When did you realize the system is rigged?

[TheCj]

For me coming from a traditional south asian household, Realized the life was living was not my own in late teens. Having worked in the family business and then going to university for engineering when I was not interested in school at all. I literally looked up and found universities the night that the forms were handed out at high school. I had no idea..

During second year engineering, one of the prof's said something along the lines of your peers in the class will be your life long colleagues... That is a moment i remember since i didn't relate to most if any of them.. I never finished that second year.. Around the same time arranged marriage was coming up for discussion with my parents.. That was point I made life choice to leave that system.. I remember having to go to family engagements where everyone would just sit and drink.. Like seeing the ghost of future to come..

After that I thought I was free.. didn't have to work hard, could work were I wanted, date who I wanted live a simple life, learned to be efficient self sufficient wondered why people worked so hard for material positions, expensive trips when could enjoy life much simpler..

I got bit sidetracked there, moments i realized system was rigged, was lots of little moments like realizing the sales people for said engineering companies could be making more than the engineers when they had only a fraction if any formal degree.. As in engineering was 40-45hrs classes where as business guys that was a month's worth of classes hrs..

Seeing banks bend over opening late for yearly tax retirement deadline time, why would they do that unless was good for them..

Seeing nepotism in work places... Bosses family member's like the story earlier about the uncle CTO.. Personally have seen people in charge of multi-million dollar projects and it is there first project of this type and magnitude, and they have no experience or expertise at all in relation to there job..

Not being hired for jobs, but then starting on my own and being able to do the same work and pay myself more.

Crazy world... Has been layers of scripted for me that have been pulled back over time..

Just my 2cents.. been enjoying this thread!

 

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[96wells]

Sometimes I feel like my company sat on the committee to write The Script.

In many ways, I can defend the pharmaceutical industry in good faith. But there are days when I know the good things we do don't outweigh the reality of it all.

I was so enamored by my job.

I was a rock star.

Walk into an office with Starbucks in one hand and a briefcase full of drugs in the other hand. Cute receptionists smiling big and waving at me. A nurse gives me a big hug and grabs her venti skinny soymilk late and calls me a life saver. I got my fat bonus check yesterday and on our morning conference call the regional director said I'm the one to go to for clinical knowledge.

Then I see the doctor, "Oh (insert name of drug), how about you go into this room and tell this patient who's dying why her prescription costs $1,200 a month"

All I can do is parrot back the party line, "blah blah insurance companies suck blah blah patient assistance program blah blah."

Suddenly, Im not a rock star. I'm the face of a company who makes a great drug for really sick people... and the price keeps going up every month.

And then I meet the husband of the patient and he tells you it's ok. Because he'll pay whatever he needs to to keep his wife alive. And then he tells me that none of the hospitals will put her on a transplant list because she's too sick.

And then my day just goes to shit.

Combine that with:

• Your CEO testifying before congress then getting fired with a $30 million severance
• Realizing that you're not getting paid for almost half the prescriptions you sold
• Realizing you're not going to hit quota because you're not getting paid on half of the scripts you sold
• Getting sold the dream of middle management only to be told you're not qualified when the position opens up

That's when I realized the system is rigged. And it sucks. And the only reason I go to work in the morning is because I can put 20% of that pay check towards my business.

When did you realize the system was rigged? More importantly, what did you do about it?

Still slowlane, still rigged.

In elementary school it was a pain in the a$$ learning english with bad school programs, neglected. Pretty much raised in a single parent household/environment so tv was my constant companion. But the thing is, watching what I liked taught me a little bit of english.... Then I started reading on my own and that taught me a lot.

First lesson, don't rely on others, chase knowledge instead of having the knowledge chase you.

Elementary school was rigged because I constantly felt like there should be a summary instead of a 8-3 pm anxiety generating... plan?

Middle school was rigged because I would fall asleep learning nothing. Teacher tells me to slap myself to stay awake. I got sick and tired of faking my emotions, so I became cynical and distanced myself with books.

