe.

During this past life hypnosis session, I come back to this tribe to find a strange caveman come in from the wilderness and greet the tribe members for the first time.

This man comes into the tribe battered and broken, and begins to tell his story...

Many moons ago, he was roaming through this life and met a cave girl who could surely be the alpha of her own tribe. She knew how to hunt, fish, make fires, gather resources, and was very skilled at communicating with the people she meets in the wilderness. She surely lived in abundance and could thrive on her own.

When she met this man that is in front of me now, she saw something in him...

Do you know what that one thing was, which attracted her to him?

He was a strong man, more than capable of gathering an abundance of resources himself...and enough to share with others. Filled with confidence in himself and his abilities, he roamed through the wilderness with confidence. While he compared himself to tribal leaders who had much more than him, he never realized that he was gathering more than enough resources on his own...more than most people out in the world.

He took a moment to stop comparing, and appreciate and be grateful for that at least...

In the past, she came across many weak men wandering through the wilderness with no purpose or direction. They were simply lost, wanderers, trying to leech off of her ability to gather resources and abundance for them. When a long, dark winter was about to come, they weren't confident enough to go off and gather resources by themselves, and they relied on her to take care of them when times got tough.

But then she met this one man, who was different. He has the skills, he has the confidence, and they begin walking their journey together. It was assumed they would walk through the wilderness for the rest of their lives together...

During the spring and summer, she continued to be that strong cave-woman and continued to gather resources with abundance. She pushed herself to new heights and new levels. Her skills always improving and always getting stronger and more confident with herself. She taught herself how to make fire out of nothing...

And he thought he could be reliant on her...

Then this caveman she was with stopped evolving....he stopped growing.

Despite gathering resources on his own... The resources he was bringing in quickly got drained away. He gave it away to others, and he couldn't hold onto the resources he was making...he was careless and didn't properly manage what he has.

He struggled in holding onto them..

He was always back to zero...

What could he do in order to build up the resources to new heights that will last him throughout the winter?

At least he has this one skill-set that keeps him just above zero.

As the fall rolled around, he was barely getting by. He had enough resources to survive, but he was always one bad hunt away from failure. She stuck around for a while because inside she knew that he could evolve, he could grow and he could unleash that strong confidence that was been hiding within him all along.

He could continue to be that man he was when they first met. He could continue to shine out those qualities she originally saw in him...She was ready and excited for him to evolve and grow through this life with her.

But he never did.

He never taught himself the new skills...he never chose to challenge himself.

And then winter begins to roll around.

He became dependent on her...he thought he would be safe with her. And she sensed that he was about to start leeching off of her like the rest of the men she pushes away.

That strong confident man she once met went into hiding...and for quite some time now, it appeared that he was gone..

So she left him for greener pastures. That one thing inside of him never shined out and she was no longer attracted to him..

And that's when the man wanders around the wilderness on his own for many many moons before coming into this village to share his story with us. A story of struggle and depression.

To anyone reading this, it's clear as day why she left him. It's clear why he is struggling to get by. Can't you see it? Why would he want to be with him?

He is feeling sorry for himself. He isn't teaching himself those new skills. He lets the story of his past get in the way of what he could choose to be doing now.

What could he choose to be doing now?

What could he do to make him thrive?

What could he be doing now that would connect him back with that strong confident man who he truly is deep inside, ready and capable to learn these new skills and to evolve and grow, and be his own man?

So here is this newcomer to the village; standing here today with a critical, pivotal decision to make.

1. Does he continue to live wrapped up in these stories of the past and not do anything about it?
2. Or does he choose to be that strong confident caveman who can survive, no...thrive...on his own in the wilderness?

He came in here broken and destroyed, wrapped up in his stories from the past.

But that's the past and that's gone now, so I walk up to him and I tell him:

You have to look into the future. What kind of life do you want to live? Do you want to continue and struggle and feel sorry for yourself and barely get by like you did in the past?

Or do you want to be that strong, confident man who has the character traits and throws himself into the wilderness despite fear.

