TL;DR at bottom
To be honest, something had been itching at me for the last few years. What I lacked--as I worked intensely and built up accolades and achievements within corporate America--was the mindset to frame my growing discomfort. MJ's books gave me the tools and perspectives to do just that. Now, it feels like there is no other choice but to execute, execute, and execute on a CENTS business. Time is passing by too fast and not fast enough all at once.
As an immigrant (moved to the US as a kid), my life had been squarely molded by the Slowlane ideology. My parents both have doctorates. The idea of not going to grad school for something and then getting a "good job" was blasphemy in my family.
Sure enough, I found myself looking in the mirror last year as an overworked lawyer in my early 30s, dealing with chronic headaches and routine back pain. I was partner-track at a regional firm and took home a healthy salary even in overpriced San Francisco, but I could feel that something was fundamentally misaligned with my truths. I calculated: the team I built and managed for the law firm produced ~$2+M/year in billable income to firm, but I earned a mere sliver no matter how hard I worked and increased productivity. Coupled with a FTE that I won't get into here, I left with a nice little nest egg to figure things out.
For the first month, my break was fantastic. Emails demanding my attention went from hundreds a day to a just few. But a couple of weeks after that, I needed something to do and was sinking into depression without being busy. I needed more than "fun" and "relaxation" as a purpose when I woke up in the morning.
So I started my own law firm with an old colleague. It's now about a year later. We are gaining traction with our practice which has been profitable all year, but it's still fledging and more importantly, it still doesn't feel right. First, I realize (especially after reading Fastlane and getting acclimated to CENTS concepts) I'm still trading my time for money and haven't built out the systems to properly scale. Second, law is not forever for me. It's what I've spent years of my life learning and there is a certain sunk cost (for me) and barrier to entry (for others) that I'd like to capitalize on. But I plan to work on other endeavors in the future.
Since reading MJ's books (among others like the Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman - highly recommended), I've been going to sleep and waking up thinking about how I could add value to both my law practice and other CENTS-centric business ideas.
Work ethic was never what I lacked. Direction, a rough blueprint, along with a lingering attachment to perfection that kept me from execution was. MJ's books ripped those excuses apart. Coincidentally, we're at the end of 2019. I've already started executing on different things with my law practice as well as well as a side hustle. 2020 will surely be full of struggles and hopefully triumphs of the process, but I can't wait.
TL;DR: 30 something attorney ready to dive into the Fastlane process after years in the Slowlane. Looking to connect with likeminded folks!
To be honest, something had been itching at me for the last few years. What I lacked--as I worked intensely and built up accolades and achievements within corporate America--was the mindset to frame my growing discomfort. MJ's books gave me the tools and perspectives to do just that. Now, it feels like there is no other choice but to execute, execute, and execute on a CENTS business. Time is passing by too fast and not fast enough all at once.
As an immigrant (moved to the US as a kid), my life had been squarely molded by the Slowlane ideology. My parents both have doctorates. The idea of not going to grad school for something and then getting a "good job" was blasphemy in my family.
Sure enough, I found myself looking in the mirror last year as an overworked lawyer in my early 30s, dealing with chronic headaches and routine back pain. I was partner-track at a regional firm and took home a healthy salary even in overpriced San Francisco, but I could feel that something was fundamentally misaligned with my truths. I calculated: the team I built and managed for the law firm produced ~$2+M/year in billable income to firm, but I earned a mere sliver no matter how hard I worked and increased productivity. Coupled with a FTE that I won't get into here, I left with a nice little nest egg to figure things out.
For the first month, my break was fantastic. Emails demanding my attention went from hundreds a day to a just few. But a couple of weeks after that, I needed something to do and was sinking into depression without being busy. I needed more than "fun" and "relaxation" as a purpose when I woke up in the morning.
So I started my own law firm with an old colleague. It's now about a year later. We are gaining traction with our practice which has been profitable all year, but it's still fledging and more importantly, it still doesn't feel right. First, I realize (especially after reading Fastlane and getting acclimated to CENTS concepts) I'm still trading my time for money and haven't built out the systems to properly scale. Second, law is not forever for me. It's what I've spent years of my life learning and there is a certain sunk cost (for me) and barrier to entry (for others) that I'd like to capitalize on. But I plan to work on other endeavors in the future.
Since reading MJ's books (among others like the Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman - highly recommended), I've been going to sleep and waking up thinking about how I could add value to both my law practice and other CENTS-centric business ideas.
Work ethic was never what I lacked. Direction, a rough blueprint, along with a lingering attachment to perfection that kept me from execution was. MJ's books ripped those excuses apart. Coincidentally, we're at the end of 2019. I've already started executing on different things with my law practice as well as well as a side hustle. 2020 will surely be full of struggles and hopefully triumphs of the process, but I can't wait.
TL;DR: 30 something attorney ready to dive into the Fastlane process after years in the Slowlane. Looking to connect with likeminded folks!
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