Mid-shift, a few months in, I was at the elevator talking to an older officer who was nearing retirement. In between running inmates up to the roof for yard time, he asked me where I wanted to be, knowing that the prison was not it. Had he asked me that two months earlier, I would have answered that I was in this job until a listing was posted for either ICE or U.S. Marshals, and then I would transfer. But now, a couple hundred strip searches later, I said I would consider getting an English degree, going to law school, or doing something with writing. Anything that didn’t require me to say “Turn around, bend over, and cough.” I would quit after 7 months.

Turns out, working in a prison sucks, like—a lot

I was working third shift when I quit. I spent those overnight shifts on the computer on a desperate search for any full-time job near my home. Insert Lowe’s. A few months later, exit Lowe’s. Same problem, different arena. Not for me, not even a little bit.

Somewhere in there, I started a WordPress blog. While I’ve since deleted it, I kept a running Word doc holding much of what was on the site. Circa 2019, I wrote these words:

“When was the last time you started from the beginning? I mean a legitimate square one. You know nothing about it other than you want to do it. As we get older, to our detriment, we tend to stray away from beginnings. I’ve already established that this is somewhat of an introduction in and of itself. Nonetheless, I’m embracing this unfolding in writing, which made me think. What does it look like for me to truly embrace my involvement with the process of creating?”

Sucks, right?

Brevity aside, it’s a good question. Almost 7 years later, it looks like this. 6 months ago, I was still dabbling in writing. While I can say that I’ve never given up, I can argue that my attempts to start were never followed by a dedication to the craft. I hadn’t taken the necessary steps to make the main thing the main thing and keep the main thing the main thing.

These posts aren’t planned. I get to my desk Saturday morning (or afternoon), and I write. I’ve attempted to start a draft earlier in the week and edit as I go, but my mood would shift from day to day, and my edits would shift the original post to something I never intended. It became a scramble, and I wasn’t into it. It became a structure that didn’t feel genuine, so I had to abandon it.

I like doing it this way

Grab my coffee, sit at my desk, put words down, hit post.

The point is to be purposeful about putting something out weekly. Our brains are a muscle, and in the age of AI and the infinite scroll, the dulling of the mind is a real thing. It’s all automate and optimize—ain’t nobody got time for that.

My life now is made of deliberate moves to keep doing what I’m doing.

Heard someone the other day say that if you’re tired of starting over, stop giving up.

Makes sense.

Until next week.

Mission over money.
🇺🇸

In 2017, a former Marine and SOFREP writer named Nick Coffman told our story and the subsequent actions that followed. He titled it “Marine Recon: Surviving war only to battle invisible injuries at home.”

Ten years later, almost to the date of June 6, 2011, my platoon found itself reunited fireside at the Kingfisher Lodge along the Big Horn River in Montana for a 4-day, all-expenses-paid fly-fishing trip thanks to the team at The Bar X Project. The Bar X Project is a 501C3 non-profit that focuses on reuniting Marine and Navy teammates who served in combat together.

I’m taking some liberties with how this came together, but as I understand it. Nick Coffman from SOFREP had been covering the trial and events surrounding MARSOC 7 and had written about them on SOFREP. Major Fred Galvin was a key piece in that story, and Major Galvin would go on to be the Battalion Operations Officer for 3rd Recon in Sangin Valley. Nick and Fred had gone out to Montana for the same trip with a few of the Marines from the MARSOC 7. Fred would then reach out to our platoon commander from our Sangin deployment and set the stage for our trip with The Bar X Project.

10 of us made the trip, and ten years disappeared in an instant. It was like we had just seen one another. I connected with James Moran, the founder of The Bar X Project, on that trip. Post-trip, I shared some photos I took of our time with James, and we stayed loosely in touch.

Fast forward

Earlier this year, I left my full-time job to pursue writing. I posted on Instagram about launching DEFCON INK. James saw it, asked if I was still writing, and I said yes. He invited me out on a trip this summer to write a story for The Bar X Project. Of course I said yes.

A few weeks before my trip, during my daily perusal of the internet looking for writing opportunities, I saw that SOFREP was hiring for a full-time writer. 5 articles a week, 1 per day, 750-1,250 words. I want to be a writer, but not at the expense of what I am trying to build with DEFCON INK. Didn’t appear to be a fit for me, so I let it be.

Last week

During one of my entrepreneurial scrambles, I revisited that SOFREP job listing and figured—why not. What’s the worst that can happen? Some of the lower points of this freelance journey have been enough encouragement to do what I normally wouldn’t. It’s in embracing that discomfort where growth happens, and I know that. Besides, enough time had passed that they were likely no longer looking.

So I updated my resume to include some recent work, sent the piece I wrote for The Bar X Project as my writing sample, and included a brief note at their request answering why I would be a good fit for the role.

This was my note

I am a retired Reconnaissance Marine, and my life revolves around what this role requires. My days are spent reading, writing, exercise and an acceptable and healthy portion of pints. Beyond my own expression, I adapt brand voices distinguishable from my own. I bring perspective and nuance to present-day controversial topics and the direction of our nation and military.

Short, sweet, and accurate. I got a response within an hour: “Hey Chris, you have good timing. We currently have an opening for a part-time writer at SOFREP.”

