Reading the MFL book really struck a chord with me, the idea of becoming phenomenally wealthy, while still young enough to enjoy it.
My dad was an business owner who was widely admired by friends and colleagues for running his own business much of his adult life. He was the mentor that people would go to for advice about business, etc. He wasn't the typical Chamber of Commerce or Rotary cheesy networking guy, but instead liked to hold court in his own office. He loved sales and was shrewd with vendors, and he always profited. He saved every penny, had no debt, and always paid off mortgages in a few years. I always thought he was awesome, and I couldn't wait to find my own niche and be just like him.
At one point in my early adulthood, I went to work in his business to learn "how to run a business". It was during that time that I realized that his "success" was actually more "stability" than anything. It became very clear to me that, while he loved selling and profiting, he loved the structure and stability even more. He and his employees always arrived by 7:45am to start the day promptly at 8:00. And at the end of the day, everyone had to report back to the office before 5:00 to ensure that no one was slacking off at the end of the day, even if their late afternoon sales or service calls were closer to their homes than back to the office.
It became very clear to me that while he was able to amass a nice nest egg through the years, he couldn't get away from the structure he created. He actually created a "job" for himself. Monday through Friday, 8 to 5, year in and year out. Weekends were spent relaxing at home.
He did what he loved, running his business, until after normal retirement age. Then he had to stop working because he got sick. He died 2 months later. It hit me, as I was helping my mother get things in order, that their nest egg was nice, but what good did it do him if he never let himself enjoy it?
He was proud to see my business start to take off a couple of years before he died, but I can almost hear his scoffing at the idea that I would want to grow it, sell it, and enjoy my Fastlane wealth. Sometime when I get bogged down in working in my business, I remind myself of dear old dad, and his 30-year job that he created for himself, and it always brings me back to the reality that, while I will always admire his work ethic and ability to sell, I won't let myself end up like that, working till I can't work anymore, much less enjoy the Fastlane lifestyle. I remind myself to work on my business, instead of getting too wrapped up working in the business.
dpj
My dad was an business owner who was widely admired by friends and colleagues for running his own business much of his adult life. He was the mentor that people would go to for advice about business, etc. He wasn't the typical Chamber of Commerce or Rotary cheesy networking guy, but instead liked to hold court in his own office. He loved sales and was shrewd with vendors, and he always profited. He saved every penny, had no debt, and always paid off mortgages in a few years. I always thought he was awesome, and I couldn't wait to find my own niche and be just like him.
At one point in my early adulthood, I went to work in his business to learn "how to run a business". It was during that time that I realized that his "success" was actually more "stability" than anything. It became very clear to me that, while he loved selling and profiting, he loved the structure and stability even more. He and his employees always arrived by 7:45am to start the day promptly at 8:00. And at the end of the day, everyone had to report back to the office before 5:00 to ensure that no one was slacking off at the end of the day, even if their late afternoon sales or service calls were closer to their homes than back to the office.
It became very clear to me that while he was able to amass a nice nest egg through the years, he couldn't get away from the structure he created. He actually created a "job" for himself. Monday through Friday, 8 to 5, year in and year out. Weekends were spent relaxing at home.
He did what he loved, running his business, until after normal retirement age. Then he had to stop working because he got sick. He died 2 months later. It hit me, as I was helping my mother get things in order, that their nest egg was nice, but what good did it do him if he never let himself enjoy it?
He was proud to see my business start to take off a couple of years before he died, but I can almost hear his scoffing at the idea that I would want to grow it, sell it, and enjoy my Fastlane wealth. Sometime when I get bogged down in working in my business, I remind myself of dear old dad, and his 30-year job that he created for himself, and it always brings me back to the reality that, while I will always admire his work ethic and ability to sell, I won't let myself end up like that, working till I can't work anymore, much less enjoy the Fastlane lifestyle. I remind myself to work on my business, instead of getting too wrapped up working in the business.
dpj
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