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I'm 27 years old and 2 years into my "big-boy job" as a Petroleum Engineer. Paid off all by debt. Managed a decent amount of savings (in the eyes of the poor boy growing up with the mom that works at Dunkin Donuts). One thing I do, I avoid getting married, I avoid getting anyone pregnant, and with my poor upbringing and studies of Stoic Philosophy, I avoid the Sidewalker dreams of shiny things. I avoid the nice car, I avoid the fancy house, and I avoid the parties so I can stay shredded. In my mother's eyes, I've "made it". I broke the poverty cycle, I immigrated from Iran, to Canada, to the US. Despite all the odds, I got out of drugs, I saved up working at the pizza shop, I made straight A's, I got the scholarship, I got into the program, I hustled and begged for a job, and now? I got the big boy job... And I could care less about the "career".
Is this all there is? Did I beat the odds so I could slave my time for money? What about freedom and living a badass lifestyle? What about being able to tell my mom she can quit her shitty minimum wage job and live in a nice house with no mortgage? That she can marry whoever the F*ck she wants, not because she's broke and needs help. That she can go gardening and forget her pains? When will I be able to tell her she can stop shopping at Marshalls and Ross? That she doesn't have to get a panic attack at the restaurant, picking the cheapest item on the menu? What about myself? What about travelling the world, driving nice cars and banging the hottest babe? Oh nonono, forget all that buddy boy, now that you've made it, you're smart! You've evolved from the Sidewalker to a Slowlaner. My mom, my sister, myself, my dreams? They'll have to wait and HOPE. Now, I get to read books on index funds and how to live off pennies so I can save for an early retirement. Now I read blogs on FI/RE (financial independence, retire early) and hope that one of those blogposts motivates me to want to model after them. The tragedy? I F*cking hate every one of those guys. What a crappy model! I studied to become a problem solver, and now I spend every day solving problems about rocks and fluids. Why can't I solve my own problem of gaining FREEDOM? Is this all there is?
I stay uplifted, I work, I gym, I avoid the alcohol and the hamburger with friends that are only interested in partying. I slowly isolate myself further from the crowd. I keep banging my head against the wall, scouring through books, scouring blog posts on the web, YouTube gurus with get-rich-quick schemes that I can never believe enough to buy, but that I believe enough to keep indulging in the self-help porn.
Until one day... a little over a week ago, I discover MJ DeMarco's UNSCRIPTED . I also find another book on index funds. I devote my entire Sunday to begin "reading a new book". Despite my gut feel, I decided to begin with UNSCRIPTED instead of the shitty index fund book.
WHAM BAM I learn about the SCRIPT. Holy shit, did MJ write this book for ME? How is it that every friggin word that I'm reading resonates with the core of who I am? This is the best book I've ever read... and I cannot put it down. 1 week in, and I'm 75% through the book. My entire being is driven to detach from this shitty SCRIPTED life. My challenge? I'd like to quit my job and begin devoting 100% of my efforts toward my ambitions as an entrepreneur. I don't want a "get rich quick" scheme. I just want my time back, so I can devote it more intelligently instead of at the office. 1 week in, and I can't get anything done at the office... Nothing is important anymore. Nothing is as urgent as I thought it was. The only thing that matters, is breaking free, regaining my TIME, and pursuing life's next obstacle - adding value to the market place while ensuring a CENTS model that can liberate me.
My challenge? I'm still on a student visa here in America. If I quit, I must leave the country. My challenge? I don't have it all figured out yet. I don't have a business plan with an outline of exactly what I'm going to do and "how I'm going to transition into my next income source while minimizing risk and increasing my likelihood at success". What a load of crap. I'm more motivated than ever to take risk. I know it's not smart. I know it. I know I should be working on my dreams in the evenings/weekends until I can figure it out. I know I'm just pumped because I just started reading this book, and that any decision I make today will be premature.
But I have enough saved to cushion the blow. I have enough saved to last me for a while until I figure out the next gig. I don't know what the next gig is, but with my time back as my agent, I can solve my problem a lot faster than while solving partial differential equations in space and time about the movement of hydrocarbons inside porous media...
Fastlane forum, if you were in my shoes, what would you do? Would you risk the fancy big-wig career and the nice payoff? If it meant you had to leave the country, would you still do it? I wouldn't have to return a shit country, I'd be going back to Canada. I don't quite like Canada. it's cold as hell. And the socialist government will work hard to strip me of my earnings. Are these excuses? Am I just not ready for my "F*ck This Event"? I love America... I want to stay in America, to enjoy the sunshine, to enjoy good climate, to sleep with beautiful Latinas, and to do business HERE.
