HOT TOPIC The Great Rat-Race Escape by MJ DeMarco, Now Available (All formats!)

[david1024]

Finished it in about a week. Def made some triggers go off in my life and relationship. But triggers that needed to happen. By far the best business book I will ever read. I will be having my team read all of MJs books. ( of course when I create my team).

 

[Ocean Man]

@MJ DeMarco I've spent a few hours listening to the book and in my opinion, this book is by far my favorite.

 

[Lyinx]

Where's the "I've read the rat race escape" thread? I want my new title.

@MJ DeMarco
This^

 

[MJ DeMarco]

@MJ DeMarco I've spent a few hours listening to the book and in my opinion, this book is by far my favorite.

Thanks!

 

[Capestone]

My escape journey begins with this book

 

[OMDA]

Grabbed the hard copy as well and finished a week ago. It's started me back out of the complacency of the previous year.

 

[Mike Ronin]

Ordered and started reading it today and I am hooked! Great job MJ, this is really a great book.

 

[Mike Ronin]

No, it doesn't matter. Each book stands on its own.



Please don't read book summaries, they first cost me sales, and second, they NEVER are accurate.

I just had to request Blinkist remove the book summaries of my books -- they were absolutely horrible, so bad, I wouldn't read my own books after the hatchet job they did.

I got a special offer on Blinkist a year or so ago for half off and I read a lot, so I thought why not? I was not impressed and found it wanting, and some of the books I had already read didn’t even resemble what was on Blinkist. I let it expire and quit using it.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Where's the "I've read the rat race escape" thread? I want my new title.

Ill eventually start doing that based on the reported reads in this thread.

and some of the books I had already read didn’t even resemble what was on Blinkist.

Definitely has been my experience, even with the book summaries.

Blinkist is a churn and burn with zero concern for quality or getting the author's main sentiments conveyed.

Once again we have people looking for shortcuts ... why spend 6 hours reading this book when I can take 6 minutes and read this summary? In the quest for efficiency, the productivity, meaning, the effectiveness is lost.

Avoid Blinkist.

I will be having my team read all of MJs books.

Thank you.

 

[nickbanik]

I loved the book, and it was cool to hear how the audible version had MJ reading the nonfiction chapters and the other narrator reading the fiction chapters. It was done very well and it's now easy to reference again with all the short chapters being clearly labeled.

I started doing a weekly meeting as of today with my wife, and we're working on our plantasy. For real, I'm already implementing things from the book. Near the end of the book when MJ talks about staying on track with 1 business, that really gave me a kick in the a$$ to focus and not lose sight. I already made changes this week to my business and my focus. This book is gold on it's own, but it also does so well with the others. Unscripted did a better job of explaining the money system for me, but this book made everything seem more practical and applicable to me personally. I recommend everyone read all of them.

Thank you, MJ for writing the book and for the approach. I'll make sure to write more updates on my business along the way as I have 5 other full-time employees besides myself now and we've grown quite a bit since I posted last. Good things are coming!

 

[Dirtymaco]

I finished it in 4 days, took notes and created my own summary.
To me it is the best of the 3 books. I fell in love with TMFL and I felt like Unscripted was a brilliant follow up, but this on is better than both.

Also some insightful new stuff. Anyhow great book. Only downside is I gifted it to few friends but cannot be redeemed for non-US citizens. Amazon policy i guess.

Great work

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I loved the book, and it was cool to hear how the audible version had MJ reading the nonfiction chapters and the other narrator reading the fiction chapters. It was done very well and it's now easy to reference again with all the short chapters being clearly labeled.

Thanks Nick, means a lot to me!

To me it is the best of the 3 books. I fell in love with TMFL and I felt like Unscripted was a brilliant follow up, but this on is better than both.

Thanks, that's always my goal is to make better books that are more understandable and relatable for someone who might be struggling in a dead-end job.

 

[Lyinx]

Ill eventually start doing that based on the reported reads in this thread.



Definitely has been my experience, even with the book summaries.

