The Millionaire Fastlane ... Book Progress

[MJ DeMarco]

Wow! Can't believe I found this thread.

Wow, I didn't remember I had a thread. It's been that long.

Can't believe that nearly ten years later, this book still resonates with people, still sells, and is still recommended.

 

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[Wiggly0607]

Wow, I didn't remember I had a thread. It's been that long.

Can't believe that nearly ten years later, this book still resonates with people, still sells, and is still recommended.

Funny you say that, MJ. I was listening to a podcast the other day and the guy on it, a successful entrepreneur, randomly plugged your book out of nowhere. Pretty cool. He then just kept going with the podcast. Perhaps he is a Fastlane Forum member or something, but it was still cool. Especially since it seems like a pretty popular podcast.

 

[snowbank]

Book review:

I read the book this weekend. I was lucky enough to have read most of this over the last several years before the book was written because I basically devoured everything that was written on forums by guys like MJ when I was trying to learn how to build wealth. I can tell you that it works. In some sense MJ and others served as indirect mentors to me because I knew they were wealthy and I knew that's where I wanted to be. All I had to do was learn from them and implement what I learned. Not very complicated if you are getting the right advice, and just doing it. I'm confident if someone reads this book and implements what MJ teaches, you'll be wealthy. Seems like a crazy statement to make, but it's really that simple. The truth is, most people who buy the book will read it and then not do anything. The 1% who do go and do something will be wealthy. The game is easy. The problem is, most people decide to sit the whole game out, or play their whole life by the wrong rules. This book shows you the right way to play the game if your favorite color is money green like mine.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Woo hoo!!!

I'm happy to announce that I finished the rough draft today and I am happy to move forward with it!! What best describes the book? It did not evolve as "how-to" book, but more of a mathematical and psychological framework to wealth. I wanted to focus on the entire wealth recipe versus just a narrowed focus.

This is something I can be proud of, even right now in its "rough" state.

:banana:

While I still am far from having something tangible in my hands, this is very exciting for me because now I can switch gears from pure writing, to editing, organizing, illustrations, titling, arranging, and more "busy work" type activities.

Thanks for sticking with me!
MJ

:smx1: :urock2:

 

[yveskleinsky]

Totally off topic here, but maybe some ideas for the book(?) ...Driving home from the B&P this year, we had two freeway experiences that made me laugh, as I couldn't help but think of them in terms of the fast lane.

At one point in our trip we passed a hitchhiker. He was holding a sign that said Las Cruces (pretty much our direction) but since he was a hitchhiker we kept driving. It got me thinking about the people you encounter on your journey to the fast lane, and how there really are a lot of "hitchhikers" out there. Hitchhikers meaning that they want to go where you are going, but really have nothing to offer and need you to do all the work; and if you do decide to take them with on your trip you are nervous and question your decision the whole time! ...Not to mention you don't know what will happen down the road as there is a high level of uncertainty as to whether or not you made a bad decision--and if it was a bad decision to pick up a hitchhiker, odds are it will lead to a very bad end to the driver. Moral of the story: choose your passengers well.

The second freeway adventure I had was when we came up on some jackass in the left lane (the fast lane) who was going about 50, with his right blinker on, who sandwiched us between another car in the right lane so we couldn't pass at all. We were 100% stuck behind this idiot driver who was completely oblivious to any and all of their actions. ...Boy, aint that true in trying to get into the fast lane! In real life there are those people who are pretending to be in the fast lane, they are in the fast (left)lane, until you notice that there is something wrong. They are going really slow, have their blinker on and totally obvlious to everything going on around them. So now they are in your way, won't get out of your way, keep promising to get out of your way and bring out nothing but frustration and a potential accident. In trying to get into the fastlane, these kinds of people often either intentionally or unintentionally sabotage efforts of others, and can be anyone from friends and family to business advisors. Moral of the story: Road blocks can be people too, and potentially the most well-intentioned but clueless people. Always keep your eyes open for road blocks, and develop a plan B to get around them!