High school... finish work fast so I can read...most work there should of just been condensed to a few months instead of 1 year.

College... Just wasn't applying myself. Wasn't interested in the bullshit I had to memorize then forget, the social approval I needed to get some sort of edge.

Then after college I get to...

Analyze bodily fluids! How exciting.

-Repetitive, boring, chance of getting sick from touching blood etc.
-Co-workers gossip like in high school.
-People say insignificant things day in and out. Really groundhog day.
-Some stopped learning, some starts drinking to cope...
-Have debt and am enslaved and is ok with it...
-Happy about the insignificant raise from non-existent salary to begin with...

Need I go more?

-Lives with parent because of insane real estate price...(not too bad, not too great)
-The pressure to work overtime and then get told on how to do my job more efficiently and better (when I haven't been doing it soul crushingly repetitively day in and day out 8+ hr, 5 days a week...golly gee).
-People getting looked up upon because they been there longer...thats it.
-The pressure to be nice to superiors when the truth is there...
-Getting written up for things... not being in total control...despite doing your best.
-Working overtime because other people fail to delegate tasks or do thing effectively...working nights...

I think I can live with these, what I can't live with is not realizing my potential. Not learning significant things anymore (work 8 hours, come home drained to have only ~3 hours of me time)...MJ said something like anything with a 5 to 2 weekend return ratio is just bad.

I just don't want to relate with people that talk about tv shows or being looked down upon when I haven't done much wrong, being under appreciated, fixed salary forever no matter how hard or smart I work... (Not that it's bad to socialize... I just think there is something more, always had...)

Not going to list anymore. The side effects of a job...

The system was always rigged from elementary to work. I'm still in the slowlane and I'm telling you this with anger... (the anger is all under control now...)

What am I doing about it? Browsing this fourm, started emailing suppliers on alibaba. At least I can take some risks with the pay. Maybe action faking; I just can't stand it.

At least at nightshift, I get to hear MJ tell me about how my perception of money is wrong. His voice constantly ringing in my head...paraphrasing...

QUIT THE JOB...

Renounce the event as the path to financial wealth...

Work 9-5 for 40 years so they can tell you to piss off, gee...

Being the millionaire at the retirement home, Golly Gee!...

I just want to be someone that provide value, maybe to be superior in some way (cashvesting 2nd need), have the resources to be at a different environment.
-------
Sorry, I didn't even introduce myself on the forum and the grammar... I wanted to earn something before I did...

 

[• nikita •]

Same here, its all that time and effort for nearly nothing.

I remember 1 lunch break looking up at the beautiful green hills in the distance and realising "Shit, theres a whole world out there right now. right this moment, and most people are just stuck in an office. Just because its a weekday doesn't mean shit, theres life and freedom out there"

Oh that perfectly sums up my last job. I was in web development which isn't bad, but the company culture and my boss were terrible. I would sit on my a$$ for 10 hours a day and be judged for taking lunch break (that's what got me f'ing fired). I was right next to the large window so it was kind of like an aquarium. I would watch people zip by, kids chase each other, etc. And I was stuck on my numb a$$. I was even envious of the postman just because he could move around like a human being. I would legit go home pale in the face then sit in a corner depressed.

I feel so guilty complaining about something people in other countries starving would wish for, but god damn it makes me so mad how this misery could be seen as normal.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Come end of October the system is ready to roll out. Happy times for all of us. My core team of 19 developers and I put in huge weeks, gave up on life, did everything so we could realize this system. We knew it would make millions for the company and save in overhead and time. The company planned a big Halloween party in the office and encouraged us all to come to the office in costumes. Party came, we were done, spirits are high. 3PM I got a call to go upstairs meet with CEO and President before the party. Go up, and he broke the news to me. They were going to lay off all the developers since they were not needed anymore and they wanted to start November off right.

FTE!

It took awhile to realize but I shouldn't have been playing the carny games at all, I should have been starting my own carnival.

Tah dah!

Sorry, I didn't even introduce myself on the forum and the grammar... I wanted to earn something before I did...

