Brought to you by Realizations. The Self-Mastery Journal Designed for Thoughtful Growth →

6.30.2025

2017. My kitchen table at 6am.

I was re-reading “The Power of Starting Something Stupid” for the 4th time, highlighter in hand.

My corporate job was sucking my soul, but I kept building “security” around a life I hated.

Then Richie Norton said something that flipped everything upside down…

Flip the Script

Here’s what blew my mind:

Most people hustle toward their dream life.

Richie says do the opposite: Start with your dream life, then build around it.

Castle first, moat second.

Castle = Your ideal lifestyle, purpose, and goals.

Moat = The systems and protections that sustain it.

Why This Matters

Build the moat first, and you might never get to the castle.

Or worse - you end up protecting a life you don’t even want.

This creates three traps:

• Deferred Living: “I’ll pursue my dreams after I’m secure”
• Golden Handcuffs: Your safety net becomes your prison
• Identity Confusion: You optimize for someone you never wanted to be

The longer you wait, the worse it gets.

“Dreams melt like ice-cream.”

The longer you wait, the less appealing they become. And much harder to achieve.

Why? Because waiting creates more barriers:

• A career that’s hard to walk away from
• Family responsibilities that demand stability
• Analysis paralysis (you still don’t know where to start)

I’ve watched it happen to myself and others.

You get comfortable. Stop thinking about your dreams. Then one day you realize they’ve melted away completely.

Everyone around you has settled for “okay.”

But you’re not everyone else.

The Hard Truth:

Starting is the most difficult part.

What should I even build?
How do I begin?
What would I talk about?

But here’s what most people miss:

Your expertise IS your experience. Every job has problems. Every problem has paying customers.

You don’t need to be Jeff Bezos. You just need a simple system that generates an extra $2k-10k monthly.

That’s exactly why I created this AI brainstorming prompt.

It takes your background and generates specific business ideas you can start this week. Not someday.

I’m sharing it free because too many people stay stuck in the “thinking” phase instead of the “doing” phase.

Your dreams are melting while you wait for the perfect idea.

[Get the AI Prompt Here - Free Instant Access]

Stop overthinking. Start building.

Until Next Time,

Dallen "Start" Reber

P.S. Worried you don’t have enough experience to start a business? The prompt works even if you’ve only worked one job. Your “normal” problems are someone else’s expensive headaches. Give it a shot here!

---

When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you:

✍️🧠 1. The Self-Mastery Journal ​Progress & Presence →​

📕✒️ 2. Premium Lined Notebook ​Gain Clarity →​

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦📈 3. Create a Legacy That Matters ​Free Email Course →​