When James asked me to come out and write a story, we bounced around where it could live with some guys via group chat. One had mentioned he reached out to a former SOFREP guy who had worked there to see if we could get it published. I revisited that text because I remember he took a screenshot of the conversation with the former staffer.

His name: Nick Coffman

I found Nick on Instagram, DM’d him, and told him he wrote a story about my platoon back in 2017, my recent Bar X trip, and that I was interviewing for SOFREP. The following day, before my interview, we talked writing, life, and the beauty of these fine lines of connection.

The interview went well. I’ll submit my trial piece this week. If it pans out, I’ll be a part-time contributor, three articles a week.

During the interview, the interviewer said they would get back to me about a topic to write on. But during our call, I began discussing The Bar X Project. What stood out to him about my writing sample was the human perspective behind the piece. He noted that it’s not something they have a lot of on the site. They want more of a human perspective to weave into their rhythm. So, of course he said, “Hey, why don’t you write a story on The Bar X Project?”

Full circle

A deployment I went on in 2011 got covered by a former Marine writing for a military publication. That story lived and resonated, so much so that it got into a nonprofit’s hands, and they reached out and brought us together. From that relationship, more bonds were built. Now, here I am at 40 years old, working with that nonprofit to help them get their story out, while interviewing and writing for the same publication that first told mine.

I don’t know what it holds or what it means. But it’s meaningful.

Keep going. Keep pushing. Keep striving. There is work that needs to be done, and often you don’t know what the outcome will be unless you keep doing what you are called to do.

As chapters close and others begin, I’m dialing in. Excited for what’s to come. I’ll continue to move with the same intention.

Grateful for all the people I know.

Until next week.

Mission over money.
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When someone starts shooting, people start recording. If someone’s being stabbed, people start recording. If someone’s being harassed, people start recording. If someone’s being beaten, if someone’s life is in danger, if their family is in danger — people start recording.

I’ve had pushback from people who say, “You’re taught at CCW classes and self-defense classes that the best thing you can do is save yourself, save your family, pull out a phone, record, because it can help law enforcement later.” I get that. If that is indeed the reason you pulled out your phone.

What’s important to notice is that this behavior is happening at what I believe to be a subconscious level. People are pulling out their phones to record in the same manner in which they would pull out a chair before sitting. You don’t think about positioning a chair before you sit on it — you just do it.

Quick lesson

Ferdinand Saussure had a scientific approach to linguistics. He introduced the concepts of signifier and signified as the two halves of a sign — the signifier being the form (the sound, the word, the image), the signified being the concept it points to. Saussure argued that signs only make sense as part of a formal, generalized, abstract system. We know the meaning of a sign because we relate it to other signs in that system. In other words, we know a dog is a dog because we know it is not a cat.

This can get muddy when you have two matching doors that lead to separate restrooms. You know they both lead to the toilet, but who can use which? The signifier, the doors themselves, is not enough to give the signified, male or female. You need the sign or image on the door.

A different conversation entirely, but the triangle at the bottom of the stencil is enough to signify woman, to separate the two.

Decades later, Jacques Lacan inverted the diagram. He put the signifier on top of the signified and argued that the signifier has priority. Meaning slides under the signifier. Signifiers can produce effects: reactions, associations, and responses without needing the signified to be fully formed or in the person’s awareness. Again, the triangle at the bottom of the stencil is the signifier that leads you to know this is the women’s restroom, regardless of whether culture agrees on what a woman is.

This may be boring for some. But here is where I want to extend this framing.

In the age of technology, some people have adapted the way we read signs, and the reading has collapsed into the response. For some, someone else’s worst moment is the signifier. The signified, if you had to name it, is something like “record-worthy content.” And there is no conscious gap between reading the sign and acting on it. See phone-worthy moment — record. It’s instantaneous.

Same subconscious mechanism as see chair — sit. Or, know those are the bathrooms because of the signs, so walk to the correct door. Except the trigger, in this case, is somebody’s worst moment. And the response is filming it.

To me, this is evolution at play.

The subconscious reach for the phone in the middle of someone else’s worst moment.

And this isn’t just kids. It’s lil Johnny and Derek all the way up to Memaw and PaPa pulling out their phones and recording.

I want to shame and fault them, but it’s likely not their fault. We need to figure out how we can move away from whatever led people to this behavior, but it seems to be taking deep root in society and in our understanding of the world around us.

It’s scary

There will never not be cell phones. Video is not going away. The internet is not going away. Social media is not going away. If those things ever do go away, the world will be in bad shape, and we’ll have bigger fish to fry.

I use the internet all the time. It is part of how I find work. It is how I work. I love it, and I hate it. And this new behavior is part of what I hate.

I do not have a solution. But I also have not developed, evolved, or arrived at this subconscious decision that mimics other basic instincts.

Something to think about.

Until next week.

Mission over money.
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I’m dogless. Two dogs in less than a year have gone to be with no one. That’s right, I don’t believe dogs go to heaven. They don’t have souls. They just… go. Do I believe there are animals and dogs in Heaven? I do. Will I see Bear and Puppy there? I will not. But it would be a pleasant surprise.

I’ve spent the last seven days without my wife and without my dogs. I came back from Montana only for her to take off to visit family in Cleveland the following day. Lemme tell you, I’m not into it.