That was a little tangent there, sorry. ...Hope the book writing is going well, and that you get a rough draft done before your pool is completed, 'cause my guess is your pool is where you'll be wanting to spend your summer days, not behind a computer desk!

 

[biophase]

I can send it first class in a priority envelope but I'm a little worried about the packaging. I think I spent 2 hours at the post office today -- definitely NOT FASTLANE!!!

The thought of that just makes me chuckle.

MJ let me know next time you go, I'll go wait in line behind you and I'll read the book. Then I'll turn around to the guy behind me and show him the back cover with your picture and point to you and say "that's him, the author of this book on how to make millions of dollars!"

Then I can post this story below:

"So I'm standing in line at the post office reading The Millionaire Fastlane reading about the value of time and I look in front of me and there's the author standing in line to mail out copies of his book."

 

[Consolation]

Wow! Can't believe I found this thread.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Ill update this thread as I make progress completing my book.


2/10/2009
I finished another chapter today.

5/9/09 - Edited

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Can you share with us about how you will structure the book? Any samples? Regardless, it would be pretty cool to have the book so you can count me in for one if not multiples where I can give them for gifts to colleauges, family, and friends.

Funny you ask, it is the structure of the book that is giving me difficulty. I have plenty of things to write with the centerpiece of the book unique to the space (as far as I know) -- the challenge is getting the concepts in an order that is easily understood by the reader -- I'm trying to paint a big picture, a mental mapping so to speak by using an existing schema in the reader's mind ... I chose to use a cross country road trip as the base metaphor but am having difficulty getting it to work. I'm enjoying the challenge however ... no one said it be a walk in the park.

Great job MJ! Still plan to allow people at the B&P to read and give feedback?

I won't have anything for B&P, if/when I do this, it will probably be privately via email/PM.

 

[Russ H]

3) Perfection in writing is impossible. I struggle to shake that notion as I continually search for the best paragraph, the best sentence, the best word -- it slows me down to a crawl.

As someone who has made a fair chunk of change from writing, I found that if I:

-wrote an article (2000-3000 words) in 2 hours, or

-wrote that same article (2000-3000 words) over a period of days (20+ hours total),

NO ONE NOTICED.

Not my editors.

Not my readers.

And . . .

Not ME (if I walked away from it for a few months and then re-read it).

I COULD NOT TELL which pcs were written past deadline (in a matter of an hour or two), and which ones I slaved over for weeks.

So I just started writing everything past deadline (by hours, not weeks).

FORCED me to do quick and dirty stuff.

It also had the (unexpected) benefit of giving me the ability to do more things (like relax), and write more.

In fact, fellow writers in my industry started asking me who my ghosts were-- they couldn't figure out how I was doing it!

So, my advice, offered with all humility:

1. Unless you are working on Haiku or other poetry, oftentimes inspired "stream of consciousness" writing is very palatable (at least it was for me).

2. Your views and experience are an incredible resource, MJ. If you haven't deleted the files, I would suggest posting these things as fastlane articles, or something. Hell, offer an e-book or something.

My greatest challenge as a writer was perfection vs production.

The more I produced, the less important it was for me to be "perfect"-- the sheer volume of my output was more valuable than a few well chosen words-- to both my editors, and my readers.

And any occasional clinkers were quickly buried by better stuff.

So don't work at being perfect when it comes to writing, MJ. You express yourself very well.

I for one would greatly appreciate (and benefit from) your views on things-- arranged in a cogent framework, or not.

(and if it's sh*t, I'd tell ya-- as would others).

Which would be PERFECT motivation for you to do better w/the NEXT ONE.

-Russ H.

 

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[phlgirl]

I know nothing about writing a book but I am with the committee on this one, MJ. I say rock it out. Parts of it have to be worthwhile and even if it isn't a 10, it has to be a wonderful learning experience just to get it out there.

I would think about hiring a writing consultant - perhaps even a few. Get input from a couple objective resources and let them help you round things out.

I started reading 'Four Hour Workweek' last night, while stuck at the Detroit airport (and am now obsessed).

Page 40

"To do or not to do? To try or not to try? Most people will vote no, whether they consider themselves brave or not. Uncertainty and the prospect of failure can be very scary noises in the shadows. Most people will choose unhappiness over uncertainty".

