Most people know the phrase: bet the farm.

Everything on the line. One outcome. Win or lose on a single move.

I've done the opposite since turning 55 in 2019.

Over the last several years, I've placed smaller bets. Defined the downside. Let the upside unfold. Treated progress like compounding work, not one big swing.

That's how I built a community. Built a newsletter. Built a podcast. Designed LIVE experiences. Wrote a book. Started the next book.

At the time, it felt like following curiosity. Committing to something small enough to start, meaningful enough to finish. Showing up and letting the work compound.

The pattern became clear later.

Bet the Garden, not the farm.

Writing the book

For over two years, I'd been thinking about writing a book.

In 2024, I took a swing at it. Invested money with a company that promised to help. It didn't work. The approach was DIY when what I needed was someone riding shotgun. That investment became a write-off. My fault entirely.

Then I sat on it. Sunk cost bias kept me stuck. I'd already spent the money. Already invested the time. Walking away felt like admitting defeat. But forcing a bad bet doesn't make it good. Recognizing when to cut your losses is a skill worth having.

The idea didn't go away.

In February 2025, I made another investment—this time with the right partner. Someone who would stay on me, keep me on deadline, and pull me through the hard parts when I wanted to quit.

We started in late February. Published mid-July.

The time commitment wasn't massive—maybe 10-15 hours a week. The real cost was hiring the firm to guide me through the process. But that investment removed friction. It kept me moving when I would've stalled. Classic “Who Not How” (thanks Dr. Benjamin Hardy).

The downside was known: the financial investment, roughly 10-15 hours a week for five months, and the risk that it might not land.

The upside couldn't be predicted.

The book became an Amazon bestseller in multiple categories.

It’s changing the lives of thousands of men and women (a number of women have contacted me after buying the book for their husbands and reading it themselves; you know who you are).

But none of that happens without what was already in place.

My standards were higher. My days were structured. My health, fitness, and body composition were under control. I trusted myself to do what I said I would do.

That's what the Alpha Triad does.

The Alpha Triad consists of three components.

Future Self gives direction. Alpha 5 anchors daily behavior. R.A.D. creates consistency under real life. Over time, discipline stops being something you negotiate with. It becomes part of who you are.

Men who succeed with the Alpha Triad don't just get fitter or leaner. They become reliable. They know they can commit and follow through.

That's when the question changes.

Instead of asking whether they can do something, they start asking where to apply what they've built.

Alpha Triad builds the man. Bet the Garden is how that man engages the world.

The book worked because the foundation was there. I had capacity. I defined the downside up front—knew exactly what I was risking. I let the upside stay open. And I showed up consistently.

The ideas were already there—years of newsletters, posts, notes, real life transformations from our members. What was missing was finishing. Editing. Cutting. Making decisions. Doing the last-mile work that turns ideas into something real.

The newsletter and LIVE events

In September 2023, I launched the Harder To Kill newsletter and the first LIVE event.

The newsletter was straightforward. Write once a week. Share what's working inside Argent Alpha. This is #177. Never missed a week. Nearly 300,000 words written. Nearly 5,000 people reading it weekly.

Downside: a few hours a week. Upside: I've learned things I couldn't have predicted. New conversations opened up. Topics I hadn't considered became clear. My thinking got sharper. Writing forces clarity. You can't fake it on the page.

The LIVE events are different. They're connective tissue. We spend most of our time together online—training, learning, pushing standards. But a few times a year, we go analog. We meet in person. We sweat together. We get uncomfortable together. We sharpen our Future Selves and raise our standards in real time. Shared discomfort deepens commitment. Lessons stick when you live them.

Every detail matters at these events. Location. Flow. Pacing. Recovery. Reflection. The goal isn't entertainment. It's growth. Men leave different than they arrived.

The podcast

I decided to do a podcast on a Monday. Forty-eight hours later, episode one was live.

Low risk, high reward. We call it Unscripted because we don't prepare. Preparing would've kept us on the sidelines overthinking it. We built the airplane as we flew it. We continue to experiment. The feedback has been very positive.

The free community

After the podcast, we launched a free community. Another small bet. Another way to test what's possible. It gives men an opportunity to see what’s going on in our community before they commit. It’s an opportunity to move from lone wolf to being part of the pack.

Book two

Now I'm working on the second book, working title:

DESIGN YOUR LEGACY: How Reinvention Beats Retirement and Keeps You Relevant, Useful, and Dangerous

Once you become Harder to Kill, the inevitable question follows: "What's next?" That's a trap for so many men. They play it safe. They fall into the narratives of retirement and decline. That's the antithesis of Argent Alpha.