No shade to my single people out there, but being 40 and alone is laaammmmeeeee. Let me clarify: I understand that dogs are not humans, but you have to understand — I don’t care. I talk to my dogs all the time. Plop down on the couch: “What we watching, Puppy?” Come back from a run: “Bear, start the shower for me.” Casual conversation.

We can deliberate all we want on what has gotten us to this point where dogs are not wolves and some can fit in a red solo cup and people have huskies where it gets as hot as 115 degrees.

I’ve always said that the joy and love we experience with animals is the same joy and love that should be experienced with people. The companionship that people speak of in animals — that they wish they could find in people, or a person, for them — is what they love about dogs. It’s interesting to identify what’s missing in your life and believe you’ve found it in a dog and thus satisfied that desire.

Not the case.

I don’t know what the point of this is. Maybe it’s grief. I don’t know what stage. Probably the stupid stage.

Friends have suggested we wait a couple months before bringing in another doggo. F that. As soon as the wife gets back, straight to the shelter.

Until next week.

Mission over money.
🇺🇸

Dress for the role you want, not the role you’re in.

I was on the trip with someone who was a wealth of knowledge and experience in the same space I’m entering. He offered connections and information all out of the goodness of his heart. Great opportunities.

On this trip, I found The Bar X Project to be in need of what I offer, so why not offer them the services? I don’t mean just talking about it, which I did. I mean a professional proposal. Pitching, and not relying on word of mouth and the fact that I’ve already spent time with these gentlemen to be enough, or my “in,” so to speak.

I’ve been told to keep growing my pipeline. When a project or client falls through, I have something to fall back on. I understand the sentiment, and I don’t disagree. However. The hardest and best lessons are learned by doing, and it’s go time.

Opportunity exists all over; whether we are willing to put ourselves out there is the real issue. Is it worth being turned down, critiqued, maybe a reprimand or two, all for the goal of being better than yesterday?

Most people tell you to cast a wide net for the sake of gaining the necessary experience and perspective to get the ball rolling.

This is where I push back. Time will tell whether it is a good idea.

I do not wish to work with anyone who is willing to pay solely to gain experience. I would much rather pass on opportunities that do not align with who I am and what I represent. Casting a wide net works against me.

Is my route slow, maybe. Is my direction unique, yes. Will it require a lot of effort, sure. Is it worth it?

You already know.

Building relationships is a different story. While the work may not be a fit for me, that does not mean I would turn down the opportunity to build a relationship with the person, brand, or company. I always say you don’t have to share my beliefs for us to be cordial.

I take note of every conversation I’ve had so far: things to say and not to say, what I missed, and areas where I can be more concise.

The end goal is more than gaining a client but building a partnership with the client.

Large organizations will get you and your brand into their pipeline, pass you off to Joan or Jack who will take your tasks, give you a 72hr turn around on deliverables, and you’ll have it at hr 71.

Great, if that meets your need. Go for it.

With DEFCON INK, you’ll have my number. You need something? Call me or text me, and we’ll get it worked out.

My desire is to work with mission-driven folks who are overwhelmed. People who love this country and do their best to support others who feel the same way. I desire to be a strategic partner you can rely on, not a copy machine.

So it goes, there’s work to be done, and the opportunities are there. Don’t squander either.

Need help? → DEFCON INK

Until next week.

Mission over money.
🇺🇸

The point isn’t that you can do anything you put your mind to. I mean, you can, but that doesn’t mean it will work. The point is: are you able to make the necessary adjustments over time to improve while doing the thing you’ve put your mind to?

Can you do it too? I don’t know, maybe.

When I said I wanted to write, I didn’t quite know how I would get paid for it. I had an idea, but I didn’t know how I was going to execute it. I figured I’d look for small businesses struggling to maintain an online presence because they were too busy running their business.

Makes sense, right? Of course it does. But it also makes sense for anyone attempting to pull copywriting duties for a company or brand. This is not a zero-competition endeavor.

And if they’re struggling to keep up, chances are they don’t have a budget to pay me what I deserve, if anything at all — their money is tied up in the business. True. But I’d rather cross that bridge when I get there.

I added an additional layer and market to Americans building in America. Companies and brands that are doing their best to source 100% of their material and labor in America. I’ve gone from an ocean to a pool, but I still must display the value I bring to a company or brand. Value that AI can’t. The AI part is easy. AI copy sucks. No way around it. When you attempt to prompt your way to relevance, people don’t care.

How do I market myself? This is where it starts to get interesting and important because it’s how I display value and earn trust. My LinkedIn posts are my biggest window into who I am and what I offer. The best thing I’ve gotten from that platform is feedback on my writing.

Most people write about what they offer instead of showing who they are through how they write. I’m about a 90-10 split between sharing who I am and how I think, and what I offer.

Doing so, while slow, is the best format for people to gain perspective on who I am.

From day 1, I’ve attempted to “find my voice.” When I write, I do so in a manner that shows I can be effective with my words and writing style. My posts are my portfolio, and my personality is what has to carry much of the weight.

If someone likes my personality because I put it on display (something AI can’t accomplish), and I display my ability to convey a point or perspective that lands — those people, over time, become clients.

I don’t reach for desired outcomes by attempting to game the algorithm. I don’t write in a way that the gurus say I should. I don’t optimize for anything. I say what I want, and mean what I say, even if I’m wrong.

