CHAPTER 1: ROBIN'S DREAM

THE VISION OF TIME FREEDOM

I want to be honest with you right up front.

This book is weird. It's part fantasy adventure—floating islands, Viking ships, dragons hunting through the mist—and part business training manual about making money online and offline. I know that sounds crazy. Maybe it is.

But here's the thing: I tried to write a normal business book. Just the facts. Just the strategies. Just the six skills you need and the thirteen principles that work.

It was boring. And worse, it didn't help people actually get it.

So I wrote this instead. A story about a guy named Robin who failed forty-three times (just like I did) before he found the real path. A tale of wooded islands floating among clouds, of a dark lord who wields fear like a weapon, and of the path between darkness and light.

But it's also something else: a practical guide to succeeding in life and avoiding the traps that destroy most people's dreams.

The business lessons are real. The skills are practical. The principles work in the actual world. But they're wrapped in a story because that's how we remember things. That's how truth sticks.

So yeah, it's weird. But I've written this story with care, and I hope you find it both entertaining and actually useful on your path to success. Because that's what I want most—to help you avoid the traps I fell into and find the path I almost missed.

If you're willing to take the journey, I promise you'll come out the other side with more than just information. You'll have transformation.

Let's begin.

WHEREVER YOU ARE NOW:

Every night, thousands of people sit at glowing screens, chasing a dream.

They've been promised freedom—work from anywhere, make money while you sleep, be your own boss. They've bought the courses. They've joined the programs. They've clicked the ads and followed the formulas.

And most of them are failing.

Not because the dream is impossible. Not because they're lazy or stupid. But because no one told them the truth about what it really takes.

No one told them about the six critical skills every successful online entrepreneur must master. No one warned them about the traps—the easy paths that lead nowhere, the expensive mentors who take your money and leave you stuck, the voice in your head that whispers you'll never make it.

And no one told them about the thirteen steps that every successful person throughout history has walked—whether they knew it or not.

This is their story. This is your story.

3:13 am

Three in the morning. Again.

Robin's eyes burned from staring at the screen so long his vision had gone blurry an hour ago. He'd told Elena—and really meant it—that he'd come to bed early tonight.

That didn't happen. It never happened.

The Dr Pepper beside him had gone completely flat, but he kept sipping it anyway. Warm, flat soda—the official drink of desperate entrepreneurs everywhere.

The headache was back. The same one that had been visiting every night for the past three weeks. Like an unwelcome relative who wouldn't leave.

He'd been here before—countless nights blurring into early mornings, his wife asleep upstairs, the glow of the computer screen the only light in the dark house. The online business he'd invested his last savings into was supposed to change everything.

Instead, it had become a black hole consuming his time, his money, and his hope.

Failure number forty-one, if he was counting. Which he was. Because apparently self-torture was his new hobby.

Another click. Another ad. Another affiliate link promising the world.

Just one more ad. One more click. That's what he'd said five hundred clicks ago.

He glanced at the ceiling. Elena was up there, sleeping alone again. How many nights had it been? How many times had he chosen the glowing screen over lying next to her, holding her, actually being present?

This was supposed to give them more time together. That was the whole point. Work from home. Build something. Travel to places they'd dreamed about. Serve others. Help people escape the same traps he kept falling into. Be faithful with what God had given him—his mind, his skills, his opportunity.

Noble reasons. Good reasons.

But right now, at 3:26 a.m. with another failed campaign and warm flat Dr Pepper, those reasons felt very far away.

Robin's head dropped forward. The cursor blinked on the screen. Mocking him.

Forty-one failures. Forty-one different programs, strategies, "guaranteed systems." Thousands of dollars. Hundreds of hours. And here he was again. Failing.

"God, if you're there..." Robin whispered into the empty room. His voice cracked slightly. "Help me. Please. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I'm trying. I'm really trying."

He'd prayed about this business six months ago. Full of hope. Full of faith that this time would be different. God had answered prayers before—big ones. Surely this was something God cared about too. Providing for his family. Being faithful with what little he had.

So why wasn't it working?

His eyes closed. Just for a second. Just to rest them.

And everything went dark.

Robin blinked.

