Over the past few years, I’ve been doing a lot of writing on mental and spiritual health. Why? Because 20 years ago, I was one of the most mentally unhealthy people in the world.

Sure, on the outside, everything seemed great: I had a big job with a lot of responsibility, head of ETF trading at Lehman Brothers, and the big bonuses were hitting my bank account. But on the inside, I was an absolute mess. I was fearful, paranoid, delusional, depressed, anxious, angry—I even had a suicide attempt in 2003. I was perhaps the most mentally unhealthy person in the world.

The good news is that over the course of 20 years, I put in the work, and now I am one of the most mentally healthy people in the world. And let me tell you, it has been work—if you want to get good at anything, you have to put work into it.

So, I started writing about it, back in 2022. I have written hundreds of thousands of words on the subject. I have also had at least a dozen speaking gigs at financial institutions about mental health. I guess you might say I’m an expert at it.

Your Mind Is a Weapon

My brother spends a lot of time on his physical health. He is entering a bodybuilding competition in a few weeks. Admittedly, he looks very good for his age. I don’t spend much time thinking about my physical health at all—I focus on my mental health to the exclusion of all else.

Your mind is a weapon, and it can be turned against you. You make up stories and believe them. You believe all sorts of things that aren’t true—that people hate you, that your boss hates you, that you are going to get fired, that you are going to lose your reputation, that you are going to end up in jail, or that you are going to end up living in a cardboard box. This is what’s called catastrophic thinking, and we all do it, thinking that the worst possible thing is going to happen to us at all times. None of it is true—it is all in your head. I don’t do this anymore, and if I start doing it, I have some tools to deal with it.

I talk about these tools in my latest book, RULE 62: Meditations on Success and Spirituality. I talk about a lot of things in this book. It’s 79 essays on the topics of success and spirituality. There is a lot of success literature out there—some good, some bad—but I think mine is a lot smarter.

As for the spirituality, when people hear that word, they think of burning sage or drum circles or hippie stuff like that, but it’s not that at all. When someone goes to a psychiatrist or a psychologist, they are typically spiritually disturbed. They have a disturbance of the spirit. Modern medicine tries to sidestep the issue of spirituality, but the psychotherapy that really works has a spiritual component. See the success that Phil Stutz and Barry Michels have had. What they’re talking about is a spiritual solution, without once mentioning the “G” word (I don’t mind saying it in the book).

Here is the cover blurb:

This is a book for anyone who doesn’t want to live a boring life.

Forget the couch and the TV and say goodbye to punching the clock. Rule 62 is a wake-up call and manifesto for living life to the fullest: he who makes the most memories wins. It's time to get out of bed every morning like the Raiders of the Lost Ark theme song is playing on your alarm.

Equal parts raucous and soulful, essayist Jared Dillian shines a provocative light on some of the deepest questions humans have asked. What does it mean to live a life full of meaning? How does love really work? What is genuine wealth—and how should you acquire and use it? How do you avoid regrets? How do you respond to betrayal, trauma, or illness?

Over the course of 79 introspective and often hilarious essays, drawing deeply on his own experiences with setbacks and success, Dillian shares surprising and thought-provoking answers to all these and more.

Like: discovering the importance of saying yes to things. Why character matters as much as smarts. The counterintuitive way to let go of resentments. Why hating other people's success condemns you to mediocrity. The power of just doing the thing already. The importance of being worthy of compliments. Why the unplanned is better than the planned. How living in the present brings peak performance. Why dying is one of the most important things we will ever do.

And more—much more—in a dazzling and page-turning collection from one of the most entertaining writers at work today.

Some people have had some good things to say about it:

Not your typical self-help fluff—this one’s got bite, humor, and a whole lot of truth. —Jennie Reads

A genuinely enjoyable and engaging read! It draws you in with sharp wit, delivers unexpected laughs, and unsettles with truths you'd rather not confront—all while keeping you thoroughly entertained. —Laurence Black, Founder, The Index Standard

As a longtime reader of Dillian’s financial newsletter, I’ve always come for the market insights and stayed for the comedic philosophy and life advice. If you’re here for the latter, Rule 62 offers 79 essays packed with hilarious, no-nonsense counsel on living a meaningful life. Dillian’s wisdom shines through in a style that’s closer to stand-up comedy than Immanuel Kant. Pick it up today, and as he suggests: Don’t take yourself too seriously. —Christian Hoffman, Head of Fixed Income, Thornburg Investments

Why So Serious?

If you’re wondering about the title, Rule 62 means don’t take yourself so damn seriously.

I’ve told people that I hope this book is the one I am remembered for—there is incalculable wisdom in these pages.

And now, the sales pitch: You should buy a copy of this book. Actually, you should buy three, five, or 10 to hand out to family and friends, to young people just starting to make their way in this world, or to those that might be lost and need a road back. But I’ll take one.

If everyone on this list bought one copy, I would be a very happy man. It’s not about the money. Very few people get rich selling books. I just want people to have what I have: a successful and spiritual life full of serenity.

Please order RULE 62 here. And I thank you in advance.

Jared Dillian, MFA