Welcome to the forum.

 

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[Van Halen]

Oh that perfectly sums up my last job. I was in web development which isn't bad, but the company culture and my boss were terrible. I would sit on my a$$ for 10 hours a day and be judged for taking lunch break (that's what got me f'ing fired). I was right next to the large window so it was kind of like an aquarium. I would watch people zip by, kids chase each other, etc. And I was stuck on my numb a$$. I was even envious of the postman just because he could move around like a human being. I would legit go home pale in the face then sit in a corner depressed.

I feel so guilty complaining about something people in other countries starving would wish for, but god damn it makes me so mad how this misery could be seen as normal.

Eating? How dare you! The machine demands constant productivity. It doesn't have time for you to EAT. Eating time = less profit time, now back to work! You're not human, you're an office drone.

The sad part is, even if you put your heart and soul into the workforce you'll only end up in the same place: Backstabbed, Laid Off or not chosen for promotion over some other guy whos related to the hiring manager. 50 years of the same mindless, asinine cycle for what? A retirement that you're too old to enjoy. 1 Market Implosion, Housing bubble burst or Economic downturn and you can forget about the retirement all together.

 

[MattR82]

Thought this was funny when I saw it on a friends instagram today. My last "slowlane as a life plan" job, working for a contractor for Chevron. Hmmm. What's this picture look like to you?

16 months out and counting

 

[Almantas]

"Where's my Curry?!"

It happened roughly 7 years ago. I was working as a waiter at a 5 star Hotel while studying. One day I came across a food stand in a back store and inquired why it's not being used. I've raised my query to upper management and they asked if I can bring this stand to life by selling take-away food for two hours outside. I saw it as an opportunity to learn sales and be recognized by a management. At first it was weird, standing outside with a bulky stand and pitching foods, but soon I got a good grip of it.

First week resulted in like 20-30 sales (1 order averaged €6). Upper management was happy, probably because none of the sales were officially recorded and everything was paid in cash. I am pretty sure it was a nice pocket change for the big guys.

It took me few weeks to warm-up and I was killing 80-100 orders in just two hours. Management was shocked. My co-workers were jealous of all the recognition I was getting and kitchen chefs were giving out to me that they can't manage such an inflow of orders. I was nominated as an employee of the year, got a bottle of champagne that costed €10 across the street and a big smile from a General Manager himself.

So, my life continued and I was killing 80-100 sales a day. Standing outside in a rainy day I decided to move back into restaurant, because I became ill. The response I got? "If you stop selling food outside, you may as well leave company altogether". This was a moment I realized this affair ain't gonna end nicely, so I turned into a mob, lol:

I precisely calculated how much inventory I needed each day prior to moving outside. I always made sure that I needed to get back into the storeroom to get some more stuff in the middle of a rush hour. I was carrying money box with me everywhere I went, so while going down to a store room I decided I was due a salary rise and pocketed €50. This happened on a daily basis.

I was still killing sales, in some cases sold more than 100 take-away dishes in 1-2 hours and made like €600 for the big guys, management was happy seeing superb results and I had a reason to smile and be happy standing outside,lol.

I know, this was unethical, immoral, yada-yada. I've made a decision based on how I was being treated and nobody got hurt or disappointed at the end. So win-win, right?! lol.

 

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[MattR82]

Nope not really

I thought you were going to say you quit and set up your own biz outside!

 

[Almantas]

Nope not really

I thought you were going to say you quit and set up your own biz outside!

I was only 18 and had different set of values back then. I am 100% sure all of the earned money was being stolen by upper management, so I just took my share, lol.

I would've acted differently if I had the set of values I have now, but it's just a funny memory of getting screwed up early, lol.

PS: I hope my honesty and transparency won't get me labeled as a Tanisha2, haha.

 

[MattR82]

I was only 18 and had different set of values back then. I am 100% sure all of the earned money was being stolen by upper management, so I just took my share, lol.

I would've acted differently if I had the set of values I have now, but it's just a funny memory of getting screwed up early, lol.

