hgav
New Contributor
Yes, I'm bleeding. But no need to call 911.
I started to read the book last night. I don't know how far I got into it - maybe 40% of the way so far.
And to say the least, it was quite painful. But painful in a way that got me excited (please do not read
too much into that) because I have had multiple realizations.
First, I have been a sidewalk walker for years. MJ is 100% right on the money that if you have that
mindset, it doesn't matter how much money you make. For years I struggled; the path that MJ was
on in his youth was much like my own. I was able to put a few things together and in my early 20's
was making over $300,000.00 net a year - on near auto-pilot. With that came the house that was too
big, 4 other properties, a Lexus, 2 BMW's, too many luxury vacations, including trips to Vegas at
least 2 times per month for awhile.
I was one nasty bump in the road away from my bus made of toothpicks from crashing - much like
what MJ talks about. Well, like many others in the US, that bump came a couple of years ago.
I watched EVERYTHING slowly start to fade away. My real estate. Gone. My cars. Gone. I sold
tons of things on Craigslist and eBay to keep income coming in. I sold a ton of gold that I had
purchased years earlier as a 'long-term' investment.
It took about 2 years for everything to collapse. For savings to go to nothing. For income to literally
go to zero. No matter how hard I tried, I could not stop the train that was crashing through my life.
Sure, I blamed business partners, the economy, etc. during that time. It occurred to me a few times
that I lived too big too fast because I thought I could and I wanted to feel like I finally "made it".
A year ago I had no choice but to toss in the towel. Bankrupt. To go from having to much to
just the bare essentials and renting a piece of shit house coming from a brand new custom 4,000
sq/ft house is humbling. I lost everything - but over time, I realized I didn't really have anything
because I was so damn focused on living on the sidewalk and my shiny new toys.
The fall off the sidewalk into the deep ocean began just 2-3 months after I was married. Then a
year or so later, we had a child. For those of you who have been through this - you know that both
being newly married AND having a newborn to worry about compounds everything.
Depression, crazy thoughts, more than a dozen documented failed businesses litter the past year
of my life like the garbage litters a New Jersey beach on a Saturday morning in the summer.
It's one thing to fall, but at times I feel as if my life is drunk because I've been trying to get back
up over and over again the past year or more and I keep falling back down.
I know where I am right now is because of my actions and decisions that I made in the past. I
see where I went wrong. I see the mistakes that I made. I see the areas in my life that I need
to improve.
I'm not cut out to work for others - I learned that many years ago. So in between taking on
clients to keep the lights on, I'm crafting my Fast Lane business. I'm also working on myself
and my mind set 4-5 hours a day. I'm reading and going through courses like crazy. I'm
establishing new belief systems, setting ROCK SOLID goals, meditating, visioning, etc. thanks
to books like the Fast Lane and a few dozen others I've picked up in the last couple of weeks.
In addition to that, I've hired a great life coach (who is well known around these parts) and
not cheap. To get the rate lowered, I'm helping her with her marketing to attract new
clients - a win-win for the both of us.
It hit me 2 weeks ago that I was the one that was broken. Not the economy. Not my clients.
Not my multiple failed businesses. I've quickly made the shift to working harder on myself
than any other part of my life. And thankfully, I have a supportive wife who has been here
throughout the rise, fall, crash, and now re-building phase.
I still have a lot of work to do - MJ has been a huge help. I'm hoping by the time I finish the
book in the next day or two that I have clarity on my business focus. Right now I have over
20 different business ideas/models that I could launch. All of which qualify for solving a
problem in the marketplace and there is a need. I just need to pick one - and run like the
wind with it.
The BIGGEST problem that I have - and have dealt with this for years, is that I come up
with business models and ideas daily. Sometimes 2 a day. Sometimes 5 a day. It's like
I'm a magnet for these BIG ideas. I cannot shut it off. Sometimes it's a curse. Sometimes
I'm thankful for it. It's a gift that I have - just have not been able to figure out a way to
monetize this damn non-stop idea engine that distracts me constantly. From iPhone app
ideas, to inventions (some kick-a$$ ones too!), to websites, to better ways of doing things,
to online businesses, to off-line businesses. Seriously, it is not normal. But that's just
another piece of the puzzle that I'll figure out in due time.
So MJ, thanks for kicking my a$$ last night. And thanks for kicking my a$$ later today
when I put my nose back in my iPad. And thanks for kicking my a$$ in the future.
I truly hope that you have plans that extend far beyond this book. If not, I of course...
have some ideas.
