In MJ DeMarco’s book, The Millionaire Fastlane, he speaks of two possible ways to become a millionaire. There is the slow lane, which is like the slow lane on the highway. Using the slow lane to become a millionaire involves investing and saving small amounts of money over a long period of time. Eventually becoming a millionaire by the time you reach retirement.
The other way to a million dollars is the fast lane, like on the highway, where you hustle and pass everyone else by creating a product, a service, or other quick way to make your millions as soon as you can. The goal here is to make your millions while you are still young, not having to wait for retirement to enjoy it.
Like on the highway, there is nothing wrong with the slow lane. You will get to your destination (becoming a millionaire) eventually, but you are taking your time and taking it easy. However, if you go in the fast lane, you have your foot on the gas trying to establish a money making vehicle as quickly as you can. In the fast lane you become a millionaire a lot faster, but you have to work smarter and not necessarily harder.
Slowlane Millionaires Are Cheap With…
One thing Slowlane Millionaires are cheap with is their money. They believe they have to live below their means, saving as much money as they can, cutting spending at every possible corner they can. For example, instead of buying the brand name clothes, they buy the off brand. Instead of buying their lunch when they go in the office, they pack their lunch and stay in. Slowlane Millionaires are very frugal. They believe the more ways they can cut down their cost, the faster they will become a millionaire. Slowlane Millionaires tend to be more concerned with their money than they are with their time. For example, one of their goals is to work a steady job, attempting to work hard and earn pay increases via a salary or a higher hourly rate. They trade their time for money and view increases in income as a way to save more money and still live below their means. They value every dollar they make and are very willing to trade their time for money.
Fastlane Millionaires Are Cheap With…
Fastlane Millionaires are cheap with their time. They understand that time is money. It’s a rare resource that we cannot replace. Once you spend time, you can’t get that time back. All of the millionaires and billionaires in the world have the same 168 hours a week that you and I have. The only difference is what they do with their hours and what you do with yours.
Fastlane Millionaires understand that every minute counts. Each working minute has to be spent building their own money making vehicle, not working for someone else and building theirs. Therefore, Fastlane Millionaires protect their time, careful not to waste it on activities that will not give them a good return on their time spent. They are much looser with their money than they are their time. Now, I don’t mean they are just giving money away, or throwing money at everything. I mean they are willing to invest money into the right things to grow their money making vehicle, rather than trying to pinch pennies to invest over time to eventually become a millionaire. They understand that they can make more money, but they cannot create more time. Thus, time is more valuable to them than money. Ironically enough, time well spent will make more money in the long run. They use their money and time wisely and are cheap with the time they give others.
Which One Of These Is Better?
You may think the obvious answer is the fast lane, but that takes more work, more planning, and more dedication. Being a Slowlane Millionaire is safe, secure and keeps people doing the same thing for years, slowly edging towards their millionaire goal. The fast lane makes you think, pivot, and hustle towards your goal. I can’t say one is better than the other. It really depends on you and what you want. Are you willing to risk working for yourself, a little less security, and putting in the brain power to make it in the fast lane? Or are you more of a 9-5 kinda guy or gal who wants to keep everything as simple as possible.
Jim Mott said, “You can be rich by having more than you need, or by needing less than you have.” Think about that quote and figure out what lane you want to drive in.
Where Do I Stand You Ask?
I am like the kid on A League of Their Own who said, “Can’t we do both?” Why can’t we get our junker car in the slow lane, working its way towards our millions, while we are in the shop working hard on our sports car to get us there faster? Why not do all the things, like being frugal with our money, investing it in long term investments and savings, while at the same time trying to build a product, a service, or other money making machine that will get us to our goals faster? Yeah, doing both is a little more work, but I believe it’s worth it. I practice some of the Slowlane Millionaire tactics, while also engaging Fastlane Millionaire tactics. So, I do both!!!
If You Take The Fastlane…
Remember that you have to spend some money (capital) to make some money, while also hustling to build that money making machine. You have to value your time over your money. Review how you spend a day. Record how you spend your time in a journal for an entire week. How many of those hours are invested in you and in your money making machine? How many times are you interrupted by text messages, emails, Skype calls, or a desire to scroll through Facebook again to see if anyone posted something interesting in the last 5 minutes? Is your time spent on things that will make you money, or steal your time? When performing any activity remember, “Slowlane millionaires are cheap with money. Fastlane millionaires are cheap with time.”
Conclusion:
What lane to you want to be in? Like I said earlier, I don’t think either one is better than the other, depending on the person driving. There are times where I chill and drive in the slow lane. There are other times where I am zooming in the fast lane. Determine what you want to do. A Sunday drive or a Nascar race. Either way, I hope you hit that million dollars!!!