Quick hits:
1) At some point you have to stop reading about swimming, and just jump in the pool.
2) Action, and the challenges yet to arrive, is the only thing that can help you determine the next best book to read.
A reader emailed me last week and asked the following question:
I've read all three of your books and I can't thank you enough, you've changed my life. [Redacted] What other books do you recommend to help me get started on my Fastlane?
While I appreciate the compliment, there are two mental roadblocks to unpack here, roadblocks that will prevent this user from actually experiencing the "life change" he claimed.
The first roadblock is a fundamental truth: I didn't change this reader's life; I only changed his thinking.
And until that thinking manifests itself into repeated action over the weeks, months, and years, "you've changed my life" will wither into an empty platitude of unfilled aspirations.
A book is only as good as your ability to implement it into action. While changing your headspace is a great start, ultimately, those thoughts must materialize in the REAL WORLD. A great quote from the Lao Tze comes to mind:
-- Watch your thoughts; they become words.
-- Watch your words; they become actions.
-- Watch your actions; they become habits.
-- Watch your habits; they become character.
-- Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
In other words, changing your thoughts ignites the process and is step #1. That life change that this reader expressed? That's steps 2, 3, 4, and 5— arguably, the hardest part of the process. And because this reader viewed my books as something much more, his expectations will be malformed. The result likely will be a failure, not success.
The second roadblock is multi-faceted. Continue reading below.
Hope everyone has as great weekend! MJ
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/the-absolute-best-book-you-must-read.76834/
1) At some point you have to stop reading about swimming, and just jump in the pool.
2) Action, and the challenges yet to arrive, is the only thing that can help you determine the next best book to read.
A reader emailed me last week and asked the following question:
I've read all three of your books and I can't thank you enough, you've changed my life. [Redacted] What other books do you recommend to help me get started on my Fastlane?
While I appreciate the compliment, there are two mental roadblocks to unpack here, roadblocks that will prevent this user from actually experiencing the "life change" he claimed.
The first roadblock is a fundamental truth: I didn't change this reader's life; I only changed his thinking.
And until that thinking manifests itself into repeated action over the weeks, months, and years, "you've changed my life" will wither into an empty platitude of unfilled aspirations.
A book is only as good as your ability to implement it into action. While changing your headspace is a great start, ultimately, those thoughts must materialize in the REAL WORLD. A great quote from the Lao Tze comes to mind:
-- Watch your thoughts; they become words.
-- Watch your words; they become actions.
-- Watch your actions; they become habits.
-- Watch your habits; they become character.
-- Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
In other words, changing your thoughts ignites the process and is step #1. That life change that this reader expressed? That's steps 2, 3, 4, and 5— arguably, the hardest part of the process. And because this reader viewed my books as something much more, his expectations will be malformed. The result likely will be a failure, not success.
The second roadblock is multi-faceted. Continue reading below.
Hope everyone has as great weekend! MJ
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/the-absolute-best-book-you-must-read.76834/
The Fastlane Entrepreneur Discussion Forum
GOLD! - The absolute BEST book you MUST read!
A reader emailed me last week and asked the following question:
I've read all three of your books and I can't thank you enough, you've changed my life. [Redacted] What other books do you...
I've read all three of your books and I can't thank you enough, you've changed my life. [Redacted] What other books do you...
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I started writing The Millionaire Fastlane when I was 35, and I considered myself young and in the prime of my life. Released it by 37. Today, more than a decade later, I am no longer young.
Yet, I've never been wealthier, happier, and healthier, the latter two being the most important. In fact, I feel better today at 53 years young than I did at 33 years old.
What's my secret?
I leveraged my superpower, and that superpower is decision-making.
I’m living a dream and when I reflect on my choices, it boils down to this:
Hard decisions = Easy life.
Easy decisions = Hard life.
Choose wisely.
Yet, I've never been wealthier, happier, and healthier, the latter two being the most important. In fact, I feel better today at 53 years young than I did at 33 years old.
What's my secret?
I leveraged my superpower, and that superpower is decision-making.
I’m living a dream and when I reflect on my choices, it boils down to this:
Hard decisions = Easy life.
Easy decisions = Hard life.
Choose wisely.
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Hard decisions = Easy life.
Easy decisions = Hard life.
YOU HAVE A HIDDEN SUPERPOWER. ARE YOU USING IT?
What were some of the hard decisions in my life, that led to an easier life? Here are just a few:
-- The hard decision to take the road less traveled and be an entrepreneur where peer pressure, academia, and media promoted a job culture. The easy decision would have been to get a job and pave the way to an unfulfilled life with a seemingly secure paycheck.
-- The hard decision not to get wrapped up in my emotions and get married young to the wrong woman at a time when I was still "finding myself." The easy decision would be to succumb to my emotional impatience and get married fast, only to get divorced years later while enduring the financial turmoil that comes from it.
-- The hard decision to leave cold Chicago for sunny Arizona with no job and no money. The easy decision would be to stay and argue that my friends and family are here! The easy decision would have eroded my happiness, motivation, and zest for life.
-- The hard decision to save and invest a lot of my outsized earnings when I was in my thirties. Instead of buying a fleet of Lambos, I bought one every few years. As such, I can still live the same luxurious life with zero financial stress for the rest of my life. The easy decision would have been to spend everything, avoiding tax burdens and the long game.
