UNSCRIPTED: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Entrepreneurship

"Millionare's fastlane" book was a fun read, but I decided to read this one as well.It's poorly written, repetitive, and not a lot of useful info here.Author contradicts himself quite a lot in the book without realizing it. Oh - and guess what he is doing with his millions? The slowlane. Investing it safe and slow. So it's kinda hypocritical.Overall - this is more INSPIRATIONAL then PRACTICAL, so instead of 400 pages of ramblings - it could've been all said and done in 20-30 pages on a high level, but the author has an ego that shines through the whole book.I would not recommend this book to anyone, really. Watch a summary on youtube in 10 minutes and you'll be better off.

MJ's previous book was an instant classic and exposed a lot of truths about entrepreneurship and the unhappy state of modern society in general. This book tackles many of the the same ideas from a different more in-depth angle, and takes it to another level for several reasons. For starters, it is side-splittingly, roll-on-the-floor, unrelentingly hilarious and entertaining (at least to my mind). To me, almost every single page is full of funny anecdotes and analogies. Listening to the Audible version of this is better than listening to a good HBO stage comedian, and far more useful. Second, the book makes a concerted effort to address the psychological barriers that I've come to believe are the biggest obstacles to entrepreneurship. As the Romans (apparently) understood, a proper slave doesn't need chains to remain in bondage...once conditioned, a person's attitudes and beliefs are far more effective tools of servitude. This applies not only to the poor, but to many of us who have successfully navigated years of 'success' milestones, and yet found themselves with a career environment that has not held up its end of the bargain. That's the reason for the title "Unscripted", to re-engineer years of ingrained and indoctrinated beliefs that won't really serve your dreams of success and freedom. Finally, this book is impressively in-depth and detailed. It doesn't (and can't) give you a specific formula for a successful business for your situation. But it works from a number of angles, over and over, chipping away at the roadblocks that will snare most of us who decide to go for something more. In that sense its a useful reference with some meaningful ideas and approaches to tackle challenges, many of which are not in The Millionaire Fastlane.If you're a cozy, happily employed person who is deeply satisfied with your weekend lifestyle, then this book is absolutely not for you. In fact, run away! Its only going to cause you trouble. But if you find yourself among the discontented 70%, stuck in traffic and depressed, profoundly disillusioned with your own past choices; pay close attention. Whining about the traps of our modern society will get you nowhere, and the true cause of your ills is not really the common scapegoats: politics, racial or class issues (although they have their moments). It's your mental framework and a lack of understanding of and experience with entrepreneurship. The truth is that America can be a truly great country for anyone, but its rewards mercilessly and relentlessly go to those entrepreneurs who deliver relative value. Provide real value to others and whatever limits you presume exist in your life (sex, age, race, upbringing, education) will rapidly vanish. In that sense, its a real hopeful step forward and a useful tool for many of us.Absolutely highly recommended, he's now among my favorite authors.UPDATE: I've now completed the book 3 times, and it only gets better. Each time I go through it I realize there are some useful pearls of wisdom in there that I had grasped conceptually but not completely faced (about myself). Some people might regard the material in this book as shocking. But what's really shocking is that here in the 'Land of Opportunity' after years and years of college and real world experience, this is not common wisdom. You don't hear this material anywhere. It should be Business 101, or Prosperity 101, Life 101.

If you had the choice between purchasing one of the popular financial “guru’s” books or this book Unscripted which would you choose? Not having read the authors previous book you might assume the popular “guru” book is a no brainer right? As wise ole Yoda said “Judge me by my size, do you?” For me and those who have read the author’s previous book the answer is clear – buy, read and most importantly apply the framework provided in Unscripted! This book is not only huge in size (416 pages) but more importantly it is huge in value it can provide to you and your future of breaking free of the “scripted” life. This isn’t a feel good book or “here is the 30 steps you need to do to become a millionaire and work from the beach when you want to” book. This is a book that helps you see how our life has often become one big “scripted” voluntary slavery where we work all week for two days off with a mountain of debt over our heads. Realizing our current reality is worth the price of the book alone but it goes on to showing you the framework to break free and lead an “unscripted” life. There is so many high value wisdom nuggets provided in this book but some of my favorites are:• The Careless Whispers from you Soul• Action faking vs action taking• Sunday evening is the ultimate test if you are leading a scripted life – how do you feel about going back to work Monday morning?• Don’t be a “Time Prostitute” – time is scarce money is not!• Don’t be part of the “herd” headed to slaughter!• Hyperreality and observational bias (Jedi Mind Tricks)• Being a producer vs consumer – “you can’t be owned by what you own”• The “pain of discipline or the pain of regret”• Micro-processes + macro-processes = success – no silver bullets just small habits focused• There are no shortcuts!• The “event” is the result of the “process”• Have a growth mindset• The Kaizen Principle• Getting rich isn’t done by desiring wealth it is in providing “perceived value” to others• “Perceived Value vs Actual Value”• “Luck vs Probability” and the “Gumball Machine” Brilliant analogy!• Investing and all the popular falsies/scams• Cancer Corollary – “do I have something I want and what will it cost me”• Autonomy (control) as the number one reason for our happiness! This is again worth the price of the book 10x over!• “How to create a business that changes your life” this is the framework!• The “CENTS” commandments again worth the price of admission!• “Expected Value” – holy cow batman this is good stuff!• From Process to Productocracy!• Best (13) Execution practices!• Lifetime Passive Income!• “The last business ever – if you want”Unscripted is a book that I read slowly because it is so jammed packed with valuable wisdom that you need to process. It is a book that I will re-read many times over taking more notes and putting actionable habits that move my life from the Scripted to the Unscripted! This is the one book I will give to all my kids and close friends!