You can choose to continue to evolve and grow as a man, and develop these traits that make you dependent on nobody; regardless if you know what to do or not.

Hell..simply the fact that you choose to walk forward despite not having and direction or purpose means that you're already confident enough to do anything...that's confidence in itself.

Take that first step into the unknown...and you'll realize the confidence is already here

You'll face your fair share of challenges in the wilderness on your own. You'll get thrown down, beat up, but it's what you do in this moment right when this happens that turns you into:

1. The man with the most resources.
2. The child who sucks on his thumb on the outskirts of this village, crying about the past, left to barely get by...and eventually die...feeling sorry for yourself. Telling these stories over and over in your head.

So here is this caveman who came to this village in search for the answers....and this tribe gave him the answers he needed to hear.

He heard my words. He heard the words of those who live here in abundance. He's skeptical, he's fearful, but he now knows one thing...we don't have the answers he is looking for.

To truly be initiated into this tribe, and this abundant life he wants....he has to prove himself and find the answers himself.

Not with his words, but with his actions.

So we tell him:

Go off into the wilderness. Face these trials and tribulations. Develop these character traits. Learn these new skills to gather these resources. And then one day you'll be that man who is even more abundant and strong than she is...

And she'll notice you. She'll notice how much you changed, and how you're not longer dependent on her for what you're searching for.

That you're no longer dependent on anyone for anything.

Because you learned how to thrive in the wilderness on your own. And that's one bad-a$$ accomplishment.

So in this vision I had from the past life, I go up to this man and I present him a challenge and a nudge in the right direction:

1. Go off in to the wilderness. Find someone who is struggling with something in their lives...anything....

And offer your help. Find out what resources they need. Get the resources yourself, and give it to them. If you don't have the skills or knowledge to get this resource for them, you learn it. By doing. By trying. By taking action.

In fact, if this caveman goes out and learns new skills to bring resources to someone else...he would be doing more than just learning what it takes to make it in this world (by helping others), but he would be growing more confident in himself along the way. Wouldn't you agree?

or I could tell him.

2. Don't.

Feel sorry for yourself, live in your past, and continue to play the victim card, be defeated, and live a lonely, depressing, shattered life where you'll always be struggling...

The caveman who barely survived in the wilderness...

Not the life you want to live, does it?

Do you know why the leader of this tribe is so abundant?

He found people who needed resources and he learned how to give it to them, and as a result of giving other people the resources they are looking for, he was rewarded.

Guess what?

The resources he gave them are gone. To us, they might have seemed easy because the specific resources he gave them were much more abundant when he did it.

But there's a whole large world out there where there are an abundance of resources that you're capable of giving to others.

The only question is...

Are you going to take that leap....?

Then my cat came in my room and jumped on me and woke me up from this hypnotic trance and I'm back in the here and now.

Part 2 of the story coming soon...

I think I'm going to do a future-life regression hypnosis tonight...and see how the next story ends...

 

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[GoodluckChuck]

This thread is an example of the good that comes out of the human growth and development that is propagated by this forum and the community built around it. Everyone here started somewhere and through purposeful action has developed themselves into people that naturally try and solve problems for other people. Its the act of helping others that not only attracts wealth but also satisfaction in life. It's hard not to feel good when you're helping others. I hope to someday see mrconder giving someone useful advice on this forum and telling his story of how he successfully climbed the mountain of his own self doubt and destruction to reach the summit of happiness and freedom that he though he would never find.

 

[Vigilante]

One and done.

I don't have enough energy or interest to do this again for the 100,000 time so thanks to all who responded.

 

[Andy Black]

I learned something new...

You don't have to just get lucky to be successful, you can also be clumsy.


Pretty amazing responses to read. Glad I arrived late.

OP... Someone once told me that "business is the truest form of self expression". I think that takes it a bit far, but I do believe your business growth will reflect your personal growth.

 

[PoGOOD]

I'm 47, I have no net worth, work for a dead end company, and my skills haven't been updated in awhile.

C'mon man! 47 is not the number to be feared of Zig Ziglar was doing his best presentations at the age of 83, many other people were getting their names well in their fifties or sixties. It is still a lot of days, hours and minutes in front of you and you better start using them right.

