Today's my birthday. I couldnt be more disappointed.

[heavy_industry]

The only way to make writing "fastlane" is by not writing! Create a company full of writers. Even then, I believe it sucks as a business. If it didn't, wouldn't the old newspaper companies be still rolling in profits? Yet they are barely making the ends meet. Newspaper writers are all freelancers now and most are struggling.

Books and newspapers have turned into websites, blogs, courses, and info products.
Writing + domain specific knowledge = fastlane info business.

@Kak wrote above and I agree, write a book when you already have the audience for your message, a platform of sorts. But I don't see it as a Fastlane business, not even a little bit.

I agree with that.
Writing a book hoping to make money is a very bad strategy. It is however a great thing to do if you are passionate about a subject and/or want to share your knowledge to the world. That's ultimately why people should write books.

 

[Antifragile]

Writing + domain specific knowledge = fastlane info business.

We disagree on this. You'd have to elaborate how it doesn't violate all CENTS.

I think you can make a living doing that, but it's even easier to do that with a job.

 

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[Antifragile]

I just want to point out that many of your points can also be said about several other fields, like real estate for example. Most people who go into real estate fail. I'm talking real estate agents, brokers, construction, fixing flippers, investors. Most people who start in each of those categories fail.

Nonsense.

With you post you are saying “since everything is hard, everything is equally hard” or “odds of success are same / similar”.

Utter nonsense. You know better than that.

Some businesses have better odds to go fastlane than others. CENTS is a good guide. Apply it and see for yourself how a Realtor is your copywriter! But a general contractor construction company is not.

And where did you get that “investor” goes broke? WTf are you talking about?

 

[rjurasek]

If it helps... At 26 I had my washout, what am I doing with my life, moment. By 28 I was on my path. I had no idea where it was leading, and I didn't end up where I thought I would. But it has been a great ride.

Give yourself some grace and time to get this stuff figured out. You've done things others only dream about. That's awesome. Be thankful for that. And have faith that you will continue to find and accomplish awesome, life-fulfilling things. Focus on making the most out of today, and every day make even just a little more progress towards your goals.

Thanks, really appreciate that.

I'm going to keep learning as I do some self discovery. I'll continue learning marketing and dabble in copywriting as well. Keep progressing and learning each day.

I'll have to figure out how to do this soul searching, self discovery thing haha. It's difficult after the military, your mind changes in a way that's hard to describe. I'll figure it out though, I'm sure there's resources that help guide the initial stage of self discovery.

Thanks for the reply and advice.

 

[Kak]

So why don’t you start a tech startup, secure VC funding, and work towards a billion dollar IPO? Or perhaps build a dream team, secure funding, buy a $1-10M company, cash flow servicing debt, no money of your own down, and then repeat it a few times, building possibly a $1billion company while consolidating an industry in the process before exiting?

And I’m not kidding about any of this. You think you found a hypocrisy, you didn’t.

I step up to that plate every day.

 

[thereehldeal27]

I'm turning 29 today.

At 18 I never would have guessed I'd be where I am today. 1 year out of the military (Canadian Army) with no degree, a job I'm failing at, and living in a basement suite with My dog and girlfriend wondering what I'm doing with my life.

When I was young I had a vision. I wanted to explore the world. I wanted to see what was out there, climb the highest peak and see the most wild animals this earth had to offer.

At 20 years old I went to Africa for 2 months to work in animal conservation. I caught everything from impala to giraffe. I slept in the open savannah, met some amazing people, almost died from crazed wildebeest, and even rode an ostrich.

I came home depressed after those 2 months. How could I go back to a 9-5 job after having such a rich and raw experience? I ended up quitting my job in a stainless steel warehouse a few weeks later and applying to a business and adventure tourism program in British Columbia, Canada.

At 20 years old I moved 6 hours from my home town. I found myself in a quiet little mountain town surrounded by rocky peaks, a crystal clear river and endless adventure. I said goodbye to my parents and after a few tears they drove off.

I spent the next 2 years fulfilling my childhood dreams. I climbed some of the best mountaineering routes in Western Canada, navigated a glacier in a blizzard with 5ft of visibility, Skied feilds of endless powder, and conqured class 4 and 5 rapids in a kayak.

Even after all this something was missing. I spent my 2nd year trying to figure it out. Then it hit me, I wasn't helping anyone, I was doing all of this for me. I climbed the mountain for myself and me alone. I felt selfish and I also felt alone.