PS: I hope my honesty and transparency won't get be labeled as a Tanisha2, haha.

Ahh ok, 18 haha. Unfortunately have my own similar story from that age. When I worked in a liquor store my friends and I that worked there confused the word "ullages" with "free alcohol" on the odd Friday night.

The 18 year olds on the Fastlane forum right now make us look like a pair of dunces though

 

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[G-Man]

Did I miss it, or has everyone somehow missed the most depressing part of the job search: The gatekeeper to getting an interview in the first place is always somehow a 24 year old girl that you wouldn't let balance your checkbook.

If having to explain your work history to a little blondie that just got out of A&M and still spends weekends at the lake with her sorority sisters doesn't make you question life choices.... yeah.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

What's this picture look like to you?

Prison. Alcatraz.

 

[MattR82]

Prison. Alcatraz.

Bingo. Everyone actually called it "the rock."

This is a bit dark, but a fair few people have committed suicide in those rooms.

 

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[amp0193]

Did I miss it, or has everyone somehow missed the most depressing part of the job search: The gatekeeper to getting an interview in the first place is always somehow a 24 year old girl that you wouldn't let balance your checkbook.

If having to explain your work history to a little blondie that just got out of A&M and still spends weekends at the lake with her sorority sisters doesn't make you question life choices.... yeah.

Back in the day, this person was my interviewee for the lowest level drone position at Target. I didn't get the job.

 

[Aaron T]

"Where's my Curry?!"

It happened roughly 7 years ago. I was working as a waiter at a 5 star Hotel while studying. One day I came across a food stand in a back store and inquired why it's not being used. I've raised my query to upper management and they asked if I can bring this stand to life by selling take-away food for two hours outside. I saw it as an opportunity to learn sales and be recognized by a management. At first it was weird, standing outside with a bulky stand and pitching foods, but soon I got a good grip of it.

First week resulted in like 20-30 sales (1 order averaged €6). Upper management was happy, probably because none of the sales were officially recorded and everything was paid in cash. I am pretty sure it was a nice pocket change for the big guys.

It took me few weeks to warm-up and I was killing 80-100 orders in just two hours. Management was shocked. My co-workers were jealous of all the recognition I was getting and kitchen chefs were giving out to me that they can't manage such an inflow of orders. I was nominated as an employee of the year, got a bottle of champagne that costed €10 across the street and a big smile from a General Manager himself.

So, my life continued and I was killing 80-100 sales a day. Standing outside in a rainy day I decided to move back into restaurant, because I became ill. The response I got? "If you stop selling food outside, you may as well leave company altogether". This was a moment I realized this affair ain't gonna end nicely, so I turned into a mob, lol:

I precisely calculated how much inventory I needed each day prior to moving outside. I always made sure that I needed to get back into the storeroom to get some more stuff in the middle of a rush hour. I was carrying money box with me everywhere I went, so while going down to a store room I decided I was due a salary rise and pocketed €50. This happened on a daily basis.

I was still killing sales, in some cases sold more than 100 take-away dishes in 1-2 hours and made like €600 for the big guys, management was happy seeing superb results and I had a reason to smile and be happy standing outside,lol.

I know, this was unethical, immoral, yada-yada. I've made a decision based on how I was being treated and nobody got hurt or disappointed at the end. So win-win, right?! lol.

We all do things we are not proud of. I have my moment. I have never done something like this, but I can understand how at 18 you justified it. As long as you wouldn't do something like that again man.

Still it all sounds like it built to an FTE and then you took the action that made the most sense to you. It's certainly creative.

 

[Van Halen]

Thought this was funny when I saw it on a friends instagram today. My last "slowlane as a life plan" job, working for a contractor for Chevron. Hmmm. What's this picture look like to you?

16 months out and counting

Looks alot like Prison...

OH WAIT

 

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[MidwestLandlord]

This is a bit dark, but a fair few people have committed suicide in those rooms.

And the rest are dead on the inside from working a job that they hate.