Should you start? Maybe, if you want. But before you start anything, ask yourself why. The answer will let you know whether you’ll keep at it long enough to make a real decision based on enough data.

Until next week.

Mission over money.
🇺🇸

I had enough autonomy to grow in the role, and I didn’t want to be a platoon sergeant or beyond. Could I have, yes. Would I have done a good job? I’m sure I would have made it work. But I knew that when I became a Team Leader, it was where I wanted to be. The team had well-defined lanes, and I enjoyed the hard decisions at the team level. That was my zone.

There’s no cap for growth at the team level. Most of the online conversation misses this because it’s structured around scale. How do we make more, get bigger, add people? The answer isn’t up. The answer is depth.

I have no CEO desires. It’s not what I’m good at. I’ve not outgrown my role. I become better at it.

It’s not a fear of accomplishments that stops me from moving. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. I’m confident in my ability to accomplish more because I recognize my strength is at the team level.

I love working with photographers, videographers, and graphic designers to create a product together as a team. Working with people who have something they want to say but can’t figure out the best way forward. As much as each person owns their piece, the beauty is in the result an effective team produces. Would I work for a large company? Maybe. But I’d rather be on a small team that produces big results.

Time will tell, but I know my skills. I intend to grow them.

It’s not a belief that I won’t accomplish what I’m going for. Believing I can accomplish keeps me moving. Because once you have accomplished what you set out to do, you feel the need to do more and set higher goals. I say it all the time because it’s true. There is no finish line. So I set lofty goals I’ll never achieve, setting the bar so high that I continue reaching for it, within my scope, my level, my sweet spot.

So how do I do it? Where is the direction? What’s the move? How do I go about it?

What I’ve learned is that I have to keep doing what I’m doing. It will evolve as I learn and make mistakes. It feels inevitable. But I struggle in these stagnant moments where I feel I should be doing a lot more.

More right now looks like applying to jobs, cold outreach, and following the advice of people who are not where I want to be. The challenge is restraint. Not every waking moment needs to be spent attempting to reach a new level; rather, I should improve my position and then rest in it.

I don’t want to waste away toiling after the work and work only.

I want the work to open opportunities for more mountains, rivers, and lakes. And Italy, Italy is dope.

This is the life the Lord has given us. What am I doing with it?

Until next week.

Mission over money.
🇺🇸

I’ve been going hard on the writing piece since I left work. Let me tell you, it’s not easy. Some days I wake up convinced I’m an absolute failure of a man and a husband. As self-deprecating as that sounds, I know it’s not true. It wears off after the workout. Then I press on.

But this journey does not give me feedback right away. I post daily on LinkedIn, I use Substack, I meander around on Instagram, all because I want to be a writer. The conundrum is that while my desire is to write, that’s the easy part. I also need to be paid for writing, that’s the hard part.

Because I desire to write more than I do to get paid, it affects the way I go about putting myself out there. I don’t pitch, I don’t do paid ads, I don’t sell, and I don’t use AI to automate any of the process. That’s right, I write, and hope someone reads and says, “Sure, I’ll pay him.”

The gall, I know. By no means am I prescribing these actions, I’m telling you what I’m doing. I know what people say I should do, but… whatever, y’know.

Here’s where it’s gotten me:

1. One request for LinkedIn ghostwriting services

2. Negotiation with a Founder between retainer work or a single project

3. Covering a veteran retreat in Montana in 2 weeks

4. A portfolio that got my foot in the door with a big media company in the defense, firearm, and outdoor space

5. Added to a marketing proposal as the copywriter for a drone company going to a software company

The last point I’m proud of. He has only seen my LinkedIn posts and never engaged with me until he reached out to work with me. He is what they call a lurker. Someone who never does anything but sit back and watch to get enough info to then consider you for work.

The burning question: have I been paid? Yes — just not with money yet. The payoff has been the learning along the way. Have I done some work for free? Of course, it’s how I demonstrate value beyond my own writing practices.

But the key is in the lessons. Every stall, every time I share too much on a discovery call, don’t advocate enough for myself, drop the price to think that will help, all lessons. Baggin’ and taggin’ them bad Larrys too.

I’m warming up. Head over to Defcon Ink if you need writing services.

Until next week.

Mission over money.
🇺🇸

Out of many, one.

Today, we celebrate.

Until next week.

Mission over money.
🇺🇸

Never underestimate the value of the pivot. The direction stays the same — forward.

“Come on, up! Up-up-up! Up! Yes! Here we go! Pivot! Pivot! Piv-ot! Piv-et!! Piv-ett!!! Piv-et!”

I get a weekly solid dose of Friends.

That word has an annoying ring, pivot. Even worse when someone’s telling YOU it’s time to make the shift. The pivot’s the right move, but it still needs to be done with direction, equal vigor, and enthusiasm as the original path.

I’ll continue to be grateful that I’m plagued with first-world problems. But they’re problems nonetheless. They still require solutions.

“Carlos, this is a stupid fucking problem to have. But, it is a problem nonetheless.”

Bad Boys II set a solid precedent for sequels. The rats were eating Carlos’s money because he had so much of it. Stupid problem indeed, but still a problem.

