What's new

Pseudo-progress thread, check in

Welcome to the only entrepreneur forum dedicated to building life-changing wealth.

Build a Fastlane business. Earn real financial freedom. Live your best life.

Tired of paying for dead communities hosted by absent gurus who don't have time for you?

Imagine having a multi-millionaire mentor by your side EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has been a cornerstone of Fastlane, actively contributing on over 99% of days—99.92% to be exact! With more than 39,000 game-changing posts, he's dedicated to helping entrepreneurs achieve their freedom. Join a thriving community of over 90,000 members and access a vast library of over 1,000,000 posts from entrepreneurs around the globe.

Forum membership removes this block.

BellaPippin

B is for Beast
LEGACY MEMBER
Read Rat-Race Escape!
Read Fastlane!
Read Unscripted!
Joined
Jul 16, 2015
Messages
1,566
Location
Chicago, IL
Rep Bank
$3,091
User Power: 273%
<div class="bbWrapper">Didn&#039;t want to tag this as progress thread bc it&#039;s not the chronicle of any project. Just a check in with my fam.<br /> <br /> Also been avoiding posting this bc I don&#039;t think this adds any value to the forum, but at the same time I wanted to say <b>thanks for grandfathering me in to the fam</b>, and let you guys know how things are going. Sooo I&#039;ll keep it brief.<br /> <br /> I was depressed ASF. Nothing had happened, I just had to accept I seem to have a chemical imbalance in general that needs to be managed. I&#039;ve been consistent with my meds for around a year now and I&#039;m pretty much myself these days. I want to emphasize that my life has been pretty blessed in every sense of the word for like the last 5 years, but my mind had been tormenting me pretty much, no matter how much meditation and gratitude journaling I had under my belt. The meds definitely keep me sane to an extent.<br /> <br /> Not sure if as a result of that or along with that, I reached this point in which I was trying SO hard to get something to &quot;work&quot;, and at the same time I hated what I was doing. Like <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/members/59397/" class="username" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" data-user-id="59397" data-username="@Bekit">@Bekit</a> said, I did everything hatefully, fighting, clenching my teeth. I was doing it out of a sense that I had to, or that I had to prove I &quot;had it&quot; in me, that I could do it. Until I was like &quot;do I have to?&quot;<br /> <br /> I had completely lost the ability of being in the present and just enjoying a day and enjoying the fact that I&#039;m decently healthy, I have a roof under my head, clean water, I have an awesome partner and family, I have my material needs met. Instead I was being consumed on the inside by this goal that had become corrupted.<br /> <br /> I&#039;m not sure I have &quot;what it takes&quot;. Have I given up? I have no idea. But I don&#039;t have the grit, the determination, the hustle-my-a$$-even-when-I&#039;m-tired, the figure-it-out in me. I just don&#039;t. It&#039;s not my character. Idk if that&#039;s laziness, or if it&#039;s giving up, or if it&#039;s growing up and knowing more about my strengths and weaknesses. So I hit the brakes...<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>Right now<br /> <br /> My little duplex: It&#039;s there. It&#039;s paying itself</b> and giving enough cash flow to put into reserves and cover expenses. It&#039;s going up in value, but it doesn&#039;t seem to be appreciating so much that selling makes sense (as I won&#039;t be able to double my units selling). That&#039;s alright though, because as long as it&#039;s getting paid, in my head I see it as retirement income. I won&#039;t be able to cash-out refi for a while but at some point I should be able to, and when that door opens it will be capital for a second property or who knows.<br /> <br /> <b>My skills: I am working towards a degree in Mobile App Development.</b> I was grasping at straws because none of my specialized skills seemed valuable anymore, or competition was stupid high. AI also on the horizon for most. I was also faced with the prospect that if no business was happening and I had to go get a job again to contribute to the household, I&#039;d be working my way up from retail again at middle age. UGH! No thanks. So.... after doing research on growing industries, and comparing it to things I can do and sort of get along with, I ended up with this. Smartphones aren&#039;t going anywhere so I decided to specialize for apps instead of full-stack. Eventually it gives me the option to try to come up with a solution for something and make a business out of it, or if I have to go get a job at least my starting salary is alright even on the lower ends, and the job can be done remote/in an office setting/it&#039;s not customer-facing etc. etc. . I should be safe-ish from AI for now and/or as I get more knowledgeable I hope I can harness it as well. <br /> <br /> I&#039;ve taken a part-time job a few blocks away from home as a bank teller. I plan to use the extra income to pay debt off, pay tuition, and rebuild savings, which went really low. Putting them into $VOO for now so they keep up. It&#039;s also helped me mentally as I feel way more useful than being at home running errands but having long periods of free time that OBVIOUSLY I wasn&#039;t able to capitalize on for the past three years. Here&#039;s where I ask myself whether I &quot;have it in me&quot; or if I can&#039;t get to &quot;unscript&quot; myself. I&#039;m too used to be a sheep and just follow instructions, I can&#039;t be my own boss, I don&#039;t have the character for it. I&#039;ve kinda put that question in the backburner for now, and just take what I can manage for my mental health&#039;s sake.