Writing this book has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Its publication date was pushed back twice by my editor, who was incredibly patient with me throughout the yearlong process of putting the pieces together. Thanks to Adrian Zackheim and the entire team at Portfolio for support on this book.
A huge thanks to Kaushik Viswanath, who long before I became a published author or even had a literary agent found my ebook Slipstream Time Hacking and saw potential. Thank you for holding this book to a higher standard than I held for myself. Thank you for pushing me to get my thinking right and clear, and for never making me feel inferior or incapable. There were many times throughout the writing of this book that I began to doubt myself. Although you might have as well, especially when it began to look like this might not ever become a book, you never showed any signs of doubt. I’d also like to thank Helen Healey, who also edited the book and supported me getting to the finish line!
To Laurie Liss, thank you for being such a beautiful friend. Thank you for being my agent and seeing potential in me I still don’t see for myself. Thank you for holding my work to an increasingly high standard, and for being patient as I mature into a professional. Thank you for all of the phone calls and for the love and support. I am so grateful to have you in my life.
To Tucker Max, you came into this project at a desperate and essential time. Working with you enhanced my writing capabilities in a way I hadn’t experienced in several years. You made writing this book fun again, and you showed me how to think differently and better as a writer. I’m blown away and honored that you helped edit this book and mentored me through the process. I’ve never had more fun writing than when I worked back and forth with you over the three weeks we hashed out the first full draft. Thanks for being a great friend and mentor to me.
To Hal Clifford, for helping me organize the structure and thinking of this book. You helped me accomplish in two weeks what I couldn’t do in almost a year without you. The scope and difficulty of the concepts in this book made it very hard to structure. For the first ten or so months, I created probably more than thirty different tables of contents and structures. None of them felt right. The book didn’t feel right, and it began to feel like I’d lost touch with what I initially set out to do. But Hal, you brought me back to my core and helped me frame and structure my ideas in a way that allowed me and Tucker to easily flow through the writing process. Thank you again.
To Vanessa O’Brien, Rosalie Clark, Andre Norman, Nate Lambert, Jane Christiansen, and Melissa Hull for letting me use your stories in this book. Without your stories, the ideas in this book would be less powerful and less useful. Thank you for allowing me to ask you questions. Thank you for your vulnerability and trust.
To Dr. Robert Sinclair, who during the writing of this book mentored and guided me through the completion of my PhD in industrial and organizational psychology at Clemson University. Although you likely disagree with much that is written in this book, I will always acknowledge you in all that I do. I almost got kicked out of my PhD program for stupid mistakes I made and for my lack of fitting into the academic structure. You watched me fumble over and over and yet you still allowed me the opportunity to finish. Completing my PhD was one of the most significant accomplishments of my life. I did basically my entire dissertation while writing this book. I could not have done it without your patience, kindness, and nonjudgment toward me and my goals. Thank you, Bob.
To Joe Polish, thank you for being the first domino for so much that has happened in my life since 2017. Thank you for allowing me to speak at the Genius Network Annual Event. Thank you for supporting and helping me in everything I do. Thank you for being a true friend and collaborator. Thank you for being the ultimate “giver” I know. I know that we will be doing lots of E.L.F. projects in the future. I can’t wait!
To Dan Sullivan and Babs Smith, thank you for your patience as I wrote this book. You and I have a book project, Who Not How, that had to sit on hold while I struggled through this book. In the documentary, Game Changer, made about Dan’s life, Babs, the cofounder of Strategic Coach, said about him, “He has a different way of looking at time. And it helps people to be on their own time, and not on the time the world tries to impose on them. ‘This is your window.’ ‘You have to act now.’ He’s like, ‘No you don’t.’” I have experienced this myself. Dan, thank you for teaching me about 10X Thinking and 100X Collaborations. Thank you for creating a 25 Year Collaboration with me. It’s going to be explosive.
To Richie Norton, Richard Paul Evans, Wayne Beck, Jason Korman, Draye Redfern, Chad Willardson, Whitney Bishop, Aubrey Luddington, Eric McKibbin, Alan and Linda Burns, Ross and Krissi Allred, and everyone else who is a core relationship in my personal and professional life: Thank you for your love and support! It means the world to me!
To Kay and Janae Anderson, thank you for allowing me to be married to your daughter. Thanks for taking a chance on a “White”! Thanks for all the love and support you’ve given me in creating my dreams. Your love and support, both emotionally and financially, have been essential to my succeeding the way I have. Thank you for being such incredible people in my life. I love every interaction I get to have with you.
To my own parents, Philip Hardy and Susan Knight, thank you for being my parents. Thank you for bringing me into this world. Thank you for loving me unconditionally, and for always supporting me in my goals and dreams. Thank you for being my best friends and my biggest cheerleaders. Thank you for all you’ve taught me and continue to teach me. To Trevor and Jacob, thank you for being my brothers. Thank you for the loving bond we have together. Thank you for your empathy and patience with me as your older brother, especially during the hardest time in our lives. I wasn’t who I needed to be for you guys. But looking back now, I think we all have a better understanding and empathy toward our past. I love you both forever.
To Lauren, thank you for being my wife. Thank you for dealing with countless nights with me either staying up late writing or traveling. Thank you for creating and maintaining order in our lives. Thank you for being a solid rock in my life. Thank you for your faith, love, generosity, thoughtfulness, and patience for me. My love for you increases every day. I hope that I can become the man you deserve and see me as. To Kaleb, Jordan, Logan, Zorah, and Phoebe, thanks for being my kids. Thanks for being a huge inspiration and motivation in my life. Thanks for your patience with my imperfections as a father. I love you all very much and love being your dad. You challenge me to become better every day.
To my Heavenly Parents, thank you for my life. Thank you for everything that is. Thank you for this experience and for the reality of learning and change. I know that I am literally your child, and that I have the capacity to one day become like you. Thank you for always being with me. Thank you for guiding me. Thank you for everything you’ve blessed me with in my life. Thank you for transforming my past and guiding my future.