Hi
I’ve been lurking in this forum from time to time for almost 3 years for now. Although I haven't posted almost anything, the value I have received out of the forum and especially the MJ DeMarcos-s books are immense.
In my teens, the only thing I cared about was partying. I did not care much of anything else. When I got kicked out of high-school at the age of 17, I started to work as construction worker. It was at the time of housing-bubble, the banks were giving out mortgages to almost anyone and even a bonehead like me could get paid well for crappy work. A young sidewalker, I spent everything I had (and little bit more) on alcohol and partying and showing off.
I hated the construction work and at the age of 20 I got “comfy”, relatively well-paying 9-5 job. Soon I started to feel the need to achieve progress in my life. I was surrounded by scripted people and I consumed only scripted information, so I sold myself the scripted lie that I need to have education to do something meaningful in my life. I did go back to school, finished both high-school and college during the next 7 years while delusionally believing that college diploma is some form of magic that will free me from wage-slavery and improve every other part of my life. (What was I thinking!?) During that time, I also got married and had a kid. I switched from sidewalk to slowlane during my early 20-s.
While the 4 years of college education was 80% worthless and the rest 20% I could have self-taught myself in much less time, I must admit I don’t think I would have spent those 4 years any better if I wouldn’t have gone to college. I probably would have wasted my time on some other meaningless things. Besides, I did not have to pay for the tuition. But I feel sad for studying for the wrong reason - the diploma. I should have connected the studies with entrepreneurship. So, it was essentially many years lasting action-fake.
During the last years of college (I was distance-learning most of the time), the 9-5 became more and more depressing, there was no meaning in my life and I understood that the diploma I was working towards is just a piece of paper that doesn’t change anything. At that time, I had two painful events which made me think hard about the life. And I started to realize I have to change my perspective to have a purpose. So, I started to educate myself with podcasts and non-fiction books (wasn’t much of a reader before that). First, I read few books about economics, then I started to read about entrepreneurship and soon that led me to TMF . It was eye-opener and it helped me to understand that everyone I knew (and myself) are either slowlaners or sidewalkers and I had wasted most of my 20-s.
So, during the last years I have changed a lot. First, I cut my expenses and paid off my credit card debt that I had accumulated during the previous years. Luckily, paying large percentage of my salary as mortgage payment or car-leasing felt a form of slavery even back in my slowlane years, so I had no debt except the credit card. Then I began saving money and started my first side-business.
I also used Kaizen concept to improve my health by going from 88kg (194 lb) to 74kg(162lb), from guy who didn’t do any sport at all for 10 years to guy who runs 3 to 4 times per week.
While improved a lot, I have also money-chased and action-faked during last years. My first business, an e-commerce store surely solves a need, but it has small (but constant) cash-flow. I have probably not executed well (and/or I have not read the market feedback correctly). I’ve reinvested all the profit, but I’ve wasted too much time on cosmetic changes that didn’t contribute to the productocracy and when I saw no improvement, I pivoted to another idea. Wasted many months on that before realizing it doesn’t provide value and I did not even properly execute it. And then I started the same cycle again by first pivoting back to my first business, then to another ideas (or doing both at the same time). I have also pondered, researched different industries and read many books, but I have often done that not productively, but on action-fake way.
I'm 29 now and I have finally decided to quit my 9-5 from August this year to hustle full time. I’d do it right now but by August I have enough money saved for my family to last at least 6 months even on worst-case scenario.
I understand I must concentrate on solving real needs and adding real value every day starting from yesterday to achieve both my selfish and philanthropic goals. I will stop pondering & take more action, not fake more action! I don’t believe I need to shout it out on here to be accountable, but I guess it cannot hurt.
I really appreciate all the great content here provided by many contributors. Thanks everyone who took time to read my intro and sorry if my poor English grammar caused you a headache
I’ve been lurking in this forum from time to time for almost 3 years for now. Although I haven't posted almost anything, the value I have received out of the forum and especially the MJ DeMarcos-s books are immense.
In my teens, the only thing I cared about was partying. I did not care much of anything else. When I got kicked out of high-school at the age of 17, I started to work as construction worker. It was at the time of housing-bubble, the banks were giving out mortgages to almost anyone and even a bonehead like me could get paid well for crappy work. A young sidewalker, I spent everything I had (and little bit more) on alcohol and partying and showing off.
