Get organized as you travel back through time — When I got my first real writing job in ‘09, I didn’t have a whole lot to talk about then. With limited experience, I started exploring tech. I poured time into “researching” my articles, one by one. I installed, played around with, and spent tons of time trying out different…

Seven bits of optimism to help keep you going — I am on a losing streak as of late. Over the past four years, I’ve experienced many ups and downs. The path to financial independence has not been an easy one, let me just say that. Here’s an abbreviated list of things I’ve failed at: Running a personal brand consultancy …

The man embraces authenticity to his core — When I was a kid going through school, my favorite subject was science. I loved learning about the world through a sciencey lens. Every once in a while, we’d have an off day in class where things were pretty relaxed. The teacher would dim the lights, wheel a TV in…

Sometimes, you just need to pick a lane and start moving. — Making money on the internet is a wonderful thing. Whether you’re selling art, words, time, access, a product you made, or a service you invented, each dollar that flows your way feels like validation for your gift or idea. For me, the dream is writing. I look at the Ryan…

I’m convinced the world we know exists because of marketing — You may not know this quite yet, but the world you and I live in — the reality we call home — was created for us by marketing. I learned this fact first-hand sometime in 2015 when I was added to a new account at the creative agency I worked…

This is what I would do if I were just graduating. — By my count, college graduation was about 13 years ago (hot damn!) for me, almost to the day. It’s hard to believe how much time has passed since then, not to mention how drastically my life has changed. When I first came out of school, I did a bit of…

“Don’t blame the bird feeder” is what I now like to say. — I love hummingbirds. I love how cute they are as they zip around, always feeding; their tiny little wings that go a mile a minute; even how the second you point one out to somebody it’s already gone before they can even turn their head. There happen to be quite…

What to do when swords rain down from the sky and life comes at you in the realest of ways — “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.”— Mike Tyson I had a plan once. It was sometime in March 2017. I was living in Hoboken at the time, commuting across the river to my agency job in NYC. My girlfriend, Melissa (who I met at work)…

The writing process doesn’t have to be complicated, it just has to be yours. — I want to be a writer. I want my stories to help people. I want to have best-selling books published and, ideally, statues erected in my name. Over the years, this idea — this dream of mine — has come up a lot. I’ve talked about the importance of finding…