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What’s up Fool,

Are you tired yet?

Unless you live under a rock and away from civilization, there is no chance you haven’t been indirectly drilled by key guru lesson #1: Mindset.

In fact, you’re probably an expert on the topic so this may all be irrelevant to you.

But here is what I’ve gathered from my human condition and how mindset eases it:

We’re meaning making machines.

We need to believe in something, we need stories, we need a mythos, a personal code and legend. We need this because life will kick your ass, and when it does -you need something that can’t be taken from you to fallback on, and that can only be internal.

Without realizing it, I’ve always tied my identity to potential. This was my genetic default. 6 year old me really thought himself big because he was extremely ambitious, full of himself, and cunning enough to know he could get what he wanted.

It may surprise you to learn that life still requires facing obstacles and doing the work.

It surprised me.

So after a series of mishaps, failures, and identity crisis’ -I retreated to mindset and it led to an improvement in every part of my life.

Turns out, believing you’re a God is counterproductive to being successful. It makes you believe you’re supposed to be perfect, which doesn’t leave much room for growth.

Mindsets are not just for learning new skills. They impact the way that we think about everything. A growth mindset can help you recover from illness because you believe that you can do something about it.

You need to know you control your destiny.

Cultivating a growth mindset is the single most important thing you’ll ever do to achieve success.

Everything starts here.

#StayFoolish

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What’s up fool,

I feel like I’ve understood this before but never known it as I do now.

Every time we give into our default mode, we move backwards in life. I trusted my imagination since youth. I trusted it over everything- and I fully believed what I was feeling was “truth.”

If you’re still here, this is what is holding you back.

My delusions of success- the vision of me doing all these random, seemingly fun things, none of it was an actual option. Not because I can’t have fun or succeed, but because this didn’t come from an authentic place.

These things weren’t my passion, I didn’t enjoy learning about them or doing it in my spare time, yet my mind enjoyed holding onto a world where I lived that life.

Because that life was so beyond my present, I felt crushed by my own smallness in comparison.

But time moves on, and so did I.

As I began to slowly accept reality, the possibility that this dream movie star life isn’t for me, I opened up to real options.

I learned about myself, and what would be good for me. I found an ideal to strive for and most important of all- I had finally seen beyond my psychological filter.

I could see the truth.

What saved me was practicality.

When I considered my own nature, my strengths and weaknesses, quirks, desires, interests, only then could I start to build a life that suited me.

I’ll tell you this, I’ve never felt more fulfilled than I do right now. The reason for this is simple, my life is an extension of who I am- and that’s not an automatic process.

I chased ecstasy only to realize it’s an attitude and way of life- not some random accomplishment.

You have to earn this.

You have to build it.

If you can move away from wonderland- you’ll find reality far more interesting.

#StayFoolish

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What’s hatnin Fool,

This’ll be a fairly straight forward post.

Think of someone who you admire, at least how they live and their attitude towards life.

What kind of experiences does this person have, what specifically do you admire?

The reason I bring this up is simple, attitude determines the genre of your life. I know, I sound like a broken record player, but it’s not enough to know of this, you need to KNOW it.

It’s strange when you finally see it play out. All you did was be a fun mood and all of a sudden- you’re out in the world doing more, seizing opportunities once invisible to you, and playing as the main character of your movie.

Nothing stops you from throwing yourself out there and embracing it.

When faced with the choice of retreating or retaliating- NEVER BACK DOWN.

We get tired, down, sometimes we feel sad for no reason, I’m not saying to ignore these things. Just don’t let them impact how you operate in the world.

Be Bold. Be Confident.

#StayFoolish

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This might be heavy for you, but you’ve been asleep.

I don’t know why or how, but the default setting in most of our brains is delusion.

We run around caring about stupid small and insignificant things, worry about what others think, involve ourselves in petty drama, and conclude all this with the world is against us.

I keep forgetting it too.

I constantly forget I’m going to die.

All this shit that I make a big deal of, it doesn’t matter. It won’t matter a year from now, let alone a lifetime.

The cure to misery is perception. You need to see correct, and you need to start with the assumption that you don’t.

I finally got it.