Housing costs and the cost of living continue to rise in South Orange County, CA. Especially along the coast. I feel I’m the only one with two rental properties on the coast who can’t figure out how to make it work. By work, I mean profitable.

So yet again, I pivot. I’m taking the leap on a mid-term rental. No less than 30 days. No more than 6 months. Fully furnished. Right over our heads. Is it worth it? I don’t know yet. The numbers say yes. That’s the power of the pivot. Hit it head on. Forward is the direction. We’ll see.

Don’t be afraid to pivot. I’ll update this one in the coming months. There’s been a lot of change on my end concerning the work/income side of the house. The direction and purpose remain the same.

Onward.

Until next week.

Mission over money.

🇺🇸

I have no insights on how you should go about doing it, other than to do it and don’t stop. And if circumstances — physical or mental — force you to choose a new path that continues to benefit you but feels like starting over, good. Do that.

This weekly 250- 500 words is short and sweet for a reason. Could I work on some long personal essay to appeal to my inner Montaigne, EB White, or James Baldwin? I could. But it would fall short of my own expectations, and I know how much I want to be a strong essayist before I die. I’ll save that for later.

Instead, I opt for this version. Short, clear, concise, repeatable. Every week, I do the thing that will make me a better writer. Doing the thing that gets these words in front of someone who might say, I want to do that too.

You can. Head over to DEFCON INK and let’s figure out how to get you there.

Writing is one of many things I enjoy and practice daily. Internet types will tell you to find your obsession: the thing you can do and talk about and never get tired of, then do that for people to see. I pause at the idea of obsession. Obsessive people are often annoying. They’re rarely diverse.

I say do what you enjoy. Do it often. Make sure what you enjoy helps you improve. What’s the point if you’re not better than yesterday?

Mediocrity is lame.

Until next week.

Mission over money.

🇺🇸

It wasn’t an easy decision — it was the right decision. It weighed on me long enough. Was I nervous? Yes. But the beginning is always the best part.

Update

June 13th, 2026, here’s where I’m at. I write daily on LinkedIn and publish this short piece weekly on Substack. I use Substack notes and keep my stories running on Instagram with fitness posts and landscape/beer/American flag photos. These are strategic platforms designed to get people to click the link in my bio, which takes them to DEFCON INK where I offer copywriting/ghostwriting services.

Will someone see this and say, “But Chris, there’s a better way?” Likely. Are they right? Maybe. But this is working for me, so I’ll stick with it.

I built my landing page, just me. I take my own photos and write my own posts. It’s all me, so when it works, it’s because I worked. When it improves, it’s because I improved.

But here’s why, and this is the most important part. Because I enjoy it. I have not received a dime from any of it — yet. The goal is to be paid to write for people in various capacities. To get there, I have to start somewhere. Here’s where starting has gotten me.

Better Than Yesterday

I’m in the hiring process for a 1099 copywriting/social media assistant role at a tactical/defense media company I would love to work with. The big win there was rewriting my resume to show relevant writing skills to get past the initial resume screening. I had a discovery call last week with a potential client who wants ghostwriting services to tell his story via LinkedIn. And I’ll be heading to Montana at the end of July to cover a fishing retreat for a group of veterans.

I’ve also delivered free information, free rewrites, and even did an entire website audit for a company I like just so they know I’m available if they need anything.

This is only possible because it is what I want to do. This is a labor of love, not one of keeping the lights on. That love is what got me going at the beginning. That love is what will keep me from stopping when it’s slow. Money will follow. I don’t write every day for other people. I write every day because I want to. Getting better at writing for other people is the byproduct.

Until next week.

Mission over money.

🇺🇸

I’m a habitual man, for better or worse. People who know me will tell you I’m strong-willed and I say what I want when I want. Call it opinionated, a far cry from the superpower I wish it were. I write every day, in public, to get better at saying what I mean. Discipline is most of who I am.

But none of it has gone so far as to dominate my entire personality. Here’s what I mean.

During my 6-mile yawg at run club this week, I was telling the guys I could be in amazing shape, seeing as how I don’t have a regular 9-to-5. I’m crushing my workouts in both quality and quantity.

BUT

I like beer a little of a lot. I love a beer after a long workout. I love a beer on the beach with my wife and friends around a fire pit. I love going out to dinner and having a beer. I love beer. It’s so good. When the mood is just right, that first sip — but for a moment — beats marriage and a firstborn any day of the week.

So maybe I don’t hit that “peak” level of fitness because I sit back and enjoy my beer.

BUT

I don’t let any one thing dominate me. Fitness and beer influence each other. Neither rules.

Most people let one thing dominate them, and they come apart when that thing is no longer available. College sports. The military. A job. Marriage.

Lose the thing, and you don’t just lose the thing. You lose who you were because you never let yourself be anything else.

Don’t be one thing. Know your why, the one underneath all the others, so when something goes, and it will— you don’t go with it.

Until next week.

Mission over money.

🇺🇸

I don’t want to be—just a writer, that’s a low bar. Anyone putting words on a page for people to see is a writer. I want to move people to take action. This won’t resonate with everyone, which is why I’m here.

Goal

My goal is big on purpose, something I will never reach to ensure I keep working towards it. I want my voice to be recognizable. Where the reader knows there are no false flags in what they’re about to see.