-- The hard decision to change my diet. After suffering many chronic health issues in my 30s and early 40s, I made the hard decision to change what I shove into my mouth, which requires daily, if not hourly, discipline. The easy decision would be to continue eating whatever I wanted (the standard American diet), while neglecting the consequences.
-- The hard decision to make fitness a priority in my life. The easy decision to sit on the couch and play video games.
-- The hard decision to continually educate myself. The easy decision is to binge Netflix and constantly entertain myself like the average person.
Every day, you face numerous choices, from the trivial to the complex. However, the hard decisions are the ones that require courage and sacrifice. Ultimately these are the ones that pave the way for a more comfortable life.
EVERYTHING YOU WANT IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF HARD.
Continue reading...
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/one-superpower-everyone-has-but-rarely-uses.108553/
Hope everyone has a great day! -MJ
Easy decisions = Hard life.
YOU HAVE A HIDDEN SUPERPOWER. ARE YOU USING IT?
What were some of the hard decisions in my life, that led to an easier life? Here are just a few:
-- The hard decision to take the road less traveled and be an entrepreneur where peer pressure, academia, and media promoted a job culture. The easy decision would have been to get a job and pave the way to an unfulfilled life with a seemingly secure paycheck.
-- The hard decision not to get wrapped up in my emotions and get married young to the wrong woman at a time when I was still "finding myself." The easy decision would be to succumb to my emotional impatience and get married fast, only to get divorced years later while enduring the financial turmoil that comes from it.
-- The hard decision to leave cold Chicago for sunny Arizona with no job and no money. The easy decision would be to stay and argue that my friends and family are here! The easy decision would have eroded my happiness, motivation, and zest for life.
-- The hard decision to save and invest a lot of my outsized earnings when I was in my thirties. Instead of buying a fleet of Lambos, I bought one every few years. As such, I can still live the same luxurious life with zero financial stress for the rest of my life. The easy decision would have been to spend everything, avoiding tax burdens and the long game.
-- The hard decision to change my diet. After suffering many chronic health issues in my 30s and early 40s, I made the hard decision to change what I shove into my mouth, which requires daily, if not hourly, discipline. The easy decision would be to continue eating whatever I wanted (the standard American diet), while neglecting the consequences.
-- The hard decision to make fitness a priority in my life. The easy decision to sit on the couch and play video games.
-- The hard decision to continually educate myself. The easy decision is to binge Netflix and constantly entertain myself like the average person.
Every day, you face numerous choices, from the trivial to the complex. However, the hard decisions are the ones that require courage and sacrifice. Ultimately these are the ones that pave the way for a more comfortable life.
EVERYTHING YOU WANT IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF HARD.
Continue reading...
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/one-superpower-everyone-has-but-rarely-uses.108553/
Hope everyone has a great day! -MJ
The Fastlane Entrepreneur Discussion Forum
GOLD! - NEWSLETTER - One Superpower everyone has, but rarely uses.
I started writing The Millionaire Fastlane when I was 35 when I was young and in the prime of my life. Released it by 37. Today, more than a decade later, I am no longer young.
Yet, I've never...
Yet, I've never...
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Welcome to everyone who has come over from my other text network! Much appreciated. If you're curious, I left the other platform due to limited space. As you can see here, there's plenty of space for info dissemination, and I like the emojis/reactions 10X better.
Also, TELEGRAM does NOT quarantine my posts to check for political correctness.
That "other" platform?
They review texts for political correctness.
They once held one of my texts because it had the word "BREW" in it -- screw that. Negative skew abound! No thanks, I'll keep my money!
Have a great day, and thanks again!
Also, TELEGRAM does NOT quarantine my posts to check for political correctness.
That "other" platform?
They review texts for political correctness.
They once held one of my texts because it had the word "BREW" in it -- screw that. Negative skew abound! No thanks, I'll keep my money!
Have a great day, and thanks again!
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This media is not supported in your browser
VIEW IN TELEGRAM
Started writing my next book, no details to disclose at this time because my track record of writing can take years. The topic of this book is not about wealth, or “Fastlane” and is pretty narrow. Stay tuned!! Hope to have it not take forever, have a new writing environment! Hope everyone has a great weekend, give a loved one a hug 🫂 ❤️!!
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Many folks asked me how to make better decisions...
HERES HOW. 📈👍
In 2021, I made the biggest purchase of my life, a 13,000-square-foot, $5.3M estate in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. At the time, housing prices were at all-time highs while the cost of money, or interest rates, were at all-time lows.
In the last newsletter, I stated that your life's superpower is your choices. Decisions shape your destiny and engineer your life. Like your decision superpower, there is another superpower you can leverage to make good decisions. It's the superpower I used to make the hard choice to make the biggest purchase of my life.
No, this fantastic decision-making tool is not a website, a matrix, or complicated life hack. What is it?
Read on...
https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/364132/emails/89081760727435147
HERES HOW. 📈👍
In 2021, I made the biggest purchase of my life, a 13,000-square-foot, $5.3M estate in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. At the time, housing prices were at all-time highs while the cost of money, or interest rates, were at all-time lows.
In the last newsletter, I stated that your life's superpower is your choices. Decisions shape your destiny and engineer your life. Like your decision superpower, there is another superpower you can leverage to make good decisions. It's the superpower I used to make the hard choice to make the biggest purchase of my life.
