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I've Done Absolutely Nothing for 365 Days, But Killed It After...

Smuggo

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Nice to see that progress from "I did nothing for 365 days" to "I own 5-figures in savings" in not that long amount of time. Clearly this forum changes lifes, but you are the one who actually did something about that. :)

Not everyone will be lucky, and not everyone will be successful, but you can GUARANTEE that you won't achieve anything by quitting early.

This is what kills me. I know mindset is important but this thought "Maybe I'm the one who will never succeed" pop ups, and the results of my actions so far only confirms that. But well... what's the alternative?

Really good for you. Anyway good luck in the future.:)
 
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ChrisV

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Step 1. Go to Officemax and buy a plain white lined 8 1/2 x 11 legal pad

Step 2. Let me know when you have one

Step 3. You and @AllenCrawley and I will have a 10 minute call (probably Tuesday). I will send you the dial in # when I know you have the legal pad. Since we don't have time to have a call with everybody on the forum, you will Hopefully post what you learned and took away from the call in this thread so other people that come behind you can learn from you.

Step 4. Stop mentally masturbating over your Lambo color

Step 5. A month from now you will be in position to make a real progress thread, assuming you are still not playing video games


Bump.

Here we are, 4 years later. I'm now 23, living in Los Angeles and producing/writing music for a living. 5 figures in savings. Releases with major labels (Sony, BMG, Universal). Some passive income from music. Nothing to brag about and definitely not top 1% in my industry but... Still pretty damn lucky.

The gist of it is... A few days after my call with @Vigilante and @AllenCrawley, I got a private message on SoundCloud from a fairly successful music producer/DJ who was based in LA, who asked me to come collaborate with him. That turned into a mentorship that lasted around 2 years (luckily no "bad deal") and allowed me to move to LA in beginning of 2016 with an O-1 Visa for "extraordinary ability" (lol) and work with some medium-high level artists and meet tons of pros (if anyone is curious, you can dig up my artist name from an old post and go to my website where you can see my discography).

As I worked under the producer I built up my songwriting/political skills (you gotta be real gentle with people who do music for a living.... lots of emotional nuances that you have to master so you don't upset the "vibe" of the room and also making sure everyone's in a good mood, otherwise you're wasting time--48 laws is a good read, so is AoS). Eventually started doing writing sessions of my own with various artists I've met, which led to some songs being "taken" by either artists or record labels. Made some money, saved ALL of it, bought some studio gear (nice pre-amp, nice monitors, nice mic).

I wouldn't exactly call what I do "fastlane" unless I get a placement with an A-level artist (which isn't impossible) but... The bills are paid for now. My current life situation is exactly what I envisioned as "success" when I made the first post in this thread. Pretty cool. Still got a long way to go.

Don't know if anyone's still around to read this update but I wanted to again, DEEPLY, thank @Vigilante and @AllenCrawley for their crystallized advice. If you guys didn't clear my dumb f**king head back in 2015, I don't know if I would've agreed to go to LA and meet a completely random person, even if they were pretty successful. I was too chickens**t. You guys set me straight. Most importantly, my relationship with my parents changed entirely over a few months after our call, I stopped being an idiot and realized that they won't be around forever, so it's an absolute waste of time to "hate" them. I fly back to Vancouver at least once every couple months for a week or two, and make sure to keep in touch with them every few days. It's a very deeply satisfying feeling. If you have family, treasure it. Those that grow up without it are at a disadvantage, so count yourself lucky.

Thought it would be cool to revisit the main points from the call and see how I've applied them:

Climbing Mountains and Overcoming Obstacles
Basically, 99% of people just do the least amount of work required of them. Even if they work with A-level artists. Overachievers are... Far and between. If you show up on time, with a smile on your face and a serious work ethic... Even on a high level in an industry you will be an anomaly. People "high up" in the entertainment industry in their late 30s-40s are mostly jaded, so they need young people to boost up their morale, make them feel "hip". Be that "hip", easy-going, fun character, and people will open doors for you. But always make sure you are bringing 100% effort to every single thing you are part of. There's no other way about it. When I work with a new person and I can see they're not giving me all their effort, having a kind of lazy "aura" about them... I don't usually call them back. People like seeing you work, it's like that saying about if your car breaks down on the highway, start pushing it. Don't wait for someone to help you. And once you start pushing, someone will come and help you since you've already done the initial heavy lifting.

