Marijuana and Success... Possible?

[Ubermensch]

Get filthy rich.

Then party.

Until then, limit fun time.

 

[pickeringmt]

I find this an interesting topic as it is one I am currently struggling with. It all started about 8 months ago. I smoked my first joint with a friend. At first I could take it or leave it. I smoked every once in a while, it was fun but it wasn't a major part of my life. For months the habit was once weekly. I went to class during the week and never smoked but always toked up on the weekends with friends. Recently however I find myself with little to do since I've graduated school which I guess led to my chronic use. I found myself smoking several times daily with friends. I few days ago I finally realized how things had spiraled out of hand. It was largely due to the company I kept (who were chronic users) and I'm working to fix that problem by avoiding those people now. I haven't smoked in 3 days and I won't lie... It hasn't been easy... but I plan to maintain my self discipline and not use marijuana... at least not for a few months. However I'm not sure how I should handle use for the rest of my life. I don't feel like the plant is particularly harmful when used responsibility in much the same way I feel alcohol is not dangerous when used in moderation. My question is this: Should I NEVER touch it again? Should I use it on a monthly basis? Even during my most chronic use I never felt like my life was TOO terribly effected and I want my fast lane lifestyle to include occasional use. On the other hand, if it means missing out on the lifestyle I chose for myself Its something that must go. Input please?

If you actually were where you wanted to be then this would be a legitimate question - but since you make it perfectly clear that you are choosing weed INSTEAD of actually doing things the answer should be obvious.

Stop smoking pot if it gets between you and what you want.

Stop eating oreos if it gets between you and what you want.

Stop spending time on this forum if it gets between you and what you want.

It's not even what you ARE doing here, its what you are NOT doing. Wake up.

 

[SteveO]

There is not anything useful that will come from this. I sent you a pm stating my stance. Even occasional use will be putting you in the wrong company.

signed - Old Fogie (but, been there, done that)

 

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[jon.a]

You can get high and mentally masturbate about the event and ignore working on the process. I say this knowing my plan later tonight is booze and the aforementioned.

Recognize the value of your time though. I'd admit I did read a good bit of MJ's book under the influence tho

Hopefully that story goes like, "I started the book stoned then realized that I needed to finish it straight."

 

[Jonleehacker]

It isn't about the drug, whether pot, alcohol, sex, food, they are all the same, if you want to, you can use them to cover up something that you don't want to look at or feel inside yourself.

If you can bear to be honest with yourself and ask "why am I doing this?" then you'll start to see what it's all about.

The goal is to be free (whether financially or any other way) then begin to look beneath the surface of your situation, which is the only place where you can unlock yourself from destructive patterned behavior.

 

[cantwait2]

The people who are chronic smokers will do you more harm than the smoking itself...you're still young and part of growing up is experimenting and learning what you can control in your life and what pushes you to a darker side.

You might want to read my story in the success story category I guess you could say I've got some insight on this subject.

Ultimately you are either running your own show or someone or something else is. You will find that the right decision will come to you.

I recently gave up drinking completly, something I thought I would never do for the social aspect but it became a very easy decision for me when the time was right, there was just a million reasons why I felt I didn't have a place for alcohol in my life anymore.

But it's a personal decision, life is a grey area, moderation and common sense are your friend, a true desire to achieve success will become your guiding light...

 

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[biophase]

This was one thing that I noticed in the past say 5-10 years in meeting people. In the past I don't think people talked about smoking weed as openly. But it seems to be a cool thing to say now and do.

Anyway, in a business context I've come across alot of people that just did not get it. I would explain things to them, mostly logical things or simple math calculations, like @snowbank 's +EV stuff, or just whatever they had a question about. In the back of my mind as these people could not grasp the concept, I could not figure out why. So I began to create a hypothesis that these people just weren't smart enough to grasp the concept. And I thought it was just because they were not smart.

But afterwards, I would find out that many of these people were pot smokers, or did drugs when they were younger or heavy club goers and drinkers. This brought me back to the "drugs kill brain cells" campaigns that they used to have. I've always wondered if these people would be alot sharper in their old age (30+) than they are if they have never done drugs.

Nowadays, when I meet someone and I talk to them, I can kind of get a sense if they've done drugs in the past. Again, this is just a feeling I get, but I've been fairly accurate with it. It's not that they are stupid, but they are just not sharp. Ever talk to someone that seemed smart, but not sharp?