No, this fantastic decision-making tool is not a website, a matrix, or complicated life hack. What is it?
Read on...
https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/364132/emails/89081760727435147
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Want to spare yourself from an expensive divorce in terms of TIME, MONEY, and EMOTIONAL toll?
I posted this on the forum and it's a SMALL piece of advice that can have a BIG outcome.
This concept was mentioned in The Great Rat Race Escape and it applies to both men and women. This is my own personal guideline that has served me spectacularly.
This also is a great example on how you can manipulate probability to change the odds into your favor.
They say all marriages end in divorce at about a 50% clip. Follow these rules, and you likely reduce those odds from 50% to 25, 20, or better, 10%.
It’s called the 1-2-3 Rule of Relationships…
1 HOUR
2 DAYS
3 YEARS
Before you even think about getting married, DO THE FOLLOWING, or any variation of…
SPEND 1 HOUR to discuss core values like religion, politics, kids, hobbies, financial priorities, fitness and health priorities, and other things that cause huge relationship divergences. Most relationships fail under the burden of mismatched values.
• She wants to save and go Fastlane, you want to spend and be a Sidewalker.
• She wants to be Christian, you want to be an atheist.
• She wants to be a fiscal conservative, you want to be a pink-haired milquetoast socialist.
• She wants to hit the gym 4X a week and eats plant based, you want to sit on the couch and eat cheese all day.
• She wants 3 kids, you want 3 rolls on your chin.
• She has "can do" growth mindset, you blame everyone with a fixed mindset.
• She loves camping, you love gaming.
Can that relationship survive with these divergences? No -- and this relationship will DIE under its own weight.
SPEND 2 DAYS in the most hellish conditions to see each other at your worst. Basically, you’re looking to share a highly stressful situation.
Some examples:
- You’re trapped at the airport due to bad weather.
- You and your partner do a home renovation that goes bad.
- Moving from one house to another house involving moving a lot of boxes, furniture, etc.
- Putting together a backyard shed (think IKEA furniture stuff)
SPEND 3 YEARS to date each other to understand how you grow together, if at all.
Relationships diverge. Or they grow into each other getting stronger. The 3 years is a great standard to learn each other fully, to go beyond the "honeymoon stage," and to go beyond the fake role-playing, and to truly see each other as raw individuals.
Follow these 3 guidelines, and you likely will save yourself from a marriage that ends badly. And instead, live happily ever after.
I posted this on the forum and it's a SMALL piece of advice that can have a BIG outcome.
This concept was mentioned in The Great Rat Race Escape and it applies to both men and women. This is my own personal guideline that has served me spectacularly.
This also is a great example on how you can manipulate probability to change the odds into your favor.
They say all marriages end in divorce at about a 50% clip. Follow these rules, and you likely reduce those odds from 50% to 25, 20, or better, 10%.
It’s called the 1-2-3 Rule of Relationships…
1 HOUR
2 DAYS
3 YEARS
Before you even think about getting married, DO THE FOLLOWING, or any variation of…
SPEND 1 HOUR to discuss core values like religion, politics, kids, hobbies, financial priorities, fitness and health priorities, and other things that cause huge relationship divergences. Most relationships fail under the burden of mismatched values.
• She wants to save and go Fastlane, you want to spend and be a Sidewalker.
• She wants to be Christian, you want to be an atheist.
• She wants to be a fiscal conservative, you want to be a pink-haired milquetoast socialist.
• She wants to hit the gym 4X a week and eats plant based, you want to sit on the couch and eat cheese all day.
• She wants 3 kids, you want 3 rolls on your chin.
• She has "can do" growth mindset, you blame everyone with a fixed mindset.
• She loves camping, you love gaming.
Can that relationship survive with these divergences? No -- and this relationship will DIE under its own weight.
SPEND 2 DAYS in the most hellish conditions to see each other at your worst. Basically, you’re looking to share a highly stressful situation.
Some examples:
- You’re trapped at the airport due to bad weather.
- You and your partner do a home renovation that goes bad.
- Moving from one house to another house involving moving a lot of boxes, furniture, etc.
- Putting together a backyard shed (think IKEA furniture stuff)
SPEND 3 YEARS to date each other to understand how you grow together, if at all.
Relationships diverge. Or they grow into each other getting stronger. The 3 years is a great standard to learn each other fully, to go beyond the "honeymoon stage," and to go beyond the fake role-playing, and to truly see each other as raw individuals.
Follow these 3 guidelines, and you likely will save yourself from a marriage that ends badly. And instead, live happily ever after.
The Fastlane Entrepreneur Discussion Forum
NOTABLE! - HEALTH - QUESTION - What was MJ DeMarco's...
I was reading the great rat race escape a few days ago, and MJ was talking about some rule like 3/5/10 or something like spend 3 minutes thinking about them etc.. I was just wondering for future...
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The $2 "life-hack" that can change everything.
From the Fastlane Newsletter...
I had this nagging itch on the instep of my foot a couple of months ago. It got so bad that it started affecting my sleep and work. I scratched the hell out of it to the point it got calloused. Still, the itch remained and continued for months. After trying the usual modalities to rid me of this itch, like antifungals or hydrocortisone, I started testing other treatments.
Was it food related?
Was it nerve related?
Was it poor posture?