<br /> <br /> That&#039;s all I have for now. Suggestions welcome on anything you&#039;d like. Again, I&#039;m very grateful for being grandfathered in. This community has given me so much and I still dream one day I&#039;ll be able to start giving back too.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> I swear I tried to keep it brief... OH WELL<br /> <br /> <script class="js-extraPhrases" type="application/json"> { "lightbox_close": "Close", "lightbox_next": "Next", "lightbox_previous": "Previous", "lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.", "lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow", "lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow", "lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen", "lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails", "lightbox_download": "Download", "lightbox_share": "Share", "lightbox_zoom": "Zoom", "lightbox_new_window": "New window", "lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar" } </script> <div class="bbImageWrapper js-lbImage" title="giphy.gif" data-src="/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2FxiN7gD9cxUUl2fmRLa%2Fgiphy.gif%3Fcid%3Decf05e47t47vlvkcssqs89wxxmuwm2zh66qcb800s3ceu6xt%26ep%3Dv1_gifs_search%26rid%3Dgiphy.gif%26ct%3Dg&amp;hash=b941cae22d722e503ef30ed09905a381" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-single-image="1"> <img src="/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2FxiN7gD9cxUUl2fmRLa%2Fgiphy.gif%3Fcid%3Decf05e47t47vlvkcssqs89wxxmuwm2zh66qcb800s3ceu6xt%26ep%3Dv1_gifs_search%26rid%3Dgiphy.gif%26ct%3Dg&amp;hash=b941cae22d722e503ef30ed09905a381" data-url="https://media.giphy.com/media/xiN7gD9cxUUl2fmRLa/giphy.gif?cid=ecf05e47t47vlvkcssqs89wxxmuwm2zh66qcb800s3ceu6xt&amp;ep=v1_gifs_search&amp;rid=giphy.gif&amp;ct=g" class="bbImage" data-zoom-target="1" style="" alt="giphy.gif" title="" width="" height="" loading="lazy" /> </div></div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 32930" data-quote="BellaPippin" data-source="post: 1134707" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1134707" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1134707">BellaPippin said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Didn&#039;t want to tag this as progress thread bc it&#039;s not the chronicle of any project. Just a check in with my fam.<br /> <br /> Also been avoiding posting this bc I don&#039;t think this adds any value to the forum, but at the same time I wanted to say <b>thanks for grandfathering me in to the fam</b>, and let you guys know how things are going. Sooo I&#039;ll keep it brief.<br /> <br /> I was depressed ASF. Nothing had happened, I just had to accept I seem to have a chemical imbalance in general that needs to be managed. I&#039;ve been consistent with my meds for around a year now and I&#039;m pretty much myself these days. I want to emphasize that my life has been pretty blessed in every sense of the word for like the last 5 years, but my mind had been tormenting me pretty much, no matter how much meditation and gratitude journaling I had under my belt. The meds definitely keep me sane to an extent.<br /> <br /> Not sure if as a result of that or along with that, I reached this point in which I was trying SO hard to get something to &quot;work&quot;, and at the same time I hated what I was doing. Like <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/members/59397/" class="username" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" data-user-id="59397" data-username="@Bekit">@Bekit</a> said, I did everything hatefully, fighting, clenching my teeth. I was doing it out of a sense that I had to, or that I had to prove I &quot;had it&quot; in me, that I could do it. Until I was like &quot;do I have to?&quot;<br /> <br /> I had completely lost the ability of being in the present and just enjoying a day and enjoying the fact that I&#039;m decently healthy, I have a roof under my head, clean water, I have an awesome partner and family, I have my material needs met. Instead I was being consumed on the inside by this goal that had become corrupted.<br /> <br /> I&#039;m not sure I have &quot;what it takes&quot;. Have I given up? I have no idea. But I don&#039;t have the grit, the determination, the hustle-my-a$$-even-when-I&#039;m-tired, the figure-it-out in me. I just don&#039;t. It&#039;s not my character. Idk if that&#039;s laziness, or if it&#039;s giving up, or if it&#039;s growing up and knowing more about my strengths and weaknesses. So I hit the brakes...<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>Right now<br /> <br /> My little duplex: It&#039;s there. It&#039;s paying itself</b> and giving enough cash flow to put into reserves and cover expenses. It&#039;s going up in value, but it doesn&#039;t seem to be appreciating so much that selling makes sense (as I won&#039;t be able to double my units selling). That&#039;s alright though, because as long as it&#039;s getting paid, in my head I see it as retirement income. I won&#039;t be able to cash-out refi for a while but at some point I should be able to, and when that door opens it will be capital for a second property or who knows.<br /> <br /> <b>My skills: I am working towards a degree in Mobile App Development.