Just heard a dad tell his son to go the slow lane to get a Lamborghini

[Vigilante]

I met a guy that was the first employee that Jeff Bezos ever hired to work in the makeshift warehouse from which they started Amazon. He's now got fleets of Lamborghinis. His first job was to be the book packer. So yes... it is possible.

 

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[Jake]

Steve Ballmer: #19 on Forbes list. Slowlane

 

[PatrickP]

Sad. Good memories I am sure, but still. Sad.

I am very blessed. I am living in the happiest time of my life right now, and it is getting better and better.

Well I guess it is all the perspective you have.

I live within 100 yards of my grandchildren all of whom think I am the coolest person in the world, except their Dad and Mom.

I have a VERY close relationship with my daughter-in-law and son and wife.

I don't owe a single penny on anything and have my electric, water etc paid up for just under 1 year on my 5 houses which are only for my use, not rentals.

I don't have to work another day in my life.

I am actually in better shape than my avatar pic, I can still out lift and outrun guys half my age.

Many people in the population would trade places with me in a second so yes my life is amazingly great. I am so very thankful for what I have and the relationships I have with friends and family.

BUT that feeling of freedom and knowing how great you are in sports is something that if you have never experienced it you REALLY do not know what you are missing, which for most is a good thing.

Sooooooooooooooo yea you get what I am saying lol

 

[Vigilante]

Steve Ballmer: #19 on Forbes list. Slowlane

Ballmer was initially offered a salary of $50,000 as well as a percentage of ownership of the company in 1980.

So... all you need to do is find the next Microsoft, and be their 30th employee. Easy peasy.

 

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[Vigilante]

Well I guess it is all the perspective you have.

I live within 100 yards of my grandchildren all of whom think I am the coolest person in the world, except their Dad and Mom.

I have a VERY close relationship with my daughter-in-law and son and wife.

I don't owe a single penny on anything and have my electric, water etc paid up for just under 1 year on my 5 houses which are only for my use, not rentals.

I don't have to work another day in my life, I actually look better than my avatar pic, I can still out lift and outrun guys half my age.

Sooooooooooooooo yea you get what I am saying lol

And those things don't make you happy? You should be one of the happiest men on the planet!

Live
In
The
NOW

 

[Jake]

Ballmer was initially offered a salary of $50,000 as well as a percentage of ownership of the company in 1980.

So... all you need to do is find the next Microsoft, and be their 30th employee. Easy peasy.

and THEN I will have my fleet of Lambos

 

[PatrickP]

And those things don't make you happy? You should be one of the happiest men on the planet!

Live
In
The
NOW

Never said they don't make me happy.

I think maybe you misread my post.

Funny you say live in the NOW. My wife just bought me a book living in the NOW

It is like if you have had Kobe Beef prepared by a master chef in Japan, a day after it was butchered. It is simply AMAZING!

You will eat other beef the rest of your life but there is still that one day that you had the best of the best.

YES I am happy happy happy BUT . . .

That is why I say I try not to think about it but sure it sneaks back in. You HAVE to have that one gf that did things no other gf did. No she was not marriage material but WOW the things she did.

So you move on you get married BUT every once in a while you think back on those days fondly

 

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[vtlambo]

Funny you say live in the NOW. My wife just bought me a book living in the NOW

Hey Patrick, just out of curiosity, what's the title of that book?

I recently started adopting this mentality and it changes you as a person - for the better.

 

[The-J]

Happiest time in my life was when I was 26. Lived above a bar in a room with a door with no hinges.

It was a run down place for sure with just a bed and no kitchen and a bathroom down the hall.
It didn't bother me one bit.

I worked a full 40 hours a week at Pizza Hut and another 40 hours a week at a convenience store. I was a complete maniac training for triathlons and always finished top 10 in big races. I also drank in the bar downstairs or another one almost every night. I always had a girlfriend. Women don't really care if you have money or not, at least in my experience.

Had little money left after paying for triathlon equipment, entry fees, travel fees to Cananda and beer but DANG I was happy. The pity is I didn't realize that years later I would think back and realize how FULL of life and amazingly happy I was.

But you know what I didn't realize how fortunate I was. I took it for granted.

Would I give up everything I have to go back there again? Well, truthfully I can't so I TRY not too think about it too much.

My TINY bit of advice for those in your 20s LIVE life. Date as MANY women as you can, ALWAYS be honest and do NOT cheat on them, I am not saying that. But do NOT get serious too soon. You have your ENTIRE life ahead of you to get tied down to one women and one business.

