Synopsis

We’ve been told a life of happiness is unlocked by achieving success. It has been driven into our belief system to work hard and only after you become successful, happiness will follow. And while you may be winning the game of achievement, a success-based lifestyle where success is supposed to unlock happiness, meaning, and fulfillment, you’re left feeling empty and unsure why. So you work harder, thinking that’s the solution.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. works more than any other country in the world, has no limitations on work hours, and provides minimal benefits to support your mental state and overall happiness. It’s no wonder, according to a study conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, the country is the unhappiest it has been in 50 years and you’ve seen an increasing focus on mental health. This is the result of a game we’ve been tricked into playing and while games are designed for you to win, they’re also designed for you to have fun. Not only are you not having fun, but you’re also playing like it’s your last life.

The 1up Effect creates a new game to play, gives you more “lives,” and makes life fun and meaningful again. In this book, Thomas Edwards Jr., a transformational coach and Founder of The Professional Wingman, explains where a success-based lifestyle came from, why it’s no longer sustainable in today’s world, and how a game-based lifestyle allows you to experience life’s happiness and meaning at the highest level, without sacrificing success and achievement. You’ll get to deeply know yourself as the main character of life’s game –– your archetype, vision, ratings, and happiness.

Through a daily ritual, the book helps you build strength, resilience, love, integrity, and certainty in yourself to handle the various things life throws your way. It will share deep insights into how to engage in powerful conversations between your soul and ego, destroying limiting beliefs impacting your life, healing emotional pain rooted from them, and applying newly-crafted beliefs to all areas of your life through a cognitive-behavioral therapy-inspired practice created by Thomas.

Exploring the 4 worlds inside the game –– purpose, play, passion, and performance –– you’ll learn how the levels in each world play key roles in your life and how to master them. The 1up Effect will show you how to improve your physical, mental, and spiritual wellness. It will show you how to have fun again by tapping into the people, places, and experiences that bring you joy. It will share why it’s vital to show yourself, love, on a regular basis, how to reignite the romance in your life, and how to source empathy for others. Lastly, it will key in on increasing your value as an asset to the world, how to share it openly, and how to ask for value when you want the support. All of this designed with points and challenges to track your journey.

Thomas Edwards, Jr. understands what it’s like to play the "Game of Achievement.” His first business, The Professional Wingman achieved massive success quickly, thanks to a feature in the Wall Street Journal. After hundreds of marriages and engagements and being in virtually every international media platform in the world, that seemingly gave him everything: money, success, fame, and love. Despite all of that, he felt empty, alone, and unhappy, with no idea why. On the brink of losing everything in his life, he went on a bold journey that not only got him out of his darkness, but also gave him a renewed purpose, filling his life with meaning, love, and happiness. While Thomas’s game has guided clients through major wins, such as losing 75 pounds in 6 months, healing major long-term trauma, finding or reigniting love, and getting massive promotions at work, the biggest win has been their ability to create more happiness and fulfillment in their lives than ever before.

Sales arguments

• Thomas has connections to influencers willing to write a foreword and/or "back-of-book blurb." (Gary Vaynerchuk, Anthony Hopkins, Dhani Jones, etc.)
• Thomas has access to dozens of influencer podcasts and other media platforms to share and scale my message, including Lewis Howes, Ramit Sethi, Jordan Harbinger, Antonio Neves, etc., and is prepared to launch his own podcast based on the book called, the 1up Effect.
• Thomas has been on ~1,000 media platforms already including TV, and still gets asked to do video promotions (Thomas recently did one with AMC and their new show Soulmates).
• Thomas is a regular contributor to Entrepreneur and can get access to other platforms including Forbes and Inc.
• Thomas is excellent on video as his decade-long experience has proven, so his marketing campaign will be very video-centric and interactive.

Similar titles

• The 10X Rule, Grant Cardone (Wiley; 4/2011) shares the story of how a man on the brink of losing it all was able to transform and build an empire based on one simple principle. What makes my book different is while he says you can apply his principles of all areas of your life, his focus and expertise is truly around money and wealth. My principles have been designed to be immediately impactful in all areas of your life right from the start, making it easy for those who want holistic transformation.
• The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin (HarperCollins; 12/2010) speaks to the nagging feeling of unhappiness and what she did to overcome that. What makes Thomas's book different is not only he nearly allowing this unhappiness to lose everything, he takes a completely different look at gamifying the process of finding happiness, which hasn't been done in this way before.
• Big Magic, Elizabeth Gilbert (Riverhead Books (9/2015) offers insights into the nature of inspiration, while challenging you to embrace your curiosity and let go of suffering. Like her, Thomas addresses the topic of choosing love over fear, especially through facing fear, but what makes his book different is he has a specific tool and system he teaches about discovering and creating magic that will single-handedly accelerate anyone's personal transformation and how to apply that magic in your every day life

Audience

Aspiring and established achievers who want more meaning and fun in their lives beyond success without burning out, breaking down, or sacrificing that success.

Advance praise

“I saw him and I liked his hustle. That’s why I invited him into my home.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

“This guy can definitely help you out.” – Andrew Schultz, Comedian