Another thing that has been discussed is that getting high or drunk/buzzed just kills your productivity. I've had friends/people on this forum that I think are smart, but they can't get things done in a timely manner. I check in with them and they haven't gotten any shit done in 6 months!

 

[heavy_industry]

If you were to have the skills, wisdom, discipline, and mental fortitude to be highly successful, all while being a shit-faced loser and an addict...

Just imagine how much easier it would be if you were to stack the deck in your favor and NOT do stupid shit.

---

• If you are a genius, substances will make you average.
• If you are average, substances will make you stupid.

Stay the F*cking hell away from substances - especially alcohol.

Instead, get addicted to training. Get addicted to business. And get addicted to WINNING.

 

[Russ H]

sorry, did not go through all the pages, but I can add this:

many of my mentors who were very successful businessmen generations above myself, were daily users of marijuana, dont know if there was a correlation but it was an odd thing for sure.

Quantify:

Were they billionaires?

Worth over, say, $100 million?

Tell us.

I've worked with those guys (a few billionaires, most w/net worth between 30 and 400 million).

NONE of them did weed daily, at least anymore.

-Russ H.

 

[RHL]

It dulls your senses and your mental acuity while you're high.

You're facing people who are taxing their brains to their bleeding limit 16 hours a day. Given raw statistical probability, many of them are probably smarter than you already. The Stanford kid or the MIT kid trying to monopolize your verticals aren't giving their brain a 2-3 hour vacation every day. Every business area has a couple of big winners and zillions of losers. Odds are already high that you're going to be one of the losers. Why make it higher?

If you think you can beat them while you sit time out every day, that's your choice. Seems unwise to me. Your brain is the "muscle" that makes you money. Seems like getting high every day would be like eating Pizza Hutt once a day when trying to become a competitive body builder.

Sure, it's not impossible... but why?

 

[djs13]

There are probably a bunch of people on here who can tell you all the harmful effects health wise, but I have my own experiences in terms of business. I used to hang out with chronic users like you did for a while but that stopped last spring. I was never into marijuana, but I would party and drink.

Plain and simple, I didn't get things done. It was almost surreal how Friday afternoon I would be planning my start up, and then Saturday morning after sleeping over at a party my priorities were all out of place. Even though it was only temporary, I didn't care about success and I didn't care about everything I did care about when I wasn't hung over.

There are probably some people who have had success while smoking weed. I believe Richard Branson smoked when he was in his twenties. But as Napoleon Hill explained in "Think and Grow Rich," it's best to stay away from everything - even alcohol. In the long run they're just ways to escape feelings and thoughts, even if you aren't a problem user.

I think the last time I played Beer Pong was in May. I miss all the people I used to hang out with, but in the long term I know that I'll have plenty of time for partying when I've accomplished everything I want to. But until then, I am staying away from all that stuff.

 

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[Runum]

Negatives: it's illegal, it destroys your focus(you said it), it's terrible on your lungs, there are differing degrees of quality(you can get some real bad stuff), it affects your short term memory.

Positives: you get a temporary escape from reality.

Work on changing/improving your reality and your escape won't be temporary!:fastlane:

 

[Russ H]

Man, some day I gotta post my history w/weed to this thread.

Quitting weed was the single most important thing I ever did to speed up my success.

It was years until I realized this, though.

One day, I looked back and wondered: What happened?

When did I start paying taxes on time?
When did I start growing my business exponentially?
When did I start to have more money?
When did I start to meet all of these amazing people?
When did my life start moving-- fast-- so many more opportunities, and accomplishments?

It all started about 4 weeks after I had my last joint.

That was about 20 years ago.

Amazing.

-Russ H.

 

[speedingpenguin]

Okay, as a regular user (3-4 times a day on average), and being someone who I would consider to be successful, I want to voice my opinion on this.

I smoked pot for the first time when I was 18 years old, with some older friends of mine. A lot of my peers had tried it before I did, and being the responsible kid that I was, I did my research first. Yup, I spent hours and hours researching online before trying it myself.

