Who is the Mad Mage?

Between an unforgiving economy and an uncaring world, everyone could use a wizard in their corner and a bit of magic.

What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

This is a question a mentor once asked me back in college, not knowing at the time how pivotal it’d be. You see, most of us are obsessed with success: big house, seven-digit bank account, a hot partner, power and authority — shiny things that humanity has always craved since we started doodling on cave walls and bonking our neighbor on the head with a wooden club.

Even if you’re not into glitzy materialism, I’m sure you’re still left wanting to some degree.

Maybe not a mansion, but an affordable place to live.

Maybe not seven digits, but the ability to save money without crippling debt.

Maybe not a superstar model as a romantic partner, but someone who loves you for you.

Maybe not power and authority, but the feeling of control over your life.

Unfortunately, all-or-nothing thinking is all too common nowadays. You’re either winning or you’re losing.

But that’s not true, nor how the world works.

I’ve given up on the idea of failure. You either succeed or you’re presented with a lesson that, once learned, will increase your probability of future success.

Failure — true failure — only happens when you permanently give up. For me, as long as I’m breathing, I haven’t failed anything. I believe that’s true for you too.

If you’ve made it this far, we probably share that belief.

So What’s This About?

When I was 20, I was on the tailend of the “college guarantees employment” trend and wanted to build something I trusted more than your average middle manager. I started creating content as a copywriter for my own website. Eventually I got offered paid work and became fully self-employed shortly after my 22nd birthday.

Now at 32, I help others build the lives they want on (mostly) their terms.

You want to find a better career or get that promotion? I’m in your corner helping you track your progress.

You want to start a business or side gig? I’ll walk you through the process, plot the course, and work with you to bring it to life.

Already have a business but want to scale and optimize it? I’ll work with you and create strategies to grow your margins while taking better care of your employees, partners, customers, and community.

Do you feel overwhelmed with trying to keep things moving forward but struggle to talk to others about it because you fear being judged by your peers? Don’t worry, buddy. I’ve been there and get it — and I ain’t gonna judge you for it.

Now when it comes to terms, I say mostly because life likes to throw plenty of curveballs. After all, the only thing you have complete control over is your reaction to what you’re given.

While that’s a very short list, there’s a ton of power in knowing how to control your reaction that, when practiced, feels like you’re bending the laws of reality.

If you’ve ever met someone who seems lucky or that the universe moves out of the way to give them things, there’s a good chance they’ve mastered this skill.

The good news is anyone can learn it. And that’s the kind of magic I teach.

Starting a New Quest

I might not know who you are — and if this is the first post you’ve ever read from me, you might not know me either. But the cool thing about this whole thing is that I don’t need to know you to appreciate our shared humanity.

Your life is just as rich and interesting as mine and everyone else’s. We all have our obstacles, our victories, our losses, our joy, our pain. Some of it more relatable than others, but nevertheless, we have more in common than we do different.

The point of this newsletter and the journey we’ll take on together is to find our way through this chaotic world we happen to share. And I don’t mean that in some superficial way.

I plan on sharing content with applicable lessons, whether to encourage your professional creativity or to challenge your perspective of what it means to live a good life. I want to pick your brain and give you the tools you need to succeed at whatever cool thing you plan on doing as well as to critically think and reflect on your journey.

And as a giant video game nerd, I’ll sprinkle some of that in as well. After all, contextualizing life through games (and, more specifically, game theory) can make overwhelming concepts much easier to play with and apply.

Admittedly, this is the first I’ve written a newsletter so this journey’s a bit uncharted. But how exciting it is to start fresh, not knowing where exactly I’m going or who I’ll end up meeting.

Perhaps you’ll like what I have to say here.

Maybe we’ll work together and make something awesome.

We might eventually become best friends.

All too often, uncertainty has a negative connotation to it, our minds honed to worst-case scenarios that make the unknown daunting.

And while I’m still feeling out the direction of this newsletter, I know the destination: I want to help you feel a little less powerless, a little more creative, and a lot happier knowing you don’t have to face the world alone.

Get ready, friend. Today’s the day you start building the life you’ve always wanted.