Chapter 4: Theories That Lack Good Stories

Don Anderson was just fifteen years old when his mother attacked his father with a knife. She chased him up the stairs, swinging. He grabbed the keys to the family car, and then some rope from the garage.

There are two major camps when it comes to “how to succeed” in most modern day “non-fiction”.

Some, argue that Passion is the key. If we don’t do something we love, we’ll never get anywhere doing it.

Others think that “love is not enough”. Discipline and hard work are the only way to push through the days when we, well, would rather do nothing at all.

I like to think we could meet somewhere in the middle.

We need Persistence, and Discipline to get what we want.

Passion drives persistence and focus drives discipline.

The passion seeker:

Those of us that think that if we find a job that we love, we’ll never have to “work a day in our life”. This is a fallacious exercise. Even if we love to do something or are passionate about it, there will still be many days that require extremely difficult work and persistence.

The disciplined mind:

Some of us believe that no amount of love for something or enjoyment is enough to create success. We could absolutely love riding a motorcycle, but that love will not be enough to make us into a professional motorcycle racer traveling over 200 miles an hour where one mistake could cause us to lose our lives.

Discipline however, and intense focus even when it’s not fun, might cause us to reach the top. Be the best.

In the early 1990s, a young woman faced a series of daunting challenges. After enduring the loss of her mother, she found herself in a foreign country, navigating the difficulties of a failed marriage.

As a single mother herself, she grappled with depression and lived on government assistance, struggling to provide for her child. Despite these things, she clung to her passion for storytelling, often writing in cafes while her infant daughter slept beside her.

Her manuscript was rejected by multiple publishers, but she stayed the course. Her unwavering determination eventually led to the creation of a globally beloved witchcraft and wizarding series.

Persistence often appears to be the secret sauce once we have a viable skillset or product.

Chances are, that if we have a very difficult or unreachable goal for most people- getting there will require persistence and a lot of rejection.

It is highly likely that we will have to re-attempt achieving whatever it is that we want to achieve over and over again, before it actually happens.

It might take us seven years to graduate from college instead of four. It might take us five rejections before we land that position we want. We might have three or four bosses refuse to promote us until one of them gives us the yes we were looking for.

We must have persistence.

Quitting is the number one reason we don’t achieve what we want.

I like to believe that passion drives the ability to persist. If we love doing something, the likelihood that we will stop doing it when it becomes extraordinarily difficult is lower.

It is not zero, though, so when we talk to people about why they’re failing to achieve something, the number one reason we see is that they lack persistence.

Many of us lack the ability to handle someone rejecting us or telling us we lack the aptitude to accomplish something.

When we are striving to achieve something that we are extremely passionate about, persistence naturally follows psychologically.

Our ability to persist doesn’t always last forever. There will be times when we are tired. We are hungry. We are depressed, or sad.

There will be times when there is no amount of passion or persistence that will allow us to keep pushing harder. That’s when we need discipline.

Focus and Discipline:

External factors will cause us to have a more difficult time with persistence.

Psychologically, when this happens we often look to the idea of Focus as an answer to keep going. If we push through, and leverage the ability to intensely block out outside influences over and over again, discipline inevitably follows.

Why do we say that focus begets discipline? Intense focus psychologically helps the brain to, not eliminate, but smartly filter outside influence and distraction.

There are a variety of different ways to improve our ability to focus- but overall, we just need time to practice intense concentration on a singular task that allows us to build our proficiency at this.

All discipline really is, is the ability for someone to force themselves to continue something regardless of feelings, emotions, physical limits. The only thing that allows someone to run over 50 miles straight without stopping, is discipline.

Once in the not so distant past a man found himself at a crossroads. He was overweight, he worked as an exterminator, spraying for pests in restaurants and barely making ends meet. His days were filled with monotony, and his nights were plagued by self-doubt and a sense of unfulfilled potential.

One evening, while watching a documentary about Navy SEALs, he felt an undeniable pull toward change. Determined to transform his life, he faced the daunting challenge of losing over 100 pounds in three months to meet the SEAL training requirements. Through sheer willpower and relentless discipline, he achieved this goal, embarking on a journey that would see him become a Navy SEAL, an ultra-endurance athlete, and a motivational speaker.

I would argue that those of us that will become highly successful in any endeavor, have both extreme discipline and persistence.

The teenage boy rushed his mother. Her eyes were glazed over, knife in her hand, swinging it at his father.