Work your a$$ off and drink your a$$ off if that is your thing. I regret I got too serious with business too soon and wish I had kept having fun with dead end jobs longer.

Surprised? Yea I am too sometimes as what I would like to be doing as opposed to what I am doing.

That advice you gave me to 'live my life' back a few months ago has become my mantra since this school year started. Thanks for that.

Although I'll keep my girlfriend for as long as I want her...

 

[LamboMP]

Being idle, destitute and jobless allows you time, but you don't have any resources to take advantage of it.

bingo.

 

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[Milkanic]

what's the title of that book

I'm guessing its this one (it not, read this one too).

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment: Eckhart Tolle: 9781577314806: Amazon.com: Books

 

[The-J]

I'm guessing its this one (it not, read this one too).

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment: Eckhart Tolle: 9781577314806: Amazon.com: Books

I read this back when I was "depressed". It changed my life in as great a way that a 16 year old's life can be changed.

The problem arises when you forget to live in the now and enjoy the present moment. It really seems to be a conscious decision. Even those who are dying of cancer have read this book and became happier in their final hours. No it didn't cure them of cancer but they died happy, and isn't that what everyone wants?

 

[OzGrinder]

Success means different things to different people. I do not consider any slowlaners financially successful. Also 4 million is not even close to the freedom I am talking about.

That's fine, success is an arbitrary term, but realise that you've set the bar incredibly high for yourself. Aiming high is great, but by aiming too high you may just be setting yourself up for failure. Intelligence, skill, talent etc. can only get you so far, and that's true for both the slowlane and the fastlane.

Read JScott's post above, it's spot on, and illustrates what I'm talking about.

So if, as you say, 4mil is 'not even close' to where you want to be, then I wish you 'good luck', you'll need it.

 

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[Vigilante]

Naaaaa Oz.... he will make it. If you hang around here a while, you will see why. Learn from him.

 

[OzGrinder]

6. Wait for your company or one of your competitors to get bought by the big company, at which point the industry will consolidate and lots of money will flow to the medium sized companies

Every one of your posts in this thread is spot on IMO.
There's a bit of luck involved in no. 6 though (albeit calculated luck) as you do lack the control and are simply waiting/hoping, but I suppose there's a little bit of luck involved in everything.

What about those of us who live outside the US though? I feel like we are so removed from the tech industry that exists there that we only find out the need existed once the solution has been created.

There is still alot of opportunity in the domestic market though I have found, for domestic tech problems for which the scale is too small for it to be on the silicon val companies radars. The flip side of that is because the local market is small, so are the profits.

 

[dknise]

Lottt of people seeming to be comfortable with a 9 to 5 in the slowlane... hence the question... why are you here?

 

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[OzGrinder]

Naaaaa Oz.... he will make it. If you hang around here a while, you will see why. Learn from him.

Fair call. Obviously I'm here to learn and improve, so I will definitely give him the benefit of the doubt, and hope that I can learn from him.

 

[Kak]

Yeah, OZ I am not really worried about getting there.

Thanks Vigilante.

 

[Kak]

I met a guy that was the first employee that Jeff Bezos ever hired to work in the makeshift warehouse from which they started Amazon. He's now got fleets of Lamborghinis. His first job was to be the book packer. So yes... it is possible.

This was blind a$$ luck though. Business ownership is about the highest probability way to >15 million out there.

 

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[AgonI]

I've always thought lying to yourself is the worst thing in life and 'dad' was probably that type of person in this case. I know a couple of people who constantly lie to themselves, they think they are so smart that they come to a point when even if they say/do something wrong they convince themselves they did nothing wrong. This is probably worse than drugs imo

 

[biophase]

My take on this thread:

Slowlane vs Fastlane

As some others have said, you should not care nor pass judgement on someone who is not in the same "lane" as you. You read a book and have been converted so to speak. How is this not different than someone who finds god and then judges people who don't go to church? That person's standpoint and yours are the same. You both think your way is the right way and you both think that others are heading down the wrong path.

In the end, you should just care about the path you are on.

Money buying Happiness

Money does not buy happiness itself. As others have stated, you cannot just buy happiness. However, money can put you in a position to experience happiness. I think people here don't realize what makes them happy. While you may think that winning $100k itself makes you happy, the real reason you are happy is because you are thinking of what that $100k can do. You mind may have already fast forwarded to you buying a new car, paying off a credit card, making it rain in a club. That's what makes you happy.

There are alot of things that make me happy that are indirectly caused by money. For example, when I'm out playing softball I would say I'm pretty happy. However, I could not be out playing softball if I had to work that night. I'm sure I'll be happy when I am at the Super Bowl that the Bears win. Money isn't making me happy, but it's allowing me to be there and giving me the opportunity to be happy.

