It sounds to me like you are stuck and afraid. We've all been there. You're trying to bite off more than you can chew. Remember, you eat an elephant one bite at a time. And it also obvious that you have no idea where to begin.I am insanely stupid. Or, incredibly smart.This isn't a how to guide or anything. Just letting some thoughts come out. Hopefully this'll meet one of @LightHouse actions.
We are going to need some back history for this thread. Maybe this belongs in the introduction section?
In 2006 I started working with a friend, doing autobody. Something that I was very very very good at. In 2008 we formed a LLC, and got our dealer licenses. We started buying wrecks. At first, it was salvage title vehicles. Both of us quickly realized that people didn't want rebuilt salvage vehicles. We switched our strategy. Starting buying wrecks with clear titles.
Everything was going smoothly. Until, one day I realized... My friend/business partner was stealing from me. I was crushed. Depressed. Everything you can think of. I had it in spades. This was in 2010. I practically did nothing until April 14th, 2011.
April 14th, 2011 - When I started working for Lowes Home Improvement. I'll briefly go over this. From April 14th, 2011 to March 1st, 2014. I worked these positions; Seasonal Lumber, Part-Time Lumber, Full-Time Lumber, Over-Nights Lumber, lastly Sales Specialist Millwork. I quit March 1st, 2014 as a Sales Specialist.
Between 2011 - 2014 I found The Millionaire Fastlane forum & book. I read a ton. Thought of ideas. Thought being the operative word. I never tried anything. If you were at the 2018 Fastlane Summit. @Get Right has more failed business than I do.
When I was working at Lowes as a Sales Specialist, I was making decent money. While reading the book. I quickly realized some of the pitfalls I was in. With the autobody business, etc.
One thing came out of working for Lowes. I was able to buy a plot of land sale. With the plot of land. I was able to get a small loan. I bought a mobile home. With some money left over. I renovated the mobile home. I am currently living in it now. Was able to pay off my car loan as well.
During 2014 I started buying things off craigslist and reselling them. I am still doing this. I needed to get a job again. So, July 2015. I was proudly a Freight Associate for The Home Depot. During which I quit the forum around this time.
I did absolutely nothing in for about a one year. Not even reselling items on craigslist. I'm not sure what prompted me into rejoining the forum.
When I came back to the forum. Feb 26th, 2016. First thread I noticed getting some serious attention was @SinisterLex Gold thread: Copywriting. I knew a few things about copy. I read stuff about copy. I'll give that try. I read a lot of books about copy. I joined his copywriting course in like July or August 2017.
Now this is where some major bullshit occurs.
Lex was very generous working with me over skype. I was accepted onto UpWork. Know how actionable I was? Zero. Zero. Zero. I say zero, because I basically wasted Lex's time for about a month. In which a user on this forum contacted me about writing copy for them during this time with Lex.
Know what happened? I blew him off as well. It gets better. Another user wanted copywriting as well. A very RESPECTED user at that. Guess what happened? I essentially blew this person off.
Let that set in for a moment.... Ready?
This was from September to December of 2017. Guess what? I quit my job at Home Depot in November 2017.
I was able to get a ticket to go to the 2018 Fastlane Summit. From which at that time. My money was slowly depleting. You would think, urgency would kick in at this point. Nope. I tried all of January to buy/sell on craigslist. I was moderately successful. But... No cigar.
How would I pay for the summit? Plane, Hotel, etc... I went to my bank. Asked for a 6 month loan for $1,500.00 dollars. I got the loan.
So, I goto the summit. Here I am in a room with people much much much successful than I am. You would think I would be beating the door down... to do what? Build relationships. I made some friends. but I could have been more successful.
I am completely uncomfortable. Embarrassed. Lazy. @Kung Fu Steve would you say those are limiting beliefs?
@million$$$smile made some very nice things to say about me. That I was listener. Which, I can agree with. Not entirely true though. I see myself as not bringing any value to the table.
@Eskil you asked what my takeaway was from the summit? If I took a stab at this question. It would be that everyone goes through ups and downs. We all get up and put our pants on the same way.
I may not have the right mentality right now. To actually see what should be my biggest takeaway would be. I just know one thing. I will be at the 2019 Fastlane Summit. I had a great time. Despite some things I could have done better.
For those who read all of this... I hope you find value.
Thank you @Red @Eskil @AllenCrawley @MJ DeMarco for putting on the event.
I ask myself the same question over and over again during the day...
What can do at this moment to further my goal of ________? Even if that action is thinking about my goal. Even if it's making a list of stuff to do. Even if its' a tiny, seemingly unimportant step.
Every goal can be broken down into baby steps. When I get that current step done, I ask the question again and decide on the next tiny step.
You're hitting yourself over the head for being human. Give yourself a break and give yourself permission to fail. (Every failure is a lesson that you don't have to repeat again the same way.) Yes, you've been around these successful people. Maybe you need time to absorb their lessons. Maybe you need more pieces to put it all together. Maybe you need some peace and quiet to understand what they've been telling you. In any case, mull it over and good luck!
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Membership Required: Upgrade to Expose Nearly 1,000,000 Posts
Ready to Unleash the Millionaire Entrepreneur in You?
Become a member of the Fastlane Forum, the private community founded by best-selling author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur MJ DeMarco. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has poured his heart and soul into the Fastlane Forum, helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time, win their financial freedom, and live their best life.
With more than 39,000 posts packed with insights, strategies, and advice, you’re not just a member—you’re stepping into MJ’s inner-circle, a place where you’ll never be left alone.
Become a member and gain immediate access to...
- Active Community: Ever join a community only to find it DEAD? Not at Fastlane! As you can see from our home page, life-changing content is posted dozens of times daily.
- Exclusive Insights: Direct access to MJ DeMarco’s daily contributions and wisdom.
- Powerful Networking Opportunities: Connect with a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs who can offer mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities.
- Proven Strategies: Learn from the best in the business, with actionable advice and strategies that can accelerate your success.
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most..."
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Surround yourself with millionaire success. Join Fastlane today!
Join Today
