FROM THE FIELD
Dispatches from someone who learned the hard way.
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July 22, 2026
I’m a Janitor
Read More →I had two goals I set for myself before I turned 30: buy my first house, and buy a Ferrari. That was it. That was the whole scoreboard. And I worked like an animal and I hit both of them. On paper, that’s a win. I should’ve been thrilled.
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July 14, 2026
The Company I Built in My Head
Read More →I sat in a large, empty room with a high ceiling, fluorescent bulbs fifteen feet above my head. It was incredibly loud. There were two TVs in there. One was controlled by one of the South Sider gangs. The other was controlled by the Pacific Islanders. Both running at the same time, both groups turning […]
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July 8, 2026
Into the Lion’s Den
Read More →I remember the air was warm. I’m sitting on the patio of a friend’s house, looking out over his backyard, untamed wildlife in the background. The air was still. It was late in the afternoon, the sun starting to set, and my friend, who I was enjoying a cigar with, casually mentioned that I should […]
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July 2, 2026
Hope Is a Drug Worth Sharing
Read More →Hope is a drug worth sharing. I’m standing in line to get food. If you’ve never had to do it, let me tell you — it’s a miserable experience. This isn’t a restaurant. This isn’t a choice. When you stand in line waiting for chow that is government food provided by the lowest bidder, this […]
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June 29, 2026
The Day I Cursed God on a Hill
Read More →I want to tell you about the lowest point of my life. Not prison. People always assume it was prison. It wasn’t. The lowest point came before that, on a small hill not far from my house, where I dropped to my knees on the rocks and screamed at God until my voice gave out. […]
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June 22, 2026
The Money in the Trash Can
Read More →I was a garbage man in federal prison. That was one of my jobs. I rode on the back of a trash truck and picked up garbage. And not just anywhere. I picked up trash at the houses of the people who worked there. The guards. The staff. They lived right there on the prison […]
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June 16, 2026
The 3 A.M. Phone Call
Read More →It’s just after 3:00 a.m., and my phone rings. The room is dark. The air conditioning is running. It’s cold. I’m in Hawaii, and she’s in California — so it’s already 6:00 a.m. her time. And I see my wife’s name on the screen, which is unusual, because nobody calls you at 3 a.m. with […]
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June 16, 2026
Helping Others While You’re Still Broken
Read More →CHAPTER FIVE · BETA VERSION You don’t have to wait until you’re whole to start helping. In fact, waiting might be the thing that’s keeping you from becoming whole. There’s a comfortable lie we tell ourselves when we’re rebuilding: I’ll help others once I have my life together. Once I’ve figured it out. Once I’m […]
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June 9, 2026
One More Burpee
Read More →In the beginning, one of the first promises I made to myself was that I was going to do a burpee challenge. I made it up on the spot. No plan. No grand strategy. I just decided, right there, that I was going to do 20 burpees a day. Now that might not sound like […]
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June 9, 2026
Daily Discipline as the Foundation of Rebuilding
Read More →CHAPTER FOUR · BETA VERSION Motivation is a lie. It comes and goes and cannot be trusted. What actually rebuilds a life is discipline — boring, unglamorous, non-negotiable daily systems that work whether you feel like it or not. Nobody comes out of a dark period fired up and ready to conquer the world. The […]