I tried various things, like a food-elimination diet, acupressure, lymphatic massage, and a bevy of strategies that might impact this nagging issue.
About 3 weeks later, the itch was gone. While I didn't discover the cause, I did find a strategy that lessened the itch and ultimately eliminated it. And it was all made possible by a lifestyle strategy you can deploy with just a few bucks: a health journal.
CONTINUE...
https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/364132/emails/90426822565562191
From the Fastlane Newsletter...
I had this nagging itch on the instep of my foot a couple of months ago. It got so bad that it started affecting my sleep and work. I scratched the hell out of it to the point it got calloused. Still, the itch remained and continued for months. After trying the usual modalities to rid me of this itch, like antifungals or hydrocortisone, I started testing other treatments.
Was it food related?
Was it nerve related?
Was it poor posture?
I tried various things, like a food-elimination diet, acupressure, lymphatic massage, and a bevy of strategies that might impact this nagging issue.
About 3 weeks later, the itch was gone. While I didn't discover the cause, I did find a strategy that lessened the itch and ultimately eliminated it. And it was all made possible by a lifestyle strategy you can deploy with just a few bucks: a health journal.
CONTINUE...
https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/364132/emails/90426822565562191
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The price of your comfort and security is mediocrity.
The reward for your discomfort and insecurity is wealth.
Choose wisely.
The reward for your discomfort and insecurity is wealth.
Choose wisely.
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SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND GET TO WORK!
Summary? No one cares, and no one believes you.
I was raking in the cash and needed an extra pair of hands to keep things rolling. Enter my mother. She had reluctantly taken up the unenviable task of managing the accounts receivable while I hunted for a suitable employee.
Let's back up a bit, though.
See, my mother had always been the voice of pragmatism. She wasn't exactly the cheerleader for my entrepreneurial ambitions. And truth be told, who could blame her? I'd been running with one idea after another, tripping up more often than not, while she sent up her daily mantra from the foot of the stairs, "GET A JOB BABY!"
So, picture this.
She's poring over the monthly invoices, numbers running into six figures, and she looks at me wide-eyed, "You're owed all this?" I nod, and her jaw quite literally drops. That was it. That was the moment her doubt evaporated, replaced with a newfound faith in my business pursuits. Years later, I'd take great pleasure in wiping off her mortgage with one fat check.
https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/364132/emails/90986578829116937
Summary? No one cares, and no one believes you.
I was raking in the cash and needed an extra pair of hands to keep things rolling. Enter my mother. She had reluctantly taken up the unenviable task of managing the accounts receivable while I hunted for a suitable employee.
Let's back up a bit, though.
See, my mother had always been the voice of pragmatism. She wasn't exactly the cheerleader for my entrepreneurial ambitions. And truth be told, who could blame her? I'd been running with one idea after another, tripping up more often than not, while she sent up her daily mantra from the foot of the stairs, "GET A JOB BABY!"
So, picture this.
She's poring over the monthly invoices, numbers running into six figures, and she looks at me wide-eyed, "You're owed all this?" I nod, and her jaw quite literally drops. That was it. That was the moment her doubt evaporated, replaced with a newfound faith in my business pursuits. Years later, I'd take great pleasure in wiping off her mortgage with one fat check.
https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/364132/emails/90986578829116937
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You can't change the world until you learn how to change yourself.
Every year of my life I've changed and I'm proud of it.
I would NOT recognize younger me from 5, 10, 15, or 20 years ago. If you're the same person today as you were just a few years ago, you're doing life wrong.
Stop being change-adverse and start embracing it.
BONUS: CHANGE is also what creates wealth as shifts in culture, technology, and tastes evolve. Those who continually adapt, win. Think about AI, the latest emerging tech. Countless wealth will be created in this tech by early adopters who learn how to leverage it and bring it to the common masses.
Every year of my life I've changed and I'm proud of it.
I would NOT recognize younger me from 5, 10, 15, or 20 years ago. If you're the same person today as you were just a few years ago, you're doing life wrong.
Stop being change-adverse and start embracing it.
BONUS: CHANGE is also what creates wealth as shifts in culture, technology, and tastes evolve. Those who continually adapt, win. Think about AI, the latest emerging tech. Countless wealth will be created in this tech by early adopters who learn how to leverage it and bring it to the common masses.
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Luck is for Schmucks. *THIS* is for Winners
How to make luck work in your favor!
I swear, if I hear another wannabe entrepreneur justify dropping out of college because Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates dropped out, I'll vomit.
Read on and discover why these two examples mean nothing, especially if you think dropping out of Johnson County Community College with no education, experience, or skills is a good idea.
In the vast cosmic ballet, there's a pervasive illusion that luck is the master choreographer.
Hang out on Reddit or some other mainstream media rag, and you'll be bludgeoned repeatedly with the idea that luck is in control. I mean, why bother trying to win your best life when luck lurks around every corner, thwarting your best attempts?
But what if I told you there's a powerful tool, honed by centuries of thinkers that can smack luck in the face and let you take charge of your destiny?
READ ON:
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/luck-is-for-schmucks-this-is-for-winners.109274/
How to make luck work in your favor!
I swear, if I hear another wannabe entrepreneur justify dropping out of college because Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates dropped out, I'll vomit.