Blinkist is a churn and burn with zero concern for quality or getting the author's main sentiments conveyed.

Once again we have people looking for shortcuts ... why spend 6 hours reading this book when I can take 6 minutes and read this summary? In the quest for efficiency, the productivity, meaning, the effectiveness is lost.

Avoid Blinkist.



Thank you.

Blinkist is the watered down version of a book... I've started instead to go on Amazon, read the reviews of the book, and you'll get the overall points of the book without reading it (much more accurate than blinkist, IMO)

the problem I have with a lot of authors is that they write 10 pages of worthwhile material, and then add 120 pages of garbage so that it's a thick book... (excluding MJ, thankfully) If any authors are reading this, take my advice and try to read your book 10 times, trying to make it thinner each time.. your readers will thank you!

 

[pappaishere]

I am in Korea. I don't have a Korean translation yet, so I'm buying an English book from Amazon and reading it. English is difficult for me. I will do my best to read it. Reading will be long. I respect MJ.


View attachment 38759

You are not the only one mate!

 

[FauxPas]

Ill eventually start doing that based on the reported reads in this thread.



Definitely has been my experience, even with the book summaries.

Blinkist is a churn and burn with zero concern for quality or getting the author's main sentiments conveyed.

Once again we have people looking for shortcuts ... why spend 6 hours reading this book when I can take 6 minutes and read this summary? In the quest for efficiency, the productivity, meaning, the effectiveness is lost.

Avoid Blinkist.



Thank you.

If it wasn't for the book summaries I see on youtube, I would've never heard about your book or even read it. The title alone made me almost not want to read it. I was like "Ugh this has to be some get rich quick bullshit". But then I was like "hmm yeah know, the book summaries on this seem promisesing
, I think I should read it." And my my did it blow my f*cking mind (The Millionaire Fastlane ). Book summaries help people find out whether they'll waste their time reading the book or not.

 

[SevenJay]

When I first wrote here I had read a few chapters, now that I finished it I can only say this is a masterpiece, I loved every bit of it, the editing was done brilliantly, no part of it felt redundant or longer than needed: all meat and no fluff. (Or shoud I say all tofu?). Even the fictional story was nicely filled with little details each carrying a "side lesson", like the 1st class plane ticket, it is a modern parable. I'm left with a strange feeling like when a netflix series ends
(And also with a ugly reminder that I have 2 businesses and I should really pick one.....)

 

[KAIZOS]

I just finished the book. I have been looking forward to this book ever since I knew you were busy writing a new book, because TMF and Unscripted especially were eye openers that changed my life. I even bought Unscripted twice and made my friends read it.

I hope my review can give some value as a market-echo.

I really like how this book puts the theory into practise with a fictional story. While I don't read fiction mostly, it was written really well, and very relatable in a way. The story really connects and I like the focus on application. It reminds me of the book Built To Sell, which also did this.

I do agree with an earlier comment in this thread about how Unscripted explained the theory more structured and in depth.

I also agree with the comment above that the editing is great with all meat and no fluff. This is also why you are my favourite author. Especially because you shake things up and break the rules and try to do things differently. Your books are just tomes of raw, pure value that are not PC'd by publishers. Like you are personally mentoring the reader with your vast knowledge/experience.

Pros:
- Very well written, capturing story
- Beginner friendly
- The golden nuggets, especially when talking about relatable situations in your own journey
- Focus on applying the theory with fictional example
- All meat, no fluff

Cons:
- Quality of the cover. The plastic is letting loose. Bummer.
- Theory is feels less structured than TMF and Unscripted
- Content page feels obscure compared to TMF and Unscripted

All in all, I really, really liked it. 5/5. (but Unscripted still is #1)

 

[Prince33]

The story started at the guy being 27 years old. When I heard(bought audiobook version) the part about him looking in the mirror at work; after begging for just 11 minutes or whatever it was almost stunning. Been there done that. Especially being the same age as the protagonist in the start, it was like listening to my own life. MJ also wrote "there's gotta be more to life than this" (paraphrasing) a few times in there. Which I was saying to myself since I was a teenager.

