Introduction
To start, the goal of this post for me is to examine myself as a method of determining my path forward while at the same time introducing myself to the forum. Without getting into too much detail, I am in my early twenties and a male who has just graduated college with a degree in Cybersecurity and am working a hybrid job directly related to my degree. Furthermore, I have taken the time to gain certifications such as the Security+ and some Azure cloud certifications, which solidified my position. After starting my job, I was already at the point where I knew this is not where I wanted to end up, but had not found any drive to escape. Currently, I am part of an LLC with two others, people who are my close friends, but there are some major issues that I will explain further down in the post. I want to now explain how I ended up where I am now and how my mindset has changed over time.
Early Life
I grew up in an upper-middle-class neighborhood with a few other siblings; I am the oldest. My two parents got divorced when I was younger, and I mainly lived with my mother, but my father was still close by and was a major part of my life. Growing up, I lived a pretty standard life, went to school, played some sports, and hung out with my friends, at least until the midpoint of junior high. Sometime in the middle of junior high, I started to eat and play video games excessively. I still went to school and played some sports, but all of my free time was dedicated to video games. School breaks and weekends were filled with hours upon hours of gaming, where I just ate, and my only social interaction was through the microphone. This resulted in me putting on a significant amount of weight and not knowing how to socially interact with people in real life. There were a few times I went to the gym and tried to do better, but in the end, I resorted back to my comfort, my escape. Eventually, I finished high school with no notable achievements and went to University to pursue the degree I currently have.
Entering College
After entering college, something changed. I went to school during the pandemic, and my senior year of school got cut short, which resulted in me gaming/not existing for up to 16 hours a day. From the first day I entered dorms, for no reason at all, my time spent playing video games went to zero; I still don't know why it's like a switch flipped in my brain. One memory that is burnt into me is the first day I realized I truly hated something, myself. I looked into the mirror that day and was just disgusted. Soon after, I was doing light research into fitness, and that is where I learned about training for aesthetics, i.e., David Laid. I hadn't read any of the books until a few months ago, but I suppose that is what everyone would call an FTE. Nothing else really changed for a while, but it became depressing just sitting around all day doing nothing, so I just began by running on the track daily. Slowly, this turned into pushups, then into a full-on schedule and calorie tracking. Eventually, I hit all of my initial goals of lifting, and it became a normal part of my life, but this was just my physique; nothing about my anti-social personality had changed yet. I went on for about two more years until I joined a sports club and met some of the people I call my best friends and one of my business partners. This is where my life took a drastic change where I regained my ability to meet people, express myself, and I started to live a more standard college life; I became immersed in the machine. I had taken an unscripted approach to fitness and lifting; the amount of times I was told I had an eating disorder or that what I am doing is unhealthy was deafening, but time and time again I hit my goals and received positive feedback which pushed me to go further. However, on the flip side, I am still living a very scripted life. I went to school and am set up perfectly to work the standard 9-5 job.
Professional Life
Part of my degree was working internships related to my field. One of my internships, which turned into a full-time job, was at a local company. The work itself is the bottom barrel of security, but something that is necessary for any SOC (Security Operations Center). I have no complaints about the job; it is hybrid, and I can usually work remotely whenever I want. This is where I met my second business partner and another person I call one of my best friends. For ease here on out, I will refer to the first business partner as "A" and the second as "B". Quickly taking it back to when I was still in school, "A" and I one day were talking about starting a business; it was not a great idea as it required a lot of time, but it entailed deploying fully functioning cloud environments for startup companies. Of course, nothing happened here as I was still in college and so was "A". Eventually, it came up in conversation with "B," who said it was not a good idea, and he actually gave a lot of reasons why starting a business is a bad idea. Eventually, I graduated school and started working my full-time job. "B" works at the same company as me and was due for a promotion after a year. After getting hired, he was easily one of the company's best employees and outperformed everyone else; automation, a major part of his role, must have generated the company hundreds of thousands of dollars. Eventually, our manager promised a promotion which excited us since it meant that progression was possible. This was crushed, as the promise of a promotion was dangled over his head for four months before he was granted a new title and a measly raise. Now, here I am signing another lease in an area away from home, in an area I don't want to be in, where my slow-lane dream of a job was fully crushed in front of me. I should have realized when the CEO was the only person who pulled up to work in a luxury sports car.