I decided I was going to do something about it. I was going to be selfless for once. I opened my laptop and applied to the Canadian Armed Forces.

6 months later on November 11th no less. (for those of you who don't know this is remembrance day in Canada). After the first day of being screamed at and beaten down, I finally got to my bunk and wondered "what the hell am I doing here". We all had that thought. 11 months later i was 2 weeks away from my graduation ceremony. After all that training, all that mental and physical abuse, after the sleepless weeks and hallucinations, after being away from family and friends, I was going to be a Combat Engineer. I thought my family would finally be proud of me, I thought I'd finally be proud of myself. On graduation day I marched onto that square with my head held high, we made our right turn and I could finally see the stands with all the family members watching. But something was missing, I couldn't see my family... they weren't in the stands. I was crushed but I had to hold position.

5 years later I release from the military. My contract was over, I needed to move on. Now with the hearing of a 60year old and aching knees, I'm sitting here lost.

I got a job as an SDR with a tech company. I've tried my hardest, but I'm failing I won't lie.

I'm 29 today, sitting in my basement suite writing a post with no point. Writing a post that provides no value. Writing a post that I'm not sure I'll even publish or you'll even read. I don't expect you to either.

When I was in school in British Columbia, we had to learn how to navigate at night while sea kayaking. I remember looking at the starts and my compass, I knew exactly where I needed to go and I knew exactly what I had to do to get there. The stars and my compass showed me the direction, my map the route.

Right now I feel the complete opposite. It's like I'm back on that kayak in the ocean but I don't have my compass and a thick fog rolled in. So thick you could drink it.

What direction would you go? Maybe someone could turn on the lighthouse.

At least you HAVE a girlfriend to wallow in self-pity with. Some of us don't even have that!

Now if you were single, I would understand a bit more. I'm in your situation. Without a girlfriend. Because until I feel like I can provide and be financially stable, I just don't feel like I should have a girlfriend. Luckily, you found one who will stay with you despite your faults. Some of us aren't so lucky. You were in the military though, so that could be a big reason too. I support that, I come from a military family (I'm a Navy baby).

I hope you find what you're looking for! You have also helped motivate me to get my butt in gear! Pronto!

...Just as soon as I finish wallowing in my own self-pity in the darkness of my blacked-out bedroom and constantly thinking how it's so unfair others have what I want and many of them are even bad people who don't deserve a penny. But bad things happen to good people, while good things happen to bad people. As they say, no need to tell me to go to hell. Already there!

If my post was a tad dark, I do live in the Seattle area (north of it). I don't live in Scottsdale like 99% of the people on this sub.

 

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[Antifragile]

At least you HAVE a girlfriend to wallow in self-pity with. Some of us don't even have that!

Now if you were single, I would understand a bit more. I'm in your situation. Without a girlfriend. Because until I feel like I can provide and be financially stable, I just don't feel like I should have a girlfriend. Luckily, you found one who will stay with you despite your faults. Some of us aren't so lucky. You were in the military though, so that could be a big reason too. I support that, I come from a military family (I'm a Navy baby).

I hope you find what you're looking for! You have also helped motivate me to get my butt in gear! Pronto!

...Just as soon as I finish wallowing in my own self-pity in the darkness of my blacked-out bedroom and constantly thinking how it's so unfair others have what I want and many of them are even bad people who don't deserve a penny. But bad things happen to good people, while good things happen to bad people. As they say, no need to tell me to go to hell. Already there!

If my post was a tad dark, I do live in the Seattle area (north of it). I don't live in Scottsdale like 99% of the people on this sub.

Ha! For what that’s worth, you write well too. Made me chuckle a few times. I didn’t feel “dark” as much as dry self deprecating humor.

Two questions for you:

1. What is the one thing that if you started doing today consistently, would make the biggest improvement in your life?

2. What will you do tomorrow to get you one step closer to your desired life?

 

[thereehldeal27]

Ha! For what that’s worth, you write well too. Made me chuckle a few times. I didn’t feel “dark” as much as dry self deprecating humor.

Two questions for you:

1. What is the one thing that if you started doing today consistently, would make the biggest improvement in your life?

2. What will you do tomorrow to get you one step closer to your desired life?

Glad you can understand my brand of humor!

As for your questions…

1. Tough one. I would have to say working a little on whatever business idea I have going on, at least once a day every day, and not procrastinating. I have a whole power point presentation meant for a blog that I want to turn into a course I have been procrastinating on finishing up for at least a year. Slides are done but I’m procrastinating on the voice narration.