It hit me the other day. I choose how to respond, so while everyone panics and worries, I’ll just focus and relax. And surprise, that’s exactly what happened.

Imagine your perfect life. How do you act? Who are you around? What are you doing each day? How do you feel?

You need to step into these things now, regardless of how hard it feels.

If you can become this person first, life will match you.

#StayFoolish

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The truth is in the middle.

There are two primary schools of thought when it comes to building your life- improve your weaknesses, or double-down on strengths.

Truth is, It’s option C- all of the above.

As far as choosing the right career, yes, you should be inclined for it. You’re not going to change your genetic makeup, and disciplining through something you hate will only make you miserable.

At the same time, if you’re naturally lazy or only want to do what you love 24/7, you’ll find that equally destructive.

My answer to this existential conundrum is a personal code of conduct.

Rules are freedom? Turns out, they are.

Create some checks and balances to stop you from f**king yourself over when you’re weak, and aim at something that suitably encompasses all the quirks to your character.

That’s actually all there is to it. Follow the big5 to start off with. There are other career personality tests that might help you get to know yourself.

If you’re highly extraverted and creative, look for fields that combine those traits. I’ve come to learn that passion isn’t anything magical. It’s just nature.

It’s you doing what you are.

Figure out what you are first, and match the environment accordingly.

#StayFoolish

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Why does it take us so long to come to basic realizations?

Having a breakthrough is awesome, but not enough. No one ever talks about the relapse afterwards. Unlike the movies, the person who finally “makes it” is still who they were before. So yeah, you achieved your goal, but your struggles won’t just disappear.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to just do basic things. I knew skills were the answer, but I was too comfortable believing in the dream.

I wanted that all-or-nothing life. That life where my career is everything, I compete, and what I do is so closely tied to who I am that I desire nothing but to continue to play the game.

And unlike those rare individuals (Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan, etc.) I never found it.

Because I never had an all-consuming obsession to begin with, which was baffling to me, who has an unbelievably obsessive personality.

So this post is for the non-Steve Jobs individuals. The rest of us.

How do we make life good?

And in comes identity. If you’re struggling in quick-sand and have a hard time moving anywhere, you need to change your image.

Everything, literally everything in your life, can be traced back to how you see and define yourself.

And if you’re stuck, the first hard step is figuring out which direction you want to move in. I knew I wanted to be self-employed and have the time and freedom to, basically do whatever I want.

Knowing this led me to considering skills I could do from anywhere.

And that led to my current career.

I didn’t pick this from a burning passion, just a core value. The hard part became staying the course.

To not throw it all away like I always have, I had to redefine myself.

I can’t see myself as this magical and special individual who has a far greater fate than anyone on this planet- because that belief always left me broke, unemployed, and depressed.

I had to let that go, and create a more functional identity.

Like being a learner, entrepreneurial, the person who embraces changes and challenges for the sake of personal evolution.

When I chose to become my best, life reflected it.

You need to stand for something more than yourself. WHO do you want to become?

Your life will follow.

#StayFoolish

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What’s up Fool.

Do you ever stop and think about what you want to happen this year?

The other day, I was staring at my calendar and noticed I’m 80 days away from having written and posted daily (not just on this site).

That’s how fast time went by.

And I realize, that’s exactly how most people lose track of their own life. What drives each of your days? Emotions? Duty? Responsibilities?

None of these things will bring you the life you dream about.

That’s how it happens.

We wake up and just do the things we’re supposed to, and boom, years escape us and we find ourselves stuck.

I’m not trying to go all motivation-guru and tell you we all have 24 hours in a day, and you’re a magical, special, loved by the universe- being.

No.

The only thing you need to get good at here, is actual goal setting.

This is my new thing, philosophy, system for living life.

From now on, every year, I’ll have a goal that both motivates and excites me- that is measurable and I can take daily action on.

This is key to having a good life.

#StayFoolish

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The best thing I ever did for myself was stop trusting my imagination.

Like most of you, I was highly dream oriented as a kid but my dreams were a little different than yours.

I’d imagine myself living a life of purpose, as a 6yr. old, I craved my one true calling. This went on for most my life, and to this day is still something that occasionally comes over me.