Check out page 45/46/47, if you have it around. It talks about defining your worst case scenario.

From one control freak/perfectionist to another, I can understand where you are coming from. I am struggling with a fear myself and I think this book might just put me over the edge. Life is too short. F it.

You dont owe your audience anything, MJ. Let this be about your journey and the rest will come. It always does, right?

(I have edited this about 5 times now......hahaha... I could never write a book!)

 

[TaxGuy]

First off, take a lesson from someone who NEVER read recreationally(aside from car magazines and web forums ) until the material of this wonderful forum convinced me that reading was "cool" :coolgleamA:

With that in mind I have read a few books in the last 8 months, most of which were through rec's from this forum with the first being The Four Hour Work Week, which along with The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class are hands down my favorite books.

The lesson here- while conveying the same message they are polar opposites.

How so?

Well let's see-

The Top 10 Distinctions:

Hands down is the easiest read, not only is it 110 pages, but it is easily laid out with each of the 10 chapters being a distinction, if nothing else posting these on a bulletin board and having them to look at everyday is enough to get the message of the book.

4HWW:

Not only written by a Princeton grad, but at times feels like you need to be one yourself to understand the big words and filler he puts in there. While it was at times difficult to read, the book has captivated me and helped change my way of thinking. In contrast to "Top 10", the real meat of this book comes from constantly re-referencing it and using the websites and tools listed as well as doing the "Questions and Actions" activities, much like a combination of a "how-to" book and a Tony Robbins book.

With that in mind, what is most relevant to your situation now, one thing from each book, so here goes-

Top 10- KCS starts by saying that he spend one week in seclusion letting ideas flow and the result was this book, didn't over-analyze and just did it and as I mentioned, it was a major success, it took a stubborn non-reader like myself and became my FAVORITE book, I have since re-read it 4x

4HWW- when he talks about speed reading he mentions there is a keystone chapter and that most books just have filler(including 4HWW) and true speed reading involves how to just get to the message. Therefore realize that not every chapter of TFTM will be a "home-run", but that the message will be and you should be golden!

Yea it's easy to say being that we are all loyal followers on your forum with open-minds, but do remember that this was something you earned and didn't just happen, lol, my first thought of TFTM when Redshft introduced me was "what's the catch?" or "what MLM product is this trying to sell?" and of course came to find that there is none, just the greatest web forum in the history of mankind :coolgleamA:

I COULD NOT TELL which pcs were written past deadline (in a matter of an hour or two), and which ones I slaved over for weeks.

If nothing else, my greatest accomplishment so far is graduating college. A 5yr process that involved this same question. Funny thing was that whether I stressed myself out and put in a lot of work or just learned to work the system and got stuff done at the last minute, the result was the same. Granted I would've been a A/B student instead of a B/C student, two years out of college, my accomplishment of a BLAS from U of I is the same as my best friend who graduated with high-honors in 3yrs with a double major... it's just a piece of paper to get my foot in the door, the rest is what I do with it.

My greatest challenge as a writer was perfection vs production.

This is just another way of saying "ideas are free, action is priceless", something I myself am struggling with. Unlike me, though, you have accomplished a LOT and thus your history of production should be enough to let the ideas flow smoothly and create a great product with TFTM!

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Wow, and I thought writing a book was hard? This editing process is a real bear!!! Still going through that process ... good news, got the book down to about 115,000 words which is now workable and in a more normal range for a business book ...

I've hired the layout-typesetter and cover design is underway! The first editor had some real positive things to say so I am encouraged. Look out GET RICH SLOW -- the GET RICH SLOW anti-guru is coming!!

 

[MJ DeMarco]

I don't expect the book to be the Holy Grail of "How To Get Rich" books;

I think it is -- I wish I would have known everything in this book when I was 20. It would have represented the "Yellow Brick Road" to me. Of course, my perception of the book is not relevant -- the marketplace makes that determination. The marketplace determines its value -- NOT ME.