Getting Access
Getting access is best done by just spending an enormous amount of work on perfecting your craft. Compare your work to literally the top 1% in your industry and try to match it (if you're in pop music this would be Max Martin, Greg Kurstin, Ian Kirkpatrick, etc). If you truly put in a few years with this attitude (as long as you don't live in a cave) people will see your work and take appropriate actions (put you in rooms, give you things to work on). Keep in mind, my opinion is completely biased because I literally got access to a high level immediately by pure chance, but for those on the "grind", what I recommend is seek out lower-level people like myself and help them out. Be useful, maybe even ask them what they need help with. Because once those people have "power", they will remember the guy who helped them out X years ago. Even if it's been 3-7 years. (There is a successful DJ from Vancouver that goes by Vanic that reposted the first songs I released in 2013 and 2014 to tens of thousands of his fans, maybe for shits, maybe because he liked them. He gave me a nice boost to my following and I never forgot the guy, anytime he reaches out for feedback on mixes I jump to it immediately. He could ask me to fly to Alaska tomorrow to feed a stray dog and I would do it. People remember good deeds.) This route of finding "bubbling" people in the industry is a bit more realistic than trying to get a meeting with Quincy Jones or Drake's manager, since those lower-level people are super easy to access. All they're focusing on is becoming more successful, so they will utilize you if you're actually useful to them. There's plenty of people who work under someone well-known, so just find them, and build a relationship with them so when they have their "break", they'll help you out.

Perspective
"There is always someone in a worse situation than you." Again, back to the parents thing. Make sure you treasure your family and close relationships because as soon as you start to have any amount of success, your circle of close friends will shrink significantly. But your parents/family will always be there. They don't care if you worked with Madonna, they just care if you ate enough today. Or if you're getting sunlight and exercise. Also this might be a bit dark but when your parents have 1 live parent between the both of them.. Something clicks in your head.


To summarize, just keep at it. Life is a million little steps that stack up on top of each other, so make sure you take the good ones. Read "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson. Not everyone will be lucky, and not everyone will be successful, but you can GUARANTEE that you won't achieve anything by quitting early. Here's an excerpt from "Fooled By Randomness" by Nassim Taleb:

“Our brain is not cut out for nonlinearities. People think that if, say, two variables are causally linked, then a steady input in one variable should always yield a result in the other one. Our emotional apparatus is designed for linear causality. For instance, you study every day and learn something in proportion to your studies. If you do not feel that you are going anywhere, your emotions will cause you to become demoralized. But reality rarely gives us the privilege of a satisfying linear positive progression: You may study for a year and learn nothing, then, unless you are disheartened by the empty results and give up, something will come to you in a flash. My partner Mark Spitznagel summarizes it as follows: Imagine yourself practicing the piano every day for a long time, barely being able to perform “Chopsticks,” then suddenly finding yourself capable of playing Rachmaninov. Owing to this nonlinearity, people cannot comprehend the nature of the rare event. This summarizes why there are routes to success that are nonrandom, but few, very few, people have the mental stamina to follow them. Those who go the extra mile are rewarded.”

Go the extra mile. Always. You will be rewarded. If not now, then a few years down the road. Work on your mental stamina. I find weightlifting (heavy, low-reps) and stoic philosophy good ways to callous the mind, although again I'm biased since I've been into both for a while.

And of course, thank you to @MJ DeMarco for writing The Millionaire Fastlane and making such an impression on me at 18 that I came to the forum and got myself into this whole mess. Wouldn't have happened without you.

I'm one lucky f**k, so I make sure to put in work to constantly prove myself. Don't want to let down those that have supported me early on.

Oh yeah the legal pads... Got about 30 of them stacked in a box under my bed lol. Definitely works.
This is way cool. I can't even lie I thought the OP was just going to fall off the face of the planet and not act on any of the advice. It would have been cool if you guys had recorded the conversation. I mean is he a multimillionaire? Nope. But who cares. He's on his way to achieving the life he wants.

This might be a cool idea in the future, if anyone is up for it.

Let's say there's a new forum member that shows some promise, but just needs a swift kick in the a$$ or some minor tweaks. Give them a little advice but record the conversations for everyone to benefit. Not the people posting dumbass questions, but someone who really can make it with a little guidance.

This might be cool if anyone else agrees.
 

ZF Lee

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This is way cool. I can't even lie I thought the OP was just going to fall off the face of the planet and not act on any of the advice. It would have been cool if you guys had recorded the conversation. I mean is he a multimillionaire? Nope. But who cares. He's on his way to achieving the life he wants.