I have a gnawing headache, a restlessness brought on by some grandiose delusion that I’m meant to fulfill a single purpose.

It was hard to accept that this wasn’t real. In fact, for most of my life -I refused to. I’m not saying you and I don’t have a purpose, but for my growth I needed to let this go.

I started seeing myself.

I started seeing someone who robbed themselves of joy in the moment, cheating on reality with fantasy, and at 25 having experienced nothing meaningful.

At that time, I hit such a low I was finally ready to start over.

And I did.

What I came to realize were that the best moments of my life came from me not worrying about this. Not thinking about tomorrow or giving a shit about the “how” and “why” of life.

It baffles me that I obsessed over this as long as I did. I still can’t understand how a parasitic idea took root in me so young.

It’s really my only struggle, and I really do struggle with it.

It doesn’t feel like something I can ever overcome, but more-so come to terms with.

And that, I’m beginning to do. When I see people who’ve reached the end of their life, and talk like that, like me, except their entire life went by and they stayed chasing fantasy- I RUN right back to reality.

I don’t want to be someone who hated their life, and when I focus only on this magical purpose and my never finding it, I’m depressed.

For that reason, I’ll call it what it is- a glitch in my wiring.

I can’t believe my delusions- because time and again they’ve f**ked me. If it was real, chasing it would have produced some return, yet the only thing “magic” ever got me was unemployment, delusion, isolation, and deep misery.

Reality on other hand, gave me nothing but more LIFE.

By being pragmatic, I began a new career, started leveling up my skills, and began moving forward financially.

As I grow older, there is far less magic to my life, BUT far more life.

And that’s really all I’ve ever wanted.

My personal philosophy is ruthless practicality, constant development, and growth.

I don’t have your answers, but I can tell you asking the right questions will help get you out.

#StayFoolish

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It took awhile, but I finally got it. And although I’m still often hit with the urge to jump, I don’t- because there is no where else to go.

All I ever wanted was freedom.

Not the turn 18, and now you’re an adult- kind.

The freedom to live life on my own terms, to live fully, unapologetically, and to do what I want when I want.

For whatever reason, I had it in my mind that you could find this freedom. I guess I thought if you stumbled into your one true passion, it inevitably would lead to this.

I’ve since learned, doing the above only leads to delusion, and ironically, the opposite of freedom.

You have to build.

I chose one thing that I was inclined for, and no, it still isn’t an all consuming love relationship. However, I feel myself getting better, improving, and increasingly interested in the subject.

I’ve hit a point where I’m happy to commit to this because at least it fits me.

At least with this, I’m met with progress.

What did chasing chimeras ever bring me? Depression.

Fulfillment comes from engagement. That’s what these guru-preneurs leave out.

You don’t need a random course to find your one true calling, or any of that crap. What you find yourself interested in is the starting point. Everything you choose reveals who you are, so start there.

Commit to living in the now, in one year you’ll be so much farther than you ever imagined.

#StayFoolish

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Everyone’s a super fan of something, but wearing another persons face is weird.

It’s a helluva time to be alive.

We’ve got amazing innovations in tech, work from home is near standard, BUT people are moving away from intelligence at TOP historical speeds.

Most have forgotten how to use empathy, or completely drunk from instagram- numbed it.

There’s a lack of trust, a lack of understanding, and an overall anti-social distancing. You’re best bet here is to roll with it all, and even that is difficult.

Here’s what I’ve learned about the game:

You can’t play without the tribe.

Believe me, I wish it could be done. There just isn’t another way, and on top of that, you’re not going to enjoy the tribe you play for.

So, how do you win the unwinnable game?

Not by tattooing your teams name on your forehead.

This post has a point to it, it’s this: In public, play with others. Be friendly, charismatic, outgoing, but ALWAYS put yourself first. Think of your goals, desires, ambitions, and admire your own potential.

Stop looking to others.

Play this game as the person you want to become.

#StayFoolish

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You know, as much as I like writing letters to internet strangers, a lot of these posts are for myself.

I need my own advice, and being on the internet makes it easier to hold myself accountable.

That said, I’m calling my shot.