I decided that it was something that I would like to try, and I felt that the risks associated with it weren't quite what people tend to think.
Instead of writing several pages about my opinion on every aspect of it, I'll leave the details, statistics, and arguments against common beliefs for later (if I decide its worth posting at all)

MY OWN EXPERIENCE WITH MARIJUANA HAS BEEN AWESOME.
I smoked for about a year straight after first trying it. Started out with it kinda slow, then spent a summer working at UPS sorting packages. Between that, working on cars (my own and my friends), and helping out a little bit around the house, I always looked forward to unwinding at my friends house with a pipe and a bag of weed. Some times a few grams would last a week, other times I'd blow through an ounce in a work week. A little bit much? Maybe. But I busted my a$$ every day at work, stayed active with my hobbies from BEFORE pot (cars and LEGAL drag racing), and was a lot more responsible than most of my friends who spent every night out drinking and going to partys.

Decided to get a new job (which required a drug test), so I stopped for a few weeks, got the job, and only smoked once and a while for a couple of months. Met a girl who wasn't too sure about the whole weed thing, so I gave smoking up COMPLETELY (With the exception of a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert, and Australian Pink Floyd) for almost exactly a year. At this point my girlfriend had become curious, tried it herself, enjoyed it, so I got back into it. I've been a daily smoker ever since. I vaporize (a different method of getting the psychoactive chemicals without the other "harmful" smoke), so I use much less quantity, but on an average day I smoke 3 or 4 times.

I've gone from being the youngest person working at my job when I started, quickly working my way up to being in charge of several other people (All several years older than me, between their late 20's and early 40's) and consistently increasing my departments sales by an average of 23% while keeping track of and collecting over $300,000/yr and adding a new account every 2 months or so. All of this has happened since I took up smoking after my 1 yr break, and I only seem to be doing better and better.
Oh, and I was going to school full time (Up until last semester I cut back to 3 night classes) all the while.

The people I hang out with outside of work are all successful in their fields, too. Some of them are working on getting degrees, some have finished school and are starting out in their careers, and some are like me and kinda do their own thing, juggling full time jobs and school and various other activities. Most of them are occasional smokers with a few "regulars" in there.
I've also met and know of a BUNCH of successful people who smoke a lot more than I do, and have been doing so for longer than I've been alive. College professors, lawyers, businesspeople... I think you would be surprised to know just how many highly successful people smoke marijuana.

Enough about me though, I'm just one example.

If you feel like marijuana has taken control of your life, then yes, stop. Or start getting better quality weed. And yes, I'm serious. Get ahold of a good sativa strain and you might be surprised at how motivated you get. A lot of times I'll come home from a long day at work and just feel like sitting down in front of the computer and doing NOTHING, but after vaping, I get good ideas! Clean and organize my desk, clean out my car, find a new recipe and make something good in the kitchen, or best of all.... I GET IDEAS! Ideas for businesses, websites, etc.! (I'm working on 3 at the moment, doing my research and planning so I can narrow it down to just one to concentrate on at a time)

I'm not SUGGESTING you smoke weed, in fact I agree with what everyone else is saying... if you have to ask, then stop!
I just feel responsible for representing a big chunk of the population (people of all ages, backgrounds, and current situations) who use marijuana and who aren't harming anyone (including themselves). It isn't for everybody. Neither is booze. As I said earlier, I rarely drink, and if I do, its one... MAYBE two if the time is right. I'm a LOT more productive under the influence of marijuana than I am alcohol, and marijuana has helped me to see things from a different perspective and with a better understanding than before.

This goes to EVERYONE: Marijuana should be used RESPONSIBLY, and each individual should be responsible for knowing what their limits are and what works for them personally. But PLEASE, don't generalize or stereotype the marijuana using population as a bunch of deadbeats who go nowhere in life and who's lives are controlled by the drug. This is NOT always the case! The reason you don't hear about more successful people who happen to use marijuana is because it is illegal (Or decriminalized in my situation) and has a bad reputation!
I'm sure that if the laws were different and it were more socially accepted, your lawyer or accountant or real estate agent or business owner or brother/sister/mother/father might be more open about it. But instead, most people keep it a secret and no one knows.


Hopefully my post doesn't upset anyone, but I feel I have to stand up for what I believe in, which in my case is marijuana.


P.S., want to see an example of a true pothead being EXTREMELY successful in business? Search "Marc Emery"
Want to see some more successful potheads? Maybe they aren't multi-millionaires, but they've fought for what they believe in and I'd be willing to bet have been more successful in reaching for their own goals and dreams than a LOT of people, look at Keith Stroup or Tom Forcade.

