While reading Hal Elrod's 'The Miracle Morning' after MJ recommended it in a thread, there was one sentence that made a light bulb go on in my head. You know that feeling of reading something and realizing that you never thought about it this way, no matter how obvious it actually is? That's the feeling I had. Now what did he write? It was a quote he mentioned in the beginning:
“Your level of success will rarely exceed your level of personal development” — Jim Rohn
But what does that actually mean?
Disclaimer: Before I get started, please note that I won't go into his whole Miracle Morning thing, yes I love the book and yes I enjoyed every Miracle Morning I did so far.
"Your level of success...
How would you rate your level of success at the moment? On a scale from 1-10, or on a scale from "I just finished reading TMF " to a MJ, Bio, Vig, Kak, etc. You're probably somewhere between. Of course it's a thing of perception, for some it's a level 8 success if you earn $3000 a month in a job after college. For me a Slowlane life is a level 1 success, no matter the salary. Everyone has to set their goals for themselves.
... will rarely exceed your level of personal development"
But no matter your goal, if you haven't reached it yet, it's time to ask yourself what level of personal development you are on at the moment. Let's just use an example. Your level of personal development is a 3-4.
Now let's play with some numbers:
level of success goal: 9-10
current level of success: 1-2
current level of personal development: 3-4
Now keep the above quote in mind. If your level of success probably won't exceed your level of personal development (3-4), how can you reach your goal of a level 9-10 success? Maybe it's time to change..
Let me use another quote, a pretty famous one, before I move on:
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
Most people do the same thing over and over again, they want a level 9-10 success but still do the same things that keep them their level 1-2 success. With reading, understanding and accepting the things said in TMF you now have the knowledge to break out of this vicious cycle of insanity, the majority is in. But let me hit you with the blunt truth, just because you read a book and understand what is written in this book, doesn't make you reach a higher level of success. You have to put this knowledge into action, into the right action!
But how can you reach a higher level of success if you are still the lazy guy that loves watching 5 episodes of Game of Thrones in a row? Breaking news: you can't. If you stay the same, you will always get the same results, and therefore you will stay at the same level of success.
I'm honest with you, I can't tell you how to do it. It's something everyone gotta figure out for themselves, one step is to accept the advice given by people who already achieved what you want to achieve, listen to people who are on the level you want to be on. Accept and interalize their mindsets. In other words, put into action what you read in TMF and on here.
I can't tell you how to get to the level 9-10 success, simply because I'm not there yet. But I can tell you how I almost f*cked up everything just because I was not willing to change and hopefully make you avoid this detour of 4 years.
Yes I know, 4 years is not too much if you consider that some spent decades in the Slowlane before even reading TMF. But what if I tell you that I read TMF before this detour of 4 years started? The first time I got my hands on TMF was in 2011 but it took me 4 years until I really started taking action in 2015.
When I first read TMF in 2011 I loved it from the first word on, I read the first part on the Sidewalk, then the second part on the Slowlane and then.. then I stopped. I don't know why. I just stopped reading it, I guess doing other stuff was more exciting than reading a book. Duh.. I know, could slap myself for that, I stopped reading the book before it got to the most important part, the Fastlane part. It needed a vacation to California that made me open the book again and reading the rest of it, that vacation was in March 2015. If you're asking yourself "the F*ck did he do the last 4 years?" that's not hard to explain. In one word: nothing.
No matter that I knew about the Sidewalk and the Slowlane, and of course that the Fastlane exists (just without the details, since I didn't read that part until 2015) I didn't change my choices and therefore I didn't change my actions AND THEREFORE I didn't change my level of success. I kept repeating what I did before reading TMF: watching tv, playing PS3, sleeping, taking naps, eating shit (not literally), surfing the web for nonsense, playing minecraft on my phone, laying there for hours doing nothing and of course, while doing all this, dreaming about getting rich and successful. I even started a business with a friend and a friend of him after I recommended him reading TMF. I actually worked on the company in the beginning. In the beginning... after the first motivation was gone, I fell back into my old routines, risking my friendship to one of my best friends due to my lack of interest in our company.
I wasn't able to make better choices, simply because I didn't want to. It was so much easier to lay on my couch watching half a season of Breaking Bad in one day, then doing the stuff I did't enjoy like working on our company. I fell back into the normal job life, trying to be good at my newest job, trying to enjoy the time at the job. I lost my desire for the Fastlane life, just because I didn't want to change myself. I also gained 25kg over those years and spend every cent of my salary every month. I almost f*cked up everything that I dreamed of since reading the first words of TMF.
Then came March 2015 and me and my best friends went to the US Westcoast (SF, LA, San Diego, Vegas). We lived the life I always dreamed of, I never felt that free and happy before. Coming from a kinda small town in Germany, I never really met a multi millionaire, not to mention seeing one Ferrari and Lambo after the other. This vacation brought me back to life, I saw and felt what is possible in life. After we came home, I grabbed TMF and finished reading it. I realized I had to change myself if I don't want to waste the next 4 years like I did the last 4. I knew that I had to change my whole mindset and behavior. I needed to get rid of the old me, the lazy me, the 'I don't want to change' me. I knew that the 'old' me will never be successful. I will never be successful if I continue doing the things over and over again that I did for all those years.
Now I know that you can't reach the level 9 or 10 success, without first changing yourself. If you are not willing to spend hours doing something you may not enjoy, and to sacrifice doing the things you enjoy doing, your level of success will never exceed that low level of your personal development.