Within a year from now, I will be completely self-employed. I’ll have some clients that I write for, and my content business, and that’s it.

For a long time I was conflicted. I thought I could be a good employee if the career was my passion, naive- I know.

I’ve learned a lot since then, and I’ve come to understand I will never lose the urge to be solo-dolo.

Someone who once thought teamwork and leadership was everything can now admit, It isn’t for me.

Ya boi hates compromise.

I’m selfish, too self-interested, and far too extreme to be held down by a tribe and their small vision. I despise politics, games of status, he said/she said, all of this is a complete waste of time. We’re here for a short while, I’d rather spend it creating not “learning from others.”

It’s a short post today, but consider this a #GoU.

We make the rules of our lives, and we decide which arena we play in. Take back control of your life.

#StayFoolish

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What’s up Fool,

I wanna help you even the score with your hide and seek.

Instead of looking for that passion that lights up your very soul, start with what you know you don’t want.

I didn’t get started writing because I loved it. In fact, everything so far has come from a place of “I don’t want the alternative.”

Unless you’re that child prodigy who always knew you loved piano and could play for hours without eating, you’ll most likely have to go through a lot of trial and error to figure this out.

My first jobs out of school were in sales… well that, and I worked part time in administration at a church office (talk about phases).

I knew I never wanted to do these jobs. I hated them. Working with people exhausted me, plus, as far as personality goes, I score extremely low in trait agreeable. Meaning, there were no good days where I made some new friends, it did nothing but irritate me.

Without any upsides-

this was the start of my realization.

Knowing I couldn’t’ work in direct service roles helped me narrow my search. From here, I went on to look at creative fields.

No, I wasn’t an artist growing up nor did I pass my days dreaming of my artistic endeavors.

I just thought fame would be cool, and being worshipped might be a helluva way to make a living (I was 18, we’re all narcissists there).

When I lived in LA I linked up with some film friends and started helping them create short movies.

I knew, I knew from the very start, I don’t like this.

You know you don’t like something when you want it to be over as soon as it starts. But I did kinda like the idea, so I hard-headed my way through some years trying to make myself fall in love.

It didn’t work.

And another niche was crossed off the list.

I repeated this process for a good 5-8 years. I’ll turn 27 this year, only last year did it all come together.

I finally asked the most important question: What could I stick with, that even if I don’t totally love, would be a decent living for me?

And in came writing.

There. This process will save you years, decades, a lifetime and it’s practical.

What DON’T you like?

Cross all those off your list, and move towards the opposite.

#StayFoolish

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Before I ever got paid to write, you were my number 1 listener and supporter (not always by choice) but you were always there, regardless.

It’s funny, It takes seconds for me to write entire scripts for individuals but writing to you is extremely difficult.

Mostly because I don’t even know where to start.

I used to feel kinda guilty on these holidays, especially days like your birthday. I always felt like what I could gift to you was nothing compared to all you’ve done for me (which is painfully true). It was a lose-lose no matter what. Get you something and feel shitty about its insignificance, or do nothing and feel like a shitty son?

Anyways, back to this letter.

When I was young, all I could do was watch.

I think both you and I did a lot of that.

You were always looking out for my safety, watching our backs, making sure we had enough and could make it. You did all this alone and regardless of how you think you did, you’re the reason we made it.

You’re the reason I was allowed to think about goals, dreams, and my ambitions.

No matter how low I felt, no matter how low you felt, you stayed strong for all of us. You never gave up on me, even when I gave you every reason to.

Rather than share what you were going through, you silently pressed forward. You never dragged me down- if you went through something, you did it alone.

Our family never understood this about you, but I do. When you pull back and take time away from everyone, that’s you looking out for them. You never wanted to give people the worst of you, so you’d back away from everything to ensure that.

The best lesson I’ve ever learned from your actions is to always PUSH forward. Because of that, I am who I am and I am where I am.

You’ve taught me to never quit on myself.

AND If I could gift you anything, it isn’t displays of love through corny letters, random trips, or any other distractions. That’s all temporary, and immediately after- it’s over, like it never happened.

My wish for you is to forgive yourself.