</b> I was grasping at straws because none of my specialized skills seemed valuable anymore, or competition was stupid high. AI also on the horizon for most. I was also faced with the prospect that if no business was happening and I had to go get a job again to contribute to the household, I&#039;d be working my way up from retail again at middle age. UGH! No thanks. So.... after doing research on growing industries, and comparing it to things I can do and sort of get along with, I ended up with this. Smartphones aren&#039;t going anywhere so I decided to specialize for apps instead of full-stack. Eventually it gives me the option to try to come up with a solution for something and make a business out of it, or if I have to go get a job at least my starting salary is alright even on the lower ends, and the job can be done remote/in an office setting/it&#039;s not customer-facing etc. etc. . I should be safe-ish from AI for now and/or as I get more knowledgeable I hope I can harness it as well.<br /> <br /> I&#039;ve taken a part-time job a few blocks away from home as a bank teller. I plan to use the extra income to pay debt off, pay tuition, and rebuild savings, which went really low. Putting them into $VOO for now so they keep up. It&#039;s also helped me mentally as I feel way more useful than being at home running errands but having long periods of free time that OBVIOUSLY I wasn&#039;t able to capitalize on for the past three years. Here&#039;s where I ask myself whether I &quot;have it in me&quot; or if I can&#039;t get to &quot;unscript&quot; myself. I&#039;m too used to be a sheep and just follow instructions, I can&#039;t be my own boss, I don&#039;t have the character for it. I&#039;ve kinda put that question in the backburner for now, and just take what I can manage for my mental health&#039;s sake.<br /> <br /> That&#039;s all I have for now. Suggestions welcome on anything you&#039;d like. Again, I&#039;m very grateful for being grandfathered in. This community has given me so much and I still dream one day I&#039;ll be able to start giving back too.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> I swear I tried to keep it brief... OH WELL<br /> <br /> <div class="bbImageWrapper js-lbImage" title="giphy.gif" data-src="/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2FxiN7gD9cxUUl2fmRLa%2Fgiphy.gif%3Fcid%3Decf05e47t47vlvkcssqs89wxxmuwm2zh66qcb800s3ceu6xt%26ep%3Dv1_gifs_search%26rid%3Dgiphy.gif%26ct%3Dg&amp;hash=b941cae22d722e503ef30ed09905a381" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-single-image="1"> <img src="/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2FxiN7gD9cxUUl2fmRLa%2Fgiphy.gif%3Fcid%3Decf05e47t47vlvkcssqs89wxxmuwm2zh66qcb800s3ceu6xt%26ep%3Dv1_gifs_search%26rid%3Dgiphy.gif%26ct%3Dg&amp;hash=b941cae22d722e503ef30ed09905a381" data-url="https://media.giphy.com/media/xiN7gD9cxUUl2fmRLa/giphy.gif?cid=ecf05e47t47vlvkcssqs89wxxmuwm2zh66qcb800s3ceu6xt&amp;ep=v1_gifs_search&amp;rid=giphy.gif&amp;ct=g" class="bbImage" data-zoom-target="1" style="" alt="giphy.gif" title="" width="" height="" loading="lazy" /> </div> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Hey and welcome back! I just wanted to say that I think it’s great that you shared this. Sometimes, just checking in and being honest with where you&#039;re at adds more value than you might think, especially when others might be in a similar boat.<br /> <br /> I can definitely relate to your struggles with depression. It’s good to hear that you’ve found some stability with your meds – how have they been helping you overall? It sounds like you’ve been on quite a journey.<br /> <br /> When you mentioned trying so hard to make something work and feeling that pressure, I can really relate to that. I think many of us have been there, pushing ourselves out of a sense of obligation or trying to prove something. How you&#039;ve been finding GoalSumo? I haven’t yet tried GoalSumo, mainly because I’ve got a lot on my plate with a new marriage, a new flat, and a new job, but it might be worth it when the time is right.<br /> <br /> It&#039;s better to focus on your journey rather than looking ahead to the destination. I’ve heard that if you concentrate on taking the right steps rather than obsessing over the end goal, you might actually get there faster and with less stress.<br /> <br /> I don&#039;t think it matters whether you have &quot;what it takes&quot;. It sounds like you’re doing what you need to for your mental health, which is really important. You might want to check out the book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1982140100/?tag=tff07-21" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="noopener">Laziness Does Not Exist</a> by Devon Price. It offers a different perspective on what we often see as &quot;laziness.&quot;<br /> <br /> Your progress with your duplex and your plans for it is fantastic! I think it&#039;s really great that you have that asset<br /> <br /> App development sounds great! It could be used to solve anything - have you noticed any problems your peers or community are talking about that an app could solve? Maybe that could be a great place to start brainstorming ideas.<br /> <br /> Don’t feel pressured to &quot;unscript&quot; yourself all at once – it’s okay to take things at your own pace. Being kind to yourself and taking breaks when needed is essential for long-term success.<br /> <br /> Thanks for sharing, and take care of yourself. You’re doing better than you might give yourself credit for!</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">Good to have you back, Bella.<br /> <br /> Self doubt is normal. Take a deep breath, get back to the plate and keep swinging.