So many people waste their lives penny pinching and living miserable. And if they don't do that they are financing everything so it's an onsluaught of bill after bill after bill and you get stuck that way. And we all know the most infamous; student loans.

So glad and feel privileged I grew up in a generation (Zillennials/Z) where in my 20's I can have access to this kind of information to keep me from making the mistakes of past generations and learn from their woes. Beauty of the internet.

Thanks again MJ, and everyone else on this forum.

Though most of it I felt I already heard in the other two; the story put things in perspective and can really imagine yourself in that situation. Especially the slow lane path and living "frugal" stuff.

Yeah we heard about it over and over in the first two books about how ineffective it is and how much it sucks but the story put things into perspective vividly for me.

It really nails in the fact that if you truly want to be free you must go Fastlane, there are no alternatives. Especially if you want/have a family. Also shoutout to any and all hardworking fathers on this forum. I know we have a few.

 

[pat9000]

Having read The Millionaire Fastlane and Unscripted , I can say every time I read one of MJ's books, I have to read them slowly because if I go too fast, I don't give myself time to let it soak in.

Some of the chapters hit me so hard, I want to curl up in a ball and just be like "Crap bro" because there is so much value in the book, it becomes overwhelming.

Value is a long and tough process, and I catch myself when trying to take shortcuts but the desert of low sales, low activity can be brutal on your mindset. It's definitely like running a marathon and it hurts sometimes.

I hope you guys are having success and I highly recommend the read!

 

[FitRay]

Thanks, @MJ DeMarco , I just finished the e-book version today after a few days of reading and I like it a lot. What fascinates me the most about all your books is, that they motivate me in a very special way:

On one hand, I see all the input, the knowledge, experiences, and detailed descriptions about how things are and how they should be - this is just awesome and moved a lot in my past years. On the other hand, it helps REFLECTING what I'm already doing right - it's like a positive feedback loop regarding my life and business decisions and tells me that I'm mostly on the right track!

Whenever I read one of your books (and be it the third time!) it sets energy free and I have new ideas, how to approach my target market, what to try, to analyze, to adjust - and then I approach my daily side-hustle-time slot with even more energy, power and a smile in my face. And it shows results (prototype online, first sales made, etc.)...

No other book does that to me!

Whenever I need a kick in my a** I just need to open your books and WHAMMM: Productivity hits, ideas, and solutions are popping up - unbelievable.

And there is one additional thing that stands out: The reason for the negative and dark tone at the beginning, where Jeff and Sam feel, that their LIVES suck, is because of their LIVE SITUATIONS. We need to feel the pain before we act and want to escape the rat race. Ultimately the pain is just a bad belief emerging from a false sense of self - a delusion, as Eckhart Tolle's "Power of Now" puts it. But the delusion of suffering is also the delusion of how the rats see the world. It was the first time for me, that I was able to connect entrepreneurship with spiritual enlightenment ... holy s**t!

All that said: What a great book, that I'll recommend as I did with your other books.

NOTE: As a German your English is not the easiest, but if you get used to it, it's also for non-natives nice to read. Well done!

 

[msufan]

Just finished the book today. Just wanted to chime in to say that the use of narrative was compelling. I think people will frequently see themselves in those characters and that the use of that fictional story will light a fire under many folks wanting to avoid the mistakes those characters made at first.

 

[Harbourmaster]

@MJ DeMarco About a third of the way through... trying not to rush through it for the sake of finishing and am really sitting with the ideas after each reading session of a few chapters.

I would conclude that anyone that considers themselves a student of the Fastlane/Unscripted philosophies and mindset should definitely grab a copy of this book. Is there some repetition in the learnings from the previous two books? Yes, of course, but I was actually hoping there would be some synergies. In my opinion reading the third book really helps to internalize the key lessons from new angles. Really drives home and emphasizes the key points. Worst case, you get a refresher on teachings from the previous two books. Best case, you are hit upside the head with valuable new material that pushes you forward in your entrepreneurial quest for freedom.

