What does living my best life truly mean?

One of the biggest lessons learned over the years is the absolute necessity of focusing on one thing and doing it well. It's easy to be pulled in many directions, but true progress comes from focused effort. Right now, the focus is on releasing quality music. The dream isn't just about putting out tracks, it's about building a sustainable future where music can generate passive income through royalties.

I'm grateful to be where I am in life now. It's incredible to be in a position where music can be released straight from the heart, without the pressure of needing immediate monetary compensation. This freedom has allowed investment in music equipment that's elevating the quality of the creations.

These are some of the goals that I am working on at the moment.

• Attending veteran retreats.

• Taking my time with the release of "HIGHWAY 89" (New Release).

• Slowly releasing new merchandise with the WOLVOFFICIAL branding.

• Being more open about my "rags to riches" story.

• Striving to be my best self while staying humble.

• Strategically building my WOLVOFFICIAL brand.

• Keeping the main thing the main thing: my music.

• Focusing on myself and less on chasing women.

• Proactively taking care of myself and acknowledging my limitations.

Building a support network

Recently, I've learned how crucial it is to lean into my specific support network, which, for me, has been veteran retreats. I've been fortunate enough to attend several of these ventures lately. My "people" are predominantly special operations forces veterans, and I deeply resonate with their intensity and unique experiences.

A significant challenge I face is severe sleep insomnia, often accompanied by nightmares. Communicating the depth of this struggle to civilian healthcare providers can be incredibly difficult. This is why I often turn to veteran retreats: I can openly discuss my nightmares with people who truly understand. For instance, one retreat involved an ice plunge, as shown in the image above. Getting into that cold water was incredibly difficult.

If I could offer one piece of advice, it would be this: find your tribe.

For me, by circumstance, that happened to be veteran retreats. However, everyone has their own unique journey they need to navigate. My own journey hit such a low point that reaching out for help became my only option. I had lost everything, literally living on roughly $100 a month for five years. That's five years of truly struggling to survive.

I'm now incredibly grateful for the support I received from the VA, which helped me get back on my feet. I spent a couple of years in transitional housing, which provided the stability needed to work on improving my mental health.

These experiences underscore the vital role that specialized support systems play in helping veterans overcome adversity and thrive.

I’m living my best life ain’t got no time to waste

My Heart’s Struggle with Isolation and Time

Loneliness has been a heavy weight on my soul. Growing up, I never had the chance to blend into group retreats or find comfort in crowds. I was always on my own, carving my path in solitude. That isolation shaped me, but it also led me down a dark road. As a young kid, I turned to drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, searching for something to fill the void. I hit rock bottom so early, and the memory of that low still stings.

But from that broken place, I’ve learned there’s only one way to climb—up, toward something better.

I know the ache of feeling trapped, like the walls are closing in with no escape. I’ve lived it, and my heart breaks for anyone who feels that way now. Life doesn’t pause for our pain, though—it keeps rushing forward, relentless. I’ve wasted so much time, letting moments slip through my fingers, and the fear of that catching up to me haunts me. That’s why I’m fighting to hold onto every second now.

Staying organized has become my lifeline. I pour my chaotic thoughts into Todoist.com, or sometimes just onto paper, letting the act of writing anchor me. It’s strange, but that simple habit—scribbling down my thoughts—has become my salvation. I don’t know where I learned it, maybe some forgotten book, but it’s made me feel alive, effective, like I’m finally taking control.

Learning to use my time better feels like a quiet victory, and recently, going on retreats has cracked open something new in me. My relationships are starting to bloom, and the conversations in my head—the ones that used to tear me down—are softening, growing kinder.

It’s overwhelming, in the best way, to feel my life shifting.

But I’ve also realized how much the people around me matter. I ask myself, who am I letting into my world? There’s a truth I’ve come to hold close: sometimes, being alone is better than being drained by negativity. I’m challenging myself to choose wisely, and I hope you’ll ask yourself the same—who’s by your side, and how do they make your heart feel?

UNDERSTANDING YOUR VALUE

My Path to Loving Myself and Owning My Worth

I haven’t always been kind to myself. For the longest time, I didn’t see my own value, didn’t appreciate the person staring back at me in the mirror. It took years of stumbling, of sabotaging myself, to realize I wasn’t loving myself the way I deserved. It was a quiet, aching struggle—one I’m still navigating, far from perfect. But I’ve learned I need to be gentler, more patient with myself, and that realization has been like a warm light breaking through the fog.

I give myself pep talks now, and they mean the world to me. “Carl,” I’ll say, “you’re doing something amazing with your music. It’s growing, getting better every day. You’re pouring your heart into podcasts, writing books, creating merchandise for your fans—and for yourself. That’s incredible.”

I’m involved in so many things that light me up, and I’m starting to see how much that matters. I want to urge everyone to speak kindly to themselves, to lift themselves up with their own words. Don’t let others define you—I’ve had too many people in my life try to tear me down with their words, and after a while, I started believing them. It hurt.

I’m 36 now, and I’ve been making music since I was 16. Growing up, people mocked my passion, laughed at my songs. But I never gave up. Call it stubbornness or persistence, but I kept going. It took me years to see that I earned my place, that I’m deserving of creating something beautiful, of putting good into the world. 

Maybe you come from a family that didn’t cheer for your dreams—mine didn’t always—but I challenge you to dig deep into your heart. Ask yourself: What do you love? What pulls you out of bed in the morning or keeps you up at night, buzzing with purpose? For me, it’s always been music. It’s also the internet—blogging, podcasting, vlogging—those things set my soul on fire.

I’ve also come to see the value in my Marine Corps service, something I brushed off after I left. For a long time, I downplayed it, but then other veterans started thanking me for my service, and I’d thank them back. Those moments opened my eyes to the pride I should feel.

So, I’m learning to recognize my accomplishments, to find the silver lining in my story. I want you to do the same. Look at your life, at all you’ve done, and find where your value lies.

Here’s the truth: your worth doesn’t come from what you achieve—it comes from being you, plain and simple, a good person with a beating heart full of dreams.

Thanks,

Carl