This might be a cool idea in the future, if anyone is up for it.

Let's say there's a new forum member that shows some promise, but just needs a swift kick in the a$$ or some minor tweaks. Give them a little advice but record the conversations for everyone to benefit. Not the people posting dumbass questions, but someone who really can make it with a little guidance.

This might be cool if anyone else agrees.
To be honest, when it comes to listening to questions from anyone, I feel that it’s not a bad idea to take on the mindset of a doctor...

Whenever I got sick, the doctor would ask more than say stuff, with an ‘um’ and a ‘mmm’ here and there, as if he had some mental checklist of milestone questions to satisfy.

No bigotry or nonsense.

I’m not sure how doctors learn that skill up, but it seems very attractive to me, when it comes to reaching out to folks.
 
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AllenCrawley

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Wow! Thanks so much for the update. So happy for you and so happy to know you took the actions needed set yourself up for the life you want. Let me know if I can help you in any other way.
 

MJ DeMarco

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Thread updated to GOLD, thread title changed. @dmitriyb -- your story is exactly why a lot of us spend considerable time with newbs who seem completely lost on where to start and how their inner mind game is their worst enemy.

Congrats on the great progression toward the life you've dreamed!
 
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AllenCrawley

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MJ DeMarco

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FacingReality

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Bump.

Here we are, 4 years later. I'm now 23, living in Los Angeles and producing/writing music for a living. 5 figures in savings. Releases with major labels (Sony, BMG, Universal). Some passive income from music. Nothing to brag about and definitely not top 1% in my industry but... Still pretty damn lucky.

The gist of it is... A few days after my call with @Vigilante and @AllenCrawley, I got a private message on SoundCloud from a fairly successful music producer/DJ who was based in LA, who asked me to come collaborate with him. That turned into a mentorship that lasted around 2 years (luckily no "bad deal") and allowed me to move to LA in beginning of 2016 with an O-1 Visa for "extraordinary ability" (lol) and work with some medium-high level artists and meet tons of pros (if anyone is curious, you can dig up my artist name from an old post and go to my website where you can see my discography).

As I worked under the producer I built up my songwriting/political skills (you gotta be real gentle with people who do music for a living.... lots of emotional nuances that you have to master so you don't upset the "vibe" of the room and also making sure everyone's in a good mood, otherwise you're wasting time--48 laws is a good read, so is AoS). Eventually started doing writing sessions of my own with various artists I've met, which led to some songs being "taken" by either artists or record labels. Made some money, saved ALL of it, bought some studio gear (nice pre-amp, nice monitors, nice mic).

I wouldn't exactly call what I do "fastlane" unless I get a placement with an A-level artist (which isn't impossible) but... The bills are paid for now. My current life situation is exactly what I envisioned as "success" when I made the first post in this thread. Pretty cool. Still got a long way to go.

Don't know if anyone's still around to read this update but I wanted to again, DEEPLY, thank @Vigilante and @AllenCrawley for their crystallized advice. If you guys didn't clear my dumb f**king head back in 2015, I don't know if I would've agreed to go to LA and meet a completely random person, even if they were pretty successful. I was too chickens**t. You guys set me straight. Most importantly, my relationship with my parents changed entirely over a few months after our call, I stopped being an idiot and realized that they won't be around forever, so it's an absolute waste of time to "hate" them. I fly back to Vancouver at least once every couple months for a week or two, and make sure to keep in touch with them every few days. It's a very deeply satisfying feeling. If you have family, treasure it. Those that grow up without it are at a disadvantage, so count yourself lucky.

Thought it would be cool to revisit the main points from the call and see how I've applied them:

Climbing Mountains and Overcoming Obstacles
Basically, 99% of people just do the least amount of work required of them. Even if they work with A-level artists. Overachievers are... Far and between. If you show up on time, with a smile on your face and a serious work ethic... Even on a high level in an industry you will be an anomaly. People "high up" in the entertainment industry in their late 30s-40s are mostly jaded, so they need young people to boost up their morale, make them feel "hip". Be that "hip", easy-going, fun character, and people will open doors for you. But always make sure you are bringing 100% effort to every single thing you are part of. There's no other way about it. When I work with a new person and I can see they're not giving me all their effort, having a kind of lazy "aura" about them... I don't usually call them back. People like seeing you work, it's like that saying about if your car breaks down on the highway, start pushing it. Don't wait for someone to help you. And once you start pushing, someone will come and help you since you've already done the initial heavy lifting.