(I've been way to motivational today, had to throw in some cynicism lol)

 

[Patrickg]

My FTE:

I graduated college, wow did I think I was about to make a shit ton of money. Spent shit ton of money on clothes/suits for interviews.

Finally, landed a job. Thought I was high flying base salary and commission. He convinced me I was going to make "6 figures" in no time.

Realized quickly I wasn't going to make anywhere near 6 figures. I could hardly afford to pay rent and other expenses. Middle of the winter my gas cap froze on my car. And I broke it off to find out the replacement and the gas emptied my bank account.

Mind you I have a job at this time.. I'm just embarrassed to tell you how little I was making.....

The next day I got laid off. Some guy in the company committed huge fraud and they went bankrupt. That was my F*ck this event. I remember it like yesterday.

 

[TheRegalMachine]

Did I miss it, or has everyone somehow missed the most depressing part of the job search: The gatekeeper to getting an interview in the first place is always somehow a 24 year old girl that you wouldn't let balance your checkbook.

It's really hard to tread this path without sounding a bit sexist (or bitter) but I'll take the heat.

The overwhelming majority of human resource managers and employees are women. Not just young blonde white women either but women of varying ages and "backgrounds". The one connecting trait is they were underachievers like many worker bees and end up stuck in a unrewarding positions for double x amount of years.

As you said some of them don't have the educational or skill background to be judging other people on a jobs they only understand on paper (with bullet points). Some aren't too keen on hiring certain people due to their own biases which are as varied as the color spectrum. 'Over educated" seems to be one of the excuses I've experienced HR reps use. Because I have a degree with a certain title they take it upon themselves to decide I don't need a job. I've seen HR reps judge people on physical traits and not hire them on that bias alone.

Now here's the one I'm ready to take heat for: You have HR reps/managers who just don't want to hire men/males in general for various reasons.

If the staff is mostly female with EOE all they have to do is meet a quota and send all other male applicants packing. I've worked in predominately female work environments and being one of the few guys made me feel unwelcome. Not to mention some of my coworkers exacerbated this feeling. So they don't hire men to maintain a certain culture.

One of the reason why when I did look for 9to5 jobs I tried my best to circumvent the gatekeepers and learn about a companies "culture".
This wasn't easy because getting to the right person can be damn near impossible and doing so can get you locked out from a job because you're not following protocol, but it was a risk I was willing to take.

Just like many women don't want to deal with a "Boys Club" at work, I didn't want to deal with a "Girls Club".

 

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[OmarLopez]

Appreciate it.

That was a weird time when I was trying to figure everything out.

My parents were telling me to get a job. My friends were all confused with what I was doing. After awhile I started doubting myself too.

But after interviewing with a handful of companies and seeing what my life could be, I'm glad I stuck to the fastlane path.

Thanks for your awesome narrative! I seriously felt tired at how long the interviews were!


For me the most important moment was in May, after reading The Millionaire Fastlane something clicked in mi mind. I wasn´t happy before but I could not figure out the why.

But the book made me see my job from a different perspective.

I tough that to be rich I had to endure endless days of work to be recognized and get promotions so I could earn a better income and repeat the process for YEARS. And with more promotions more responsabilities and time sucked out of me. I saw my friends who had the same job as me and they were not happy. I saw my bosses and they were not happy. I saw their bosses and guess what, they looked old, cranky and their eyes were not longer alive. This was my future of endless sacrifice of my time to them?

F*ck no!

This moment occurred in a meeting, where the higher ups were telling us that our commitment with the company wasn´t enough.

Now I know there is another way to riches and is not easy, but this path of entrepeneurship is my CHOICE! And that´s a lot better than slaving my time for someone else, whom may not even care for me at all.

I resigned on that month and moved from Mexico City to Hidalgo, which is a lot nicer and calm. My journey is just starting but I like it more here, plus I got my family out of harms way because of the earthquake that happened this Semtember 17th. Talk about luck!

 

[SquatchMan]

We go to school from 5 years old to 18 years old.