2. Seeing as how writing seems to be my strong suit, I think learning more about copywriting (yeah, I know, original) would be worthwhile. So for tomorrow I can record a bit more of my course for my blog, and also study up more on copywriting.

I hope you are also not letting time go to waste! I assume you have made it. You sound successful.

 

[heavy_industry]

At least you HAVE a girlfriend to wallow in self-pity with. Some of us don't even have that!

Luckily, you found one who will stay with you despite your faults. Some of us aren't so lucky.

Just as soon as I finish wallowing in my own self-pity in the darkness of my blacked-out bedroom and constantly thinking how it's so unfair others have what I want and many of them are even bad people who don't deserve a penny.

But bad things happen to good people, while good things happen to bad people.

Are you actually a former navy?

This is the worst attitude and victim mindset I've seen on this forum.

 

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[tomzestatlu]

 

[Two Dog]

I also have an idea as an author (unpublished). Write a book, get it on Amazon, and make it stand out by having unrelated illustrations of animals (like cats) in the book. People will click because of their emotional attachment to the animal (often cats and dogs).

You can even skip the book writing part.

License one of the zillion non-best selling books on Amazon for $100 and stick illustrations into it. Excellent test, BTW.

 

[Antifragile]

How is writing any different than publishing digital content in any form?

I’d like to think I’ve explained enough about writing for no name, no experience, still trying to put their lives together folks. It’s a bad business for obvious reasons.

Nike, Calvin Klein make money on T-shirts. Does that mean to you that it’s a great business to get into? I’ve said enough.

Probabilities for success matter. Play them wrong at your own risk.

 

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[rjurasek]

Oh, come on. What a lazy a$$ question from someone who honestly seems to be asking for help.

How about posting a reply to your own question with fifteen different ideas?

Ya you are 100% right.

I've been at my SDR role the last 9 months. The last 3 I've been teaching myself marketing. I really enjoy the psychology of it and thinking strategically to gain awareness, build a brand image, or drive conversions.

This isn't fastlane but I'm going to start my own content blog, mostly to practice SEO but also to improve my writing. I think it's also to prove to myself that I have the skills and knowledge to get results.

I've been watching @Lex DeVille's videos and riding his posts on copywrite. So I think I'm going to start copywriting in my free time and see if I can turn it into fulltime work.

Still going to plug away at being an SDR. Ive been speaking with the VP of Sales for a shift over to marketing in the new year.

There's a lot I see we can change and implement to gain more leads and awareness with out company. It's a small 30 person team right now.

So in short right now I'm looking to:

1. Start a blog to practice writing and SEO.

2. Start copywriting.

3. Move to marketing at my current company and educating myself in my spare time.

 

[Antifragile]

Jeez, the current governor of Colorado sold his digital greeting card company for $800M way back in 1999. Yes, that's M as in millions of dollars.

If you go down the memory lane that far, why not create Amazon? Compete with Bezos! Or just invest in Google?! And how does that sound today compared to 1999? Things change.

 

[Stargazer]

Adventure Travel/Expedition Industry might be interesting for you.

Lot's of people wish to do the outdoor adventure thing (for a week or two)

You might work in it for a year or two and get an idea on what different people are looking for and set up your own thing. Or you might have an inkling already.

Dan

 

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[Minuz]

Hello Men,

With 25 years old im in a smiliar siutation. Got my degree, traveled some month the world after it and now im back at my 3rd world country (argentina) thinking what i want to do with my life. Looking for a job i will hate and suck my time like most of my friends for just 600 usd a month, to barely be able to live and will have to work for the rest of my life? No thank you. But time goes on and i havnt decided what path to follow that will get me near my dreams.

 

[Happyheart]

Hello Men,

With 25 years old im in a smiliar siutation. Got my degree, traveled some month the world after it and now im back at my 3rd world country (argentina) thinking what i want to do with my life. Looking for a job i will hate and suck my time like most of my friends for just 600 usd a month, to barely be able to live and will have to work for the rest of my life? No thank you. But time goes on and i havnt decided what path to follow that will get me near my dreams.

With the internet, you can do business all over the world. Maybe you should start a thread of your own, so you can get advice from others who have been there.

 

[rjurasek]

I write for a living and I think your writing is great.

Download grammarly (it's a chrome extension). You'll quickly improve your spelling and grammar with it — and it's free.

Anyway, the way you write is descriptive and engaging i.e. it revs up one's imagination, so you've got something going for you which many writers and copywriters do not.

