Letters to Your Younger Self… What Would You Say?

[...] say? What wisdom would you impart? I ask this because I wrote my book from this perspective … Letters to Your Younger Self… What Would You Say? | Fastlane Entrepreneurs The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime "The best [...]

My first piece of advice would be to “GTFO” out of Chicago NOW — don’t wait! (I waited until I was 26.)

Here is what I would write…

Dear Scott,

If you really want something bad enough for your life, but don’t know how to get it, the best thing to do is only follow the advice from those who have been there and done what you want to achieve.

Following people who claim to know what is best for you, without truly living what they are teaching, is a recipe for lots of wheel spinning, wasted time and tons of unnecessary stress.

Make sure that you do the appropriate due diligence on the specific person who you want to help you reach your goal, to ensure that they are who they say they are, and aren’t blowing smoke up your butt to line their pockets with thousands or millions of dollars due to your naive ignorance to spend a little time researching them.

By implementing what “been there done that” individuals teach you, you will achieve anything it is that you set your mind to with their help and guidance.

Understanding that you will achieve the success that you set out to achieve, due to those individuals who will take the time to teach you the correct ways to achieve your goals, should never be taken for granted or forgotten. Realizing that these individuals are and will continually be an important part of your life, and knowing that you wouldn’t be able to achieve what it is you set out to achieve without their help is called humility. The more humility you have, the greater a success you will have long term.

And NEVER FORGET…

There is plenty of room at the top, because “most people” aren’t willing to do the “hard stuff” to get what they want, or are not committed enough to take the necessary actions each day to achieve the goals they have set for themselves.

Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity, so never allow someone’s beliefs about what you are doing to squash your dreams, because those individuals will probably never achieve anything of great importance in their life, and only continue to live in their little “circle of sameness” dying a sad lonely death.

Always make time to nurture the relationships that you have, because those are the only true things that last forever well beyond the current life that you live. Caring enough about others, showing your compassion and support for them is something that you simply can’t put a price tag on.

Remember all of this Scott, and you will never be unhappy or go hungry.

Sincerely,
Scott

I would tell her I am all the things she would ever hope for me to be. That as all things mature so will she. Don’t rush it. Everything’s going to be ok. To own it…every strength…every weakness… And to take action, her time is now! And to do nothing but hang in there…

dear Angela- Do not worry what others think and expect of you, search your heart & soul to discern what only you will know is best for you. Give up on trying to meet the expectations of the ‘world’, focus on being the best and only uniquely… you. Seek wisdom & guidance along your journey, but know there are many things useful to you specifically and many not. Live each day knowing today, what you do, who you are and the love you give is enough since tomorrow may never come.

It’s important to understand that:
• Events are separate from the actual meaning we place on them.
• The beliefs we once held about ourselves change as we mature and develop socially.
• Belief can change in an instant.

Believe nothing and explore everything! Enjoy because life is so worth it! You’re amazing and you will see leaving behind the meaning gives you freedom. The key to leaving behind the meaning is forgiveness, and gratitude for all you have learned through what ever stage of life you are in. In a few short years you will learn one of the most valuable lessons ever… let go of your ego! Enjoy knowing here in the future we are in joy, love and have amazing gifts you created for us!
Love & Light!

I’m new to this website, and I just started reading the book, but here it goes –

Dear 18 year old self,

School is nothing but a stepping stone. You will learn almost nothing in school that is applicable in the real world. You may take business courses, but it won’t teach you how to run a business, and most of your professors probably have never run a business. You will take statistics courses that have some value because you’ll learn never to play the lottery. Other than that your real learning starts after you graduate college. There are no more semesters. No grades. No clear lines of progressing from junior to senior. School is neat and tidy. Real life isn’t. You are not given a structure to real life. There will be no exams on how to earn money and how to invest. After graduation, you won’t find a curriculum book that arrives in the fall for you to conveniently sign up for life skills 101. You’ll end up with a bottom floor job. You may have to file and make copies. You’ll think it’s beneath you. But guess what? You aren’t worth anything yet to any employer when you first graduate college because in reality you know nothing. Just deal with it. Go to work for a successful business that interests you and learn how it works while you are doing the grunt work. That’s a real education, and you actually get paid something, but not much. Eventually, when you know how the real world of business works, you’ll get more responsibility. You may even learn enough to be confident to start your own business. And you can thank the guy who started you filing papers and answering phones for paying you for a real life education. You might feel compelled to go get an MBA or a law degree after college. DON’T do it. All that will do is postpone the inevitable entrance into the real world, where again, you will be worth next to nothing until you have real experience, not to mention the boat load of money any of those degrees will cost you. And take this advice very strongly – Law is a miserable profession, you will be unhappy as a lawyer. Do not believe the BS that you can do anything with a law degree (in fact you can do anything with no degree at all). Law schools will sell you on all sorts of myths about the success rates of their students and the money they earn. If you had a tool called the Internet, right now, you would be able to do some very easy research to get to the truth. If you interview lawyers, a lot of them will give you the rosy picture because they don’t want to admit that they made a mistake. Most lawyers, if they had a choice to go back, would not go to law school or become a lawyer. It won’t be until after you’re a lawyer that this truth would be apparent. Don’t let it be your default profession, because that is all it will be. Do something, anything, even if you have to start by moping floors.

18 year old me, Buy Gold and stock in Apple right now.

I like what I’ve read so far. Here’s my take:

1. Ignore naysayers. Believe in yourself.
2. Listen to and learn from experienced people who have done what you strive for. Let no pride lead you astray.
3. You’re not meant to have a boss.
4. Never, never, never waste time!
5. Smile & enjoy the ride.

(and 6. You should write this on your _own_ forum… :-)

Kent,

You know that Ferrari you always wanted? There’s no way you can get a car like that and a house to match working a job. You need to own a business.

You do not need to go to college and take out loans to learn how to start a business. Go to the SBA’s office and you will find all the support you need there.

Get into Real Estate! It will allow you to work on your own schedule and make large sums of money at once. You can use the Real Estate money to invest in other business ventures that will make you a passive income i.e. Laundry Mat.

Follow this plan and by default, you will start to network with the right people to take yourself to the next level.

You will not have to take out a loan for that black Acura TL or any other car. Debt will make you a slave to your profession. Your freedom is more important than any amount of money or material possession.

Last thing..find a guy named MJ Demarco. He will teach you in 2 days what will take you 7 years to learn on your own. You will both go on to own 3 very successful websites. Google, Facebook, and Twitter. Haha..done!

[...] ago I wrote a blog post entitled “Letters to Your Younger Self” and it asked OLD YOU to write a letter to YOUNG YOU.  What would you say?  If you had 1 [...]

My short version ;)

1. You´ve got a lot of talents, develop them, start doing anything in that direction. Believe in yourself!
2. You don´t have to go to college, especially one you are not really interested. That is all your mom and dad know, but the world has changed. And you are not that person anyway. People with real world knowledge and expertise are those who succeed in bussines and life.
3. Move away from negative friends, find new people who are creative, inspiring and have a purpose. Meet new people, expand.
4. Don´t worry so much, things will be mostly fine.
5. Take better care of your health, select some sport, join people who are active.

I should have read your book at 18. I know I would’ve been a millionaire. I would tell myself STOP spending your money and put your money in a website that many people would use…eventually.  Educate myself and sharpen my sword in one topic. Also I would know how to turn $10,000 to $30,000 in one year and create exponential growth rather than spending money like I would always have it.