He forced her to the ground and began wrapping rope around her wrists. She kicked and screamed as he dragged her through the garage, and into the trunk of the family car. His father tried to stop him, but Don was too strong for him.

Trauma and Opportunity

In a society that often views trauma as a hindrance, I want to challenge such a massive misconception.

Contrary to popular belief, experiencing trauma can be a catalyst for personal growth, resilience, and even financial success.

Individuals who have faced adversity often develop unique skills and perspectives that those of us without such experiences will lack. Fact.

Trauma forces individuals to confront and overcome significant challenges, fostering resilience. This kind of adaptability is priceless when it comes to leadership capability and creativity.

People who have navigated hardships are often better equipped to handle stress, make quick decisions, and persevere through setbacks. These qualities are necessary in both personal and professional life.

These things can deepen our empathy and emotional intelligence.

Understanding pain and hardship allows us to connect with others on a profound level, and that is invaluable.

The ability to relate to diverse experiences can lead to stronger relationships, better teamwork, and more effective communication.

Facing adversity often requires creative solutions.

People who have experienced trauma are accustomed to thinking outside the box and finding unconventional paths to success.

This innovative mindset is a significant asset in entrepreneurship and problem-solving scenarios, where traditional approaches almost always fall short.

We have all met that person, who feels everything is a crisis. Every setback or minor inconvenience throws them off balance.

They complain about every small hurdle the world throws at them. We think to ourselves- this person has never actually had anything bad happen to them.

While some may view trauma as a setback, it provides a competitive edge. The grit and determination developed through overcoming personal challenges can drive individuals to achieve higher levels of success and financial gain.

Growing up in a neighborhood where opportunities were scarce and challenges were everywhere, Don learned early on that life wasn’t always fair.

He often found himself grappling with feelings of inadequacy and fear.

As a child, he witnessed his parents’ constant battle to make ends meet. Their stress and anxiety permeated the home, creating an environment where uncertainty was the only constant.

He remembered nights lying awake, listening to their loud screams at each other over and over again.

Overcoming trauma will lead to growth, if we let it.

History is replete with examples of us who turned our experiences into stepping stones for success.

On the flip side, individuals who have led relatively trauma-free lives sometimes lack the coping mechanisms and resilience developed through adversity.

Without the intense desire to overcome significant challenges, we might struggle when faced with unexpected setbacks, leading to higher stress levels and potential burnout.

The absence of trauma can result in a lack of depth in character and, in turn, a limited capacity for the ability to persist and establish a disciplined mind.

Don, at only fifteen years old, drove his mother, hands tied in the back seat of the family car- to the local police station. He dropped her off.

As officers met him at the car, he placed the knife on the ground, and only said one thing.

“She tried to kill my father”.

He drove away.

Tragedy that befalls individuals, often leads to irreversible change.

It’s up to us to decide what to do with it.

It manifests in various forms: the loss of a loved one, the end of a cherished relationship, personal failures, or unforeseen daily losses.

These events, are an inherent part of human life, and important to pay attention to.

How we react and use these events to our advantage can often mean the difference between winning and losing.

Continuously ruminating on past tragedies can lead to paralysis, preventing us from embracing new opportunities and experiences.

This can distort our perception of reality, and keep us stuck in one place for far too long.

Perhaps it causes us to lose Passion for things. Or become unable to Focus.

If we don’t pay attention to this, it can become nearly impossible to recover.

Many of us know someone who has experienced extreme pain, and never been able to continue on in life in any meaningful way.

I don’t want you or I to become that.

I want us to win.

Acceptance involves acknowledging the event, understanding its impact, and choosing to integrate the experience into our life without allowing it to define our entire existence.

We hear everywhere, philosophies such as Stoicism and teachings from various spiritual traditions that emphasize the importance of focusing on the present moment and accepting the impermanence of life.

This isn’t a useless exercise.

By doing so, we can work on resilience, find strength in the face of adversity, and use these experiences as stepping stones toward bigger wins in the future.

I remember a day my world shifted. The phone call came in the early hours. My father passed away unexpectedly. The grief was overwhelming.

In the weeks that followed, I became consumed by the past. I revisited old pictures, listened to recordings of his voice, and clung to every memento that connected me to him.

I believed that by holding onto these fragments, I could keep him alive in some way.

But instead, I felt myself slipping into a state of inertia, unable to move forward with my life.