Thanks! I haven't really been complimented on my writing before haha.

What can you actually do with writing ro make a living? I've looked at copywriting but I've also seen people say to avoid it.

 

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[Simon Angel]

Thanks! I haven't really been complimented on my writing before haha.

What can you actually do with writing ro make a living? I've looked at copywriting but I've also seen people say to avoid it.

I write ad copy, email copy, product pages, landing pages, video scripts, etc. You can start by finding copywriting work in a digital marketing agency and take it from there once you get used to the work involved and the environment.

If that doesn't sound like something you'd like to do, do check out @MTF's thread.

 

[tomzestatlu]

Are you saying physical fitness is useless?

And I like Sylvia Plath's fig tree metaphor to depict what happens when you pick no goal, indeed much better to pick something, anything. It's so incredibly hard in the modern day due to the paradox of choice and the analysis paralysis that comes with it, so stressful.

“I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and a pack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out. I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.”​

― Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

I´m not saying that physical fitness is useless.
But the fact that overcome many physical challenges during your service doesn´t your create value on the market (unless your are David Goggins).

And yes, fitness and health is important and I understand that it can add you a value even in a business. But it´s a a complement to your value, not value itself.

 

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[Amerstain]

I write for a living and I think your writing is great.

Download grammarly (it's a chrome extension). You'll quickly improve your spelling and grammar with it — and it's free.

Anyway, the way you write is descriptive and engaging i.e. it revs up one's imagination, so you've got something going for you which many writers and copywriters do not.

Do you write copy of do you do something else? Interested in leveraging my writing skills. Thanks

 

[Amerstain]

I know there are a few people on this forum who make a living writing … but I am of the opinion that it is not a good business. It is easy to get into but rewards are pitiful. It violates all CENTS framework items.

There is nothing wrong with getting and having a job.

Would love to hear what @Kak thinks on this …

I see, thanks. However i was curious if he was a writer, like someone who wrote books. That certainty doesn't violates all cents aspects as mj did it himself

 

[Amerstain]

@MJ DeMarco doesn’t write for a living. He made his wealth and now does it because it’s fulfilling to his life to help others.

I know that, still it's a good income source to bring your wealth even higher. What i meant by this is that if he invested his time in it, then (if you can and have the opportunities), i should consider it too.

 

[ZCP]

@rjurasek
step 1: what is your 'why'? ..... if you are unsure, do the perfect day exercise
step 2: what is the first step to obtain that?
step 3: do that.

review weekly and update as you go. start a progress thread here. post in it. tag us. talk through all the thoughts and ideas you have. (Read other progress threads for ideas / directions). you can use the thread later for your book.

you got this. let's go!!

 

[BizyDad]

I also think @BizyDad might be right that I need to do some soul searching. I didn't give myself a chance after leaving the military. I just went straight into sales because of the high earning potential.

If it helps... At 26 I had my washout, what am I doing with my life, moment. By 28 I was on my path. I had no idea where it was leading, and I didn't end up where I thought I would. But it has been a great ride.

Give yourself some grace and time to get this stuff figured out. You've done things others only dream about. That's awesome. Be thankful for that. And have faith that you will continue to find and accomplish awesome, life-fulfilling things. Focus on making the most out of today, and every day make even just a little more progress towards your goals.

 

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[BizyDad]

Next, a comment on a "job" violating all CENTS. It is a job, it is not meant to be something it is not - a business. Why not do both? Pay your bills with the job and get a side-hustle to launch a business?

Great point. Why choose when you can have it all.

 

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[Black_Dragon43]

Yes, but you guys are hand feeding the op utterly fake “keys to the kingdom”. You are telling an op what fits his personality.

So you guys are the authority on what the op needs? You somehow know his personality type now because you wore him down?

No I don’t. It’s for him to decide, I’m merely saying that copywriting can be a good first step IF maintaining his freedom from the get-go is important for him personally. It can open avemues to go down the agency route, influencer, coaching and so on. Any of those businesses can make one a millionaire, if done at sufficient scale. For example, making $500K/year with an agency, which isn’t that impressive, can mean a 5-10x that pay day if you sell it. $2.5M-5M for a few years of work doesn’t sound that bad.

He comes to an ENTREPRENEUR forum and you guys are suggesting a dirty whore’s freelance market for a low value unscalable service. It’s simply not a business any more than being an independent painter or photographer is a business. It’s self employment. Not entrepreneurship when he was obviously interested in ENTREPRENEURSHIP.