Challenges in the Business
After this event, we knew we were F*cked if we continued to work in this environment. "B" and I talked on a Discord call one night and went full send and with no plan registered an LLC through a registered agent. The night was filled with motivation that died out quickly, and we went back into comfort; no discipline or process was put into place. To help spark our business, I pitched to "B" to include "A"; with some apprehension from "B", he agreed that we could use the assistance of "A". For a few nights, all three of us worked on an idea; it was not original, but we decided to do something instead of nothing. Without being too specific, we were trying to run a company that took up a ton of time with no original product. At this point, none of us had read the books and were not familiar with the possibility of a business being no different than a job. Also during this time, I realized I had another, extremely large issue. The business first began with all three of us working and coming up with ideas, but quickly, it turned into "B" and I doing all the work and only false promises coming from "A". Eventually, this led to me confronting "A", where I was given promises that there would be change, just to be led into the same trap. I have now been through this three times and realize there is nothing that can be done to correct their actions. I have explained how important this is to me, and they agreed, then produced nothing again. "A" is one of my best friends and one of "B"s good friends, and we know what we have to do, but can't do it. We are stuck because we can't bring ourselves to risk a friendship, but know full well that if we don't, our business is at risk. Deep down, I still feel like he can change and will work, but there's another voice telling me to stop being stupid.
Influence of "The Millionaire Fastlane "
At some point during this process, "B" found the time to read the "Millionaire Fastlane ," and before even finishing it, recommended the book to me. I was apprehensive at first, but after he explained to me that it was important to read, I did. I had already reached the point of no return by the time I read the first and other books, but they helped me to formulate what I was feeling into an actual process. Us three are all still in the business together, "B" and I have read all three books, but "A" still refuses, claiming they are money grabs. We got in a room together and had a long discussion about the business and mindset moving forward. I spent an hour explaining why this is so important to me and how our current business model is no good. I now realize I have not gone deep into my mindset and why I really want to change and achieve freedom. I went to my hometown for my friend's graduation party this previous summer. This was the first time I had been home since I graduated, so I wanted to see how all of my friends were doing and what their goals for their future are. At this point, I had already read the "Millionaire Fastlane ," and my brain was flowing with a new mindset. Essentially, the general consensus of my friends was that they were going to work a job, get a house, go on vacations, etc., the general bullshit. I don't know why, maybe it was because I was decently drunk, but it hit me really hard. I snapped a little and asked how the hell they planned on getting a house and going on vacation, owning a car, providing for a family when their salaries were going to be so low; they have all fallen for the honeypot, and that scared me. At that moment, I realized that everyone I know and love has been scammed into a lifestyle where they are never going to achieve freedom and the things that they want. I thought the only way I can save them is by first escaping the machine myself. I know it is possible; I have to achieve freedom first and lead by example and save everyone else.
Moving Forward with the Business
Now to continue, after the meeting we had, it seemed like everyone was on board. We quickly planned our initial steps for our new idea for a SaaS platform and got to work. The idea itself is nothing original, but we are replicating a system that already exists and implementing improvements that we believe will be useful and help streamline the process. Everyone contributed heavily for about a week, and then "A" fell off again. I would overtime nudge "A" asking what had he done or what he is thinking about, but I got tired of being the one who kept bringing it up and went silent. I figured I would really test his resolve and his respect to me and see how long it would take him to make mention, but it still has not happened. Now, "B" and I have been executing on our own for 2-3 weeks, and "A" makes slight mentions and such, but produces nothing. "B" and I are going to continue together as we work well together, but we are in a sticky situation where we are avoiding the elephant in the room, and honestly, that is going to bite us in the a$$ in the end. Make fun of me all you want, I know the solution is simple, but try and execute on something that will result in you losing a friend.
Conclusion
To finish off, I have achieved nothing yet and have proven nothing, but what I will say is I have started and have no intention of turning back. Part of the reason I signed up and paid for an account on this forum is to surround myself with like-minded people, which is hard to find in person. Furthermore, I wanted to leave a record of my current mental state and what I am thinking about as a reference for myself in the future to look back on. What I have learned so far in life is you will achieve nothing with event-driven motivation, but it is embracing discipline and engaging in a process. I did not get fit in one day, and I will not get rich in one day, but I have to start now or else I will regret it forever. I'm also in agreeance with the point that if I am going to do this I should be providing for others, taking advantage of others or abusing them would make me sick. I want to work hard now and reap the benefits This ended up being more long-winded than expected, but if you read this far, thank you; I am looking forward to reading and interacting with everyone on this forum in the effort of improving myself and providing for the ones I love.
If there is anything else you would like to know for me to clarify just let me know.