Fastlane is a holy grail here - I don't think it is a perfect road for everyone - especially for those of us that are older than 30. You have so much more choices...

What I'd do if I were you - I would instantly pick one direction and stick to it for 3-4 months at least. Do not log into Facebook or any other brainwashing time waster, focus religiously on your chosen topic and do nothing else. This way you will regain self-esteem as it probably is what you are missing the most right now. Sex, new romance, bringing work-family balance to your life might wait for that much.

Most people (wantrepreneurs) I talk to during my coaching sessions confess they need motivation do start any action. I always respond in the same way and will advise it to you as well: action creates momentum, momentum creates a need for more action, only this need will give you the motivation necessary for succeeding. That's how this system operates.

You could spend another week or two reading this forum and you will find much more examples like you mentioned with regard to MJ's way to money. But look around you. Google succeeded DESPITE Yahoo being #1 for years, Tesla succeeded DESPITE all major automotive manufacturers were in the market for ages, new startups emerge every day in most countries around the world and only a fraction of them brings to the market an original idea or tool.

Don't accept "being late to the game" as an excuse - use what you have inside your head, utilise your job experience, contact network and... start pushing.

If you keep doing this for 3-4 months - you will see the difference. If not in your revenue - in your mindset for sure.

Fingers crossed for you coming back to the bright side!

 

[Carnage]

With an 85k salary, at least you have an income that you can live on and also help fund your business. It's up to you to take advantage of it. Lots of ppl have built businesses without being able to fund it with a decent income.

Back then, MJ didn't have thousands of youtube tutorials on building websites, businesses or driving traffic. There weren't these kinds of forums where people help you for free....but you do, so I wouldn't challenge him to be a competitor.

 

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[BradD]

kool-aide

I prefer just a simple mix of orange juice and metamucil- keeps me regular- I dare you to not be happy when you're regular

 

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[jon.a]

One and done.

I don't have enough energy or interest to do this again for the 100,000 time so thanks to all who responded.

Well said. I've decided that I can't always be "that guy".

 

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[Argue]

The OP got me like:

 

[MJ DeMarco]

This thread is an example of the good that comes out of the human growth and development that is propagated by this forum and the community built around it.

Thank you.

I can't think of very many people who haven't had to plow through obstacles on their way to a peaceful place. Whether it's health issues, family drama, or social constructs, every story will have their trials. The question is, how will we react to them. Do they define us? Justify future inaction? Labeled as FTE's? Do they encourage radical shifts into commitment over interest?

 

[Paul Thomas]

I don't want to be another guy mucking around with making websites to drive traffic.

Guys that "muck around" making websites and drive traffic to them often make a killing. They are called affiliates and often make 4 figures daily, sometimes 5 figures... daily. More importantly they learn how to drive *targeted* traffic, a skill that can be used when they have a product idea of their own.

You'd rather be in your current position than that?

 

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[AllenCrawley]

 

[Medic]

Well mrconder..... Hold tight:

I'm also a system engineer (not software) working in a dead end company but make as much as your ex so you'll have to stop using that nonsense as part of your limiting beliefs.

Once you wake up and recognize you're putting all your energy into whining and the poor me story you'll be in a better place to move on to more productive paths. The difference between you and I (we are also the same age) is simply marketing; of yourself as an asset. With the same skills I've convinced my job I have greater value which they then pay me more.

BUT that's not the point either; because once your net worth passes a million you'll still be you - just with money, and you'll be as miserable as you are now because money just provides greater freedom to exercise your time as you want instead of as your j-o-b wants.

So, from one engineer to another understand that life is a process of exchanging energy with your surroundings and you can choose to optimize your time to be very efficient and rewarding. Put your energy to positive use and others will join you. You'll be successful (however you define that) and money will come.

The real enjoyment in my life comes from exchanging energy and seeing it put to good use. When you rock climb you focus on using your energy to summit the climb (ditto on your bike). Focus your energy on positive activities you want to achieve in business and similar summits will come.

Good luck.