 

[TaxGuy]

Just ordered yesterday, can't wait to get it! Sounds like it'll be very similar to the "mentoring" that Snowbank posted about in that it will be a condensed version of all of MJ's knowledge in one convenient place(not that these forums aren't convenient, there's just too many posts to go through )

the marketplace makes that determination. The marketplace determines its value -- NOT ME.

And what is your marketing plan? While I know I will be doing my part to promote the book to friends and family, have you reached out to any of your marketing contacts such as the top-notch affiliate marketers on here(cough... jonleehacker... cough) and such to get the book to the NY Times Best-seller List

Not sure if you read Tim Ferriss's blog, but his contest driven book promotions look like a great way to help promote your book:

The 4 Hour Body

Cold Remedy: Free Flights Anywhere in the World

The Tweet to Beat: Paying $3 Per Twitter Follower

As well as some of his posts on other best-sellers and how they reached the top:

How Tucker Max Got Rejected by Publishing and Still Hit #1 New York Times

How Authors Really Make Money: The Rebirth of Seth Godin and Death of Traditional Publishing

Tim Ferriss and Ramit Sethi on Blogging Techniques and Self-Publishing vs. Big Publishers

How Does a Bestseller Happen? A Case Study in Hitting #1 on the New York Times

 

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[SaraK]

Big money vs good money

This morning I read the chapter on the Commandment of Control. When I got to the part where MJ talks about good money ($20K/month), big money ($200K/month), and legendary money ($1 million/month) I had to laugh at myself. The reason is that this past weekend I attended a seminar where we were told to write down a big goal that we wanted to achieve. I wrote that I wanted to make $10K/month from a business I started. As I was writing it I was thinking, "wow, this is a huge goal, I'm scared it's too ambitious!" Then I read MJ's book this morning and laughed at myself for thinking that was a lot of money when in fact it's a pittance by Fastlane standards. :smx4:

This experience made me realize that although I think bigger than I used to, I need to think even bigger still!

 

[Jonleehacker]

First Russ turns out to be a racist against Canadians and now no autographed copies of the book shipped to Canada... guess I'll just have to go and console myself by watching my recording of the Winter Olympics gold medal Hockey game a few times followed with a chaser of staring at a chart of the USD/CAD

 

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[Russ H]

Don't you get a special one, MJ? :smxB:


Like this:

 

[MJ DeMarco]

no one will work your business like you work your business

Yup, also ... you own desire for "passivity" or "automation" must take a back seat if your customer is on the line. My personal, selfish desire to work a 4 Hour Work Week must be forgone if I am intent on creating an exponential business. For those of you who read the book, I am in "CHUMA" mode. :smash:

 

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[IceCreamKid]

just got my book in the mail today...to say that i'm thrilled is an understatement!

 

[bflbob]

Just ordered 10 more copies!

Merry Christmas to a few friends.

 

[lightning]

I was up till 2:30 in the morning reading the book last night, and only went to bed because I knew I was going to DIE trying to wake up for my 6AM alarm...lol. Like everyone said, to say the book is incredible is an understatement. It gives you a wake-up call in so many ways....it is like literally slapping you in the face with each turn of the page saying, "SEE! NOW do you see what youve been doing wrong!".

I am only halfway through it and cannot wait to bang out another hour or so tonight. I would be even further along, but theres so many thought provoking scenarios, I found myself reading certain sections over and over again as I took notes and highlighted sections.

I especially liked the part about the Pharoah's and the pyramids, as that is a PERFECT example of what MJ has been trying to teach us when he says that an Entrepreneurs growth is exponential, whereas slowlane growth operates on a completely linear scale.

As many of us suspected, the book is truly a life-changer if youre willing to 1-take the time to read it, and 2-use it to take the advice given in the book and TAKE ACTION!

 

[stevenmac2]

Technique: Deep Diving into the book

View attachment 2092


First before I get onto subject, I must make a few comments on the book. The book is shattering and reshaping patterns in my life as things begin to crystalize in my mind - leaving me challenged to deal with "me". I am on my way to becoming sobered from my Slowlane "drunk driving". The "12 Step Program" to Recovery is translated into the "8 Parts" of this book. The scales have fallen from my eyes - I am faced with reality and my mortality.