I’ve always known your guilt. Although you’ve never shared it, spoken on it, and might be a little pissed that I’m writing it here- I know you still suffer from it.

We’re all guessing.

No one does this life thing “right.”

You took on the role of the mother and the father, and you successfully did both. If you see us go through something, you blame yourself, but that’s not yours to take.

You got us here, and we made it.

I don’t think you ever fully registered that.

We made it.

We don’t have to watch our backs anymore, fear uncertainty, live cautiously. See, now the hardest thing is to LET GO of all of that, and start doing things you enjoy.

The hard part is to get used to this new normal.

Easier said than done, I know.

I’ve never held anything against you, how could I? You’ve sacrificed everything for me, and would continue to do so. My wish is for you to do the same, for yourself.

A mother is everything to a son.

When I was nothing, you didn’t allow me to feel that way.

You set high expectations, which my self-esteem matched, way before my actions did- but it WORKED.

I love you.

We finally have our lives, sure they’re not all figured out. We’re ambitious, we want more, crave more, but there was a time we only DREAMED to be where we are right now.

All of our worries, this is nothing compared to where we’re coming from.

For that, please accept my gratitude to you.

And for everything else, know that I’ll always stand by you.

I love you.

Happy Mothers Day.

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“You can do anything you set your mind to.”

During my self-exploration hippie phase I learned there is a lot about ourselves we really can’t change.

Delusion is easy to sell.

It’s true, your character is something deeply ingrained into the fabric of your soul, and while a lot of us are proud of our zodiac signs and however the hell we define who it is we think we are, most of us crave a better and more meaningful life.

You don’t need to change anything about who you are as an individual. You don’t need to try to be someone else, that’s a destructive approach.

And that’s what all this self-improvement garbage teaches nowadays.

Actual character change is impossible, but you SHOULD have braces so you can at least fix that f**ked up smile.

We need a code, something we strive for to be better, something personalized and suited to our own challenges.

Too many of us age accidentally. We just get old, don’t learn, don’t invest in ourselves, and with time passing by, we meet the “advanced in years” angry geezer we never wanted to become.

If there was an order to this life thing, as to where you should start, the one area that impacts every single aspect of your existence- it’s attitude.

I’ve written that so many times it’s annoying.

But it stays the best life hack to flip it all upside down and start anew.

Presently, a lot of us suck at life. We were raised by individuals who sucked at life, because they too were taught the “careful, the world is evil” bullshit.

Forget what you like, hate, dislike, admire, and don’t.

Consider what kind of experiences you want to have, in the limited time you have on this rock?

What kind of person has those experiences?

And there is your task.

#StayFoolish

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Dragonball Z reference for those of you who don’t know.

The absolute best thing in the world that can happen to you is evolution. It’s the kiss of death if you somehow manage to straight shot your way to success.

You’ll be one of those old people, who had no character development. You just are what you’ve always been, closed-minded.

That shit is terrifying.

How we believe at a certain age we’ve got things figured out must be a glitch in the wiring.

We’re all guessing. We’re all faking it. Why would you hitting some number suddenly change that?

All you have is your attitude, instead you hold onto convictions.

Fantastical “adult” beliefs that you know are right- the equivalent to “knowing” Santa Claus is real.

Even the open minded aren’t open.

You have to be vulnerable to be influential, adaptable, and truly open.

For the longest time, I resisted my own potential. What no one ever talks about is it’s fun being a dumbass.

It’s fun not caring about others, being ignorant, and staying selfish.

It’s fun, but you won’t win long term.

You need metaphorical braces for your character. You need to guide your own development, this doesn’t happen by accident. Otherwise you’ll be an 80 year old w/ a fucked up smile for character.

I’m lucky.

At the bottom, I opened up.

I still struggle, but far less. Now, I’m self-directed because I know who I am and want to be. This comes from getting to know yourself, as you are.

You should always play, live fully, and go for it.

Just don’t be an idiot.

#StayFoolish

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Hey Fool,

Something I’ve come to realize is we don’t ever own anything. That’s obvious, but we don’t consciously live by this.

See, when we’re racing to and from work, playing politics, fighting about unimportant things we don’t even care about, we’re caught up in it. In these moments we completely forget how short this all is.

