Hello! I'm about halfway through Fastlane and I have got to say it was the kick in the a$$ I've been needing.
The story so far:
I moved away from home (family was getting toxic and breaking apart after I graduated college) back in 2014. Got a job as an operator in a factory. I had grown up in a "sidewalk" household. My dad had said it countless times "it's only money" "you can't take it to the grave" yaddah yaddah yah. Thankfully he at least spoon-fed me the slowlane to get me out of that rut. Anyway, grunt level work wasn't beneath me and I enjoyed myself for a bit because I was finally out on my own. Every young adult's dream. Fast forward 5 years and I get my 3rd promotion and I'm moving up to Wisconsin and now I'm a supervisor. I was really starting to hate my job and myself up until that point. One of my big reservations about taking the promotion was that I knew it was going to be more of the same. The grind. The unpaid overtime. The ungratefulness. Just another cog in the machine making someone else money.
I had tried various ideas, tried making a candy business, t-shirt printing, board games, dungeon tiles for D&D (big nerd here), even tried writing a book a few times. Every time I start I end up losing motivation or I discourage myself. Most of the time was because of cash flow. Made some stupid mistakes in those 5 years, living paycheck-to-paycheck every week and never getting ahead.
The only reason I took this job was not because I wanted the nice sit-down job where I tell people what to do, but because I saw it as an escape from the sidewalk. I've got the house with the mortgage, car payment, credit card debt, and student loans. Never defaulted on a payment, my debt is manageable, that's never been the problem. Just the fact that now I have actual disposable income to sink into a business and get it off the ground for once.
I even tried that recently. I work in plastics for an automotive supplier, so naturally that's what I have a lot of skill in. Most of my products are small and plastic and I can easily make. I started building a small injection molding press in my basement. Unfortunately, I hit the same roadblock as always. I just stopped. All the pieces are sitting on my workbench and have been collecting dust for 2 months. Ironically, I had found the Fastlane about 2 months ago on Reddit and never picked it up until today.
I've always told everyone I'm going to retire before I'm 40, and I'm still going to do just that. Thank you so much for the kick in the a$$!
Does anyone have any tips for motivation? When what you're striving for starts to stagnate and feel like that 9-to-5 grind? I have the best and most supportive friends anyone could ask for, but I know in the end that I'm my biggest enemy.
The story so far:
I moved away from home (family was getting toxic and breaking apart after I graduated college) back in 2014. Got a job as an operator in a factory. I had grown up in a "sidewalk" household. My dad had said it countless times "it's only money" "you can't take it to the grave" yaddah yaddah yah. Thankfully he at least spoon-fed me the slowlane to get me out of that rut. Anyway, grunt level work wasn't beneath me and I enjoyed myself for a bit because I was finally out on my own. Every young adult's dream. Fast forward 5 years and I get my 3rd promotion and I'm moving up to Wisconsin and now I'm a supervisor. I was really starting to hate my job and myself up until that point. One of my big reservations about taking the promotion was that I knew it was going to be more of the same. The grind. The unpaid overtime. The ungratefulness. Just another cog in the machine making someone else money.
I had tried various ideas, tried making a candy business, t-shirt printing, board games, dungeon tiles for D&D (big nerd here), even tried writing a book a few times. Every time I start I end up losing motivation or I discourage myself. Most of the time was because of cash flow. Made some stupid mistakes in those 5 years, living paycheck-to-paycheck every week and never getting ahead.
The only reason I took this job was not because I wanted the nice sit-down job where I tell people what to do, but because I saw it as an escape from the sidewalk. I've got the house with the mortgage, car payment, credit card debt, and student loans. Never defaulted on a payment, my debt is manageable, that's never been the problem. Just the fact that now I have actual disposable income to sink into a business and get it off the ground for once.
I even tried that recently. I work in plastics for an automotive supplier, so naturally that's what I have a lot of skill in. Most of my products are small and plastic and I can easily make. I started building a small injection molding press in my basement. Unfortunately, I hit the same roadblock as always. I just stopped. All the pieces are sitting on my workbench and have been collecting dust for 2 months. Ironically, I had found the Fastlane about 2 months ago on Reddit and never picked it up until today.
I've always told everyone I'm going to retire before I'm 40, and I'm still going to do just that. Thank you so much for the kick in the a$$!
Does anyone have any tips for motivation? When what you're striving for starts to stagnate and feel like that 9-to-5 grind? I have the best and most supportive friends anyone could ask for, but I know in the end that I'm my biggest enemy.
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