<br /> <br /> Channeling the inner <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/members/4470/" class="username" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" data-user-id="4470" data-username="@ZCP">@ZCP</a> ....<br /> <br /> What are your next 3 action items? It doesn&#039;t have to be huge, starting small to gain momentum is well and good.<br /> <br /> How can we help you with it?</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">Glad to hear this update. I would have been gutted if you weren&#039;t grandfathered in. I&#039;m so sorry that the last few years have been such a struggle. <br /> <br /> Don&#039;t feel bad or inadequate or like you don&#039;t contribute value here. <br /> <br /> I think the fastlane dream is still latent in you as it is in me. Even if we&#039;re not actually taking steps that are overtly fastlane right now, it&#039;s not over and it&#039;s not too late. <br /> <br /> Oh, I just now saw that you posted on my progress thread as well. If we resonate this much with each other, there&#039;s GOT to be something we&#039;re both learning that&#039;s going to be a powerhouse to lift other people up along the way whenever we get through to the other side.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 86368" data-quote="calmed98" data-source="post: 1134708" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1134708" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1134708">calmed98 said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> It’s good to hear that you’ve found some stability with your meds – how have they been helping you overall? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> I&#039;m diagnosed with bipolar II, which is basically bipolar without the highs (lol). I should be thankful bc I don&#039;t do stupid stuff due to mania, however that also means that my general brain chemistry just lives on the depression end of things (It&#039;s just designated as bipolar because it comes in cycles). I was struggling a lot with intense lethargy even though my diet is very clean, no smoke or alcohol and I got way more than 8 hours of sleep, and no stressors in sight. Mood-wise I was treading water and going under, especially in winter (no sunlight), and exercise, therapy and coping strategies weren&#039;t of any help. Meds pretty much deal with the lethargy and keep me at a neutral baseline mood-wise. Once I&#039;m at that baseline I have enough body energy/mental energy for even better things, such as exercise, self-care, self-improvement, etc. It just took me quite a bit to find the right combo/dosage that made a difference, and quite a bit more work learning that when I feel better it&#039;s bc the meds are working, not a sign that I gotta stop taking them. <br /> <br /> <blockquote data-attributes="member: 86368" data-quote="calmed98" data-source="post: 1134708" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1134708" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1134708">calmed98 said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> How you&#039;ve been finding <a href="https://goalsumo.com/?utm_source=TFFkw" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">GoalSumo.com</a>? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> While I use the original concept MJ came up with on pen and paper I find myself a bit overstimulated by big interfaces and all the notifications of goals, quotes, etc. I used to do Trello for a while too and the same happened... nothing beats pen and paper for me! <br /> <br /> <blockquote data-attributes="member: 86368" data-quote="calmed98" data-source="post: 1134708" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1134708" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1134708">calmed98 said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> You might want to check out the book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1982140100/?tag=tff07-21" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Laziness Does Not Exist</a> by Devon Price. It offers a different <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/two-cognitive-punches-for-lifelong-durable-happiness.110873/" class="link link--internal">perspective</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> I&#039;m definitely checking this out, thank you!<br /> <br /> <blockquote data-attributes="member: 58289" data-quote="SDE" data-source="post: 1134718" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1134718" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1134718">SDE said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Channeling the inner @ZCP ....<br /> <br /> What are your next 3 action items? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> 1- Doing great in class this semester.<br /> <br /> 2- % of income earned to savings, % to paying off debt. <br /> <br /> 3- Stick to my calorie budget.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">Good to see you back and posting Bella! Thanks for sharing your update and journey and all the best on the work you are doing on yourself.<br /> <br /> I&#039;ve been in the process of staggering unscripting and rebuilding around addiction issues and poor mental health which wrecked havok on my business development and life. While stacking sober time on all fronts, the cause and effect of repairing, change and moving forward after decades of self abuse is a challenge but worth the difficulities as I see staggering benefits of a substance free and better decision making new me.