I wrote this a few years ago, but it always remains relevant.

It is a statement on purpose, comfort, and even, expectations.

Consider this.

You're in prison, and your MEANING/PURPOSE is to escape to FREEDOM.

You're speaking to a fellow inmate, Joe, and he says...

Joe: Hey man, we've discovered a way to escape this shit-hole and FREE yourself.

You: Yea? How?

Joe: In shitter number three, in the west bathroom, the bricks behind the toilet are all lose and you can crawl out behind it. Behind the wall there is a sewer pipe and freedom will be as simple as crawling through a sewer pipe filled with shit. You want in? We're going tomorrow.

You: Crawling through a sewer pipe filled with shit? That sounds disgusting, not to mention I have bad knees and shouldn't be crawling.

Joe: What? Have you heard anything I said? WE CAN ESCAPE THIS PLACE.

You: Yes I heard you, but crawling through a sewer pipe into freedom isn't how I expected to free myself. I don't like how that sounds and it kinda nauseates me. I'd rather wait until a more pleasing opportunity comes by. It be really nice to escape hiding in a bin of freshly laundered sheets.

Joe: But all the laundry is done onsite here at the prison, you'll never escape because that opportunity will NEVER come.

You: Oh well, I guess I'll remain a prisoner for the rest of my life. Besides, we get free food here.

What is the moral of the story?

Your refusal to embrace discomfort and unpleasant actions (crawling through a sewer pipe filled with shit) is what keeps you in prison. No, your dream opportunity of escaping in a stack of freshly laundered sheets isn't going to happen. Do the damn dirty work, or remain a slave.

This story came about as I read in another thread where someone mentioned that their meaning/purpose was quite simple: FREEDOM: To be free from SCRIPTED bull shit and to do whatever they wanted.

That type of MEANING/PURPOSE is the BEST because not all meaning/purposes are the same. Some, in fact, are detrimental to your success.

Why?

Because some meaning-and-purposes are all inclusive of action, behavior, and opportunity.

The more generalized your purpose, the better it will be in helping you conquer the world. Like our prison example, "freedom" is very generalized and suddenly ALL ACTIONS are considered, even crawling through a sewer.

Yet, the more specific your purpose, the worse it is.

(Note: We assume ALL actions here are ethical and legal.)

So when you confine your meaning and purpose to specific *things* -- say, I want to be the best race car driver on the planet! -- you RISK confining your action to a limited set of actions and opportunities. When the sewer opportunity floats by, you dismiss it. Meh, not sure how that will help me become a great race driver.

In other words, you will refuse to pursue other opportunities because they fall outside of your limited scope of purpose and vision.

So I'll leave you with this...

What is your MEANING and PURPOSE in life?

Is it general, such as "FREEDOM?" Or is it SPECIFIC and, perhaps, hindering?

And if it is a hindrance, what can you do to REFRAME it so you'll take advantage of freedom-making opportunities, discomforting actions that might resemble crawling through a sewer pipe filled with shit?

Folks, the latest Life in the Fastlane Newsletter is out...

-- American business owners, beware of this "scam" that isn't really a scam.
-- Check out Google's Notebook LM Artificial Intelligence Tech, it's a game-changer!
-- Why you aren't wired to know the world's problems, and WHY the Fastlane Forum could be the answer!

https://preview.mailerlite.io/preview/364132/emails/138360608903923594

Have a great week!
MJ

Luck... you'll need some, but hopefully, not a lot.

If one picture could sum up the majority of "personal finance" books or "how to get rich" books and the people unqualified to write them, here it is.

Is it a PIVOT? Or part of the ACT, ASSESS, ADJUST process?

An entrepreneur on the forum wondered if he should pivot in his business.

Here’s the thread:

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/time-to-pivot-or-adjust.116202/

A pivot indicates that your idea is not sound and has no demand.

The entrepreneur’s business venture is a pet memorial, so we absolutely know there is a demand for the product. (I actually bought several similar products).

The problem here is the entrepreneur has not acted, assessed, or adjusted in any meaningful way.

A pivot is warranted when...

1️⃣ You've significantly acted, assessed, and adjusted your advertising message and offer.
2️⃣ You've significantly acted, assessed, and adjusted your marketing channels.
3️⃣ You've significantly acted, assessed, and adjusted your store/offering page (this would be your landing page).
4️⃣ You've significantly acted, assessed, and adjusted your product

Before chalking up your idea as a failure with no demand, ask yourself… have you experimented with all these 4 factors?

💡Have you relentlessly tested in each of these 4 silos?