Read on and discover why these two examples mean nothing, especially if you think dropping out of Johnson County Community College with no education, experience, or skills is a good idea.
In the vast cosmic ballet, there's a pervasive illusion that luck is the master choreographer.
Hang out on Reddit or some other mainstream media rag, and you'll be bludgeoned repeatedly with the idea that luck is in control. I mean, why bother trying to win your best life when luck lurks around every corner, thwarting your best attempts?
But what if I told you there's a powerful tool, honed by centuries of thinkers that can smack luck in the face and let you take charge of your destiny?
READ ON:
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/luck-is-for-schmucks-this-is-for-winners.109274/
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Reminder as we head into a weekend, and for many here in the USA, a long weekend...
The best investment you can make is not in your business, the stock market, or in some cryptocoin; it's in your HEALTH.
It's understanding that your FREE TIME young is worth far more than your FREE TIME old.
Don't sacrifice your youthful vibrance in a savings scheme that pays elderly entropy.
If you're finally *free* but too old to do anything with that freedom (Travel the world, ski, play sports) then what is the point?
Your $1.9M portfolio that you slaved and saved for 35 years means nothing if you killed yourself in a job and can't enjoy it, much less walk a flight of stairs.
Make HARD decisions today so you can earn the interest of EASY later.
Have a great weekend!
The best investment you can make is not in your business, the stock market, or in some cryptocoin; it's in your HEALTH.
It's understanding that your FREE TIME young is worth far more than your FREE TIME old.
Don't sacrifice your youthful vibrance in a savings scheme that pays elderly entropy.
If you're finally *free* but too old to do anything with that freedom (Travel the world, ski, play sports) then what is the point?
Your $1.9M portfolio that you slaved and saved for 35 years means nothing if you killed yourself in a job and can't enjoy it, much less walk a flight of stairs.
Make HARD decisions today so you can earn the interest of EASY later.
Have a great weekend!
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I tweeted this the other day and it was in the Fastlane Newsletter. If you haven't seen it, it bears repeating:
"Financial blasphemy: I drink $6 coffee. I spent $5.3M on a 13,000 sq/ft estate w/a $6K mortgage. I have 12 credit cards where $1000s are charged monthly. I dine out 3-5X week. When I shop, I don't look at prices and throw whatever I want into the shopping cart. The word "budget" is not in my vocabulary. I also have no savings plan, I don't make regular investments in index funds. Despite doing everything CONTRARY to what financial experts preach & every finance book ever sold, I have total financial freedom. Here's are 8 truths that made it happen.." (you can find the full tweet in the link)
Among one of those truths, there was one I want to call your particular attention to:
The true secret to wealth/unfettered financial freedom (not the mediocre suckfest promoted nowadays) is by owning things you can control as an INSIDER. This puts the power of asymmetrical business returns that compound into your grasp. Buying index funds does not count.
If you look at any person who has accumulated wealth (and by wealth I mean at least $10M+) you will see the above FACT as common denominator. In fact, Sam Altman (the entrepreneur behind the ChatGPT AI) echoed the same in a legendary blog post on becoming successful. He said:
Continue reading…
https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/364132/emails/93514015180850948
"Financial blasphemy: I drink $6 coffee. I spent $5.3M on a 13,000 sq/ft estate w/a $6K mortgage. I have 12 credit cards where $1000s are charged monthly. I dine out 3-5X week. When I shop, I don't look at prices and throw whatever I want into the shopping cart. The word "budget" is not in my vocabulary. I also have no savings plan, I don't make regular investments in index funds. Despite doing everything CONTRARY to what financial experts preach & every finance book ever sold, I have total financial freedom. Here's are 8 truths that made it happen.." (you can find the full tweet in the link)
Among one of those truths, there was one I want to call your particular attention to:
The true secret to wealth/unfettered financial freedom (not the mediocre suckfest promoted nowadays) is by owning things you can control as an INSIDER. This puts the power of asymmetrical business returns that compound into your grasp. Buying index funds does not count.
If you look at any person who has accumulated wealth (and by wealth I mean at least $10M+) you will see the above FACT as common denominator. In fact, Sam Altman (the entrepreneur behind the ChatGPT AI) echoed the same in a legendary blog post on becoming successful. He said:
Continue reading…
https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/364132/emails/93514015180850948
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Entrepreneurship isn't for everyone.
Here are 5 essentials that you will need to succeed as a self-sufficient entrepreneur who excels, and creates life-changing wealth. Life is too short to just pay the bills for the month and repeat...
#1) Learn how to solve PROBLEMS.
As I like to say, entrepreneurs are professional Problemologists. Every day is a new problem to solve and it should be your expectation. If you give up easily at any problem in your life, you won't make it as an entrepreneur.
Keep the job.
#2) If you can't stay FOCUSED any longer than 10 minutes without getting frustrated at certain mundanities, keep your job. If you find yourself giving up after navigating your state's LLC or incorporating pages (which certainly will suck), keep your job.
#3) If you can't stay MOTIVATED while your feedback loop is disconnected (translation: no dopamine) stay at your job.
Health and fitness are very similar, where short-term actions (diet/exercise) only deliver long-term results.
#4) If you can't handle the idea of having thousands of BOSSES, your customers, many of whom will critique you and your venture, you should rethink becoming an entrepreneur. Yes, you can fire bad customers, but generally, more customers = more bosses.