Patriot. Doer. All gas no brakes. We can rely on him even if we don’t like it or agree.

It’s tempting to skip past the writing and move to photo and video since that’s the dominant medium of the day. I don’t care. Have at it. It’s not that it matters that someone reads instead of watches. People can do both. Some people lean towards reading over watching. What matters is that we—and I mean the collective we—are on the platforms where our people are, promoting the same lifestyle and worldview. There’s a space that has an open seat for DEFCON INK, and I’m here to occupy it.

Purpose

Who are we? I’m weaving DEFCON INK into the businesses, companies, and individuals’ headspaces that are building in America through the connective thread that moves from the page to their eyes, head, and heart—American to the core. A thread of noticed, lived, and shared experiences in the pursuit of happiness. A thread that ensures families, communities, and neighbors are thriving through a diligent process of procuring (to the best of our ability) here in America with Americans in mind.

We are those who recognize and understand there’s no government structure greater than us, the people. While we can reach far and wide with the internet, the real value is in those in our circles, our communities, our neighbors, family, and friends who will be all we have left when “this” is gone.

Outcome

I’m here for the people taking full advantage of the freedoms we have in America. And the obligation to ensure no one robs us of the comforts we’ve created because comfort rocked us to sleep. We have the freedom and the duty as Americans not to stop or get comfortable, regardless of how good things are, because we know how bad they can be.

I’ve made 0 dollars and generated 0 inbound from this platform while offering writing services. Cringe, nah. It’s passion. No need to beef up anything for anyone. Those are facts. No made up numbers to “get things started.” I enjoy writing on this platform and will continue to do so. As far as I’m concerned, the only thing that would stop me is death.

Until next week.

Mission over money.

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I failed the third.

He looked at me and said, “Son, how bad do you want this?”

I gave my plea.

“If I sign this, you need to promise me that you’ll keep your head down, and go get dem sons a bitches.”

Roger that. Right after I get the asthma thing worked out.

…

Parris Island, initial PFT. Miraculously, I found myself in medical on a breathing machine with the docs going through my medical record.

“You got asthma?”

“Nope.”

“Sure seems like you have asthma.”

“Nope, Just outta shape.”

“Do you want to continue training?”

“Yes.” And they sent me on my way. This is when I learned to develop a breathing method that would momentarily stall the attack to my lungs. I think.

I need to look him up; he’s likely well into his 80’s if he’s still alive. Flat-out illegal move on his part, and an ill-calculated risk on my part. But between the two of us, it buffed out.

I’m here

Two paths crossing, one needing something from the other. I needed him to sign the paper, he needed me to keep a promise. One weighed heavier than the other on the front end. But once I was in, it was up to me to finish what I started. That’s become a recurring theme. Finish what I started, often without the finish line clearly defined or visible at all.

But the work is clearly defined. I know exactly what I need to do today to make it to the next step. No matter how hard it is at the moment, it won’t last forever. Maybe an uncomfortable few hours, weeks, months, or even years. But it will end, that’s a fact.

Instead of worrying about the latter timeline, handle today. Do it right, and there will be glimpses of the joy that comes with the aches and pains of today.

No one else

I see the routes people have taken and wonder why I didn’t choose the same. Or, I ask, is it too late for me to do it? Shoulda coulda woulda, a miserable game.

To whose standard am I performing? Whose gratitude am I seeking?

Those questions took a while.

I like to perform and perform well. I like to improve. Better than yesterday is always the goal. No comparative metrics.

It’s me against me, and one of us has to die.

Who are you trying to prove yourself to, and why? You must answer those questions first.

You have a story, tell it. What is life but the record of what moved you from point A to B?

If you’re struggling to get it started, I’m here to help. Head over to DEFCON INK.

Until next week.

Mission over money.

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On the other side of that door is a desk with an open leather-bound book on a blank page, a pen, and an empty chair.

…

Before I took you through the door, what did your mind’s eye see? The powder-blue door stands out. Your brain did something the second it saw the door.

That space is important. The space between me showing you the door and taking you through it. This is where companies and brands are failing in 2026.

I’ve walked through one of those doors. The room was empty.

Shift

When I left the Marine Corps, I did a short stint in federal corrections. The advice was to take the role while I waited for my desired agency to start hiring. It’s easier to move between agencies than to get hired from the street. So I ended up at the Federal Bureau of Prisons in San Diego.

I knew not to expect the same caliber of worker as when I was on active duty. But I figured the street was at least lined with the same houses. I was wrong.

Every officer, every shift, doing their own thing. Each one running their own program for eight hours, then handing off to someone running something completely different. None of it aligned with anything we were supposed to be doing. The door said Federal Corrections, so I put together a correctional facility. Lo and behold, inmates running the asylum made sense.

Six months was more than enough time to decide I’d rather sit in a classroom with 20-year-olds than do another shift in the loony bin.

Missing

That was one door, the pattern is now everywhere.

Companies are falling victim to the experience the screen provides. People document their fabricated productivity to put on display to sell said productivity services/hacks to people who desire to be productive but never take the steps. The loop closes on itself. Nothing is built, nothing is made, and nothing is behind any of the doors.

Eye-catching out front, and empty on the inside. The cookie-cutter house on the manicured street is the look-at-what-I-got display. To stand out, you paint the door blue, catch eyes, make people wonder. Then you have to bring them inside and show them around.