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you need to PIVOT when you haven’t even scratched the surface.

Striking the pinata with a toothpick will not bust its goodness open.

- MJ

I posted this on the forum... the big question to ask yourself is this: WHAT EXACTLY IS GOING TO CHANGE?

This is what Bad Math looks like. Here is the full story (ungated article at Fastlane)...

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/bad-math-why-youll-never-get-rich-or-will-you.117273/

How to create passive income immediately with less than $1000 in assets.

Here is a list of my favorite assets that pay income monthly and quarterly. Article is un-gated, comments are private.

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/passive-monthly-quarterly-income-my-favorite-money-system-assets.117391/

This is part of the Fastlane Capital Allocation Model which is posted above in an image.

Today's note on Entrepreneurial Expectations:

The entrepreneurial game doesn't have an end game, unless you sell.

Owning a business is ALWAYS on.

Think of it as a car engine.

It's always running.

Sometimes high RPM, sometimes low.

But always on.

A job?

It runs 5 days a week at high RPM, then shuts off on Friday afternoon, starts again Monday.

Be prepared for your engine to always be on, Acting, Assessing, and Adjusting, until that one day you SELL.

Folks, the AI Revolution is evolving exponentially.

It’s going to change the world, and not a lot of it will be good.

The question is, what side will you be on — the side where it changed your life for the better, or worse?

If you would like to discuss the emergence in real-time, the forum has an ongoing discussion thread that is practically updated daily.

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/the-artificial-intelligence-ai-random-chat-thread.116192/

The latest post was from someone who had The Millionaire Fastlane’s book cover redesigned in American 50s retro style.

What’s interesting is the cover was incredibly done— and the AI did not SCREW UP the words.

AI image generation is always lacking because the AI never gets the words right.

But have they finally fixed this?

Do AI image generators now get the words right?

What’s your experience?

FYI: This cover is from ChatGPT’s latest model, the one that costs $14.99.

For perspective, AI is like the dawn of the car, electricity, and the internet...

IT WILL CHANGE EVERYTHING.

Which marketing channels consistently deliver results, and which ones fall flat?

We're diving into this question with a poll on the Fastlane Forum to explore the most effective marketing mediums.

Cast your vote or check out the current results to see what’s resonating.

While the success of marketing often depends on the product or service, these insights reveal which channels people trust when discovering new businesses to buy from. Vote, review the results, or join the discussion here:

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/vote-what-marketing-medium-worked-on-you-and-you-bought.118152/

Have a great weekend! MJ

Nice post on the forum demonstrating what it takes to succeed in business. Any business. Here is the list, and my reflections on each. Pretty much each of these notes are philosophies I’ve been preaching for years….

Consider these cheat codes.

> 1. seriously just choose one thing
> 2. it’s going to be harder than you think
> 3. try hard enough and long enough that it becomes improbable to not succeed
> 4. can’t treat it like a hobby – gotta do the things you don’t want to do, and do things when you don’t want to do them
> 5. iterate until iterating costs more time/money/energy than the increase in benefit from iterating
> 6. you don’t have to be perfect, you already know enough to start
> 7. provide value to others, and really figure out what that looks like, not what you think it looks like or should look like
> 8. act fast
> 9. there really is no ceiling. Big dreams and goals aren’t crazy, but short timelines can be.
> 10. there are no excuses, even in the face of things you can’t control, because there are enough things you can control.

> 1️⃣ Seriously just choose one thing

Focus. Don’t fall into the trap of the Tekel syndrome. Multiple businesses suck; don’t try it unless you already sold a business for gazillions. When one wants to become a piano maestro, you also don’t learn the tuba and the flute.

> 2️⃣ It’s going to be harder than you think

All business is hard. SaaS, coffee shop, window washing, SpaceX … doesn’t FN matter. HARD. This is why you pick ventures that will change your life. Make sure effort is rewarded, handsomely; time, money, or both.

Link: [https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/stop-cheating-yourself-and-earn-what-youre-worth.109957/](https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/stop-cheating-yourself-and-earn-what-youre-worth.109957/)

> 3️⃣ Try hard enough and long enough that it becomes improbable to not succeed

Entrepreneurs are problemologists. When one gives up after the first few problems, one refuses to be an entrepreneur. I see BPH1994 falling into this trap as he expects business to be problem-less. Reality: business is one problem after another. He who solves them quicker and without batting an eye wins.