From 8AM-3PM. We have a teacher telling us what to do. We have to ask permission to go to the bathroom, when to go on lunch/break, when to move class, and when to go to the next grade. We also can't speak up during class without raising our hand.

From 18 years old to 65 years old:

From 9AM-5PM. We have a boss telling us what to do. We have to ask permission to skip work, leave early, go to the bathroom (depending on the job), and have our company tell us when to go on break/lunch.

I slowly realized that school was just a way to prep the next generation of employees. Teach them some basic reading/writing, some arithmetic, and how to follow orders.

It's a good thing the system is setup this way. I honestly don't think it would work if there were more entrepreneurs than worker bees. Who would we hire?

I'm pretty sure I read this on this forum or in the books. It's been a while.

 

[Xeon]

When I was 15 yrs old. Always realized something was wrong but can't quite feel what's the cause.
When I was 23+, that's when I started knowing I needed MP (Meaning & Purpose) in my life.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

We go to school from 5 years old to 18 years old.

From 8AM-3PM. We have a teacher telling us what to do. We have to ask permission to go to the bathroom, when to go on lunch/break, when to move class, and when to go to the next grade. We also can't speak up during class without raising our hand.

From 18 years old to 65 years old:

From 9AM-5PM. We have a boss telling us what to do. We have to ask permission to skip work, leave early, go to the bathroom (depending on the job), and have our company tell us when to go on break/lunch.

I slowly realized that school was just a way to prep the next generation of employees. Teach them some basic reading/writing, some arithmetic, and how to follow orders.

It's a good thing the system is setup this way. I honestly don't think it would work if there were more entrepreneurs than worker bees. Who would we hire?

I'm pretty sure I read this on this forum or in the books. It's been a while.

Featured+

 

[ThirtyOne]

honestly, i realized it when MJ described Wall Street and compound-interest-making-you-rich as the biggest legal scam. lights turned on in my brain.

 

[TheOwl8]

When I was 23 I started to work my first "real job" after graduating from college with a fortune 500 company. I thought I was making good money with my starting salary.

I'm an accountant and so one day I decided to sit down create a projected cash flow of my future net income. I went the whole way on this spreadsheet, including promotions, inflation, investment returns, discounting the cash flows, coming up with every estimated expense I could think of. I must have put 40 hours into this stupid spreadsheet.

And what I found horrified me. There it was, right in front of me, in cold hard numbers. It was going to take me at least 30 years to reach my financial freedom. And that was if I didn't get fired or sick or divorced. That woke me up. It wasn't my opinion, it was math and I couldn't argue with it.

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

honestly, i realized it when MJ described Wall Street and compound-interest-making-you-rich as the biggest legal scam. lights turned on in my brain.

Compound interest is a scam, but only because it's put in the context of time and inflation and lifespan.

At its root mathematical core, it's not a scam.

That's why it gets a pass. And gurus keep selling it, while making a fortune.

I'm an accountant and so one day I decided to sit down create a projected cash flow of my future net income. I went the whole way on this spreadsheet, including promotions, inflation, investment returns, discounting the cash flows, coming up with every estimated expense I could think of. I must have put 40 hours into this stupid spreadsheet.

And what I found horrified me. There it was, right in front of me, in cold hard numbers. It was going to take me at least 30 years to reach my financial freedom. And that was if I didn't get fired or sick or divorced. That woke me up. It wasn't my opinion, it was math and I couldn't argue with it.

That's telling. When the smartest accounting mind in the room is saying "woah shit", it's time to say "woah shit."



Featured post, BTW.

 

[Mike Partee]

I was young, say, 5 or 6.
I asked my mother:

"Mom, why do people...

work so hard in grade school to get into advanced classes, then...
work so hard in high school to get into a good college, then...
work so hard in college to get a good degree, then...
work so hard in an internship to get a good job, then...
work so hard in a job to make money,
to spend that money on food...

...when I can just as easily walk outside,
pick some blueberries and BAM - have my hunger satisfied immediately while skipping all those steps?"

