What I Found Through Losing It All

In 2 years I experienced 2 extreme spectrums of circumstances

Everything and nothing.

It changed my relationship with myself, life and money forever

Not just my outlook.

It changed the way I approach life.

Which… changed my very essence of being

The only way to explain it is like playing a video game and suddenly turning on god mode.

The obstacles that used to throw you off and crush your momentum are no longer there.

That’s equivalent to the existential clarity I received when I realized:

Real obstacles in life exist only within myself.

Before exploring the building blocks that got me here, let’s add some context.

I was getting ready to graduate.

Do you know the feeling where you wake up and wish time could just stop?

Just for a moment. Couple minutes. So you could breathe.

But time waits for no one

That was my life for 15+ years.

On the day of my graduation, 30+ years of the same flashed in front of my eyes.

So when I got into crypto, it was the perfect escape.

In one year, I moved to an island, quit my job and lived like a millionaire

I read, I journaled, I meditated, I jiu-jitsu’d, I salsa’d. I surfed.

Turns out avoiding every hard thing in life doesn’t lead to fulfillment.

A good life is a life full of challenges that force you to grow, but on your own terms.

The market crashed.

I lost everything

There’s a saying in Vietnamese:

The higher you climb, the harder you fall

I felt that

I had no money. I was knee-deep in loans.

I tumbled into a never-ending vortex

You’ll live your whole life confident you know yourself

But until you let life knock you down, really knock you down

You have no idea what you’re made of

I learned at exponential speed

I developed habits a year ago Ava wouldn’t recognize

I’m executing on ideas I’ve only dreamt of

But you see,

I didn’t get here because I wanted to win back anything

I got here because I lost everything

And when I had nothing, something became clear:

Nothing in life matters unless you have nothing and still be glad you are alive

If I was grinding to get myself out of debt

I wouldn’t wake up in the morning excited to work

If I was hustling to ‘replace a 9-5’

I wouldn’t cherish every moment of being alive

No. Money isn’t the motivation.

It can’t be.

Because if it is, you will forever be in the race chasing it.

Addicted to the little hits of cheap dopamine like every other addict

You need a purpose.

When you move through life with a clear purpose, you’re moving at turbo speed while everyone else is swimming. In molasses.

Why?

Because you get:

• mental clarity

• physical peak

• spiritual enlightenment

Every aspect of your life is improved as a result.

If your purpose doesn’t do that then you’re not thinking big enough

I can’t tell you how to find purpose, because it’s a deeply personal quest that each one of us must take on our own for it to actually bring meaning

But here are building blocks that will help you as much as it helped me:

be curious about everything.

• Don’t be satisfied when someone gives you an answer.

• Question it. Question why that answer sounds good

• Why do you have consciousness?

• Why are you taking this job?

• Why do mosquitoes exist?

break down your objections— one at a time.

• The first thing that stopped me from building a personal brand was publishing

• I used to sit and worry about it all day. I tried to perfect one tweet all day.

• 4000+ tweets later, I launched my first newsletter.

• What’s one objection that’s stopping you from reaching a goal?

• Figure it out. Then do it.

• The more you do, the better you get at doing.

• The more things you can do.

• Do. Do anything. Do everything.

pick one topic and learn about it.

• You can do it through a course, youtube videos, a book, newsletters, podcast.

• You may very quickly learn that you’re not interested in it. Or it may take you a month.

• But that’s how you cross things off your list

• Pick the next thing and keep learning.

• Eventually, the learning will feel right. And you will know.

• Personally I’ve tried dentistry, graphic design, animation, video editing, coding, copywriting, consulting, coaching…..

By being deeply curious, you are constantly learning.

When you are constantly learning, you are expanding your consciousness into a bigger reality.

You continue growing, compounding value into the next set of problems you are going to solve.

That’s how you provide massive value to society and get paid for it.

That’s how you wake up every morning happy and get paid for it.

That’s how you make the world better and get paid for it.

That’s why I’m here.

To share with you insights and lessons I pick up along the way.

Or just be the companion I wish I had a few years ago.

Do I know how to do that precisely? F*ck no.

This is a journey.

We’re going to try some shit. Break some shit and try some more shit.

If that’s your vibe, then stick around.

Maybe we’ll never figure “it” out

But we’re gonna have a lot of fun & we’re gonna die tryin’

p.s A very very special shoutout— you just read my FIRST newsletter!! How freakin’ cool is that? You’re amazing. I know who you are. And I’ll always know ❤️