Best -T
To start, the goal of this post for me is to examine myself as a method of determining my path forward while at the same time introducing myself to the forum. Without getting into too much detail, I am in my early twenties and a male who has just graduated college with a degree in Cybersecurity and am working a hybrid job directly related to my degree. Furthermore, I have taken the time to gain certifications such as the Security+ and some Azure cloud certifications, which solidified my position. After starting my job, I was already at the point where I knew this is not where I wanted to end up, but had not found any drive to escape. Currently, I am part of an LLC with two others, people who are my close friends, but there are some major issues that I will explain further down in the post. I want to now explain how I ended up where I am now and how my mindset has changed over time.
Early Life
I grew up in an upper-middle-class neighborhood with a few other siblings; I am the oldest. My two parents got divorced when I was younger, and I mainly lived with my mother, but my father was still close by and was a major part of my life. Growing up, I lived a pretty standard life, went to school, played some sports, and hung out with my friends, at least until the midpoint of junior high. Sometime in the middle of junior high, I started to eat and play video games excessively. I still went to school and played some sports, but all of my free time was dedicated to video games. School breaks and weekends were filled with hours upon hours of gaming, where I just ate, and my only social interaction was through the microphone. This resulted in me putting on a significant amount of weight and not knowing how to socially interact with people in real life. There were a few times I went to the gym and tried to do better, but in the end, I resorted back to my comfort, my escape. Eventually, I finished high school with no notable achievements and went to University to pursue the degree I currently have.
Entering College
After entering college, something changed. I went to school during the pandemic, and my senior year of school got cut short, which resulted in me gaming/not existing for up to 16 hours a day. From the first day I entered dorms, for no reason at all, my time spent playing video games went to zero; I still don't know why it's like a switch flipped in my brain. One memory that is burnt into me is the first day I realized I truly hated something, myself. I looked into the mirror that day and was just disgusted. Soon after, I was doing light research into fitness, and that is where I learned about training for aesthetics, i.e., David Laid. I hadn't read any of the books until a few months ago, but I suppose that is what everyone would call an FTE. Nothing else really changed for a while, but it became depressing just sitting around all day doing nothing, so I just began by running on the track daily. Slowly, this turned into pushups, then into a full-on schedule and calorie tracking. Eventually, I hit all of my initial goals of lifting, and it became a normal part of my life, but this was just my physique; nothing about my anti-social personality had changed yet. I went on for about two more years until I joined a sports club and met some of the people I call my best friends and one of my business partners. This is where my life took a drastic change where I regained my ability to meet people, express myself, and I started to live a more standard college life; I became immersed in the machine. I had taken an unscripted approach to fitness and lifting; the amount of times I was told I had an eating disorder or that what I am doing is unhealthy was deafening, but time and time again I hit my goals and received positive feedback which pushed me to go further. However, on the flip side, I am still living a very scripted life. I went to school and am set up perfectly to work the standard 9-5 job.
Professional Life
Part of my degree was working internships related to my field. One of my internships, which turned into a full-time job, was at a local company. The work itself is the bottom barrel of security, but something that is necessary for any SOC (Security Operations Center). I have no complaints about the job; it is hybrid, and I can usually work remotely whenever I want. This is where I met my second business partner and another person I call one of my best friends. For ease here on out, I will refer to the first business partner as "A" and the second as "B". Quickly taking it back to when I was still in school, "A" and I one day were talking about starting a business; it was not a great idea as it required a lot of time, but it entailed deploying fully functioning cloud environments for startup companies. Of course, nothing happened here as I was still in college and so was "A". Eventually, it came up in conversation with "B," who said it was not a good idea, and he actually gave a lot of reasons why starting a business is a bad idea. Eventually, I graduated school and started working my full-time job. "B" works at the same company as me and was due for a promotion after a year. After getting hired, he was easily one of the company's best employees and outperformed everyone else; automation, a major part of his role, must have generated the company hundreds of thousands of dollars. Eventually, our manager promised a promotion which excited us since it meant that progression was possible. This was crushed, as the promise of a promotion was dangled over his head for four months before he was granted a new title and a measly raise. Now, here I am signing another lease in an area away from home, in an area I don't want to be in, where my slow-lane dream of a job was fully crushed in front of me. I should have realized when the CEO was the only person who pulled up to work in a luxury sports car.
