The Cup Makers Guild

The Cup Makers Guild is a quick and engaging must read for every young person on their way to high school, every current high schooler looking for a boost, and every graduate trying to figure out what happened...and what they can do about it.

Destined to be a modern classic, The Cup Makers Guild is a fantastical narrative poem in metered rhyme that inspires young people to move beyond dreaming of the places they'll go and to start developing the growth mindset necessary to make their dreams reality. It's a timeless message of how the life we all desire begins with the development of self (self awareness, self regulation, and self responsibility), and how the sooner we figure that out, the better.

Informed by ancient texts like Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, and inspired by modern classics like Oh, The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss, The Cup Makers Guild integrates the wisdom of Stoicism into a fantastical tale for the young reader on their journey to developing a philosophy of life. Perceiving the challenges of high school as an opportunity to strengthen character frames this important life period as a Hero's Journey. Recent research confirms that this approach leads to improved life outcomes.

A brief tale, A Seat in the Back, is included as a preface to The Cup Makers Guild. It takes a light look at a heavy topic, following two of the recently departed as they attend their own funerals.

From The Cup Makers Guild:

You are the only person
That will be there every day,
To keep things moving forward,
Or to let them slip away.
Engage in your own progress!
Don't wait to be told!
Be the artist of your life,
For it is yours to mold.