One evening, a thought struck me: Is this how he would want me to live? He was a man of strength and resilience. He had faced his own hardships with grace and had always encouraged me to embrace life fully, even in the face of pain.

I realized that by dwelling on the past, I was dishonoring him and his memory.

Don’s mother was released by the police the next day, and continued to ravage the lives of her husband, and her son. For years to come.

This is an Excerpt from My Book Notes On Success,

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Chapter 3: Some Sugar Coated Advice Lacking Truth

My friend Mason Harris was sixteen years old when he first watched his parents snort lines of cocaine on the kitchen counter.

He had just finished a nineteen mile run after school. Practicing for his upcoming cross country race. He grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator. Sweaty.

Too often, the advice we hear about living a good life comes wrapped in a layer of comforting platitudes. When we really strip away the niceties, life demands that we confront hard truths.

One of those might mean sacrificing ourselves, for the life of another human being.

What? Care about someone else? You’re kidding!

Stay with me here.

Caring for others requires us to show up authentically, deep inward thinking can reveal both our strengths and our flaws, and hard work, despite our natural resistance, is the backbone of meaningful success.

I’ve lost my mind, I’m sure. Hard work is always the enemy! Right?

Good enough, is good enough.

I hear you.

Our modern culture prizes introspection. We’re encouraged to look inward—to analyze our feelings, our fears, and our dreams. And while introspection can spark creativity and self-growth, it can also trap us.

I’ve got a fun question to help explain the point of this Chapter. Just play along for a second.

Answer this question for yourself…

“Why should I consider a career change into Law Enforcement?”

Think about it for thirty seconds.

Okay.

If you are a cop sorry, and if we instantly listed twelve reasons why we are or happen to be already doing said profession- you probably get where I’m going with this.

But if we are like- ninety nine percent of the rest of us, the first thought that crossed our minds was- why in the world, would anyone want to be a Police Officer?

It doesn’t register to us.

It doesn’t make any sense.

Why would we risk losing our lives, dealing with scum, and getting paid very little to do it for the well being of a community we don’t even like very much?

Being able to answer that question is the point.

While Mason’s parents might have been drug addicts and alcoholics, he chose to pursue things like sports and academic achievement. He could have gotten any high powered, high paying job he wanted. He was accepted into Ivy League schools. Three of them.

The thing is, while we might feel selfish, and uninterested in lives of service, we actually kind of suck at self awareness as a whole.

Psychologists have argued that when we try to explain our own thoughts and behaviors, we often end up confabulating—creating stories that sound plausible rather than accurately reflecting our inner workings.

Stories are good. Just not the fake ones we tell ourselves are real.

We tend to trust our introspection, yet it’s distorted, selective, and easily manipulated by biases. We overlook the unconscious processes that truly drive our behavior and cling instead to narratives that confirm our already existing, not totally real, self-image.

Our inability to be truly self-aware has profound consequences. It stunts personal growth, hampers our ability to form authentic relationships, and even undermines our capacity to lead.

When we cling to distorted self-perceptions, we’re less likely to learn from our mistakes, adapt to new circumstances, or empathize with others.

Value systems are the bedrock of individualism.

We choose what our values are, then live our lives according to them. We use them to define success and failure. We use them to think. Reason. Quit. Try new things.

Most of us don’t even know what our value systems are.

I’m not suggesting we write them down, or anything insane like that.

I’m suggesting we think about what they might be.

If they exist at all.

Much advice in the world is shallow. Unhelpful. Want to be happy? Live a better life? Go make more money. Find a spouse. Have some children.

Understanding perhaps why we would want these things in the first place, is useful. If we can figure out the reasons we search for all of these things, perhaps we can unlock the ability to help others do it first.

We might notice that as we age, we tend to fixate on those that are younger than us. Call it nostalgia, regret, whatever- when we interact with humans younger than us, something happens in our brains.

When we speak to a group of high school aged men and women, or perhaps a new hire at work, a strange degree of enthusiasm results when we feel we have contributed to their lives or success.

There are people who spend their entire careers booking speaking engagements with young people, at universities and corporate gatherings.

This phenomenon isn’t as wildly obvious for say, an eighteen year old. But they can experience it too. Imagine taking care of a younger sibling, or teaching a small child to read.

There is an intense response to helping that is difficult to replicate.

Part of this is selfish, and benefits our psyche. The other part is a mystery that springs from social and psychological after effects that I could bore us to death with research about for quite some time. I’ll spare us and make it quick.