I started to read the book last night. I don't know how far I got into it - maybe 40% of the way so far.
And to say the least, it was quite painful. But painful in a way that got me excited (please do not read
too much into that) because I have had multiple realizations.
First, I have been a sidewalk walker for years. MJ is 100% right on the money that if you have that
mindset, it doesn't matter how much money you make. For years I struggled; the path that MJ was
on in his youth was much like my own. I was able to put a few things together and in my early 20's
was making over $300,000.00 net a year - on near auto-pilot. With that came the house that was too
big, 4 other properties, a Lexus, 2 BMW's, too many luxury vacations, including trips to Vegas at
least 2 times per month for awhile.
I was one nasty bump in the road away from my bus made of toothpicks from crashing - much like
what MJ talks about. Well, like many others in the US, that bump came a couple of years ago.
I watched EVERYTHING slowly start to fade away. My real estate. Gone. My cars. Gone. I sold
tons of things on Craigslist and eBay to keep income coming in. I sold a ton of gold that I had
purchased years earlier as a 'long-term' investment.
It took about 2 years for everything to collapse. For savings to go to nothing. For income to literally
go to zero. No matter how hard I tried, I could not stop the train that was crashing through my life.
Sure, I blamed business partners, the economy, etc. during that time. It occurred to me a few times
that I lived too big too fast because I thought I could and I wanted to feel like I finally "made it".
A year ago I had no choice but to toss in the towel. Bankrupt. To go from having to much to
just the bare essentials and renting a piece of shit house coming from a brand new custom 4,000
sq/ft house is humbling. I lost everything - but over time, I realized I didn't really have anything
because I was so damn focused on living on the sidewalk and my shiny new toys.
The fall off the sidewalk into the deep ocean began just 2-3 months after I was married. Then a
year or so later, we had a child. For those of you who have been through this - you know that both
being newly married AND having a newborn to worry about compounds everything.
Depression, crazy thoughts, more than a dozen documented failed businesses litter the past year
of my life like the garbage litters a New Jersey beach on a Saturday morning in the summer.
It's one thing to fall, but at times I feel as if my life is drunk because I've been trying to get back
up over and over again the past year or more and I keep falling back down.
I know where I am right now is because of my actions and decisions that I made in the past. I
see where I went wrong. I see the mistakes that I made. I see the areas in my life that I need
to improve.
I'm not cut out to work for others - I learned that many years ago. So in between taking on
clients to keep the lights on, I'm crafting my Fast Lane business. I'm also working on myself
and my mind set 4-5 hours a day. I'm reading and going through courses like crazy. I'm
establishing new belief systems, setting ROCK SOLID goals, meditating, visioning, etc. thanks
to books like the Fast Lane and a few dozen others I've picked up in the last couple of weeks.
In addition to that, I've hired a great life coach (who is well known around these parts) and
not cheap. To get the rate lowered, I'm helping her with her marketing to attract new
clients - a win-win for the both of us.
It hit me 2 weeks ago that I was the one that was broken. Not the economy. Not my clients.
Not my multiple failed businesses. I've quickly made the shift to working harder on myself
than any other part of my life. And thankfully, I have a supportive wife who has been here
throughout the rise, fall, crash, and now re-building phase.
I still have a lot of work to do - MJ has been a huge help. I'm hoping by the time I finish the
book in the next day or two that I have clarity on my business focus. Right now I have over
20 different business ideas/models that I could launch. All of which qualify for solving a
problem in the marketplace and there is a need. I just need to pick one - and run like the
wind with it.
The BIGGEST problem that I have - and have dealt with this for years, is that I come up
with business models and ideas daily. Sometimes 2 a day. Sometimes 5 a day. It's like
I'm a magnet for these BIG ideas. I cannot shut it off. Sometimes it's a curse. Sometimes
I'm thankful for it. It's a gift that I have - just have not been able to figure out a way to
monetize this damn non-stop idea engine that distracts me constantly. From iPhone app
ideas, to inventions (some kick-a$$ ones too!), to websites, to better ways of doing things,
to online businesses, to off-line businesses. Seriously, it is not normal. But that's just
another piece of the puzzle that I'll figure out in due time.
So MJ, thanks for kicking my a$$ last night. And thanks for kicking my a$$ later today
when I put my nose back in my iPad. And thanks for kicking my a$$ in the future.
I truly hope that you have plans that extend far beyond this book. If not, I of course...
have some ideas.
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