Overall, I have been savoring the flavor of this book as I would my favorite meal as I ensure that I stop to ponder about questions, concepts, consequences, and actions. I have turned it into a "study-guide" as opposed to reading just any other book or 8 hour read. It may take me a few more weeks to work through the rest of the book to press out every drop of instruction, guidance, and life changing statement just as you would with the very best grapes in a winepress. Either way, you are left with a sweet or bitter taste (as to how the book speaks to you), but nevertheless, one that will brand and mark you - it is that impressionable.

Speaking from my heart, Thank you MJ for the book so that we all can see we have a second chance at life to make a difference for us and our families/loved ones.

[The Technique]
Through earlier posts, I mentioned that the autographed copy by MJ was too nice to begin marking up, so I purchased a secondary book that I deemed as my "study-guide" for highlighting and any note taking.

After reading through the first 100 (actually 103) pages of the book, I wanted to share a technique that I have been using to pull important concepts and points out of the book. This was a simple technique that I actually employed for studying the Bible earlier this year and later modified (i.e. categories/representation) to other types of books.

Since I have 4 highlighting colors available to me, I mapped each color to a category of my choosing. These colors represent the following:

Cyan/Blue - Attributes/Characteristics to Model
Green - Planning/Action/Reward
Yellow - Key Thoughts/Mind/Ideas/Creation/Vision (yellow doesn't show well on the forum)
Pink - Cautions/Failures/Challenges

Carefully consider the text you are highlighting to pull out the gems and nuggets in the book. When I go back to re-read, it guides my eyes to important areas to recall or for me to share with others (like with my wife). In the end, what will your pages look like?

Note: I selected a page out of the book to illustrate all four colors in use (so the highlighting does appear heavy), while other pages have minimal highlighting. It depends on the words that are jumping out to you. Another consideration is to refine/reduce the categories (& or conditions) and the number of colors you use. Jokingly, it is MJ's fault for putting so much great information in the book! Otherwise, we wouldn't have a need to highlight

View attachment 2093

I hope this helps someone to get more out of the book to serve as a future reference that stays before you to operate key concepts in the Roadmaps.

P.S Be careful on the selection of your highlighters so the ink does not bleed through the page.

Thank you...
Steven

 

[Guest921Y]

Wow, I didn't remember I had a thread. It's been that long.

Can't believe that nearly ten years later, this book still resonates with people, still sells, and is still recommended.

and will always be!

 

[snowbank]

Nice! Looking forward to it.

 

[GLC65]

Ill update this thread as I make progress completing my book.

My anticipated date of completion is sometime in May/June. Official release pending on however long production takes thereafter.

Also, I haven't been hanging out here at the Fastlane forum as much as I am cannabilizing time here and putting it into the book.

2/10/2009
I finished another chapter today.

Can you share with us about how you will structure the book? Any samples? Regardless, it would be pretty cool to have the book so you can count me in for one if not multiples where I can give them for gifts to colleauges, family, and friends.

 

[G_Alexander]

MJ, I have been waiting for this since I joined the forums last summer! I know others have been waiting longer, and everyone is anxious for it.

Glad to hear progress is coming along smoothly.

Can't wait to read your insights to the world. Your mind is calibrated very well good sir :cheers:!

-Alex

 

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[Luke12321]

Great job MJ! Still plan to allow people at the B&P to read and give feedback?

 

[Luke12321]

Funny you ask, it is the structure of the book that is giving me difficulty. I have plenty of things to write with the centerpiece of the book unique to the space (as far as I know) -- the challenge is getting the concepts in an order that is easily understood by the reader -- I'm trying to paint a big picture, a mental mapping so to speak by using an existing schema in the reader's mind ... I chose to use a cross country road trip as the base metaphor but am having difficulty getting it to work. I'm enjoying the challenge however ... no one said it be a walk in the park.




I won't have anything for B&P, if/when I do this, it will probably be privately via email/PM.

I like the concept of a the trip across the country. :fastlane:

 

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[maximus20895]

How is your book coming MJ?