How to use value systems to create massive after effects:

Know what ours are. Know what theirs are. Act on ours. Or all of them, if it makes sense to do so.

I know what you’re thinking, what if our values, and those of other people around us, do not intersect in any way?

Can we help someone that fundamentally differs from us in values?

Yes.

Will we feel good about it? Probably not.

So should we help?

I don’t know. Does it feel right?

Up to you. (Shrugging my shoulders).

A young woman working behind the counter at a gas station in the Midwest of America saved the life of a terrible old man. He was racist. Sexist. He owned the place, and paid her in cash under the table at below the federal minimum wage. She had no other options to feed herself and her family in such a tiny, podunk, town.

One day, someone robbed the place at gunpoint. She emptied the register calmly. The old man walked in, angry, and was shot in the neck.

After the robber left, the young woman called for emergency services. She then plugged his neck wound with her finger. She plugged his artery for over fifteen minutes, saving his life.

The whole town knew what an asshole this guy was. When the young woman was asked why she worked so hard to save him, she simply said

“He might be a terrible person, but I’m not. I know who I am.”

Winners consistently align their actions with core values. Losers compromise these standards in pursuit of short‐term gain.

So where do we go from here.

Start small. Look for everyday opportunities to help.

Practice active listening. People cry out for help in a variety of ways.

Choose your core values.

Think bigger. Build something worth showing the world. Sell something useful. Save someone from hurting themselves or others.

Mason Harris, despite his academic and personal promise, joined the Armed Forces. He saved hundreds of lives. He was personally injured in the process. He made very little money.

He’s a winner.

This is an Excerpt from My Book Notes On Success,

You can purchase it here if you’d like to support us!

Chapter 2: Our Dislike Of Reading Books

When I was a kid, I met Sarah Collins.

She was 15 and about to go on a date with her high school boyfriend. There was a price though, she had to let her step father molest her first in exchange for using the family car.

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We all want to be a “writer” these days.

Even if we don’t even realize it. Influencer, YouTuber, Podcaster, Author. It’s all the same.

It’s writing.

It’s ironic then, that we all hate to read. We’d rather listen to audio. Watch a video. Use some new intelligent software to do all the work for us.

But, when it comes down to it, if we want to make any money- we have to just friggin write.

Seems simple, but it took someone like me years to figure this out.

So let’s not get so down on ourselves, and just do the damn work. Bleed over a keyboard and see how it goes.

There’s some psychological reasons for why reading has started dying a slow death.

Smartphones and social media have become the primary conduits of information and entertainment.

These platforms offer instant gratification delivering bite-sized, constantly “refreshing” content that stimulates our brains with rapid dopamine hits. The ease of scrolling through social media is far less mentally taxing than engaging with the immersive, slow-burning process of reading a book.

This immediacy has rewired our reward systems, so that the sustained attention required for deep reading now feels laborious and unrewarding. It’s a fact that reading a five hundred page non fiction book is, in a way, a terrible experience. Not because we go into it thinking this way, but because our brains are becoming wired for it.

Now, if we’re over the age of sixty of course, our ability to enjoy deep learning via written word is probably better than someone say, in their mid thirties.

Their brain is less jacked up. Basically. The younger we are, the worse it is.

Reading a book is not a passive activity; it requires sustained concentration, imagination, and the willingness to embrace moments of boredom. But literal decades of digital multitasking have gradually eroded our ability to focus for extended periods of time.

In other words. Doing work sucks. Especially mental work.

No one likes it.

Even “elite” college professors have observed that many incoming students are ill-prepared for the rigorous demands of literary study. Or any kind of study.

Asking anyone to fully read an entire academic textbook is a ridiculous ask.

I’m not here to pontificate and solve the problems of education, it’s just a thought worth thinking about.

Another problem with reading is well, the products out there to read in the here and now often suck.

If we have enough poor reading experiences, the likelihood we will continue to give, so called “Authors” a chance, drastically diminishes.

In the not-so-distant past, writing was widely regarded as an art—a craft honed over years of practice, reflection, and deep personal expression.

That’s not the world we live in today.

Things like generative artificial intelligence have upended this long-held tradition, transforming writing from a distinctive human endeavor into a process that can be mass-produced, measured, and, ultimately, commoditized.

Writing is rapidly becoming a commodity.