My gut tells me to stay put, to let ideas stir in the pot a while longer, to remain patient and to plan a proper exit strategy in 2 years. My soul tells me to break free ASAP. It tells me that TIME is my best advantage, and with more TIME on my corner, the creative thinker within can flourish, and I can grow beyond what I have to gain by staying at my job for another 2 years.
Is this all there is? Did I beat the odds so I could slave my time for money? What about freedom and living a badass lifestyle? What about being able to tell my mom she can quit her shitty minimum wage job and live in a nice house with no mortgage? That she can marry whoever the F*ck she wants, not because she's broke and needs help. That she can go gardening and forget her pains? When will I be able to tell her she can stop shopping at Marshalls and Ross? That she doesn't have to get a panic attack at the restaurant, picking the cheapest item on the menu? What about myself? What about travelling the world, driving nice cars and banging the hottest babe? Oh nonono, forget all that buddy boy, now that you've made it, you're smart! You've evolved from the Sidewalker to a Slowlaner. My mom, my sister, myself, my dreams? They'll have to wait and HOPE. Now, I get to read books on index funds and how to live off pennies so I can save for an early retirement. Now I read blogs on FI/RE (financial independence, retire early) and hope that one of those blogposts motivates me to want to model after them. The tragedy? I F*cking hate every one of those guys. What a crappy model! I studied to become a problem solver, and now I spend every day solving problems about rocks and fluids. Why can't I solve my own problem of gaining FREEDOM? Is this all there is?
I stay uplifted, I work, I gym, I avoid the alcohol and the hamburger with friends that are only interested in partying. I slowly isolate myself further from the crowd. I keep banging my head against the wall, scouring through books, scouring blog posts on the web, YouTube gurus with get-rich-quick schemes that I can never believe enough to buy, but that I believe enough to keep indulging in the self-help porn.
Until one day... a little over a week ago, I discover MJ DeMarco's UNSCRIPTED . I also find another book on index funds. I devote my entire Sunday to begin "reading a new book". Despite my gut feel, I decided to begin with UNSCRIPTED instead of the shitty index fund book.
WHAM BAM I learn about the SCRIPT. Holy shit, did MJ write this book for ME? How is it that every friggin word that I'm reading resonates with the core of who I am? This is the best book I've ever read... and I cannot put it down. 1 week in, and I'm 75% through the book. My entire being is driven to detach from this shitty SCRIPTED life. My challenge? I'd like to quit my job and begin devoting 100% of my efforts toward my ambitions as an entrepreneur. I don't want a "get rich quick" scheme. I just want my time back, so I can devote it more intelligently instead of at the office. 1 week in, and I can't get anything done at the office... Nothing is important anymore. Nothing is as urgent as I thought it was. The only thing that matters, is breaking free, regaining my TIME, and pursuing life's next obstacle - adding value to the market place while ensuring a CENTS model that can liberate me.
My challenge? I'm still on a student visa here in America. If I quit, I must leave the country. My challenge? I don't have it all figured out yet. I don't have a business plan with an outline of exactly what I'm going to do and "how I'm going to transition into my next income source while minimizing risk and increasing my likelihood at success". What a load of crap. I'm more motivated than ever to take risk. I know it's not smart. I know it. I know I should be working on my dreams in the evenings/weekends until I can figure it out. I know I'm just pumped because I just started reading this book, and that any decision I make today will be premature.
But I have enough saved to cushion the blow. I have enough saved to last me for a while until I figure out the next gig. I don't know what the next gig is, but with my time back as my agent, I can solve my problem a lot faster than while solving partial differential equations in space and time about the movement of hydrocarbons inside porous media...
Fastlane forum, if you were in my shoes, what would you do? Would you risk the fancy big-wig career and the nice payoff? If it meant you had to leave the country, would you still do it? I wouldn't have to return a shit country, I'd be going back to Canada. I don't quite like Canada. it's cold as hell. And the socialist government will work hard to strip me of my earnings. Are these excuses? Am I just not ready for my "F*ck This Event"? I love America... I want to stay in America, to enjoy the sunshine, to enjoy good climate, to sleep with beautiful Latinas, and to do business HERE.
My gut tells me to stay put, to let ideas stir in the pot a while longer, to remain patient and to plan a proper exit strategy in 2 years. My soul tells me to break free ASAP. It tells me that TIME is my best advantage, and with more TIME on my corner, the creative thinker within can flourish, and I can grow beyond what I have to gain by staying at my job for another 2 years.
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