Challenges in the Business
After this event, we knew we were F*cked if we continued to work in this environment. "B" and I talked on a Discord call one night and went full send and with no plan registered an LLC through a registered agent. The night was filled with motivation that died out quickly, and we went back into comfort; no discipline or process was put into place. To help spark our business, I pitched to "B" to include "A"; with some apprehension from "B", he agreed that we could use the assistance of "A". For a few nights, all three of us worked on an idea; it was not original, but we decided to do something instead of nothing. Without being too specific, we were trying to run a company that took up a ton of time with no original product. At this point, none of us had read the books and were not familiar with the possibility of a business being no different than a job. Also during this time, I realized I had another, extremely large issue. The business first began with all three of us working and coming up with ideas, but quickly, it turned into "B" and I doing all the work and only false promises coming from "A". Eventually, this led to me confronting "A", where I was given promises that there would be change, just to be led into the same trap. I have now been through this three times and realize there is nothing that can be done to correct their actions. I have explained how important this is to me, and they agreed, then produced nothing again. "A" is one of my best friends and one of "B"s good friends, and we know what we have to do, but can't do it. We are stuck because we can't bring ourselves to risk a friendship, but know full well that if we don't, our business is at risk. Deep down, I still feel like he can change and will work, but there's another voice telling me to stop being stupid.
Influence of "The Millionaire Fastlane "
At some point during this process, "B" found the time to read the "Millionaire Fastlane ," and before even finishing it, recommended the book to me. I was apprehensive at first, but after he explained to me that it was important to read, I did. I had already reached the point of no return by the time I read the first and other books, but they helped me to formulate what I was feeling into an actual process. Us three are all still in the business together, "B" and I have read all three books, but "A" still refuses, claiming they are money grabs. We got in a room together and had a long discussion about the business and mindset moving forward. I spent an hour explaining why this is so important to me and how our current business model is no good. I now realize I have not gone deep into my mindset and why I really want to change and achieve freedom. I went to my hometown for my friend's graduation party this previous summer. This was the first time I had been home since I graduated, so I wanted to see how all of my friends were doing and what their goals for their future are. At this point, I had already read the "Millionaire Fastlane ," and my brain was flowing with a new mindset. Essentially, the general consensus of my friends was that they were going to work a job, get a house, go on vacations, etc., the general bullshit. I don't know why, maybe it was because I was decently drunk, but it hit me really hard. I snapped a little and asked how the hell they planned on getting a house and going on vacation, owning a car, providing for a family when their salaries were going to be so low; they have all fallen for the honeypot, and that scared me. At that moment, I realized that everyone I know and love has been scammed into a lifestyle where they are never going to achieve freedom and the things that they want. I thought the only way I can save them is by first escaping the machine myself. I know it is possible; I have to achieve freedom first and lead by example and save everyone else.
Moving Forward with the Business
Now to continue, after the meeting we had, it seemed like everyone was on board. We quickly planned our initial steps for our new idea for a SaaS platform and got to work. The idea itself is nothing original, but we are replicating a system that already exists and implementing improvements that we believe will be useful and help streamline the process. Everyone contributed heavily for about a week, and then "A" fell off again. I would overtime nudge "A" asking what had he done or what he is thinking about, but I got tired of being the one who kept bringing it up and went silent. I figured I would really test his resolve and his respect to me and see how long it would take him to make mention, but it still has not happened. Now, "B" and I have been executing on our own for 2-3 weeks, and "A" makes slight mentions and such, but produces nothing. "B" and I are going to continue together as we work well together, but we are in a sticky situation where we are avoiding the elephant in the room, and honestly, that is going to bite us in the a$$ in the end. Make fun of me all you want, I know the solution is simple, but try and execute on something that will result in you losing a friend.
Conclusion
To finish off, I have achieved nothing yet and have proven nothing, but what I will say is I have started and have no intention of turning back. Part of the reason I signed up and paid for an account on this forum is to surround myself with like-minded people, which is hard to find in person. Furthermore, I wanted to leave a record of my current mental state and what I am thinking about as a reference for myself in the future to look back on. What I have learned so far in life is you will achieve nothing with event-driven motivation, but it is embracing discipline and engaging in a process. I did not get fit in one day, and I will not get rich in one day, but I have to start now or else I will regret it forever. I'm also in agreeance with the point that if I am going to do this I should be providing for others, taking advantage of others or abusing them would make me sick. I want to work hard now and reap the benefits This ended up being more long-winded than expected, but if you read this far, thank you; I am looking forward to reading and interacting with everyone on this forum in the effort of improving myself and providing for the ones I love.
If there is anything else you would like to know for me to clarify just let me know.
Best -T
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