I named my newsletter “Self-Mastery Sunday” because deadlines are important. There is nothing like a deadline to bias towards action. Are weekly posts doable for me? Perhaps. I am working a full time job in software sales & using much of my spare time to build the foundations of a company I hope to launch in the next year. Many things have to go right for that to happen. I certainly maintain the optimism that I can accomplish what I have set out to. I managed to convince my partner to marry me (wedding in just a couple weeks), so that’s got to count for something. She’s a physician, wildly talented and beautiful. This isn’t a humble brag, it’s just to communicate to you that I’m a good enough salesperson for her to continue to believe I’m a swell guy ;) … Perhaps the next well-orchestrated sales process could result in some capital to fund my startup. We shall see.

The process of ‘building’ something from nothing, balancing day to day tasks - career, relationship, physical health, staying away from simple carbohydrates - and maintaining a positive mindset is certainly a task. As Jordan Peterson likes to remind us, “life is HELL!” I find, however, I am fundamentally better for it. I’m finding creativity shine through in ways I didn’t otherwise believe possible. While I find myself irritable at times and my self-confidence is waning, those negative feelings are few and far between. I’ve been through a couple major depressive episodes in the last decade and a common theme for each of them was: I wasn’t doing much. I wasn’t talking, I wasn’t walking, I wasn’t dreaming, I wasn’t believing, I wasn’t laughing. A whole lot of nothing was the theme in my day to day existence. With the help of family, pharmacology and some positive voices from the world of podcasts and YouTube, I was able to start ‘doing’ again. It was a slow process, but the path began to come back into focus.

So it’s with tremendous gratitude I write these words in my first substack article. I have a sense of what I want this to be. I would always like to have my personal voice shine through my work. The world I take part in can be so utterly impersonal, manufactured and stale… that of company building and startups. Sure there’s the sexy stories we’ve all heard, but those are outliers. And in many ways, most of the stories about Tech these days are filled with doom and gloom. I sense most people are distrustful (and rightly so) of anything with ‘Inc.’ after its name. Lord knows I am. I was let go from a job in the early days of the pandemic. Recently, I left a job to join a startup I was excited about only to have the offer pulled 2 days prior to my start date. This was after extensive interviews, practicums and negotiation. It hurt. Then I had a few failed interviews with popular tech firms that I was so very eager to put on my LinkedIn resume. I witness so much anger and frustration from people who are unexpectedly losing their jobs in the current economic downturn. People have a right to be callous and distrusting in many instances. We have to avoid resentment, however.

“Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”

I hope whatever I’m building can help rekindle a sense of ownership in someone’s life. It’s ownership over your path that leads you away from pernicious and damaging feelings like resentment. Whether that be with my writing, the company I hope to found or just a passing interaction with a stranger. I’m remarkably fortunate to be where I am at this present moment. I can’t squander this opportunity. I have to stay on the path. I promise you, whoever you are, that I will do my best. And I promise myself that as well.

So, what the hell is “Self-Mastery Sunday?” Somewhat generally, it aims to be a bundle of positive energy, creative spark and grounded wisdom related to what I’m trying to build and put out into the world. I humbly approach the topics I wish to write about, knowing very well I am no scientist, scholar or influencer. I am just a man. But vision, passion, grit and the love of a good woman can lift anyone up towards their true potential. Fortunately, I have those things in my life at this very moment. To not tap into that energy and keep ‘doing’ would be wasted potential. That ultimately leads to a sad, regretful existence. Let’s not do that then, eh?

Until next time…