For me, The Value Marriage Strategy (p. 119) chapter is worth the price of the book alone. Read it. Then read it again. Let it sink in, and then read it again. Excited to see what the rest of the book brings.

5/5 from me on the book.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

For me, The Value Marriage Strategy (p. 119) chapter is worth the price of the book alone. Read it. Then read it again. Let it sink in, and then read it again. Excited to see what the rest of the book brings.

Interesting, it was a chapter that I almost considered cutting as it was a bit granular and prosaic.

Thank you for letting me know.

5/5 from me on the book.

Thank you, reviews definitely help me!

 

[Harbourmaster]

Interesting, it was a chapter that I almost considered cutting as it was a bit granular and prosaic.

Thank you for letting me know.

It really adds some context and parameters to the "adding value" conversation. Value to who? Value compared to what? Is the value properly demonstrated?

I think it has become way too easy and meaningless to say you're focusing on delivering "value" with your business without answering the questions above that you point out in the chapter.

Curious if you're familiar with Alex Osterwalder and the Strategyzer series. To anyone interested in entrepreneurship, I always recommend all of your books first. If it fires up something inside of them and they come back to me for more, I usually follow up with recommending his work on ideation, value props and testing business ideas.

 

[Abenh]

for those who read the Book TGRRE how its different from TMF or Unscripted ? beside having a fiction story

 

[pat9000]

for those who read the Book TGRRE how its different from TMF or Unscripted ? beside having a fiction story

TGRRE breaks the story up and mixes in Mindset changes and Processes you can apply to your business.

For example, let's say page 10 is a fiction chapter.
Page 12 begins a new chapter and explains the mindset and gives key points to how this helps.
Page 14 then begins another chapter that goes into processes you can apply to your business.

Story → Mindset → Process or the like and sometimes multiple chapters in a row of mindset or process.
How Joe did it → Why Joe did it → The process Joe used

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, I don't have the book with me..
It's not one long story, it's broken into digestible and actionable pieces. Quite genius honestly.

 

[CJH]

Message the forum for the PDF, it looks like the early versions of the audiobook did not have it included.

Didnt message the forum but Audible loaded the attached pdf shortly after posting the message.

Finished the Book. It is the best of the TMF and Unscripted 1 for me. Very relatable as I am a CPA experiencing similar life challenges as the couple are *avoiding spoilers* - Also made personal summaries.

Content wise, Chapter 44 - Fastlane Strategy nicely ties up what I think are the most important Principles and Strategies. Chapter 21 - Asymmetric returns strategy is the "IT" chapter. Just wow.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Didnt message the forum but Audible loaded the attached pdf shortly after posting the message.

Finished the Book. It is the best of the TMF and Unscripted 1 for me. Very relatable as I am a CPA experiencing similar life challenges as the couple are *avoiding spoilers* - Also made personal summaries.

Content wise, Chapter 44 - Fastlane Strategy nicely ties up what I think are the most important Principles and Strategies. Chapter 21 - Asymmetric returns strategy is the "IT" chapter. Just wow.

As I finished the book, I truly didn't realize how much "asymmetry" played a role in life, not just with numbers, but with risks, outcomes, and events. But it is a big part of the book.

 

[Manfern]

Yesterday finished GRRE - started with ebook and than switched to audiobook
New book is showing how principles/strategies applied to life situation, about right timing and as a result you'll get more clarity and understanding of well known and new concepts.

Other two books showed the way and I assume also confuse people who never done anything like this before so don't know how and when to apply all this information.

About F.I.R.E. - of course it's not real wealth but a good start I think because of right habits and backup plan: everyone heard stories about entrepreneurs who lost it all.
It's not complete strategy of course and can be first step or part of bigger plan.
People are different and for some retirement can be rewarding enough to do challenging things.

 

[Derrick Methasit]

I'm very excited to read this book, I'm sure will learn a lot from it.