<br /> <br /> As for giving back, you do that by just posting. Sharing mental health struggles that a lot of people can identify with is a huge action. The fact you still have the duplex and moving forward with other skill improvements while under such battles is incredibly impressive. I remember your posts on your book and duplex which were inspiring. To have the duplex for your future is a massive win as most who have had immense struggles usually implode all their resources. Looking forward to hearing about your success as you get stronger and stack more victories.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 83657" data-quote="Parks" data-source="post: 1134771" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1134771" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1134771">Parks said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Glad to see you posting again. Don&#039;t get burnt out, it&#039;s a long journey! How did your last journal venture turn out? Any interest in still providing value in that space? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Well... I got 10 boxes of unsold books sitting in my basement, and what I got from it is that while I found some interest, I don&#039;t think I solved a problem really, it&#039;s just a nice... convenient extra someone could have. Hindsight 20/20 lol <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-frown.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":(" title="Frown :(" data-shortname=":(" /> and on the admin end... I totally fumbled the marketing. Ads were very tricky and I wasn&#039;t able to refine it enough or show it to the right people, or make them convert enough, and growing an account and coming up with stuff to post was way more difficult to me than I thought it would. And I just... couldn&#039;t go past those obstacles :/ Sooo I can&#039;t really say it was 100% a bad product, my own short coming, or a bit of both. Maybe a bit of both? <br /> <br /> <blockquote data-attributes="member: 54694" data-quote="Private Witt" data-source="post: 1134777" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1134777" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1134777">Private Witt said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Good to see you back and posting Bella! Thanks for sharing your update and journey and all the best on the work you are doing on yourself.<br /> <br /> I&#039;ve been in the process of staggering unscripting and rebuilding around addiction issues and poor mental health which wrecked havok on my business development and life. While stacking sober time on all fronts, the cause and effect of repairing, change and moving forward after decades of self abuse is a challenge but worth the difficulities as I see staggering benefits of a substance free and better decision making new me.<br /> <br /> As for giving back, you do that by just posting. Sharing mental health struggles that a lot of people can identify with is a huge action. The fact you still have the duplex and moving forward with other skill improvements while under such battles is incredibly impressive. I remember your posts on your book and duplex which were inspiring. To have the duplex for your future is a massive win as most who have had immense struggles usually implode all their resources. Looking forward to hearing about your success as you get stronger and stack more victories. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> I L you Witt! Thanks for all your support always. Progress is SO. NOT. linear. At all. Keep pushing, even if you ever have any relapses. I am so glad to be where I am today. Have the things I have. Be with the people I am. It&#039;s never perfect but it&#039;s always better so just keep trending &quot;up&quot;. You got this!</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 32930" data-quote="BellaPippin" data-source="post: 1134927" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1134927" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1134927">BellaPippin said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Well... I got 10 boxes of unsold books sitting in my basement, and what I got from it is that while I found some interest, I don&#039;t think I solved a problem really, it&#039;s just a nice... convenient extra someone could have. Hindsight 20/20 lol <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-frown.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":(" title="Frown :(" data-shortname=":(" /> and on the admin end... I totally fumbled the marketing. Ads were very tricky and I wasn&#039;t able to refine it enough or show it to the right people, or make them convert enough, and growing an account and coming up with stuff to post was way more difficult to me than I thought it would. And I just... couldn&#039;t go past those obstacles :/ Sooo I can&#039;t really say it was 100% a bad product, my own short coming, or a bit of both. Maybe a bit of both?<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> I L you Witt! Thanks for all your support always. Progress is SO. NOT. linear. At all. Keep pushing, even if you ever have any relapses. I am so glad to be where I am today. Have the things I have. Be with the people I am. It&#039;s never perfect but it&#039;s always better so just keep trending &quot;up&quot;. You got this! </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Those books could have value one day, good thing you keeping them. I&#039;d guess it was a marketing issue versus if they brought value. They just need to find the right people.