On the contrary, customer feedback, even the negative, is a powerful source of critical intelligence.
#5) If you're worried about what other people think, PUBLIC CRITICISM, you should keep your job. It is impossible to live Unscripted while worrying about what others will think about your life and career decisions.
Good news is, mostly no one cares.
And finally, if you do decide to be a Fastlane entrepreneur, promise yourself this: Keep grinding at it until your first sale, your first profit, occurs WHILE SLEEPING.
Making $$$ 24/7 separate from your time is incredibly intoxicating. Once you experience it, there's no going back.
Good luck!
Here are 5 essentials that you will need to succeed as a self-sufficient entrepreneur who excels, and creates life-changing wealth. Life is too short to just pay the bills for the month and repeat...
#1) Learn how to solve PROBLEMS.
As I like to say, entrepreneurs are professional Problemologists. Every day is a new problem to solve and it should be your expectation. If you give up easily at any problem in your life, you won't make it as an entrepreneur.
Keep the job.
#2) If you can't stay FOCUSED any longer than 10 minutes without getting frustrated at certain mundanities, keep your job. If you find yourself giving up after navigating your state's LLC or incorporating pages (which certainly will suck), keep your job.
#3) If you can't stay MOTIVATED while your feedback loop is disconnected (translation: no dopamine) stay at your job.
Health and fitness are very similar, where short-term actions (diet/exercise) only deliver long-term results.
#4) If you can't handle the idea of having thousands of BOSSES, your customers, many of whom will critique you and your venture, you should rethink becoming an entrepreneur. Yes, you can fire bad customers, but generally, more customers = more bosses.
On the contrary, customer feedback, even the negative, is a powerful source of critical intelligence.
#5) If you're worried about what other people think, PUBLIC CRITICISM, you should keep your job. It is impossible to live Unscripted while worrying about what others will think about your life and career decisions.
Good news is, mostly no one cares.
And finally, if you do decide to be a Fastlane entrepreneur, promise yourself this: Keep grinding at it until your first sale, your first profit, occurs WHILE SLEEPING.
Making $$$ 24/7 separate from your time is incredibly intoxicating. Once you experience it, there's no going back.
Good luck!
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You’re 25 years old.
Someone offers you $2,000,000 (USD) to sell your kidney, part of your liver, cornea, and left leg.
Part of the terms is you won’t receive and/or enjoy any of $2M until you hit 65. Then you can have fun!
Would you take the deal?
Of course not; you’d probably even laugh and tell the person to take a hike.
If this is true, then why on earth do we continually give credence to the idea that if you work hard enough for 40 or 50 years, one day you can retire rich with financial freedom?
Bottomline, TIME and FINANCIAL freedom are subject to discounting, just like money.
IOW, skiing in the Alps when you’re 35 is worth far more than trying to do it when you 70, after 40 years of job and market stress have destroyed your health.
I wrote an article in the newsletter if you’d like to read more…
https://preview.mailerlite.io/emails/webview/364132/94800438617966231
Someone offers you $2,000,000 (USD) to sell your kidney, part of your liver, cornea, and left leg.
Part of the terms is you won’t receive and/or enjoy any of $2M until you hit 65. Then you can have fun!
Would you take the deal?
Of course not; you’d probably even laugh and tell the person to take a hike.
If this is true, then why on earth do we continually give credence to the idea that if you work hard enough for 40 or 50 years, one day you can retire rich with financial freedom?
Bottomline, TIME and FINANCIAL freedom are subject to discounting, just like money.
IOW, skiing in the Alps when you’re 35 is worth far more than trying to do it when you 70, after 40 years of job and market stress have destroyed your health.
I wrote an article in the newsletter if you’d like to read more…
https://preview.mailerlite.io/emails/webview/364132/94800438617966231
🔥85❤52👍19👏5💯5
How to Stop Cheating Yourself, And Earn What You Deserve.
Two hikers, both smitten by the Fastlane entrepreneurial bug, stood at the base of two different mountains, faces steeled, resolve unshaken. They weren't climbing for the view. No, these mountains had something else that lures you, me, and every dream-chaser up here: The Reward.
One mountain, which appeared less treacherous, promised a $50K trophy for the relentless soul who reached its peak. The other? A staggering $25M.
Two mountains, two hikers, two entrepreneurial dreams. But here's the twisted truth: the mountains were exactly the same in every jagged rock and treacherous slope....
Continue...
https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/364132/emails/96055059467470172
Two hikers, both smitten by the Fastlane entrepreneurial bug, stood at the base of two different mountains, faces steeled, resolve unshaken. They weren't climbing for the view. No, these mountains had something else that lures you, me, and every dream-chaser up here: The Reward.
One mountain, which appeared less treacherous, promised a $50K trophy for the relentless soul who reached its peak. The other? A staggering $25M.
Two mountains, two hikers, two entrepreneurial dreams. But here's the twisted truth: the mountains were exactly the same in every jagged rock and treacherous slope....
Continue...
https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/364132/emails/96055059467470172
👍49🔥19❤10👏9
Ever stumbled upon glittering claims like these?
• I sold $300K of X widgets in 3 weeks; here's my secret...
• My company did $4M last year; here's how you can too...
• Our real estate holdings will earn over $16,000 in rent next month...