> 4️⃣ Can’t treat it like a hobby – gotta do the things you don’t want to do, and do things when you don’t want to do them

Again, business is hard. It’s more about doing what you hate than what you love. Yet that struggle pays off in spades. I’m teaching myself jump rope tricks. Do you think I love getting whipped in the back of the head as I fail a trick? Do you think I like having welts on my neck? It sucks. The joy comes from mastering the trick, but only after 100 whippings.

> 5️⃣ Iterate until iterating costs more time/money/energy than the increase in benefit from iterating

Act, assess, adjust.

> 6️⃣ You don’t have to be perfect, you already know enough to start

Stop thinking, start doing. Then act, assess, adjust. Every adjustment leads you in the direction of better, which is one step toward the elusive perfection. Move toward perfection—knowing you'll never get there—and everything works out.

> 7️⃣ Provide value to others, and really figure out what that looks like, not what you think it looks like or should look like

Ah yes, the market doesn’t give a shit about your ideas. It only reacts to them. The market is the ultimate judge/jury of your value. They vote with their money. You can have a great campaign, but if no one votes for you—something is wrong, and what you thought was value wasn’t. Adjust … messaging? product? audience?

> 8️⃣ Act fast

The quicker one iterates through Act, Assess, Adjust, the quicker improvement occurs, which means the quicker value is created and delivered.

> 9️⃣ There really is no ceiling. Big dreams and goals aren’t crazy, but short timelines can be.

Find where the scale is. Find the bottleneck, and solve it.

> 🔟 There are no excuses, even in the face of things you can’t control, because there are enough things you can control

Yep. For every variable you cannot control, there are likely 10 you can. Change the inputs, change the outputs.

The forum is dripping with revolutionary AI discussion.
Here are a few links to get your gears grinding.

💰AI IS REVOLUTIONARY, BEYOND CARS, ELECTRICITY, and HUMAN FLIGHT
Will you take advantage or be left behind?
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/your-redemption-and-second-chance-is-here-will-you-take-it.119099/

💰AI CHAT - DISCUSS AI WITH FASTLANERS (NOW 20+ PAGES)
Chat about AI developments, insights, best-practices.
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/the-artificial-intelligence-ai-random-chat-thread.116192/

💰AI INVESTMENTS - ASYMMETRIC RETURNS, SET IT AND FORGET IT?
Some companies will be positioned to generate asymmetric returns in the next 3-7 years. Where can $10,000 turn into $1,000,000? Here's a list.
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/fortune-awaits-artificial-intelligence-investments%E2%80%94where-to-make-your-bets.119133/

💰AI AGENTS - ARE YOU BEHIND IF YOU'RE NOT USING IT?
AI agents are already replacing employees, VAs, and contractors. Keep pace.
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/the-ai-agents-thread-if-youre-not-using-it-now-does-it-mean-youre-behind.119179/unread

💰AI RESOURCES and HOT FINDS!
Find a valuable AI website that specializes in a certain function?
Want to see a list? Here ya go:
https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/ai-artificial-intelligence-resources-websites-and-hot-finds.119157/

PS: The first post is always viewable, and no subscription is required.

You have the power to do anything.

Unlimited Power! ⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡

But power isn't your issue -- the issue is you haven't found a good reason to use it.

You haven't found a priority to change your status quo, so the status quo ALWAYS WINS.

Average Joe: I can't quit doomscrolling or playing video games.
Me: Oh, if I gave you a million dollars to quit for one month, cold turkey, would you quit?
Average Joe: Oh yea! Sign me up!
Me: So you DO have the power to quit, you just haven't found a good enough reason to do so.


Average Joe: I can't start a business.
Me: If you had to earn $1000 by next month, or be killed, would you find a way?
Average Joe: OMG, yes.
Me. So you DO have the power to do it, you just haven't found a good enough reason to do so.

In other words, the power IS within you.

You just refuse to access it because you don't have a strong enough reason to access it.

So anytime you find yourself rationalizing inaction, ask...

"If I were to be awarded $1M doing or stopping X, would I find a way?"
"If I had to do X or die, would I find a way?"

THE POWER IS IN YOU. ⚡⚡⚡⚡

This might help...

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/the-problem-purpose-paradigm-fire-unlimited-motivation-and-laser-focus.114162/

THE GATEKEEPERS ARE DEAD!

Never before has unprecedented leverage been at your fingertips. Technology used to be gated, it is no longer true, and people barely even notice.

Have you noticed?

Full article... (ungated and free)

https://www.thefastlaneforum.com/community/threads/don%E2%80%99t-learn-to-code-think-like-a-technostacker-instead.119382/