Cool air touched his face. Not the stale air of his office—fresh, clean air that smelled like rain and earth and something else he couldn't name. Growing things. Life.

How did I get here?

He stood on a narrow path made of smooth cobblestones, the kind you'd see in old European villages—nothing like the carpet of his home office. Towering oak trees lined both sides of the path, their branches reaching overhead to form a natural tunnel. Sunlight filtered through the leaves in golden shafts, catching particles of mist that drifted through the air like smoke in slow motion.

It was beautiful. And completely impossible.

Robin spun around, searching for his computer, his desk, his Dr Pepper can—anything familiar. But behind him was only mist. Thick, white, impenetrable fog that seemed to have no end. He could see maybe three feet into it before everything disappeared into whiteness.

He turned around to face forward. The path continued maybe twenty yards before it reached an archway.

No—not just an archway. A monument.

The arch stood at least twenty feet high, built from massive blocks of gray stone fitted together with medieval precision. No mortar. No modern tools. Just stone on stone, carved with such skill that Robin couldn't see where one block ended and another began. Patterns covered the surface—spirals and vines and symbols he'd never seen before. The kind of craftsmanship you'd see in ancient cathedrals or castles, the work of master stonemasons who'd spent years perfecting their art.

And across the top of the arch, carved deep into the stone and somehow glowing with soft golden light, were two words:

KNOW THYSELF

Robin stared at the glowing letters. They pulsed gently, as if alive, casting warm light that pushed back the mist.

"Great," he muttered. "Philosophy riddles. Just what I need right now."

But the words pulsed with that soft golden light, and something about them felt... important. Like they were meant for him specifically. Like they knew something he didn't.

Which was a lot, apparently. Because he clearly didn't know himself. If he did, he wouldn't have failed forty-one times.

"Know thyself," he whispered.

But he didn't know himself. Not really. He knew he was a failure in business. He knew he was tired. He knew he'd disappointed everyone who'd ever believed in him—especially Elena, who deserved better than a husband who chose glowing screens over her every single night.

Was that what this meant? Some cosmic joke reminding him of everything he wasn't?

Or was it... something else?

The golden light pulsed brighter, and Robin felt a pull. Not physical—something deeper. Like the arch was waiting for him to decide.

Step through and find out what "know thyself" really means.

Or turn back into the mist and wake up at his desk, still failing, still lost, still choosing exhaustion over the life he actually wanted.

Robin took a breath.

And stepped forward toward the light.

REAL-WORLD MARKETING TAKEAWAY:

LESSON: "One More Thing" Will Never Be Enough

I know Robin's trap because I lived it.

Twenty years teaching. Lost my job when the school lost funding. Had three months of severance to figure out my next move. I wanted to work online—build something I could take anywhere, spend time with my wife, help people, serve God with the skills He'd given me.

So I started buying programs. I started with free stuff and then moved on to a $250 "lucrative opportunity." Then the $100 upgrade. Then another program for $10 a month. Then a $100/month platform where I spent entire days clicking for ad credits.

Each time I thought, "This one will be different. This one will work."

None of them did.

Not because they were all scams (though some were). Not because I wasn't working hard (I was working myself to exhaustion). But because I was doing exactly what Robin's doing in this chapter—chasing the next shiny object instead of mastering fundamental skills.

I had already bought enough programs to succeed many times over. My problem wasn't lack of information. It was lack of focus, implementation, and understanding what actually matters.

Here's the hard truth most people don't want to hear:

Success doesn't come from finding the perfect program. It comes from finding the right mentor and mastering fundamental skills.

The six core skills that actually create income. The thirteen principles that every successful person walks. The daily practice that turns knowledge into results.

I'll tell you more of my story in the chapters ahead—how I finally found the right mentor, what changed when I stopped chasing and started building, and how you can avoid the years of failure I went through.

But for now, ask yourself this: Have I fully implemented what I already own? Do I understand the six core skills? Or am I just hoping this next thing will magically be different?

Stop chasing. Start building.

The path forward isn't another program. It's through the archway Robin's standing in front of. The one that says KNOW THYSELF.

