I am no stranger to depression.

The reality is many men and some women go through phases of depression. Part of the road to enlightenment is realizing the inherent meaninglessness of life.

You want to have hope but there is nothing that can give you hope.

Give it time, no state of being is permanent.

I had a phase of existential depression in 2015 where I became a ghost.

I was playing ball hockey at the time and would be on the bench wishing the game was over.

I also went through a similar depression in late 2012 when I got in trouble with the law and thought a criminal record would be the end of me.

I have had phases in my life where all hope was lost and I was living an existence that could be described as hopeless.

On the road to enlightenment you’ll come across phases where you just don’t see any reason to continue on. They call this a dark night of the soul in some places.

The key is to refer back to the law which states that nothing is permanent.

Every phase of life will have its fair share of highs and lows.

You will lose and gain back everything many times over.

The existential notion of nothing having meaning is not going to stick with you for the rest of your life. The depression will subside if you give it enough time.

Some people even suggest leaving your reality by imagining the life you want to have.

They are not wrong because every time you imagine the life you desire, you’ll develop an attracting force that will allow you to bring in your desires.

The best part of this has to be that spending time in your imagination will allow you to escape and think bigger.

Nothing wrong with this type of distraction. If anything you will soon realize it’s better to go after what you want because you will be a person who has nothing to lose.

Having nothing to lose is a powerful position to be in. When you start gaining too much you’ll lose your edge because you now have something to lose. This is the trap that keeps you stuck.

My depression happened at around 21 years old.

I had no future at the time, and things looked pretty bleak. I also had no job, barely any money but I knew what enlightenment was.

You want states of being like joy and peace, but to get there you may have to deal with depression.

I would just sleep all day and maybe go for a walk even if I didn’t want to. The best thing to do when depressed is to avoid stagnation.

If you go lower and lower, you’ll eventually see everything as funny. The way out of severe depression is to wait it out and even allow yourself to feel as much as you can with regards to your pain.

To get out of negative states of mind, allow yourself to be in them.

Through letting go and surrender you will be able to raise your state of consciousness. I eventually found hope again. I was able to see the future in a more optimistic light.

To your success,

Angus

You are The Main Character

Building a business is the ultimate video game.

The goal of business is to build.

You want to make money, but this is only a small part of the game. The ultimate goal of business is to build something that makes humanity better off.

You are the main character, you are no longer working to enrich someone else.

You are now fully dedicated to making the most out of your own life.

You only answer to your customers.

Also, now you have 100% responsibility because you call the shots. You can make as much or as little money as you want.

Money is Just Fuel

You may start out because you want to make a million dollars.

Money is exciting, and the more of it the better.

If you have a mission for your business like helping other people, money is just a byproduct. The point of money is to be able to expand your empire.

Some people actually lose a lot of motivation when they have made it big.

Life is better when you have freedom.

Business is simply doing what you would do if you had complete freedom.

Money is a means to freedom, but don’t see money itself as a power source.

Money is just fuel to continue the game. When you get to the highest levels, the game doesn’t stop.

There are always more levels to reach in this video game.

At some point, you’ll make your first money online, and eventually a huge amount will come in.

You will now have so much money you won’t even know what to do with it. This is where a lot of entrepreneurs will get bored.

It’s important to actually take advantage of the momentum you have and scale bigger.

There are always levels to the game. You need to see every effort that compounds as part of the game. Build an audience, and make your first few grand online.

The point is don’t ever stop.

People like Donald Trump and Elon Musk never stopped playing the game.

They have all the money in the world, but most of it exists as assets and not actual cash. The money you have will only be able to give you so much in terms of material items.

Eventually you will have to transcend materialism and look for spiritual fulfillment.

Don’t check out of the game of capitalism just to get enlightenment.

You want to actually beat the game in your own terms before you look for God or transcendence.

The game is going to have its ups and downs, but I want you to know that the game is winnable.

Put the effort in each day, and you will see returns on your investments fairly easily.

Maybe you want to retire early, but this is a goal set by people who won’t get there.

You have to have a life purpose beyond just leaving the game.

Embrace the game and become a superstar. The extra mile isn’t too crowded.

To your success,

Angus

I have been no stranger to gambling since 2015.

I went to my first casino trip with some friends at the Lac-Leamy casino in Gatineau near Ottawa.

That day I was unwilling to risk more than 20 bucks and I cashed out 30 dollars. I was happy to get a free meal at McDonald’s that day with what I won.

Over the course of the next few years, I would be fully invested in gambling.

First I was a rookie who played mostly slot machines because they are for gamblers who have so skill. There’s no way to win without luck at those machines. I find with slot machines it’s impossible to stop putting money in until your bankroll is gone.

Thankfully, I progressed into better games during 2018.

In 2018, I walked in with my last 200 bucks to play a game called “Casino War”.

War allows you to bet and get one card, then the dealer draws the card. Aces play as high cards in war.

I was able to go on an improbable run and win $2,500 playing war.

I went to the table when I had already won 700 bucks, and put a hundred bucks on three spots. I was lucky to be dealt a jack and two tens, the dealer flipped over a 7 so I now had 600 bucks in front of me. The run continued as I was now on one spot betting with green chips. Green chips are $25 chips and I would vary my bets between 75 and 125 bucks.