If all you give them is the house—that sucks. One of them may have a blue door—cool. But what else is in there?

I’m not interested in taking you there, but bringing you here—inside. Inside to the desk and the page and the pen, where we take your audience around and show them why they should stay. Then they leave and tell other people about the house with the blue door, because—that’s not all that’s different.

The question is what’s behind your blue door, or have you even bothered to change the color?

If you need help getting the people who’d actually walk through your door, head over to DEFCON INK and let me know.

Until next week.

Mission over money.

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Three versions of every story: yours, theirs, and the truth. What matters most is who tells their version enough for it to stick. I don’t get how you can be building and not telling your story. Why you started, what keeps you going, and why you chose the path you did.

If you don’t tell it, someone else will, and the odds are high it’s not the version you want to be remembered. Tell the story, over and over, and over again—update when necessary. Put it in posts, emails, conversations, captions, everywhere.

All you

Call it marketing, call it communications, call it sales, call it whatever you want. Those may be individual departments in larger companies and organizations, but today, the builders in America are simultaneously occupying all of them.

And the problem is everyone is selling and using the same hook, the same opener, the same playbook someone else already created, and they swear it will work for you. And people are thriving off of it. Consumers have been lulled to sleep over the last decade by screens and instant gratification—so much so that just seeing “here are my 5 steps to turning views into sales” is enough to trigger the purchase. Then they read the same lines again, this time drawn out by AI plugging meaningless words into the gaps.

Take this one: “I don’t know who needs to hear this, but…” Whatever follows is trash because of the pretense. What might have been genuine gets wrapped in a script for the sake of selling. Just say what you need to say. That tired framework shows someone decided their voice is what you need, instead of letting the words do the work.

People are selling tips on how to turn views into sales, without the sales to prove their methods work. It’s a race to the bottom with zero humanity. It sucks. All of it. And I’ve watched it longer than I should have.

Watching it cost me time. I put off building something because I didn’t feel like I had a solution to the problem. Then I asked a different question: how much time have I actually spent trying to solve it? The simple solution is a different option.

Experience

I spent 13 years in the Marine Corps, did a stint in federal corrections, made a pit-stop at Lowe’s, and spent the last 3.5 years in ministry. Earned an English degree along the way, and I’m almost done with my MA in communications.

On a resume, it reads as scattered, just another guy who can’t pick a lane. And you know what, I don’t care. I don’t think I ever have. I’ve attempted to find that lane where I can ride it out until retirement, but I likely missed my exit.

Working for the sake of working is easy. Anyone can do that. Working where your time and effort go toward something you believe in or want to see change—that’s hard.

Stop trying to translate what you’ve done into who you are. Show who you are and how it brings value to what you’re doing now—whether in your corporate role or your business. Otherwise, the world will name you, just ask Frankenstein.

Work that lasts

Reliability over the long haul is the work. Reliability lasts and is remembered. You can create around and sell the playbook, church’n it up with flashy marketing language and tactics. Or you can build around reliability. One takes longer because it matters more.

There should never be an instance of, “Well, I’m not actually like that, I just talk like that.” That’s performative and fake. That’s everyone’s issue with AI. That’s the problem with beefing up resumes and then flopping in the interview because one isn’t aligned with the other.

Having never done the corporate dance, one could argue that my baseline is below that of the 3-5 years of experience. I’d argue I’ve never learned the bad habits that turn me into a walking paint-by-numbers.

Tell your story. Tell it often. Tell it in your voice, not the voice the algorithm is rewarding this month. The wins, losses, mistakes, and more will be right here every week. It’s all I got.

Don’t let other people tell your story. Or before you know it, people will be calling you a monster. If you need help telling your story, head over to DEFCON INK.

Here’s a question this week. What part of your story have you stopped telling because someone told you it didn’t sound “professional”? Let me know about it in the comments.

Until next week.

Mission over money.

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Not for their sake. For mine. I let everyone in on my plans. I like to talk things out with anyone willing to listen and receive feedback. I thought it was a gift. I’m starting to think it’s not. Not even a day later, the plan changed. Two days, different again. I’ve heard “Everyday it’s something new with you, Chris,” enough times now that I’ve landed on keep it to myself.

If someone asks, the answer is, I’m working through it.

One problem at a time is the new format.

Posted something on LinkedIn this week about being a tethered dog who just figured out the length of his lead.

6 months ago: full-time job, full-time student, house hack, a couple of rentals, writing between the seconds of the day I managed to store. Amy and I had been praying about next steps for a long time. What do we do? Where do we go? What do I do for work? The concrete answer: leave the job. I’ve never left a job without having another one lined up. This time was different, and not due to a lack of effort. I sent out 20+ applications. No joy.

So I did what I do best.

Plan.

Went through the finances. Mapped out how long we could go without my income. Technically, it’s a long time. (Don’t tell Amy.)

From there, I sold a property out of state. Got the California ones positioned to sell. A move was on the table. A few acres, a SCAR 17, and some suppressors in my future.

But—life.

It’s been a ride, lemme tell you. Two weeks unemployed on purpose and almost nothing has gone the way I drew it up. A car that decided it no longer wanted coolant in its veins. A house for sale until it wasn’t. We live here, just kidding, we live over there. The Monday plan was gone by Wednesday.

