I'm learning to produce, not consume.

[stevjosh]

Hey folks,

I’m new here, and perusing the forum tells me I found one of those great communities.
Originally an Idaho farm boy, I’ve been bouncing the idea of entrepreneurship around my head for a few years and I’m looking forward to the next steps I get to take to make my dreams a reality.

So just a little about me.

Background:

I come from a long line of laborers that tried entrepreneurship, but always gave up and settled for less. My dad started a business as an agricultural consultant, but his business was the definition of buying a job. With heavy demand for his services, he did well, but he never built it to scale. In the end, it ended up just being a job instead of a business.

Tired of 12-hour days, 7 day weeks, and my mom’s insistence that we needed insurance, he retreated back to security by returning to the company he left when he started his venture. Now, his constant complaints about being old, in pain, and not having enough money for retirement is the definition of the script. He’s done so much for me and it hurts my heart to see him so resigned to a mediocre existence. A small part of the reason I want to succeed is to help him live comfortably in his twilight years.

Personally, I followed the script until a few years ago. I was always a straight A student. Following the rules, never getting in trouble, brown nosing the teacher/boss/professor was my way of life. After high school, I went straight into college with no direction. High school was all about getting into a good college, but I never had a plan on what I would do once I got to college. 4 years after graduating high school and being voted “Most Likely to succeed” in my senior class, I realized that I didn’t have a purpose and was miserable. I had wasted my dad’s money, my money, and my time. I never should have gone to college.

That was when I had a serious mental breakdown. I quit my job, dropped out of school, and moved home. My dad had just remarried and moved in with her, leaving the house I grew up in empty. I spent the next two years in bed feeling sorry for myself and cursing God for the hand I was dealt. There were times during this period that I would realize I hadn’t talked to another human being in two or three weeks.

It all came to a head when I put a shotgun in my mouth. I still remember the taste of the gun oil and the disgust I felt for myself at that moment. Putting the gun down, locking it in the safe, and giving the key to my step-mom, I started my journey to escape the prison my life had become.

I reached out to my religious leader and after explaining my circumstances, he agreed that getting me out of town would be a good idea. He helped me put a deposit down on an apartment in the city I was moving to with enough rent to last me three months.

It might sound like I was ready for success, but nope. I still hadn’t let go of the script. For the next couple of years I would be in and out of jobs, and I even returned to college, this time promising myself that it would be different. I would go to college to learn and not to get a job.

Present:

Not gonna lie, I’m not in a great position financially, but mentally I’m way better than I used to be. A couple of months into my janitor job, I discovered Audible. I had eight hours of mind numbing routine a night, and to make it bearable, I listened to books. I started with what I like to call, “Garbage Fiction.” But during a sale, I decided I’d try a self-improvement book. It wasn’t a good one, but it started me down the road to self-betterment.

I’m currently in school with my declared major as Theatre Art Studies, which is just a fancy name for a theatre major that isn’t acting. From writing to construction, I enjoy it because it’s the definition of a broad major and there are a lot of classes that can be applied to other areas.

I’ve been in school for an embarrassingly long time. Part of me just wants to drop out and give my full focus to starting a business, while the other part argues for practicality. I need to identify a pain point that I can solve before I make the decision to leave my part time job, part time school, and part time life.

It might sound like I hate how my life has gone, but that's not true. Honestly, I am extremely grateful. I learned more about myself than I think I ever would have if I hadn’t gone through these challenges. I also don’t think I would have picked up some of the books that have changed my views on the world if I hadn’t allowed myself to fall into such a precarious position. I’m sure there are other benefits that I don’t see now, but will be apparent as I go through my life.

So what’s my goal?

I want to be a husband and father that can spend time with those I care for and provide for their needs.
I will add value to the world. I’m tired of being a consumer and want to do the 180° and become a producer that adds value to another person’s life. I don’t know how I’m going to do that right now, but I’m keeping my eyes and ears open to notice the opportunity when I finally notice it. It’s there, I’m just not very good at realizing it yet.


Some of my favorite books that have gotten me this far:
As a Man Thinketh, by James Allen
Atomic Habits, by James Clear
Extreme Ownership, by Leif Babin & Jocko Willink
How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie
Range, by David Epstein
How to fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, by Scott Adams
Nail It Then Scale It, by Nathan Furr & Paul Ahlstrom
How Will You Measure Your Life, by Clayton M. Christensen
And of Course:
The Millionaire Fastlane & Unscripted , by MJ DeMarco

 

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[karakoram]

Ximduni vu vji gusan!

 

[stevjosh]

Vjeplt gus vji ximduni.

O’n qsucecmz huoph vu nutvmz ci e maslis, cav O xepvif vu opvsufadi nztimg cigusi O gefi opvu vji cedlhsuapf.

 

[SEBASTlAN]

Ximduni