Yep, it’s not a business. But how is getting a job a business? If being an independent dirty whore isn’t a business, than being a wage slave is even less of a business. At least the independent whore has no pimp lol

You simultaneously say it isn’t comfort zone, but then essentially admit it is. “I don’t want to end up depressed and whatever.” Clearly it’s about comfort zone.

So why don’t you start a tech startup, secure VC funding, and work towards a billion dollar IPO? Or perhaps build a dream team, secure funding, buy a $1-10M company, cash flow servicing debt, no money of your own down, and then repeat it a few times, building possibly a $1billion company while consolidating an industry in the process before exiting?

Hopefully what that illustrates is that even though those are by far the best business opportunities around when considering earning potential, they’re not aligned with your values and/or personality and hence you don’t pursue them. Regardless of comfort zone.

 

[Black_Dragon43]

And I’m not kidding about any of this. You think you found a hypocrisy, you didn’t.

So teach us - how do we do that? Instead of “get a job” share something about what big business truly is then. Certainly “get a job” isn’t that.

 

[thereehldeal27]

Are you actually a former navy?

This is the worst attitude and victim mindset I've seen on this forum.

I wasn’t in the navy. I was born on a Navy base while my Mom and Dad were in the navy.

Victim mentality wasn’t always there. It’s just that when life keeps keeping you down and keeping you broke and alone, you stop giving a crap.

 

[ZackerySprague]

I'm no where near where I want to be and nor am I trying to make this post about me either. But to a degree I know how you feel when you are lost.

A bit of a backstory, in my early 20's I was successful as some might say and knew what I wanted to do. I had the girlfriend, renting out a house with roommates, finances where together, etc, etc.

But things started to take turn for the worse for me. I had my first traumatic event when I was a SOC analyst for a company downtown. I practically made IT as my identify of self. I stopped believing in myself, even until this day it haunts me. But I learned one thing right then and there that having a job or working for someone else, there was not safety.

I started getting into debt, I neglected paying them back, at first I was doing great. But then my situation got out a bit out of hand. Then I resigned that job and started the roller coaster of going from one job place to another, from one house to another.

Then my ex-girlfriend decided she wanted to become somebody else, we had no closure to the break up. I decided to move back down to Dallas-Fort Worth because that was a place I knew the most. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't really ready to move out on my own officially to a new town.

However, coming back home was still one of the bad decisions I have made. I didn't go to Therapy at the time to deal with all of the loss I have accumulated because of my decisions.

I almost had to file for Bankruptcy because I didn't believe in myself and got scared, I recently got into a car accident after driving safely for the past 7 years since the last accident. I almost lost my car, (to my surprise I am still dealing with this even today. It might be totaled *sigh*).

I am at a job that doesn't make me feel like I am making an impact, I am just pushing buttons for a piece of software and have been doing this for years.

My friends and family doesn't necessarily believe in an Unscripted Life. So it has been hard to try and change your identity or to become someone else when everyone know's the past self of who you once were.

That to say, I finally said enough is a enough. I'm stuck and I need help, so I pulled the plug and went to Therapy. It has helped me tremendously, but also has left me feeling like I'm lost, I don't know what direction to go. Lots of hurt from past events that have occured into my life.

But yet at the same time, I am very thankful to have lived those experiences. To know that I have supported myself through tough times even when family members weren't really there for you. It even hurts to realize that your own family might have actually used you indirectly for financial resources for things they couldn't pay for.

But MJ's books and the community here has brought me hope. Reading the books and meeting people from Fox Web School or even just communicating on this forum has brought me hope. That there is a whole new life out there yet to be explored. That we call can create a life that we want even though it will take years of hard work to get there.

To realize that I went into a career field for the wrong reasons, when actuality. I always wanted to be an entreprenuer since my high school years. I am about to be 29 next month as well.

I am hopeful that I will figure this out, I am hopeful that things will turn around. I don't know where I am going, but there is one thing that I do is that. I am willing to abandon everything that I know up to this point. Just to get to where I want to go.

To no longer owe debt, to no longer have things be taken away from you, to establish and have more control over your life. To believe in yourself and finding a community that will also support that has a Fastlane mindset. It is tough doing this alone or even by yourself.

To where I am going? Well, the market will be my shining light.

I am hopeful that you will find a direction, don't feel let down, just know that there are others who are struggling as well right with you.

If theirs anything I can, please let me know .

I hope this helps!
-Zack.

 

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