<br /> <br /> Appreciate that! I&#039;m going strong, I was a relapser in the past and understand it part of the process, but really focusing on moving on and putting the work in this time. I have a great team of support in place and doing really well. I am going abroad for 11 weeks in two days to South America and there will be challenges, happy to say my poisons are highly illegal where I will be and cut off from access which is a help as in the States they are accessible openly in legit businesses. <br /> <br /> Awesome you have gratitude for what you got and surrounded by your people. You got this as well!</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper">Saw your dead internet theory thread and that caused me to look for your latest progress thread. I wanted to pose one question for you: Will your 2025 be the same as the past 9 years? You have a duplex and that&#039;s awesome. But it&#039;s only 1 duplex, not 100. <br /> <br /> Will you inch forward a couple of percent, or hundreds of percent? Will you continue to accept mediocrity? 2025 is year 10 on the forum for you, will you finally put what you&#039;ve learned into serious action or march on where we wonder what happened to bellas dreams of freedom?</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 12271" data-quote="Ravens_Shadow" data-source="post: 1152525" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1152525" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1152525">Ravens_Shadow said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Saw your dead internet theory thread and that caused me to look for your latest progress thread. I wanted to pose one question for you: Will your 2025 be the same as the past 9 years? You have a duplex and that&#039;s awesome. But it&#039;s only 1 duplex, not 100.<br /> <br /> Will you inch forward a couple of percent, or hundreds of percent? Will you continue to accept mediocrity? 2025 is year 10 on the forum for you, will you finally put what you&#039;ve learned into serious action or march on where we wonder what happened to bellas dreams of freedom? </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Well, I&#039;ll let you know what&#039;s going on right now and how I&#039;m traversing it, feel free to let me know your thoughts.<br /> <br /> My goal with the duplex was to cash-out refi to get my second property (BRRR), but it proved more difficult since (first-timer) I need the equity to increase before they will do that (the value didn&#039;t seem to go up AS much as to make a huge difference yet), so I&#039;ve been paying it off and I MIGHT be getting closer to that cash-out refi (I&#039;d also be going from 2.5% to like 7% by doing this....). As far as the building itself it has enough cashflow to pay itself and hold on to the rest to take care of repairs, so it&#039;s chugging along. I&#039;ve finally got an offer for a HELOC so I&#039;m considering taking advantage of that.<br /> <br /> For the past three years I had to stop working to help take care of my step-kids/household. I used a chunk of my savings starting some side hustles/e-commerce but none took off. We also had two delinquent tenants and a big masonry repair over two years so we lost bunch of savings and had to use credit to bridge the gap for longer than we&#039;re comfortable with. We&#039;re working on getting rid of that damage still (thus maybe the HELOC, for better rates)<br /> <br /> Last year I started working toward mobile app development learning to gain a specific, high-value skill. Whether that gives me access to some well-paid full-time job temporarily to save capital/pay down debt or whether I can start something cool on my own, we&#039;ll see.<br /> <br /> I&#039;ve taken a part time job to put all the $$ into paying off debt / building our investment savings account, but obviously I&#039;m making crumbs so my most urgent goal would be to grab some website gigs to make more per project, as often as I can. I can&#039;t work full time yet so I&#039;m limited on capital incoming and it shows.<br /> <br /> Kinda relevant to this, amidst the damage control I am trying to save enough to go see my family in Argentina, my father is in treatment for cancer and idk how much longer I&#039;ll be able to see him, last time I went was in 2023 so I&#039;m due for a visit, and that&#039;s not cheap. Got a lot of stuff going on and to plan for... unexpected ER bill from my cat yesterday coming in at $1700 didn&#039;t help.<br /> <br /> <br /> I&#039;m taking it one day at a time really but<b> I haven&#039;t forgotten the end goal at all, I haven&#039;t settled</b>. I&#039;m just a bit slowed down due to the current responsibilities.<br /> <br /> <div class="bbImageWrapper js-lbImage" title="giphy.gif" data-src="/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2Fl1TRyTtoIfV8hnmOA3%2Fgiphy.gif%3Fcid%3D790b7611md4qkajvj3x91w5a6h31l5dsdzsix42nklbbsmst%26ep%3Dv1_gifs_search%26rid%3Dgiphy.gif%26ct%3Dg&amp;hash=c943d8e6ed97c4f780e39e0dbc2da717" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-single-image="1"> <img src="/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2Fl1TRyTtoIfV8hnmOA3%2Fgiphy.gif%3Fcid%3D790b7611md4qkajvj3x91w5a6h31l5dsdzsix42nklbbsmst%26ep%3Dv1_gifs_search%26rid%3Dgiphy.gif%26ct%3Dg&amp;hash=c943d8e6ed97c4f780e39e0dbc2da717" data-url="https://media.giphy.com/media/l1TRyTtoIfV8hnmOA3/giphy.gif?cid=790b7611md4qkajvj3x91w5a6h31l5dsdzsix42nklbbsmst&amp;ep=v1_gifs_search&amp;rid=giphy.gif&amp;ct=g" class="bbImage" data-zoom-target="1" style="width: 192px" alt="giphy.gif" title="" width="540" height="540" loading="lazy" /> </div></div>
 