I used to wait to have fun. My mentality was that when I win, when I accomplish my goals, then I’ll go all out. The ironic part behind this belief, acting like that almost guarantees never reaching what you set out for.

A stupid phrase I used to hear too often was: How do you want to be remembered? I won’t speak for you, but I don’t give a shit what people think about me now, let alone when I’m gone.

I think a better phrasing would be: WHAT do you want to remember?

When we answer father time, and get that call, and we’re laying their in our final hours, what do you want to look back on?

I don’t want to be one of those people who took it serious. Who didn’t know how to play, let go, have fun, be in the moment, and laugh.

I don’t know if I’ll get everything I set out for. I don’t know what the future has in store. But none of that matters.

Nothing stops you from playing right now.

Nothing stops you from enjoying what you have.

#StayFoolish

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What’s hatnin’ Fool?

If you’re anything like me, you’re always looking for something more- to do, experience, accomplish, etc.

Readers of these blogs know, I personally struggle with restless dissatisfactory syndrome (its made up, but I still have it).

Look, it’s pop-corny but true.

If you’re a miserable person, forget your dreams. They won’t suddenly erase your amateur life-ing.

You’ve got to unlearn, relearn, and reset.

I see now that I had it wrong the entire time and most people do. You think that once you get the thing- new job, career, house, car, whatever, then you’ll be good.

It’s the other way around.

You get the thing by becoming more than you are.

If you’re going to go for it, live a life you actually enjoy, you have to go for it NOW. Don’t wait to figure it out, research it, or whatever the hell your shitty process is.

Just act like you know what you’re doing- start, and see it through.

#StayFoolish

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Imagination is good for art, bad for decision making.

Restlessness was and always will be the cause of my struggles.

When I learned to differentiate impulsive delusional urges from reality- I got better of it. A lot of things look like options, but in reality, they aren’t.

Somedays I just wake up, and for no reason at all- it finds me. The idea. The bad idea that whispers- you should do this thing, make this leap, even though everything in your life is going well, you should start over.

It’s sabotage, by your self saboteur.

I used to like that magical feeling. You know that thing you hold inside, that you don’t share with anyone but can always retreat to when the going gets rough. Like a bartender, who’s an aspiring singer, but only 3 people have ever heard their voice.

Truth is, you kinda suck.

Sure, you’re great at certain things, you’ve got potential, but as you are right now, you suck. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be reading this. You’d have the life you desire.

There is good news.

Knowing where you suck is the first step to leveling up.

I didn’t want to believe Hogwarts rejected my application.

In a world where magic is real, I couldn’t accept that I’m not a wizard. That sucks shit.

But my cape-less crusaders, most of us aren’t. So what can we do? Sit here and cancel Hogwarts…. that just won’t do it.

We’ve got to make our own magic, wand-less and all, and the only way to do that is to get REAL with ourselves.

When I learned that I do this thing, get caught up in fantasy, take action on delusion and fuck up my life, only then could I stop doing it.

The train still comes, I just don’t get on it.

Yesterday, it visited me. I got hyped up by my own need to outshine everyone and get some recognition for my bigass ego, and I almost fucked it all up.

But, I left instead. Met with a friend, realized this is that thing I do, and then chilled and returned back to neutral.

We have to get real to get better.

You’re probably not a wizard, but you’re something and your only task is to be the best something you can.

#StayFoolish

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We’re sold this false idea of life being pure bliss. That somehow when and if- you make it, life will be awesome 24/7.

But fulfillment doesn’t come from the easy life.

It comes from developing.

If I got the position I’m in now, a year ago, I would have thrown it away. I didn’t have the right mindset. I wasn’t focused.

Rather than develop, I was looking to be “happy.”

We’re all looking for ways to fill the inner void, and the cheap route is unsustainable distractions.

Temporary happiness.

There isn’t a different kind.

Don’t chase rainbows.

What you’re actually craving is transformation. You want a better life, you want fulfillment, excitement, and this comes from personal evolution.

You need to become more.

Attitude determines your life course. Your approach and character will shape your destiny. Start there.

#StayFoolish

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