It took me 4 years until I realized I need to change myself and start taking action, if this thread makes only one of you avoid this detour, it was already worth my time writing it.
“Your level of success will rarely exceed your level of personal development” — Jim Rohn
But what does that actually mean?
Disclaimer: Before I get started, please note that I won't go into his whole Miracle Morning thing, yes I love the book and yes I enjoyed every Miracle Morning I did so far.
"Your level of success...
How would you rate your level of success at the moment? On a scale from 1-10, or on a scale from "I just finished reading TMF " to a MJ, Bio, Vig, Kak, etc. You're probably somewhere between. Of course it's a thing of perception, for some it's a level 8 success if you earn $3000 a month in a job after college. For me a Slowlane life is a level 1 success, no matter the salary. Everyone has to set their goals for themselves.
... will rarely exceed your level of personal development"
But no matter your goal, if you haven't reached it yet, it's time to ask yourself what level of personal development you are on at the moment. Let's just use an example. Your level of personal development is a 3-4.
Now let's play with some numbers:
level of success goal: 9-10
current level of success: 1-2
current level of personal development: 3-4
Now keep the above quote in mind. If your level of success probably won't exceed your level of personal development (3-4), how can you reach your goal of a level 9-10 success? Maybe it's time to change..
Let me use another quote, a pretty famous one, before I move on:
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein
Most people do the same thing over and over again, they want a level 9-10 success but still do the same things that keep them their level 1-2 success. With reading, understanding and accepting the things said in TMF you now have the knowledge to break out of this vicious cycle of insanity, the majority is in. But let me hit you with the blunt truth, just because you read a book and understand what is written in this book, doesn't make you reach a higher level of success. You have to put this knowledge into action, into the right action!
But how can you reach a higher level of success if you are still the lazy guy that loves watching 5 episodes of Game of Thrones in a row? Breaking news: you can't. If you stay the same, you will always get the same results, and therefore you will stay at the same level of success.
I'm honest with you, I can't tell you how to do it. It's something everyone gotta figure out for themselves, one step is to accept the advice given by people who already achieved what you want to achieve, listen to people who are on the level you want to be on. Accept and interalize their mindsets. In other words, put into action what you read in TMF and on here.
I can't tell you how to get to the level 9-10 success, simply because I'm not there yet. But I can tell you how I almost f*cked up everything just because I was not willing to change and hopefully make you avoid this detour of 4 years.
Yes I know, 4 years is not too much if you consider that some spent decades in the Slowlane before even reading TMF. But what if I tell you that I read TMF before this detour of 4 years started? The first time I got my hands on TMF was in 2011 but it took me 4 years until I really started taking action in 2015.
When I first read TMF in 2011 I loved it from the first word on, I read the first part on the Sidewalk, then the second part on the Slowlane and then.. then I stopped. I don't know why. I just stopped reading it, I guess doing other stuff was more exciting than reading a book. Duh.. I know, could slap myself for that, I stopped reading the book before it got to the most important part, the Fastlane part. It needed a vacation to California that made me open the book again and reading the rest of it, that vacation was in March 2015. If you're asking yourself "the F*ck did he do the last 4 years?" that's not hard to explain. In one word: nothing.
No matter that I knew about the Sidewalk and the Slowlane, and of course that the Fastlane exists (just without the details, since I didn't read that part until 2015) I didn't change my choices and therefore I didn't change my actions AND THEREFORE I didn't change my level of success. I kept repeating what I did before reading TMF: watching tv, playing PS3, sleeping, taking naps, eating shit (not literally), surfing the web for nonsense, playing minecraft on my phone, laying there for hours doing nothing and of course, while doing all this, dreaming about getting rich and successful. I even started a business with a friend and a friend of him after I recommended him reading TMF. I actually worked on the company in the beginning. In the beginning... after the first motivation was gone, I fell back into my old routines, risking my friendship to one of my best friends due to my lack of interest in our company.
I wasn't able to make better choices, simply because I didn't want to. It was so much easier to lay on my couch watching half a season of Breaking Bad in one day, then doing the stuff I did't enjoy like working on our company. I fell back into the normal job life, trying to be good at my newest job, trying to enjoy the time at the job. I lost my desire for the Fastlane life, just because I didn't want to change myself. I also gained 25kg over those years and spend every cent of my salary every month. I almost f*cked up everything that I dreamed of since reading the first words of TMF.
Then came March 2015 and me and my best friends went to the US Westcoast (SF, LA, San Diego, Vegas). We lived the life I always dreamed of, I never felt that free and happy before. Coming from a kinda small town in Germany, I never really met a multi millionaire, not to mention seeing one Ferrari and Lambo after the other. This vacation brought me back to life, I saw and felt what is possible in life. After we came home, I grabbed TMF and finished reading it. I realized I had to change myself if I don't want to waste the next 4 years like I did the last 4. I knew that I had to change my whole mindset and behavior. I needed to get rid of the old me, the lazy me, the 'I don't want to change' me. I knew that the 'old' me will never be successful. I will never be successful if I continue doing the things over and over again that I did for all those years.
Now I know that you can't reach the level 9 or 10 success, without first changing yourself. If you are not willing to spend hours doing something you may not enjoy, and to sacrifice doing the things you enjoy doing, your level of success will never exceed that low level of your personal development.
It took me 4 years until I realized I need to change myself and start taking action, if this thread makes only one of you avoid this detour, it was already worth my time writing it.
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