If you want more out of your life, but feel trapped or that you can't succeed no matter how much you try, this book may just hold the breakthrough you've been looking for. There is no "formula" or "secret" that is revealed in the book - just a sobering and analytical look at the way societal norms and pressures can be affecting you without you even knowing it. Before you can release yourself from these "invisible chains" (the script), you must first make them visible. As the book keeps reminding you..if you want the same results as everyone else around you living a "normal life", then keep doing what you (and everyone else) is doing. If you want more, you are going to have to write your own script and find your own way to get there. This book serves as a guide to do exactly that.

Fortunately, I have read Millionaire Fastlane, so I knew that this was a book that would deliver. The book is highly intimidating. The writing style varies from highly educated and referenced to ranting, repetitive and crude. This is a long book, over 400 kindle pages and the first quarter is dedicated to a rant against pensions and university debt, before any alternative is even put forward.Still reading at this point? What if I tell you that you won't find a plan of action or specific recommendation to follow? Still going to stick it out? Good because I made around 150 highlights. MJ knows his stuff and explains it angrily, sarcastically, harshly but very very memorably.Whilst he doesn't tell you the specifics of what you should be doing he provides insightful strategies performed by himself and others. His mission is to educate, warn of pitfalls and dead ends and prepare you for a worthwhile and lasting success. It was worth my time and I sincerely hope that you put in the necessary time for the value and values on offer.

This is an absolutely life-changing book. This is for you if you're someone who isn't satisfied with a 'normal' life of slowly working your way up the career ladder to get slightly more money and slightly less free time at each step. It will inspire you and give you a belief that there is another way.This is absolutely not a how-to-get-rich-easy book, of which the author clearly hates. This is a book for people who want out of the rat race, are prepared to work really hard, take risks, expect failure, bounce back and find ways to win. It's not a step by step guide to how to set up a winning business, but there are tons of nuggets of wisdom in there, and more importantly for me gave me the mindset needed and started me dreaming.I've read this and the author's other book, The Millionaire Fastlane. Both are excellent but largely cover the same ground and I wouldn't say it's essential to read both - there's probably 15% added value in reading both but you'll get the idea from either.I've really come to like MJ Demarco and the way he writes, but honestly it took a few chapters before I was convinced. He writes in a casual and sweary style which can appear a bit arrogant at first - then you realise he actually is a multi-millionaire and can back up everything he says; he's talking from experience, has been hugely successful with his businesses and not just through luck or fortunate timing. That puts him in a position where he can afford to really not care what you think of him or his writing. He'll tell you things in a frank way that others trying to create a more favourable impression would shy away from. He's not saying his opinions to be popular or to sell more books - he really doesn't need to. This frankness and openness grew on me and I found it easy and very enjoyable to read.Not everyone will like this book, many will read it and find a reason not to act on the contents, and even more will play the victim role of why it couldn't apply to them or why they couldn't have the dream life that it offers. Not for the closed-minded. For everyone else, it could well change your life.

This books hands down is the best book that I have read in non-fiction for a long time. It’s a long book and full of content. While I am from the UK and some of the parts regarding US savings and terms like 401k will not apply to us in the UK, but we would have our own versions of these government savings, tax, and other financial entities. It’s the other stuff and the real message that the book and narrative bring to the table that will give you many aha moments. It’s very well written and edited, and the content is just GOLD. If I had of had this book given to me at school, I would of left school with all the answers that I would of needed, rather than being brainwashed into how to be a employee for someone else, making them rich instead. I hope this review finds like minded people, who want to escape from the rat race, finding a better path and creating massive value for others. Having read many books in this niche, this one will not be beaten for a very long time. I am also a Demarco, but I am no relation to the Author, so this review is totally an independant review. I bought the Kindle Version.

Having recently read & reasonably enjoyed MJ Demarco’s ‘The Millionaire Fastlane’ I was quite interested to read his more recent work. Unfortunately this book suffers the same droning on about how most folk eek out a meagre existence for a pittance. Having already went through this in the first book I’d hoped MJ Demarco would have let laying dogs lay, not the case. This book is still interesting, although if you’ve already read TMF, I’d give this one a swerve as it is much a muchness. If you haven’t read either and are undecided on which to read first, I’d recommend TMF as it’s basically the same but you’ll finish it much quicker & not be as exhausted by the end. If you’re ready this MJ, that was an ‘echo’

Got the audiobook, started listening and got absolutely hooked! Had to listen to the first 3 hours 3 times and then realised that I really wanted to be able to read it, highlight and bookmark so I can refer to the book again in the future. That prompted me to get the Kindle edition with audible narration so I could read the most important parts myself as well!There are so many things that I'll be implementing/thinking/starting straight away but looking forward to using it and referencing in the future, especially the 'money system'. Currently I run a successful but small company which I realise now, turned into a job rather than a business. Reading the book helped me to see what I need to do to get off the slowlane on to the fastlane!I have been some so inspired, I've been sending the book to many of my family and friends and will be re-reading it again in the future!Thank you, MJ for this life changing book and now I'm reading TMF again to see what I've missed!