My goals are the big bucks, a private jet, exotic cars, and several houses in exotic locations. Big goals, but I know I can and will reach them. And I'll probably not be able to pass a drug test (Marijuana only, thank you) the entire way.
That's just me though (And no, I'm not at all ashamed or shy about telling everyone I'm a proud toker...obviously):smxF:

 

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[Achilles]

You have to take an honest look at yourself to see if you're one of those people that can get things done with it. Because most people cannot handle or give the respect it deserves. I don't drink, never smoked cigarettes, but do partake in the green from time to time. Treat it like a reward system, only puff when you accomplished every thing for the day...feel good about it. Because the moment you take a puff when you know you haven't gotten done what you wanted...you lost. Also, don't smoke everyday...that's for wiz khalifa and people who don't want to achieve anything, because why go thru the pain of achievement when you can just smoke and feel instant pleasure/happiness. Smoking everyday will destroy 95% of peoples ambition. Never keep your eye off the prize. When you smoke it makes it very easy too.

 

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[HyperFocus]

Marijuana is one of the most underestimated drugs.

Every single person I met that smoked a lot is filled with dumb superficial ideas about the world and people. They think its genius when they come up with the ideas while they are high and after a while they believe in that stuff even when they are not smoking.
Seriously Ive seen 130iq + people getting F*ckd by weed.

Other disadvantage is that for most people its very hard to stay disciplined or motivated while using or after using weed.

If you dont care about your time go ahead and smoke. But if you want to learn how beautiful life is and how many magnificent things you can do with your life then resort to weed for max 1 time a year

 

[healthstatus]

She did....

http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydish/la-dd-girl-scout-sells-cookies-pot-clinic-20140221-story.html

 

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[Supa]

I would not smoke cause I'd want to pass out and not read but even after end of night I'd get into bed and read it for hours, between classes, any time possible in the past week really.I've only read in once so far (in the past week).

I do sometimes smoke before bed but I don't want to start talking about tolerance and all that, basically you are right. Rarely I read a book and first thing I want to do when I finish it is re read it but quite to opposite with MJ's book. Really resonated with me personally and gave me the figurative kick in the butt to get me going.

Used to smoke before I read TMF . After I read it I never really smoked again... Couldn't take the action needed to put the knowledge into action when I would be stoned too often.

 

[ZackerySprague]

Very old thread from 2008.

I had a friend back in middle school who smoked the synthetic K2 version. Want to talk about someone who accomplished things non-stop until he got it. He's the guy. After his father died from smoking too many ciggretta DOA hitting the back of an 18 Wheeler and be sent to rehab because his mom stated he wasn't listening. He lost it.

I'm not a fan of any kind of drug or alcohol substances. I'll have a drink every once and while at social events.

Both siblings did hard stuff, everything known to man. I steered away, stayed cleaned, and stay focused on my own path.

My recommendation stay away, stay clean.

 

[yveskleinsky]

Oh where to start...for starters, I don't think the issue is whether or not smoking some weed every now and again will prohibit success in general. I've met plenty of functional alcoholics and drug addicts in my day who were "successful"- so yes, it's possible, at least in the simplest definitions of success, meaning they make/have a lot of money. Well, that's a rather short-sided and limited definition of success.

Maybe some better questions are: 1. Are you enjoying the ride and 2. Are you living your life according to your definition of success?

For example, by my criteria of success, anyone who lives life in a state of numbness is missing out on so much and therefore unable to enjoy the ride, and IMHO unsuccessful because they are living a life with a giant void in it.

As for what all this may mean for you, I have to say that it's obvious you feel that your pot use is a problem, or you wouldn't desire to curtail it, let alone post about it in a entrepreneurship forum. So maybe you would find it beneficial to define what success means to you, and reverse engineer your life to fit your own definition.

 

[snowbank]

Anything you can not do in public at a black tie event is not something you should be engaging in privately, period.

like sex?

 

[MsMoney]

Jeffs...listen to what your gut is telling you. The fact that you are questioning it means you KNOW it's not right and not for you.

If I had done so at your age my life would have fast tracked much much sooner. But being stubborn and rebellious I had to "do it my way". I never got caught, and was able to sweet talk my way out of some really bad situations. Which in some ways was good & bad!

Take it from an Ol' Lady who's been around the block enough to know....it's a temporary high and the greater high comes from accomplishment, success, passion, LIFE. You won't have any of that while smoking pot.

I believe you are made of all those things and desire to get there. Don't allow yourself to sabotage your greatness!