This book is about my experience reinventing and what I've learned. It includes experiments men inside Argent Alpha are running to reinvent themselves.

Book two drops in the second half of 2026. It's part of a commitment I made before turning 60: write one book a year for five years.

Why five?

Because committing to one book would've felt harder. The weight of it would've been overwhelming. But when I committed to five, getting one done at a time became manageable. It's a paradox, but it worked. My mind shifted. Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy call this principle 10x is Easier Than 2x (yes I’m a fan of these two gents, no I don’t get any compensation). Sometimes thinking bigger makes the work smaller.

Why this works for men over 50

Men in the second half of life don't stop wanting to build. They gain experience, perspective, judgment. What they need is a way to engage without betting the farm. Without tearing down what they've already built.

You don't risk everything. You place calculated bets with defined downside and open upside. You decide what you're willing to invest—time, money, attention—and you keep it contained. Then you execute. Stay consistent. See what opens up.

There's a sequence to how this works. Dan Sullivan calls it the 4 C's: Commitment leads to Courage. Courage builds Capability. Capability produces Confidence.

Confidence doesn't come first. It follows.

Every new arena requires reps. You don't carry confidence from one domain into another just because you succeeded once. You earn it fresh each time. Bet the Garden gives you a way to do that repeatedly.

This work is about helping an earlier version of yourself. That reframe shifts the focus from ego to contribution. It keeps the work grounded.

Men over 50 have earned their experience. Sharing it gives it purpose.

The men who need this most?

The ones facing retirement.

I know men thinking about retirement. Men stepping into it. Men already there.

Bet the Garden applies to all of them. It isn't a career tactic. It's a way to stay engaged. To keep building. To reinvent instead of retreat. To maintain and possibly increase relevance.

Retirement is a transition. Reinvention is how you move through it with purpose.

Smaller risks. Clear boundaries. Consistent reps. Continued engagement.

You've seen how this works. You've seen the results. Now the question is yours.

What's your garden?

You've seen how this works. You've seen the results.

Now it's your turn.

This week, place one Garden Bet. Pick something you've been thinking about. Not a someday idea. Something that keeps coming back. Something you're curious about but haven't acted on.

Define it clearly. What are you building or testing? What are you willing to invest—time, money, scope? What does "done" look like for this first pass? When will it be finished?

Pick a date. Seven to fourteen days from now. Write it down. Put it on your calendar.

The downside is already contained. You've decided what you're risking. Nothing else is on the line.

Now execute. Finish it. Ship it. See what happens.

Reid Hoffman said it best: "If you're not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you've launched too late."

The goal isn't perfection. The goal is forward motion and real feedback. One finished bet creates clarity for the next one.

Before you start, stress test it. Ask yourself: What could realistically happen if I follow through?

Maybe it works as expected. Maybe it works differently and shows you what to adjust. Maybe it gives you information you didn't have. Maybe it opens a door you hadn't considered.

Now ask: What happens if I don't?

The idea stays theoretical. Curiosity stays unresolved. Nothing new gets learned.

Choose the path that creates movement.

Garden Bets are meant to be finished, reviewed, and repeated. One completed effort makes the next one easier to see.

Stack the bets. Build the momentum. Stay in the game.

Earl Nightingale — "The Strangest Secret" Nightingale's 1956 Gold Record defines success as "the progressive realization of a worthy ideal." If you're working toward a clear goal, you're already successful. The recording is 30 minutes and worth revisiting regularly. YouTube: The Strangest Secret

Christos Apostolou — "Applying Lean Startup Principles to Your Life" Seven years ago, Christos wanted to change every major part of his life. He applied Lean Startup methodology—build, measure, learn—to his personal reinvention. New city. New career. New relationship. None of it planned. All of it earned through small experiments, iteration, and adaptation. His post breaks down three ways to use startup principles for personal transformation. LinkedIn: Startup Christos

Repurpose Your Career Podcast Marc Miller's podcast is built for men and women in the second half of life navigating career transitions. Episodes cover entrepreneurship after 50, reinvention strategies, and real stories from people who didn't retire—they reinvented. Apple Podcasts: Repurpose Your Career

Join the Community

Over 165 men inside Argent Alpha are placing Garden Bets and becoming harder to kill.

We teach the processes outlined in my Amazon bestselling book Harder to Kill—plus multiple courses, regular Zoom meetings, monthly challenges, fitness testing, and guest speakers.

Men over 50 who are serious about the second half.

Join the free Argent Alpha community here.