Tuesday, October 13, 2026

you're probably selling yourself short

October 13, 2026 | Read online

you're probably selling yourself short

More than 13 years ago when I first started writing on the topics of personal development, it was largely sparked by just how many fantastic people I had the honor of knowing in my personal life who were…settling for so much less than they deserved.

I’m not just talking about relationships, either. Though, that was (and still is) quite prominent.

They were settling in all areas of life.

They were bright and insightful, yet struggling professionally.

Warm and empathetic, yet allowing too many toxic people into their life.

Driven and ambitious, yet could never seem to get ahead.

I think, largely, people think and act much too small.

This is the narrative we’re fed from birth, though. Everything is segmented into smaller pieces that keep you focusing on the short term rather than the long.

Let me use a career as an example:

You get paid by the hour, or an annual salary.

In your mind, then, that is what your efforts and work are worth per that unit of time.

You’re worth $30/hour. You’re worth $200k/year.

Then, you settle yourself into that position and strive your very hardest for…a 5% raise.

Similarly, you just want one first date with the right person. Hell, you’ll settle for just being matched with them on a dating app.

This makes even the smallest of steps feel like a big victory…

And, don’t get me wrong, sometimes it is.

Here’s the missing piece, though:

Scalable value.

People do not “hourly wage” themselves to financial freedom. They do it by scaling up, creating leverage, and finding ways to provide an immense amount of value rather than just time.

What if you packaged the knowledge you have about a particular topic and sold it for $10,000 to someone who needed it…how many hours is that worth?

What if you invested so much into yourself…your mental and physical health, your discipline, your confidence, your patience, your communication skills, a rich and fulfilling life with great hobbies…that you evolved into a highly desirable partner rather than someone who’s just hoping for a quick match on a dating app?

In short: We need to think bigger.

Someone reading this right now is feeling the pull that they are capable of so much more, yet they feel stuck spinning in circles, never seeming to go anywhere…

The statement always remains true that if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten.

The cycle won’t break itself…society won’t come to save you…

You’ve got to make a decision, look within yourself, be honest about what value you can provide to the world that goes far beyond the passing of time…

And then, most importantly of all:

Do something about it.

Talk to you soon.

- James

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Now Available: The Rising Tide Foundation Autumn 2026 Anthology: The East-West Edition

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Now Available: The Rising Tide Foundation Autumn 2026 Anthology: The East-West Edition

Hardcover, paperback, and Digital

Rising Tide Foundation

Oct 13

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Cynthia and I are happy to announce that the Autumn 2026 edition of the Rising Tide Foundation seasonal anthology (300 pages) is now available on Amazon and Gumroad.

We decided to make a controversial move by devoting this edition to the 250th anniversary of the USA in a somewhat unconventional manner.

Instead of simply celebrating the USA as a purely “American phenomenon” as many have done this year, we decided to focus on the the forgotten renaissance traditions of China and Europe that gave rise to the best of the American experience, with a focus on artists, scientists, and statesmen who were all committed to liberty, and Natural Law.

With the dangers of world war between the USA and China now threatening human civilization, we hope this anthology will provide a fresh perspective on the historic brotherhood and universal ideas that gave rise to the best of both civilizations with contributions from myself, Cynthia Chung, Gerald Therrien, Alex Dimitrios, David Wang, Philip Valenti and David Gosselin.

There are a number of beautiful paintings featured in this season’s anthology, which is why we made a premium, full color hardcover edition available for serious connoisseurs (it is a tad expensive to publish hence the high cost), but for regular readers on a budget, don’t fret, as a grayscale softcover paperback edition is also available.

All formats physical and digital can be found below:...

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Saturday, October 10, 2026

RTF Sunday Lecture: Who is Worshiping at the Digital Temple?

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RTF Sunday Lecture: Who is Worshiping at the Digital Temple?

Special guest: Andrew of 6G Agenda Podcast

Rising Tide Foundation

Oct 10

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Over the past few months, I have been immensely impressed with the mind of Andrew (host of the 6G Agenda Podcast) who has demonstrated a rare balance of intellectual rigor, humility, and discernment that really stands out amidst a vast array of voices within the thing called ‘the alternative research universe’.

His original research into the structures of power, ideological control systems, occultism and Natural Law are a breath of fresh air, and so I was extremely happy that he agreed to deliver this coming Sunday’s presentation to the Rising Tide Foundation on the topic of ‘The Digital Temple’ in all of its ugly aspects.

After Andrew’s main presentation, an interactive Q and A session will follow, so bring your thinking cap and hop onto this Sunday Zoom lecture at 2pm Eastern Time using the zoom link below:...