Getting Access
Getting access is best done by just spending an enormous amount of work on perfecting your craft. Compare your work to literally the top 1% in your industry and try to match it (if you're in pop music this would be Max Martin, Greg Kurstin, Ian Kirkpatrick, etc). If you truly put in a few years with this attitude (as long as you don't live in a cave) people will see your work and take appropriate actions (put you in rooms, give you things to work on). Keep in mind, my opinion is completely biased because I literally got access to a high level immediately by pure chance, but for those on the "grind", what I recommend is seek out lower-level people like myself and help them out. Be useful, maybe even ask them what they need help with. Because once those people have "power", they will remember the guy who helped them out X years ago. Even if it's been 3-7 years. (There is a successful DJ from Vancouver that goes by Vanic that reposted the first songs I released in 2013 and 2014 to tens of thousands of his fans, maybe for shits, maybe because he liked them. He gave me a nice boost to my following and I never forgot the guy, anytime he reaches out for feedback on mixes I jump to it immediately. He could ask me to fly to Alaska tomorrow to feed a stray dog and I would do it. People remember good deeds.) This route of finding "bubbling" people in the industry is a bit more realistic than trying to get a meeting with Quincy Jones or Drake's manager, since those lower-level people are super easy to access. All they're focusing on is becoming more successful, so they will utilize you if you're actually useful to them. There's plenty of people who work under someone well-known, so just find them, and build a relationship with them so when they have their "break", they'll help you out.

Perspective
"There is always someone in a worse situation than you." Again, back to the parents thing. Make sure you treasure your family and close relationships because as soon as you start to have any amount of success, your circle of close friends will shrink significantly. But your parents/family will always be there. They don't care if you worked with Madonna, they just care if you ate enough today. Or if you're getting sunlight and exercise. Also this might be a bit dark but when your parents have 1 live parent between the both of them.. Something clicks in your head.


To summarize, just keep at it. Life is a million little steps that stack up on top of each other, so make sure you take the good ones. Read "The Slight Edge" by Jeff Olson. Not everyone will be lucky, and not everyone will be successful, but you can GUARANTEE that you won't achieve anything by quitting early. Here's an excerpt from "Fooled By Randomness" by Nassim Taleb:

“Our brain is not cut out for nonlinearities. People think that if, say, two variables are causally linked, then a steady input in one variable should always yield a result in the other one. Our emotional apparatus is designed for linear causality. For instance, you study every day and learn something in proportion to your studies. If you do not feel that you are going anywhere, your emotions will cause you to become demoralized. But reality rarely gives us the privilege of a satisfying linear positive progression: You may study for a year and learn nothing, then, unless you are disheartened by the empty results and give up, something will come to you in a flash. My partner Mark Spitznagel summarizes it as follows: Imagine yourself practicing the piano every day for a long time, barely being able to perform “Chopsticks,” then suddenly finding yourself capable of playing Rachmaninov. Owing to this nonlinearity, people cannot comprehend the nature of the rare event. This summarizes why there are routes to success that are nonrandom, but few, very few, people have the mental stamina to follow them. Those who go the extra mile are rewarded.”

Go the extra mile. Always. You will be rewarded. If not now, then a few years down the road. Work on your mental stamina. I find weightlifting (heavy, low-reps) and stoic philosophy good ways to callous the mind, although again I'm biased since I've been into both for a while.

And of course, thank you to @MJ DeMarco for writing The Millionaire Fastlane and making such an impression on me at 18 that I came to the forum and got myself into this whole mess. Wouldn't have happened without you.

I'm one lucky f**k, so I make sure to put in work to constantly prove myself. Don't want to let down those that have supported me early on.

Oh yeah the legal pads... Got about 30 of them stacked in a box under my bed lol. Definitely works.

I'm new on this forum and just got to read this thread and wondered what happened when I suddenly saw this post. Awesome! It's sick to just be able to jump 4 years in time and see a before and after. Great effort, respect! You inspire me!
 

Consolation

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"There is always someone in a worse situation than you." Again, back to the parents thing. Make sure you treasure your family and close relationships because as soon as you start to have any amount of success, your circle of close friends will shrink significantly. But your parents/family will always be there. They don't care if you worked with Madonna, they just care if you ate enough today. Or if you're getting sunlight and exercise. Also this might be a bit dark but when your parents have 1 live parent between the both of them.. Something clicks in your head.
Thank you for this perspective. I should reconcile back with my family for my shortcomings.

No.

I should reconcile with myself for my shortcomings towards them.
 
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