I hated the construction work and at the age of 20 I got “comfy”, relatively well-paying 9-5 job. Soon I started to feel the need to achieve progress in my life. I was surrounded by scripted people and I consumed only scripted information, so I sold myself the scripted lie that I need to have education to do something meaningful in my life. I did go back to school, finished both high-school and college during the next 7 years while delusionally believing that college diploma is some form of magic that will free me from wage-slavery and improve every other part of my life. (What was I thinking!?) During that time, I also got married and had a kid. I switched from sidewalk to slowlane during my early 20-s.
While the 4 years of college education was 80% worthless and the rest 20% I could have self-taught myself in much less time, I must admit I don’t think I would have spent those 4 years any better if I wouldn’t have gone to college. I probably would have wasted my time on some other meaningless things. Besides, I did not have to pay for the tuition. But I feel sad for studying for the wrong reason - the diploma. I should have connected the studies with entrepreneurship. So, it was essentially many years lasting action-fake.
During the last years of college (I was distance-learning most of the time), the 9-5 became more and more depressing, there was no meaning in my life and I understood that the diploma I was working towards is just a piece of paper that doesn’t change anything. At that time, I had two painful events which made me think hard about the life. And I started to realize I have to change my perspective to have a purpose. So, I started to educate myself with podcasts and non-fiction books (wasn’t much of a reader before that). First, I read few books about economics, then I started to read about entrepreneurship and soon that led me to TMF . It was eye-opener and it helped me to understand that everyone I knew (and myself) are either slowlaners or sidewalkers and I had wasted most of my 20-s.
So, during the last years I have changed a lot. First, I cut my expenses and paid off my credit card debt that I had accumulated during the previous years. Luckily, paying large percentage of my salary as mortgage payment or car-leasing felt a form of slavery even back in my slowlane years, so I had no debt except the credit card. Then I began saving money and started my first side-business.
I also used Kaizen concept to improve my health by going from 88kg (194 lb) to 74kg(162lb), from guy who didn’t do any sport at all for 10 years to guy who runs 3 to 4 times per week.
While improved a lot, I have also money-chased and action-faked during last years. My first business, an e-commerce store surely solves a need, but it has small (but constant) cash-flow. I have probably not executed well (and/or I have not read the market feedback correctly). I’ve reinvested all the profit, but I’ve wasted too much time on cosmetic changes that didn’t contribute to the productocracy and when I saw no improvement, I pivoted to another idea. Wasted many months on that before realizing it doesn’t provide value and I did not even properly execute it. And then I started the same cycle again by first pivoting back to my first business, then to another ideas (or doing both at the same time). I have also pondered, researched different industries and read many books, but I have often done that not productively, but on action-fake way.
I'm 29 now and I have finally decided to quit my 9-5 from August this year to hustle full time. I’d do it right now but by August I have enough money saved for my family to last at least 6 months even on worst-case scenario.
I understand I must concentrate on solving real needs and adding real value every day starting from yesterday to achieve both my selfish and philanthropic goals. I will stop pondering & take more action, not fake more action! I don’t believe I need to shout it out on here to be accountable, but I guess it cannot hurt.
I really appreciate all the great content here provided by many contributors. Thanks everyone who took time to read my intro and sorry if my poor English grammar caused you a headache
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Last edited:
Access Restricted: Unlock 1,000,000+ Posts
Stop Peeking Through the Keyhole.
Open the Door.
You hit a wall because the best advice isn't free—it's earned. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has been active here daily (99.9% active rate), building a war room for entrepreneurs who refuse to settle for mediocrity.
- Active Daily: Life-changing content posted dozens of times every day. No dead threads.
- MJ's Inner Circle: Direct access to the author of The Millionaire Fastlane.
- Vetted Network: Connect with founders scaling to 7 and 8 figures.
- Proven Roadmaps: Strategy over motivation. Execution over "hustle porn."
"SCALED TO 6-FIGURE MONTHS"
"Tips and advice here saved me from huge mistakes, others allowed me to scale my business to 6-figure months."— User MitchC
"INSANE QUALITY OF PEOPLE"
"The number of high quality people I've met from this forum has been insane. All of it predicated on building real value."— User Richard Peck
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with."
Are you surrounding yourself with success?