Last edited:
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 32930" data-quote="BellaPippin" data-source="post: 1152855" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1152855" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1152855">BellaPippin said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Kinda relevant to this, amidst the damage control I am trying to save enough to go see my family in Argentina, my father is in treatment for cancer and idk how much longer I&#039;ll be able to see him, last time I went was in 2023 so I&#039;m due for a visit, and that&#039;s not cheap. Got a lot of stuff going on and to plan for... unexpected ER bill from my cat yesterday coming in at $1700 didn&#039;t help. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Sorry that you are struggling. I&#039;ve always seen you mostly as an upbeat kind of forum member, which is always great. It&#039;s not cool to see that things haven&#039;t gone as planned for you yet.<br /> <br /> Do you like coding? It&#039;s a great skill and no AI will fully get rid of it despite the doom &amp; gloom out there. But it&#039;s really hard to get great at it unless you love it, having a genuine interest is a must I would say. It&#039;s easy to see 20yo kids overtake at a speed that&#039;s impossible to match unless you have the same drive as them. It&#039;s a very competitive industry, but you are hardworking and you&#039;ll succeed <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-wink.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" data-shortname=";)" /> Just make sure you fall in love with this craft.</div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 60375" data-quote="srodrigo" data-source="post: 1152860" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1152860" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1152860">srodrigo said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Sorry that you are struggling. I&#039;ve always seen you mostly as an upbeat kind of forum member, which is always great. It&#039;s not cool to see that things haven&#039;t gone as planned for you yet.<br /> <br /> Do you like coding? It&#039;s a great skill and no AI will fully get rid of it despite the doom &amp; gloom out there. But it&#039;s really hard to get great at it unless you love it, having a genuine interest is a must I would say. It&#039;s easy to see 20yo kids overtake at a speed that&#039;s impossible to match unless you have the same drive as them. It&#039;s a very competitive industry, but you are hardworking and you&#039;ll succeed <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-wink.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" data-shortname=";)" /> Just make sure you fall in love with this craft. </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> Thank you, it would definitely be easier if I wasn&#039;t 5k miles away and didn&#039;t need to arrange a whole 15 day event to try to make it worth everyone&#039;s time and money, but such were my life decisions ._. <br /> <br /> I had experience coding in HTML and CSS and I enjoyed it, and to my surprise, the more complicated languages are entertaining to me too, not sure if it makes sense but in a way it&#039;s a creative activity to me, because you can design how you write things, like putting legos together. I get in the flow when I code and I like planning how I&#039;m going to write something and then putting each piece together, testing, adding the next, testing, etc.<br /> <br /> It&#039;s definitely not <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-star.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":star:" title="Star :star:" data-shortname=":star:" />the light of my life<img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-star.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":star:" title="Star :star:" data-shortname=":star:" /> but as an activity is pleasant enough, we&#039;ll see how it goes when the workload increases <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-smile2.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-shortname=":)" /></div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 32930" data-quote="BellaPippin" data-source="post: 1152855" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1152855" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1152855">BellaPippin said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Well, I&#039;ll let you know what&#039;s going on right now and how I&#039;m traversing it, feel free to let me know your thoughts.<br /> <br /> My goal with the duplex was to cash-out refi to get my second property (BRRR), but it proved more difficult since (first-timer) I need the equity to increase before they will do that (the value didn&#039;t seem to go up AS much as to make a huge difference yet), so I&#039;ve been paying it off and I MIGHT be getting closer to that cash-out refi (I&#039;d also be going from 2.5% to like 7% by doing this....). As far as the building itself it has enough cashflow to pay itself and hold on to the rest to take care of repairs, so it&#039;s chugging along. I&#039;ve finally got an offer for a HELOC so I&#039;m considering taking advantage of that.<br /> <br /> For the past three years I had to stop working to help take care of my step-kids/household. I used a chunk of my savings starting some side hustles/e-commerce but none took off. We also had two delinquent tenants and a big masonry repair over two years so we lost bunch of savings and had to use credit to bridge the gap for longer than we&#039;re comfortable with. We&#039;re working on getting rid of that damage still (thus maybe the HELOC, for better rates)<br /> <br /> Last year I started working toward mobile app development learning to gain a specific, high-value skill. Whether that gives me access to some well-paid full-time job temporarily to save capital/pay down debt or whether I can start something cool on my own, we&#039;ll see.<br /> <br /> I&#039;ve taken a part time job to put all the $$ into paying off debt / building our investment savings account, but obviously I&#039;m making crumbs so my most urgent goal would be to grab some website gigs to make more per project, as often as I can. I can&#039;t work full time yet so I&#039;m limited on capital incoming and it shows.<br /> <br /> Kinda relevant to this, amidst the damage control I am trying to save enough to go see my family in Argentina, my father is in treatment for cancer and idk how much longer I&#039;ll be able to see him, last time I went was in 2023 so I&#039;m due for a visit, and that&#039;s not cheap. Got a lot of stuff going on and to plan for... unexpected ER bill from my cat yesterday coming in at $1700 didn&#039;t help.<br /> <br /> <br /> I&#039;m taking it one day at a time really but<b> I haven&#039;t forgotten the end goal at all, I haven&#039;t settled</b>. I&#039;m just a bit slowed down due to the current responsibilities.<br /> <br /> <div class="bbImageWrapper js-lbImage" title="giphy.gif" data-src="/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2Fl1TRyTtoIfV8hnmOA3%2Fgiphy.gif%3Fcid%3D790b7611md4qkajvj3x91w5a6h31l5dsdzsix42nklbbsmst%26ep%3Dv1_gifs_search%26rid%3Dgiphy.gif%26ct%3Dg&amp;hash=c943d8e6ed97c4f780e39e0dbc2da717" data-lb-sidebar-href="" data-lb-caption-extra-html="" data-single-image="1"> <img src="/community/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.giphy.com%2Fmedia%2Fl1TRyTtoIfV8hnmOA3%2Fgiphy.gif%3Fcid%3D790b7611md4qkajvj3x91w5a6h31l5dsdzsix42nklbbsmst%26ep%3Dv1_gifs_search%26rid%3Dgiphy.gif%26ct%3Dg&amp;hash=c943d8e6ed97c4f780e39e0dbc2da717" data-url="https://media.giphy.com/media/l1TRyTtoIfV8hnmOA3/giphy.gif?cid=790b7611md4qkajvj3x91w5a6h31l5dsdzsix42nklbbsmst&amp;ep=v1_gifs_search&amp;rid=giphy.gif&amp;ct=g" class="bbImage" data-zoom-target="1" style="width: 192px" alt="giphy.gif" title="" width="540" height="540" loading="lazy" /> </div> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote>Yikes, that $1,700 vet bill must have been a huge hit – emergencies like that are so stressful. My husband and I recently adopted two puppies, and I was considering getting pet insurance too. But my husband and his brother think it’s not worth it until the dogs are older. Honestly, stories like yours make me wonder if we should reconsider – even one unexpected vet visit can cost a fortune.<br /> <br /> Also, I noticed you mentioned wanting to visit your father in Argentina. That must be really tough emotionally, especially with the cost of travel adding extra pressure. Does your job offer paid annual leave? If so, that might help ease some of the financial strain for the trip maybe?<br /> <br /> Either way, it sounds like you’re juggling a lot – I hope things start falling into place for you soon. <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-smile2.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-shortname=":)" /></div>
 