If you live in a developed country, “clean” drinking water is pretty much everywhere. It’s affordable, easy to access, and we rarely even give it a thought.

Great, healthy, clean, totally unpolluted water… however.. actual, great, clean, water, is actually very very hard to come by.

That is where writing has gone.

It’s not on its way there.

We are already there.

Commoditization occurs when a product or service becomes widely available and standardized, reducing its ability to command premium value through differentiation.

It’s very very very F’ING hard to stand out as a Writer.

We have to actually entertain.

Actually teach.

Actually, do something unique. Something that has never been done before.

Sarah Collins, having grown up with years of abuse, found her place of comfort buried behind the pages of books. Mostly fiction.

She allowed herself to be fully immersed in story. It didn’t provide comfort or healing.

It offered escape to a different world entirely.

In 2005, this was more widely known as “reading books”.

Our lifestyles have changed, and that is okay. Modern schedules leave little room for quiet, uninterrupted reading. Consider someone who, after a long day, finds the instant gratification of binge-watching a TV series far more appealing than settling in with a dense book.

I am with you.

Books simply are no longer the go-to piece of media for quick hits of dopamine, Ka-POW!

Did you feel it?

The dopamine hit I just gave you.

Exactly. That’s my point.

I once heard someone say that if more human beings would just write things down on a piece of paper, they would remember things more often. It wasn’t negligible either, it was something stupid, like fifty more percent of the time.

We would not only improve recall, but improve our brains themselves.

When we read, our brain isn’t just processing words; it’s engaging multiple regions simultaneously. Areas responsible for visual processing, language, and higher-level comprehension become active, strengthening neural connections and enhancing overall brain function.

But hey, screw our brains. Right?

Fact is, we find other ways to escape life. Because it really is just that. A great, fantastic escape into a world someone else has taken the time and the effort to create.

Today we don’t need pieces of paper bound with glue to initiate our escape.

At least we, in most cases, don’t want them.

All we need is a good set of noise cancelling headphones. And a screen.

Lucky for us, we have one of those in our pockets.

It takes almost zero effort to watch, or listen. Compared to deep reading. These formats fit more easily into our fast‐paced, multitasking lifestyles and require less undivided attention.

It’s more convenient. Easy. Inexpensive.

So what’s the solution?

Stop writing books. Stop reading books. Stop caring, about books.

OR!

Write a really damn good book.

Some still do that. But as we discussed earlier, the amount of books out there often exceeds our ability to find the good ones.

I’d like to think that if you’re here, we can help each other. Read a good one.

Recommend a good one.

More importantly, write a good one.

That is the key, I think- to lending a hand. Helping someone. Giving someone the escape they need.

Don’t F’ing forget about Sarah Collins.

Ever.

This is an Excerpt from My Book Notes On Success,

You can purchase it here if you’d like to support us!

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Chapter 1: What’s The Point?

My father died of a heart attack at the age of 47 while having sex with my mother.

I’ve wondered for a very long time, what makes a book worth reading. I asked my wife, my friends. People from work. No one had a great answer. I guess asking that kind of question is like asking someone what their favorite book is, favorite song, movie. It’s an impossible task. It takes too much brain power or effort to engage in such a thought process. (Or people just don’t like talking to me).

My father said something to me shortly before he died. It was kind of… a compliment. He didn’t hand those out often. I don’t think, at the time, I knew it was one.

“You have the gift of gab.” he said.

While I know that doesn’t knock our socks off- Now, over six years after he died, I can tell you with certainty that it is one of the best compliments I have ever received. As a writer. As an unsuccessful comedian. As a person.

You see, he didn’t talk much. Stoic. Police officer. Hard. Strong.

He said that for a reason. Something I must have said, out loud, caused him to think to himself,

“Hm, I agree with what he said. Hm, that makes sense. Hm… nice.”

For most of my adult life I have tried to make a living from writing. I have failed at it, mostly. I don’t support my family with it. Never have. For most of my life I have done what my father did. Serve the government, the community. Put my ass in danger for the greater good. My wife and I can both attest to all with absolute certainty, it is not very… “fun”.

I’d prefer to just sell a bajillion books worth reading. (So tell your friends).

In honor of my dead father, grandfather, and I guess everyone else in the world, I decided to write this book. A book finally worth reading. I don’t care what kind of person you are. A wannabe writer. Wantrepreneur. Checkout cashier at the local grocery store. Student trying to figure out what to do with their life. High level executive who is sure they suck at leadership. Soldier bored out of his mind sitting in a desert somewhere. This book is for you. All of you.