I've been thinking of selling my Ferrari the past few weeks. Why? Well, it's just not doing it for me anymore. However, I think of the alternative is that I sell and have a pile of cash. Now what? That pile of cash sitting in my account doesn't make me happy. In fact, it's making me less happy because it's making 0.5% interest. I guess that's a case of money buying sadness. LOL

So for those of you chasing money, there has to be some reason behind doing it. Figure out what makes you happy and use money to attain it. Else, your bank account just grows and nothing else happens.

Happiness is Relative

I do alot of traveling and have been to places where $100 a month is the minimum wage. I've seen people with standards of living well below our poverty level. What you need to realize is that what makes you happy is different than what makes others happy. So you can never assume that a person is unhappy because they don't have what you have. $500/mo overthere is considered a great salary.

While I was in Africa I went through this math. Pretend you make $5k a month, or $60k a year here in the USA.

Compare that to a person in Africa.
$500/mo salary vs. $5,000/mo salary - The difference is 10x

Compare yourself to a rich person
$5,000/mo salary vs. $50,000/mo salary - The difference is 10x

If you spend $15 on a meal in Africa, to them it looks like you are spending 3/100th of their salary on lunch. This would be like you seeing someone spend $1500 on a meal in the USA. What do you think of that person here in the USA? Rich snob? 1% er? I've often wondered what the people thought of me when I spent $5 on a can of Pringles while wearing a $100 pair of sunglasses and $500 camera around my neck. Am I viewed the same way as some dude in a Lambo with a $5000 suit is here?

Everything is relative, and the magnitude of the money doesn't correlate to the happiness it brings.

 

[Vigilante]

So the guy in Africa that makes $500/mo.

What happens to his happiness if you give him $5k?

Do you think he would be happier, sadder, or exactly the same as the day prior?

 

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[theDarkness]

"Money doesn't buy happiness"

so being broke does??

I've always thought that people who say this are warning about becoming a slave to a slowlane career. Which does, indeed, seem like a great way to end up supremely unhappy.

How many times are people even thinking of entrepreneurship or the "fastlane" when they say this?

I think it's their own way of emphasizing time-freedom and the "wealth" that comes in time spent with family and friends. It's a warning against winding up at 40 years old, working 100hrs a week at a job you loathe, and feeling trapped in by the "rat race" and consumer debt. Versus a florist who logs his 40hrs and spends a ton of time with the family he loves. Is it the perfect life? Probably not. But many die very, very happy that way.

 

[Kak]

OK... To summarize so far.

Money... Buys... Happiness.

Dad was obviously ignorant to other paths.

Kid is probably doomed to mediocrity. But we should try to track him down and give him the book.

Some people on this forum, a MILLIONAIRE FORUM mind you, act as if they are morally superior by arguing that money doesn't buy happiness even though they internally long to be millionaires and spend time on a millionaire forum trying to learn how to do it.

 

[The-J]

Some people on this forum, a MILLIONAIRE FORUM mind you, act as if they are morally superior by arguing that money doesn't buy happiness even though they internally long to be millionaires and spend time on a millionaire forum trying to learn how to do it.

If you're unhappy as an entrepreneur making $1000 a month, you're not going to be happy as an entrepreneur making $100,000 a month.

You guys assume that everyone is going to use their money on investments, whether in passive incoem on in their own business. You guys assume that everyone knows the inherent power of money and how to exploit it. You guys see a $1 million check as an opportunity to make more money, whereas most people (the so-called 99%) see it as money to throw away. For them, the happiness is fleeting.

I could probably squander $1 million in three days. I'd be super happy for those three days. But why would I do that?

Truth is, for the majority of people, money just kind of comes and goes as it pleases, like the wind. For them, more money won't get them any closer to freedom or to happiness.

EDIT: I asked my girlfriend, who has never learned a thing about money except from what her parents and I told her (which conflict), how she would spend $1 million. She said she would pay off her school, her sibling's school, her parent's mortgage and use the rest for a down payment on a house. My response: "Honestly, I'd probably just invest it and collect some cashflow off of it. Couldn't bring myself to squander it that quickly"

For those who remember the button thread and my response, I gained some sense. Why blow it on a condo and a car immediately?

 

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[theDarkness]

Slowlaners who mock fastlaners are no better than fastlaners who mock slowlaners.

I like this.

