5 Lessons I Learned in the Last 6 Months

I grew up in a small town of 5,000 people called Sharon (1 hour north of Toronto).

I'm the oldest of 5 kids (1 younger brother and 3 younger sisters).

My dad is a dentist. When I was younger I thought I wanted to be a dentist.

I went to "take your kid to work day" and realized I didn't like staring into peoples' mouths. But I was passionate about starting and building businesses.

I went to Ivey Business School (at Western University in London, Ontario). I hated it. It was all bullshit.

I graduated from business school and started working at Kraft in sales. After 7 months I started my first business, Bitmaker. We trained full-stack software engineers and got them jobs at tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Shopify.

In 3 years we trained 2,000 software engineers. Bitmaker was acquired by General Assembly for 8-figures.

After Bitmaker, I left Toronto and began the adventure of a lifetime. I traveled to Thailand, Indonesia, New Zealand, Peru, and all through America.

Along my travels, I came across a website called The Stoner's Cookbook. I met the founders and purchased the site from them. I rebranded the website to Herb.

Herb is now the largest and most engaged cannabis community in the world with over 14 million people.

My biggest nemesis in life is regret. 

I have always been obsessed with living my life to the fullest and pushing what is possible.

• I want to visit every country in the world before I die.

• I want to inspire people and show them what is possible.

• I want to help 100 million entrepreneurs live their dreams.

• I want to provide an unbelievable life for my friends and family.

• I want to tap into my full human potential and show others how to do the same.

I pride myself on being friendly.... and super aggressive.

I've struggled in the past with alcohol, depression, and anxiety.

These days, the most addicting drug in my life is momentum.

Here are the 5 biggest lessons I've learned in the last 6 months.

I hope you find them helpful.

1. Mindfulness is a Superpower

I have invested heavily in my mental health the last 6 months.

Every week I:

• Practice hot yoga 4x

• Meditate every morning

• See a therapist every Thursday

• Enjoy a cold bath and sauna 4x

• Go for a walk and get sunlight in my eyes at 6 am and 7 pm

A funny thing happens when I focus more on being present...

My cash flow grows.

And so does my peace of mind.

2. Storytelling is a Secret Weapon

I became sober 2 years ago.

I replaced alcohol with writing.

Writing led me to copywriting.

And copywriting led me to storytelling.

I practice the following framework for telling stories:

1. A character

2. With a problem

3. Meets a guide

4. That gives them a plan

5. That calls them to action

6. That results in...

7. Success

8. And helps them avoid failure

I'm excited to start a YouTube channel in October and continue to lean into storytelling. 

Hopefully, I see you there :)

3. Embrace The Suck

Often times our struggle in life comes from resisting hard things.

Here is a brutal truth:

Building a business is fucking hard. Straight up.

Instead of complaining, embrace it.

"If you are going to eat shit, don't nibble." - Ben Horowitz

4. Mentors Guarantee Success

What is the easiest way to guarantee success?

Find someone that has already done what you are trying to do and copy everything they did to be successful.

(Share this on Twitter)

This past week I had the opportunity to fly to LA and hang out with Sam Ovens, Alex Hormozi, Leila Hormozi, Codie Sanchez, and a bunch of other legends.

I was able to ask them questions about branding, YouTube, and growth. They gave me their exact playbook. Now my success is virtually inevitable - I just need to execute.

Mentors are the cheat codes to success. Leverage them.

(Share this on Twitter)

5. Embrace Space

I am an aggressive person. I am a machine. I love building and creating.

I wake up at 5 am every morning (including weekends) excited to build things.

2 months ago I had a heart-to-heart with my friend, Sierra, and realized the benefits of building more space in life. Space gives us the ability to think and reflect.

Space is useful to ensure we are taking time for friends and family. Space is an opportunity to recalibrate, rejuvenate, and relax.

I've been playing more with space and seeing it pay dividends. I go for 2 long walks a day (my average daily step count is 18,576). I take time for daily yoga.

I feel more calm, cool, and collected.

I hope you find these lessons useful.

That's a wrap!

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