That’s why I stopped narrating.

Dog on a lead. It’s not that there’s no yard, there’s plenty of yard. Just less than I figured. I thought I had free rein. Apparently, I don’t and never did. I just hadn’t hit the end of the lead yet.

Two weeks in, calendar mostly empty, most of the plan drifting in the wind has me thinking the lead is the point.

Maybe this yard is the yard.

Maybe not.

You’ve got one too. Probably.

I do work, you’re looking at it right now. Unemployed is fun to say, but it’s not an accurate description. I’m clocking some of the most meaningful hours I’ve had in a long time. I’m not running a course on it, this isn’t the point where I play guru and sell you on my 10-step roadmap to answering the difficult questions life gives you, and this is how you break through.

The only thing I’ll say for sure is whatever I tell you today about what’s next is probably going to look different by Friday. So I’ll save us both the trouble.

If you ask, I’m working through it.

Back to the task.

Until next week.

Mission over money

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Pat McNamara is the first person I heard use the phrase. Aging is inevitable, however, the more you move your body as you get older, the movement acts as a natural lubricant, so your muscles and bones don’t get stiff. A sedentary lifestyle leads to a rough aging process.

I’m 40. I workout 6-7x a week (swim, bike, run), attempt to shoot at least once a month, amateur photographer, and local beer drinker.

I’m overly opinionated, that’s not going anywhere. I love Jesus, and tell people I’m a follower of Jesus Christ instead of saying I’m a Christian because that term means a lot of things to a lot of people. I absolutely love America, what this country stands for, and the freedoms that come with it. I’ll never drag this country, but will continue to be critical of its inhabitants.

That’s what I’m built on. That’s my good. Good looks different for everyone.

Attempting to adopt someone else’s lifestyle as your own is difficult because it’s not you. Finding easy, repeatable, good habits is uncommon because the things that are good for us are often the hardest to maintain.

I’ve established goals around my good.

Motion is lotion is applicable to more than just getting older. You need to make forward progress in anything you’re doing. Work, faith, marriage, school, fitness. Doing so will help you identify what is right and what is wrong (for you), because you’ll be able to see what is working and what isn’t regarding where you want to be tomorrow.

I’m building DEFCON INK, we’ll see what it turns into, and I’m here to help others build their thing if the work and values align.

I’m building DEFCON INK on my own. There’s no format I’m following. Yes, there’s plenty of inspiration and advice, but ultimately, I’m figuring it out as I go. Making mistakes, learning from them, and pivoting when necessary. But ultimately, I’m moving forward.

I know what I want to do: Write.

I know where I want to be: Better than I was yesterday and more prepared for tomorrow.

I know who I want to do it for/with: People who value this country, what it stands for, their community, and the people they serve more than the money they make.

That’s who DEFCON INK was built for.

Keep moving forward.

Where will it take you?

Further.

Better than yesterday, and more prepared for tomorrow.

Until next week.

Mission over money

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2 days before my 40th birthday, I quit my job. It was not abrupt, I gave two months’ notice. It was Easter Sunday, it seemed like a good enough time, and I was heading to Hawaii the next morning, makes sense, right?

Effectively, this past week was my first full week of unemployment, where I woke up in the morning and had nowhere to be. I would work out, read my Bible, journal, and then sit in front of the computer screen waiting for it to spit out money. “Chat, give me 10 ideas that can make me 100k annually.”

Don’t act like you haven’t.

Yes sir, it’s game time! I think it’s a blessing that I made this move at 40. I know what’s at stake.

For years, I’ve been saying how, if I could, I would read and write for a living. I couldn’t figure out how that would be possible. I live in one of the most expensive places in the United States, so there’s no way.

Or is there?

I’m not going to pretend to have it all figured out, because I don’t, but here’s what I know. I’ve made some decent financial decisions in my 40 years of being on this earth, not great, but not bad either. We live in a world where enough is an afterthought. I encourage all of you, to the best of your ability, to pull “enough” to the forefront of your mind—daily! I guarantee your perspective will change on the life you lead.

Just take a step back right now and ask yourself—what really matters?

Detach yourself, create some space, and evaluate your situation.

Welcome to the ground floor of this operation. It’s going to be a fun ride, because, Lord willing, I don’t have to get off this one.

So what is it?

You’re looking at it. Each week, I’ll give you this, a quick little snippet into this mind and the places it’s taken and is taking me. What I’m creating, DEFCON INK, and more.

DEFCON INK is the operation built to support Americans building in America. I’m passionate about people, companies, and brands that put financial margins aside and pull their values to the forefront. People unwilling to be swayed by the almighty dollar. If you or anyone you know is building on that framework and needs help with social content, newsletters, or educational emails, send them my way.

I’ve recognized that the opportunity is in my availability.

I’m not scouring the internet looking for anyone and everyone who’s willing to pay. I’m not waking up early to make endless cold calls, or starting emails with, “I can’t believe I lived a single day without this tool,” or asking people to comment “wealth” to receive my 10 steps to success.

I’m blessed to wake up daily in a home with my wife, dog, a passion and a purpose in a beautiful city and state that taxes me like they want me to fail!

So it goes.

If you need support, you know where to find me — DEFCON INK

Until next week.

Mission over money

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