Thanks for sharing this with us!!

 

[Russ H]

. . . Once in a while if I'm out somewhere and it's offered to me, then sure why not - I don't want to be a stiff!

Yep.

Talk to folks in rehab. That's how most got started-- peer pressure, being "in", and having fun.

Nothing wrong w/any of that-- but one thing:

The longer you live your life floating around on what other people think, the harder it's going to be for you to chart your own course.

Do what YOU want to do.

But figure out what that is, first.

-Russ H.

 

[IGP]

I don't always bump threads, but when I do they are 5 years old!

 

[Envious]

The people who are chronic smokers will do you more harm than the smoking itself...you're still young and part of growing up is experimenting and learning what you can control in your life and what pushes you to a darker side.

You might want to read my story in the success story category I guess you could say I've got some insight on this subject.

Ultimately you are either running your own show or someone or something else is. You will find that the right decision will come to you.

I recently gave up drinking completly, something I thought I would never do for the social aspect but it became a very easy decision for me when the time was right, there was just a million reasons why I felt I didn't have a place for alcohol in my life anymore.

But it's a personal decision, life is a grey area, moderation and common sense are your friend, a true desire to achieve success will become your guiding light...

100 %. All throughout my teens and adolescence I would smoke weed regularly, and experiment a lot with different substances and experiences.
As I grew older, I started to notice patterns forming, especially in the sense that my 'friends' were going no-where in life. So I started to distance myself from them and work out what I wanted and what's important to me.
While I don't regret the experiences I have, I realised that if you continue to socialise heavily with people who are headed to life of mediocrity, inevitably, you will end up there too.

Once you get clear on your vision and where you want to go and who you want to be in life, cutting off negative influences gets a lot easier.

 

[Jeffs07]

I find this an interesting topic as it is one I am currently struggling with. It all started about 8 months ago. I smoked my first joint with a friend. At first I could take it or leave it. I smoked every once in a while, it was fun but it wasn't a major part of my life. For months the habit was once weekly. I went to class during the week and never smoked but always toked up on the weekends with friends. Recently however I find myself with little to do since I've graduated school which I guess led to my chronic use. I found myself smoking several times daily with friends. I few days ago I finally realized how things had spiraled out of hand. It was largely due to the company I kept (who were chronic users) and I'm working to fix that problem by avoiding those people now. I haven't smoked in 3 days and I won't lie... It hasn't been easy... but I plan to maintain my self discipline and not use marijuana... at least not for a few months. However I'm not sure how I should handle use for the rest of my life. I don't feel like the plant is particularly harmful when used responsibility in much the same way I feel alcohol is not dangerous when used in moderation. My question is this: Should I NEVER touch it again? Should I use it on a monthly basis? Even during my most chronic use I never felt like my life was TOO terribly effected and I want my fast lane lifestyle to include occasional use. On the other hand, if it means missing out on the lifestyle I chose for myself Its something that must go. Input please?

 

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[ramy98]

Stay away from that stuff and use that money to build a business or purchase financial assets that will make u some passive income for life.

 

[australianinvestor]

Everyone has the power to control their own lives. If you have any left, flush it down the toilet and never, ever, ever buy any more. Don't think "at least for a few months". If you've beaten it for that long, you can probably beat it for good. Don't associate with the same friends. They'll smoke around you, they'll pressure you. Hang out with the people you want to become.

Most of all, find the purpose for your life, and pursue that instead of defaulting to smoking for something to do because you're not busy enough fighting for the life you want.

Good luck!

 

[ryanpal]

But as Napoleon Hill explained in "Think and Grow Rich," it's best to stay away from everything - even alcohol.

djs13, are you sure about that? if i recall correctly, he gave examples of some me big discoveries that were made by those mentioned under the influence of alcohol.

 

[Yankees338]

Just ask yourself something: Why are you doing it?

Personally, provided it's use is in moderation, I don't believe there is anything wrong with it; however, only you know yourself. If you feel like it's getting out of control, it's time for it to go.

The problem is that it can lead to other things.

Really, though, if you know what you want to do with your life, there is no reason for it. I still don't really know of any harmful effects it can have, but I'm sure there are some. Everyone is different, and there are people who will react differently to it -- which can lead to more serious psychological problems.

As I've said, there's not really any reason to do it. If you feel good when you're high, find other things that make you feel good like playing a sport or makin' some billz.

 

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