I went on a run where I would have won about 10 or so hands in a row. I put the excess chips into my pocket and played the chips I had left on the table.

The pocket was getting heavier and my buddy was about to cash out.

He asked me how many chips I had, and I had no idea. So I dump all the chips from my jacket pocket onto the cashiers desk, and they rack the chips. I had 60 or so greens and some blacks.

The cashier paid me in mostly hundreds and I counted my money in the washroom. I had nearly three thousand dollars.

The next day I feel like this is too good to be true.

I wake up and carry the whole thing to the bank near where I was living. Hoping to God I wouldn’t get mugged.

The days of just playing war were coming to an end. I learned other games like 3 card poker, Texas Holdem poker, blackjack and I also played some roulette in 2017. I didn’t like roulette that much because the two green zeros give the house an obvious advantage.

I had played blackjack for free and made myself an 8 deck shoe to learn the game at home.

Blackjack is a game where you have options like splitting pairs, doubling down, hitting, staying etc.

The game I’ve enjoyed the most over the years is free bet blackjack. This game allows you to split all pairs except 10’s and double on any hard 9-10-11 for free. You get a free chip put it behind your bet, and you get double the payout if your hand wins. The house gets something out of it because any dealer bust with a 22 is a push and you get nothing.

The game is an up and down battle.

You want to press your bets when you win so your winning session will give you more money.

I have many wins and losses at blackjack in my lifetime. I have probably played over 100K worth of bets on blackjack. The house edge is not that high, it’s about 1%.

This means that on any given day, you can leave with a huge win.

The biggest lesson is that making the money is easy, but making sure you get out with the money is the hard part.

Blackjack is both fun and cruel, you will see the dealer pull an improbable 21 a lot of the time. You will also hit a 16 against a 10 and hit a miracle 21. You want to be dealt 10’s and 11’s that can be doubled for free.

Hopefully the dealer gives you a 20 or a 21.

Only play at tables that pay 3-2 on a blackjack. That extra 25 you get instead of 60 when you place a 50 dollar bet is going to make a difference.

Trust basic strategy. This alone lowers the house edge to just 1%.

What makes blackjack appealing to the house is that most players don’t play properly. These are the players who give their money away. Memorize basic strategy and play on a free app until you know each decision without having to think.

Blackjack is a lot like life.

Your best opportunities in life aren’t handed to you like a blackjack.

They are disguised as garbage hands like 3-3. Here you have a 6 but you are against a 4 which is a dealer bust card. So splitting the 3’s allow you to have two hands, and potentially more action if you get a 6, 7, or 8. When a split works out, you get more profit all starting from a trash hand.

It also pays to be aggressive. An 18 doesn’t win often. 19’s and 20’s win often. If you have a 19 or a 20, you have a very strong made hand. An 18 is a made hand, but will not win as often. 17 is also a made hand, but the only way to win outright with a 17 is if the dealer busts.

Hands that are 12-16 are the worst starting hands in the game.

When faced with a 10, you have to hit and risk a bust. When the dealer is showing a bust card 2,3,4,5,6 you stay and hope the dealer actually busts.

9s, 10’s, and 11’s are the best hands in the game because you can double for free and get a 2-1 payout if you win the hand.

I always take my doubles face up because I want to know what I have before the dealer acts. Many players take it face down, but I prefer face up.

Side bets are fun to play as well, and I do play them.

Just remember that these bets are fun, but they hurt your bottom line.

Biggest take away is gambling is fun, but should never be seen as a way to make money.

The only way to beat blackjack is card counting and few people can pull that off without getting caught.

To your success,

Angus

You Got This

Everything compounds.

This means that as you get started, you are already starting to build equity.

You can start a blog today.

This may not amount to much success right off the bat.

Once you commit to building an audience, you have to post consistently.

Lets say you make no money in your first 6 months online, but you have posted over 50 articles in that stretch of time.

Those 50 articles are available forever. Once you post another 50 in another 6 months, you now have 100 articles that will be online forever. Another year goes by and you have 200 articles.

This is the power of compounding.

The only way to benefit from compounding is to be consistent.

Starting a new site is exciting at first, but it’s important to stick with the process for a few years.

With effort and daily action, you almost guarantee you reach your goal.

The power of consistency will allow you to outlast other people.

At the start you will see no return on investment. In the late stages, you will see spectacular returns.

From years 3-6 of blogging you can virtually create customers at will. An e-book with 5000 viewers per month can render enough income to allow you to do whatever you want.

The internet is a very powerful thing.

To tap into that power, you need to see and understand how easy it actually is to be rich.

Your blog will help many people, and you can exponentialize your growth.

Don’t worry about monetizing in your first year, just focus on creating content.

SEO, funnels, lead generation etc. Don’t worry about the advanced stuff, just get the value out there and don’t look back. Once you have an audience, then you can focus on getting paid.

The great thing is after you’ve been consistent for years, you’ll realize how easy it was all along.

Success is easy if you are willing to put the time and effort in.

I have found that writing is easy, I write at least an article every few days.

The hard part is deciding to risk your time on something that may not work out. To be optimistic, the odds are actually in your favor if you practice dedication and consistency.

To your success,

Angus