If you ever catch wind of these grand proclamations, let the shadow of suspicion creep over you. Why? Because they likely are subject to what I've dubbed, The Revenue Razor.
If "razors" sound foreign to you, let me acquaint you with these sharp-minded instruments. Razors are thinking blades that help you carve through information, dissecting the fat of falsehood from the lean meat of truth.
You might know Occam's Razor, the famous blade that prefers the explanation with the fewest leaps of logic. Other versions include:
• The simplest explanation is usually the best one.
• When you have two competing theories that make exactly the same predictions, the simpler one is the better.
When presented with revenue or sales information, I present to you the following wisdom:
The Revenue Razor.
When somebody claims a large number of sales, income, or revenues on a gross basis, always assume that the net profit, or bottomline, is terribly small and unimpressive.
• I sold $300K of X widgets in 3 weeks; here's my secret...
• My company did $4M last year; here's how you can too...
• Our real estate holdings will earn over $16,000 in rent next month...
If you ever catch wind of these grand proclamations, let the shadow of suspicion creep over you. Why? Because they likely are subject to what I've dubbed, The Revenue Razor.
If "razors" sound foreign to you, let me acquaint you with these sharp-minded instruments. Razors are thinking blades that help you carve through information, dissecting the fat of falsehood from the lean meat of truth.
You might know Occam's Razor, the famous blade that prefers the explanation with the fewest leaps of logic. Other versions include:
• The simplest explanation is usually the best one.
• When you have two competing theories that make exactly the same predictions, the simpler one is the better.
When presented with revenue or sales information, I present to you the following wisdom:
The Revenue Razor.
When somebody claims a large number of sales, income, or revenues on a gross basis, always assume that the net profit, or bottomline, is terribly small and unimpressive.
🔥33❤27👍19👏9💯5
Ever stumbled upon claims like these?
I sold $300K of X widgets in 3 weeks; here's my secret
My company did $4M last year; here's how you can too!
Our real estate holdings will earn over $16,000 in rent next month
If you ever catch wind of these grand proclamations, let suspicion creep over you. Why? Because they likely are subject to what I've dubbed, The Revenue Razor.
If "razors" sound foreign, let me acquaint you with these sharp-minded instruments. Razors are thinking blades that help you carve through information, dissecting the fat of falsehood from the lean meat of truth. You might know Occam's Razor, the famous blade that prefers the explanation with the fewest leaps of logic.
When presented with revenue or sales information, apply the Revenue Razor:
When somebody claims a large number of sales, income, or revenues on a gross basis, always assume that the net profit, or bottomline, is terribly small and unimpressive.
https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/364132/emails/96603194993411206
I sold $300K of X widgets in 3 weeks; here's my secret
My company did $4M last year; here's how you can too!
Our real estate holdings will earn over $16,000 in rent next month
If you ever catch wind of these grand proclamations, let suspicion creep over you. Why? Because they likely are subject to what I've dubbed, The Revenue Razor.
If "razors" sound foreign, let me acquaint you with these sharp-minded instruments. Razors are thinking blades that help you carve through information, dissecting the fat of falsehood from the lean meat of truth. You might know Occam's Razor, the famous blade that prefers the explanation with the fewest leaps of logic.
When presented with revenue or sales information, apply the Revenue Razor:
When somebody claims a large number of sales, income, or revenues on a gross basis, always assume that the net profit, or bottomline, is terribly small and unimpressive.
https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/364132/emails/96603194993411206
🔥32👍15❤4👏4
So many people complicate wealth into this multi-variate octopus that needs taming.
-- Cold showers.
-- Value.
-- Scale.
-- VC Funding.
-- Meditation.
-- Education.
-- Waking up at 4AM.
-- Blah, blah, blah.
The accumulation of wealth comes down to one incredible simple thing, something that I wrote about over a decade ago:
The Law of Effection: The more people you impact in scale or magnitude, the richer you can become.
Impact millions, make millions. The statement doesn't care about education, race, gender, location, etc.
It only cares about numbers. Wealth is simple math.
Most customers = more wealth.
More influence =- more wealth.
More money = more wealth.
As for the other factors that can correlate or have causation with respect to this law, stuff like socioeconomics, government policy, poverty, etc, yes, it matters.
For example...
...a person in New York has much better opportunity to "impact millions" than a poor person in rural Ghana.
...a woman in Venezuela does not have the same opportunity to "impact millions" as one does in San Diego.
...a privileged student who gets a free ride to Harvard will have more opportunity to "impact millions" than the poor farmer's kid attending Clayton County Community College.
....the offspring from a family who owns a successful legacy company has a better chance at Effection than someone struggling in poverty.
Bottomline, the one question that needs to be asked wherever you are on the planet, or whatever your circumstances is...
How can I put myself in a position to impact millions?
-- Cold showers.
-- Value.
-- Scale.
-- VC Funding.
-- Meditation.
-- Education.
-- Waking up at 4AM.
-- Blah, blah, blah.
The accumulation of wealth comes down to one incredible simple thing, something that I wrote about over a decade ago:
The Law of Effection: The more people you impact in scale or magnitude, the richer you can become.
Impact millions, make millions. The statement doesn't care about education, race, gender, location, etc.
It only cares about numbers. Wealth is simple math.
Most customers = more wealth.
More influence =- more wealth.
More money = more wealth.