Whew, now that we got all those terrible introductions out of the way, let’s agree on something. Literally anything. I thought about this topic for at least six to nine years before actually putting this on a piece of paper.

What makes a book worth reading?

Well,

1: Short enough to read in 1 day. Does not waste my time.

2: Contains unfiltered “Truth”

3: Has Stories over Theory.

4: Actual Actions to take, to fix stuff.

5: Real Knowledge from a Real Person who Knows, …Something. Literally anything.

6: Challenge my Beliefs. Make my brain think. I don’t want to agree with everything.

7: Trigger Emotions. Even Bad Ones.

8: Provide a practical solution to my problems.

9: Inspire my butt.

10: Help my soul be less sad.

Now, that is a seriously tall order. Right? In what world have you purchased and read a book that truly delivered? IN WHAT WORLD have you WRITTEN a book that truly delivered?

We haven’t. We lazy.

Instead of asking people this terrible question, “what makes a book worth reading”, I started going around like a madman asking people if they had ever recommended a book to someone they knew.

I asked over a hundred people. Guess how many books they, on average, had ever recommended in their entire lives.

… ONE.

ONE BOOK! (Did not include respondents who said “the Bible”, but it would not have much changed the query results- I promise)

Most people, most human, disgusting, beings, have only told one person they care about to read ONE book, ever.

Which means, MOST people, have only ever read ONE BOOK, in their lifetime, that was worth recommending to another person.

That isn’t great.

In addition to that, most of the people I talked to, recommended a fiction book. Not surprising. (We’ll talk later about how there is no such thing as non-fiction).

Even worse than all of this, after said individual gave their one, singular recommendation, only about twenty-five percent of the people actually read the thing. We are talking family members. Wives, Husbands, Children. Our significant other recommends the ONE thing they think is useful for us to read, and we don’t even try it.

Why is that?

I’ve done a lot of cool stuff in my life. I’ve flown faster than the speed of sound. I’ve hit someone in the face in a boxing ring. (And gotten hit). I’ve surfed in Hawaii. I’ve married an amazing person.

But I haven’t sold a million books worth reading.

I know, I suck! Right? Huge Loser.

All that being said. I think it’s probably for some stupid reason that I probably don’t understand yet.

I am not a nihilist.

I don’t believe that we all are just walking around this world taking up space. I think every person has a unique role to fill and has the opportunity to do something that significantly affects other humans for the better. If they get off their butt and do it.

My biggest complaint about life, people, and the world, is that no one seems to feel that other people are the answer to all of their questions.

Teaching other people to care about other people is very, very, freakin hard.

Meaning isn’t handed to us—it’s something we create. The fact that there’s no predefined script for life isn’t a reason to give up; it’s an invitation to write our own story.

We find meaning in relationships, in work that excites us, in small daily joys, and in the pursuit of things that challenge us. If nothing matters by default, that just means we get to decide what matters to us.

If you think that nothing matters, that you are an ant in an otherwise vast and unassuming universe, and that everything you do is simply wasted time, we might have a fundamental value system disagreement.

A lot of people (jabronees) take the stance that since nothing matters, there’s no point in trying. This way of thinking leads people to despair. If everything is fleeting, then every small, beautiful moment matters even more. A great meal, a deep conversation, a perfectly timed joke—those things are tiny rebellions against the void.

Even if we try to not care, life has a way of pulling us back. I can tell you this because I know it is true. I’ve tried to live a life of nothing-ness.

Guess what.

Life has a way of hitting us in the face.

If you’ve ever had someone show up for you when you needed them, you know that moments of meaning are real. They aren’t cosmic truths, but they are deeply human ones.

The last words my father spoke to me before he died were on a voicemail he left for me. He called me on my birthday, and left a message. It was a normal thing. Just checking in, just wishing us a happy birthday. Two weeks later he was gone.

This stupid book wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t listened to that voicemail.

Most people don’t care about other people.

What most people do care about. Is their next meal. Their child’s next meal. Money. The people they have to deal with when they get home. How they are going to sell a million books and move to Hawaii. (Okay maybe that’s just me). How they will find love. How Elvis Presley really died.

It’s all a damn mystery. So here we go.

This is an Excerpt from My Book Notes On Success,

You can purchase it here if you’d like to support us!

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