This is a story within a story—a tale of wooded islands floating among white clouds, where

Viking ships sail through open sky, and ancient forests hide secrets older than memory. A tale

of dragons hunting through the mist and a dark lord who rules from his twisted tower,

wielding fear like a weapon. A tale of the path between darkness and light, and the

travelers who dare to walk it.

succeeding online and avoiding the traps that destroy most people's dreams.

How can one story be both? Read on and find out.

This is a story about someone who failed forty times before he discovered the real path.

About the mentors who helped him and the ones who almost destroyed him. About the

darkness he had to face inside himself before he could build anything lasting.

Every night, thousands of people sit at glowing screens, chasing a dream.

They've been promised freedom—work from anywhere, make money while you sleep, be

your own boss. They've bought the courses. They've joined the programs. They've clicked

the ads and followed the formulas.

And most of them are failing.

Not because the dream is impossible. Not because they're lazy or stupid. But because no

one told them the truth about what it really takes.

No one told them about the six critical skills every successful online entrepreneur must master.

No one warned them about the traps—the easy paths that lead nowhere, the expensive

mentors who take your money and leave you stuck, the voice in your head that whispers

you'll never make it.

And no one told them about the thirteen steps that every successful person throughout history

has walked—whether they knew it or not.

This is their story. This is your story.

Robin's eyes burned as he stared at the glowing screen.

Three o'clock in the morning—again. His head pounded with a

headache that had become all too familiar over the past few weeks.

He had promised himself last night that he would go to bed earlier

and get some sleep but here he was still working.

Another click. Another ad. Another affiliate link promising the world.

He'd been here before—countless nights blurring into early mornings,

his wife asleep upstairs, his Dr Pepper that had lost all its fizz beside him. The online

business he'd invested his last savings into was supposed to change everything.

Instead, it had become a black hole consuming his time, his money, and his hope. Just one

more ad, he told himself. Just one more click. But exhaustion won.

His head drooped forward, and everything went dark."

Robin blinked.

How did I get here?

He stood on a narrow path made of smooth cobblestones, the kind you'd see in old

European villages—nothing like the carpet of his home office. Towering oak trees lined both sides

of the path, their branches reaching overhead to form a natural tunnel. Sunlight filtered

through the leaves in golden shafts, catching particles of mist that drifted through the air

like smoke in slow-motion.

It was beautiful. And completely impossible.

Robin spun around, searching for his computer, his desk, his Dr Pepper can—anything familiar.

But behind him was only mist. Thick, white, impenetrable fog that seemed to have no end.

He could see maybe three feet into it before everything disappeared into whiteness.

He turned around to face forward. The path continued maybe twenty yards before it reached

an archway.

No—not just an archway. A monument.

The arch stood at least twenty feet high, built from massive blocks of gray stone fitted together

with medieval precision. No mortar. No modern tools. Just stone on stone, carved with such

skill that Robin couldn't see where one block ended and another began. Intricate patterns

were carved into the surface—spirals, vines, symbols he didn't recognize. The kind of

craftsmanship you'd see in ancient cathedrals or castles, the work of master stonemasons

who'd spent years perfecting their art.

And across the top of the arch, carved deep into the stone and somehow glowing with

soft golden light, were two words:

KNOW THYSELF

Robin stared at the glowing letters. They pulsed gently, as if alive, casting a warm light that

pushed back the mist.

"What does 'Know Thyself' mean?" he whispered.

LESSON: "One More Thing" Will Never Be Enough

Robin's trap is the same trap that destroys most online entrepreneurs: believing the next click,

the next ad, the next program will finally be the one that works. This is called "shiny

object syndrome," and it's designed to keep you buying, clicking, and hoping—but never

actually succeeding. The hard truth?

Success doesn't come from finding the perfect program.

It comes from mastering fundamental skills and implementing consistently. Robin had already bought enough programs to succeed ten times over. His problem wasn't lack of information—it

was lack of focus, implementation, and understanding what actually matters. Before you

click "buy" on another course or stay up chasing another strategy, ask yourself: Have I fully implemented what I already own? Do I understand the six core skills that create real income?

Or am I just hoping this next thing will magically be different? Stop chasing. Start building.

Practical Application:

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Albie Derbyshire,