As for the other factors that can correlate or have causation with respect to this law, stuff like socioeconomics, government policy, poverty, etc, yes, it matters.
For example...
...a person in New York has much better opportunity to "impact millions" than a poor person in rural Ghana.
...a woman in Venezuela does not have the same opportunity to "impact millions" as one does in San Diego.
...a privileged student who gets a free ride to Harvard will have more opportunity to "impact millions" than the poor farmer's kid attending Clayton County Community College.
....the offspring from a family who owns a successful legacy company has a better chance at Effection than someone struggling in poverty.
Bottomline, the one question that needs to be asked wherever you are on the planet, or whatever your circumstances is...
How can I put myself in a position to impact millions?
❤174👍48🔥45👏9🕊4💯3☃2🥰1
Audience first? Or product first? What should you focus on?
For example, if you have 2M subscribers on YouTube, it would be easy to push them a product right? And not just a great product, but ANY product, right?
Everyone wants a IG following or a YT channel with millions of followers/subscribers so they can sell their influence.
This is not a bad strategy, but I don't believe it is optimal. For starters, Control and Entry, which are non-existent on such platforms. To circumvent Control, you need to get so huge (think: Mr. Beast) that you possess leverage and unprecedented influence.
Second, just because you have a large audience, doesn't mean success is guaranteed. Mr. Beast and Joe Rogan are implicitly implying with their success that if we have millions of fans, monetization (selling them something) is super-simple.
It isn't, because ultimately, selling *something* comes down to a product.
Unique value. Something different.
If you attempt to sell your audience something that does not have perceived value and is seen more of a "money grab," you will be exposed as a fraud, and many in your audience will leave. This also goes for paid influencer promos -- ultimately, the product has to do the heavy lifting.
On the flip side, if you had an awesome product but started with ZERO audience, the speed at which you can get traction is greatly diminished, or worse, impossible, especially if you don't know how to market. The cure for cancer goes unsold if you can't sell it.
Both paths are not for the thin-skinned, or for person who quits easily.
However if I had to make a choice, I'd say that YOUR PRODUCT is most important. That is my default answer, pending more information.
Good products are viral. And good products sell.
A large audience? That doesn't guarantee success, sales, or traction.
Remember Google+? Google Glass? New Coke? Another great example right now is Threads, by Meta, which hasn't (yet) seemed to have gained market adoption. Zuckerburg has the largest audience on the planet, and Threads sucks.
So...
#1) Build a product that a significant audience wants? And let your product help build the audience?
#2) Or build an audience and plug-in something later?
I'd pick #1 every time.
A great example is my own audience at YouTube. I think I have 60K+ subscribers, a mid-sized audience.
This audience would not be interested in a fishing product, a vegan snack, or a beta-reading SAAS for aspiring authors. There has to be product-fit with the audience, so it creates somewhat of a pigeon hole.
PS: There is NO right or wrong to this question as like many things, it can be solved in the gray with "It depends."
Here's the forum thread on this discussion which includes a link to some of the biggest product failures from Gigantic companies with Gigantic audiences.
For example, if you have 2M subscribers on YouTube, it would be easy to push them a product right? And not just a great product, but ANY product, right?
Everyone wants a IG following or a YT channel with millions of followers/subscribers so they can sell their influence.
This is not a bad strategy, but I don't believe it is optimal. For starters, Control and Entry, which are non-existent on such platforms. To circumvent Control, you need to get so huge (think: Mr. Beast) that you possess leverage and unprecedented influence.
Second, just because you have a large audience, doesn't mean success is guaranteed. Mr. Beast and Joe Rogan are implicitly implying with their success that if we have millions of fans, monetization (selling them something) is super-simple.
It isn't, because ultimately, selling *something* comes down to a product.
Unique value. Something different.
If you attempt to sell your audience something that does not have perceived value and is seen more of a "money grab," you will be exposed as a fraud, and many in your audience will leave. This also goes for paid influencer promos -- ultimately, the product has to do the heavy lifting.
On the flip side, if you had an awesome product but started with ZERO audience, the speed at which you can get traction is greatly diminished, or worse, impossible, especially if you don't know how to market. The cure for cancer goes unsold if you can't sell it.
Both paths are not for the thin-skinned, or for person who quits easily.
However if I had to make a choice, I'd say that YOUR PRODUCT is most important. That is my default answer, pending more information.
Good products are viral. And good products sell.
A large audience? That doesn't guarantee success, sales, or traction.
Remember Google+? Google Glass? New Coke? Another great example right now is Threads, by Meta, which hasn't (yet) seemed to have gained market adoption. Zuckerburg has the largest audience on the planet, and Threads sucks.
So...
#1) Build a product that a significant audience wants? And let your product help build the audience?
#2) Or build an audience and plug-in something later?
I'd pick #1 every time.
A great example is my own audience at YouTube. I think I have 60K+ subscribers, a mid-sized audience.
This audience would not be interested in a fishing product, a vegan snack, or a beta-reading SAAS for aspiring authors. There has to be product-fit with the audience, so it creates somewhat of a pigeon hole.
PS: There is NO right or wrong to this question as like many things, it can be solved in the gray with "It depends."
Here's the forum thread on this discussion which includes a link to some of the biggest product failures from Gigantic companies with Gigantic audiences.
👍85❤51🔥21💯1