I'm not too interested in the "money buys happiness" thing because I think people can mean so many different things when they say it. Some people may mean that money makes things easier, opens up opportunities, etc. Some may mean that every person is ultimately responsible for their own happiness. Some may mean that a life of "chasing money" is a poor choice, and and a one-way ticket to Ratraceville . . . I don't really see a lot to disagree with in this thread, just a bunch of people coming at the question from different angles.

There's another aspect to this thread, though, where people have complained about the tendency to judge slowlaners as inferior. I have to agree that I don't really see the point of it. It almost always reeks of either arrogance or insecurity. MJ's book is targeted at people who need to see the slowlane philosophy take a good thrashing. This reverses indoctrination and helps them see new options, possibilities. Blanket condemnation of slowlaners is the opposite of that effect . . . you're shutting yourself off, cozying up with your arrogance and your assumptions. It accomplishes nothing.

The way MJ talks about the slowlane in his book: provides VALUE, as his target audience consists of people who are very frustrated with the slowlane, and they're wondering what else is out there . . .

The (dismissive) way some people in this forum talk about slowlane: provides no value, mostly just a way of blowing hot air and propping up the ego . . . all about the person speaking, not the potential listener.

 

[Jake]

You can be perfectly happy in a job and still want something more (or something different)...

For many people, how they generate their income over their lifetime isn't a binary thing -- it's not that they're either an employee forever or an entrepreneur forever. Some people will build a nest-egg with a job, and then give entrepreneurship a try. If it doesn't work the first time, they'll go back to a job, build up some more and try again. Some people will try to do both simultaneously and won't want to quit their job until they are confident they can make it on their own. Some people will spend their youth trying to achieve success as an entrepreneur, and if they can't do it before they start a family, they'll take a job to ensure that their family is provided for. And for others, they'll try entrepreneurship and decide it's not for them. And some people are probably here just out of pure curiosity, despite having no desire to give entrepreneurship a try!

To assume that everyone here is, always was and always will be 100% focused on entrepreneurship doesn't make sense...

Personally, I loved my 9-5 (though it was more like 10-10 for me). I loved the traveling, I loved the hanging out with successful people, I loved the camaraderie, I loved the building cool products, etc. But, then my life changed, and I decided I'd rather focus on family instead of a job. Doesn't mean I didn't love the corporate world...it was just time for something else that allowed more freedom to focus on family. Turns out I love the entrepreneur stuff as well, and it provides me the flexibility to pursue the other stuff I currently want out of life. Things change. So do people.

Great post. I was going to respond to him but noticed we're now on the 5th page of this thread and you pretty much covered it.

I'll just add in my piece.

The end result that most of us here are looking for is wealth and time. The path we will chose to take is the one presented to us with the least amount of resistance and shortest possible time frame to our destination. If you have a decent idea, a decent plan, minimal amount of startup capital and someone comes along and offers you a job for $200k a year; do you take it or do you turn down the opportunity and move forward with your plan? Will the money not buy you more time and money for your business in the future? Does it not give you a head start in life?

I have a job but my path is by no means the traditional slowlane route. I sacrifice time now for more time and options later. I work on projects on the side and one day I hope to be able to focus all of my time on my own business. For now, I am happy to get ahead with my paycheck. My job won't last forever nor do I want it to. I'm here learning and helping whenever I feel I can. I know I will be dependent upon myself soon enough.

Always move forward by whatever means you choose.

 

[andviv]

"Money doesn't buy happiness." is an irrelevant comparison, similar to "Playing baseball doesn't help your cooking skills.". Money is money. Happiness is happiness. They're independent. If you want money, go for the money. If you want happiness focus on being happy. If you want both, then go for both.

This is how Rickson9 looks in my mind:


You have a great way to make your point across. Deep.

 

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[andviv]

I haven't come across any strong correlations between money and happiness. Assuming that one believes in the scientific method of course.

Does this count?

Dial In Your Happiness | Wired Science | Wired.com

Dial In Your Happiness
...
Self-help books may say happiness comes from within, but let’s get real. Contentment also hinges on external factors like money, how many friends you have, and whether you have kids. More isn’t necessarily merrier. So how do you find the sweet spots? Science, of course.
...

Salary per year
$75,000
Money can buy happiness—to a point, says Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton’s analysis of the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Meeting basic needs feels good; racing to get rich does not.

 

[andviv]

Work your a$$ off and drink your a$$ off if that is your thing. I regret I got too serious with business too soon and wish I had kept having fun with dead end jobs longer.

Great point...

In my mind, I recall similar feelings to that age, and the reason, in my mind, was the freedom. You could do whatever you want (no expensive mortgage/rent to pay, your younger body could take the beating and horrible food, etc etc etc).