<div class="bbWrapper"><blockquote data-attributes="member: 86368" data-quote="calmed98" data-source="post: 1152868" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-title"> <a href="/community/goto/post?id=1152868" class="bbCodeBlock-sourceJump" rel="nofollow" data-xf-click="attribution" data-content-selector="#post-1152868">calmed98 said:</a> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-content"> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandContent js-expandContent "> Yikes, that $1,700 vet bill must have been a huge hit – emergencies like that are so stressful. My husband and I recently adopted two puppies, and I was considering getting pet insurance too. But my husband and his brother think it’s not worth it until the dogs are older. Honestly, stories like yours make me wonder if we should reconsider – even one unexpected vet visit can cost a fortune.<br /> <br /> Also, I noticed you mentioned wanting to visit your father in Argentina. That must be really tough emotionally, especially with the cost of travel adding extra pressure. Does your job offer paid annual leave? If so, that might help ease some of the financial strain for the trip maybe?<br /> <br /> Either way, it sounds like you’re juggling a lot – I hope things start falling into place for you soon. <img src="/community/imgs/emoticons/em-smile2.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-shortname=":)" /> </div> <div class="bbCodeBlock-expandLink js-expandLink"><a role="button" tabindex="0">Click to expand...</a></div> </div> </blockquote><br /> It was definitely not expected, we had just sent a bunch to the Fidelity account where we are hoarding and growing until 0% cc offer ends, now a chunk of it is coming out again, lol. He&#039;s 10 and apparently has heart disease on top of the diabetes we&#039;ve been treating. His time here might be coming to an end. But we&#039;ve been amassing some savings and letting it grow until it&#039;s time to use it, so while it&#039;s a hit it&#039;s not like we&#039;re starting from scratch or anything. We&#039;re putting as much as we can into it after bills are paid and after that we see if there&#039;s some fun money.<br /> <br /> I have my 15 days paid vacation I&#039;m saving specifically for that but yeah it&#039;s a whole endeavor. This year I want my husband to come (they&#039;ve only seen him once) so he needs to take time too, we gotta save, etc etc. I always sacrifice any vacation time (from work or not) to go see them because otherwise I feel bad, but I&#039;d love to go new places sometime too. I want to visit my uncle in Paris again, I have a friend that lives in NZ, I&#039;d love to go there and then stop by and see Japan. I have another friend that lives in Spain. Friend from forum lives in Austria, I&#039;d love to go visit her. <a href="https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/members/48866/" class="username" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" data-user-id="48866" data-username="@Tammyanne">@Tammyanne</a> just spent the holidays with her! Those are the reasons I can&#039;t settle for the ratrace!<br /> <br /> I love my family/step kids but taking them in ended up being a huge detour for a lot of purposes. I have a few years left until they both reach 18 but I&#039;m hoping they gain more and more independence so I can start some full time job to help repair our finances faster.</div>
 
Last edited:

Welcome to an Entrepreneurial Revolution

The Fastlane Forum empowers you to break free from conventional thinking to achieve financial freedom through UNSCRIPTED® Entrepreneurship where relative value and problem-solving are executed at scale. Living Unscripted® isn’t just a business strategy—it’s a way of life.

Follow MJ DeMarco

Get The Books that Change Lives...

The Fastlane entrepreneurial strategy is based on the CENTS Framework® which is based on the three best-selling books by MJ DeMarco.

mj demarco books
Back
Top Bottom