Surviving in the woods isn't too practical for me, nevertheless...
Going through a bunch of unnecessary steps to meet my basic human needs just didn't sit well with 'lil ol me.

 

[unaided]

It Was So Easy

...when my dad was killed in a car accident before I knew what an "I" or "me" was

...when my sister and I as an 8-9 year old would threaten my single mom, with the old corded phone from the kitchen wall in hand, to call "children and youth" as my last leverage to get basic needs met.

...to come home to my mother curled up in a corner of the house with broken beer bottles threatening to kill herself. Telling us we were miserable little F'ers.

...It was so easy to waiver back and forth on calling 911 or not as a 12-year old because mom may have actually taken the sleeping pills this time.

...to punch pillows, cry and feel helpless at night & to have to teach myself how to "man up".

It Was So Easy...

...to buy into the false premise that if I got good grades, I'd get into a good college and I'd get a good job and be "free" from the struggle. If I just waited my turn, followed the rules, paid my dues, got the appropriate credentials blahblahblah.

....to get into 180K in student loan debt for a professional degree that had a projected statistical average salary of 90K; to have key mentors tell me "don't worry about the debt; go where you want, 'follow your passion"/'go to your dream school'/'figure out the finances later' ". Yay, I finally felt I had the cheat codes, the cost being DEBT.

...to accept my first job out of said education for a measly $48K/year when I needed $55K to draw even at best and somehow pay student loans after 6 months forbearance?

...to realize I was slowly drowning at best and to hand in my office key after 2.5 months and take a cash advance on my credit card to give it one last chance to make it with my own business.

...to start with 1/2 a day a week of office space, and work my way up to 3 days a week....eventually supplemented with consulting. To have a bit of luck that the consulting turned into a full-time offer.

...to have my early self-employed earnings go to pay off that early credit card debt.

Yes, It Was So Unbelievably Easy...

....to leave a 4-year relationship, and drive across the country with a carload of belongings to start a new job in consulting that gave me salary and benefits, but most importantly (in retrospect) the freedom to still pursue side income.

....to sleep on the floor and use a borrowed card table and fold-up chair as a desk while I awaited funds to buy a bed & basic furniture.

....stay up until 3-am building out product listings, reading books on copy, finance, prosperity consciousness and more. Spent my nights at Barnes and noble reading 4-5 books in a night until I was motivated to write that blog post, to build that page, to figure out how to make that spreadsheet.

....to start paying down a mortgage (another dive I made into a SCRIPTED agenda) $5-20 at a time. I find a quarter on the ground, you better believe that night's principle payment was $.25 higher.

Yes, it was all so freakin' easy to build up to $150K in income, $50K of it "self-made" with hopes to be free of car debt, house debt, and to buy back TIME so that I can replace the scripted salary and benefits. Still short of the 180K of income that I technically should make to have warranted 180K in debt in the first place (technically even more if you consider experience and learning opportunities lost from being in school for 8 years)

I guess my moment was sometime in the mix of that when I realized "NOONE IS GOING TO COME SAVE YOU; THE HARD WAY IS THE EASY WAY".

I still have an "easy" road ahead of me with the mortgage, student loans, and value creation on the side..... but if I learned one thing it was to say "The F* With Easy!"

Needless to say, TML and Unscripted have been acceleratory bibles to my journey. MJ thanks brotha!

 

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[ThirtyOne]

Compound interest is a scam, but only because it's put in the context of time and inflation and lifespan.

At its root mathematical core, it's not a scam.

That's why it gets a pass. And gurus keep selling it, while making a fortune.

Exactly. And what I'm hearing from Wall Street is, "Millions and billions of people, give me your hard earned thousands now (effectively making me filthy rich NOW). Later, when you're 60, you'll get a chunk back (oh, did I forget to mention TVM, inflation, etc? Shucks. My bad...But you knew the risk).

Add that to the housing market crash and man, I wanna steer clear of that mess.

 

[cor]

This is becoming one of my favorite threads ever here on this forum. I nominate this to be at least Notable. Great responses, super insightful.