Who is this guy?
Surviving worked.
Until it didn’t.
For a long time I believed what a lot of people believe — that if I worked harder, achieved more, or pushed far enough ahead, everything would eventually make sense.
The career would fix it.
The money would fix it.
The next big thing would fix it.
It didn’t.
Paul Cramer is a writer and entrepreneur who has spent most of his life taking swings.
Some worked.
Some didn’t.
He has built companies, lost money, rebuilt, chased ideas that made sense, chased ideas that didn’t, and learned the hard way that success doesn’t automatically solve the things going on inside your head.
Like a lot of people who look successful on paper, Paul spent years quietly operating from patterns he didn’t fully understand.
Until he finally saw something that changed how he looked at everything:
The way you survive something becomes the way you live everything.
Paul writes about survival patterns — the habits, identities, and beliefs we build to get through difficult moments that eventually become the default way we live our lives.
Sometimes the very strategies that helped you survive are the same ones quietly keeping you stuck.
His work explores what happens when people finally see those patterns clearly.
Because once you see the pattern running your life, you finally have a choice.
Paul lives in the Midwest with his wife — whose steady question, “Why not?” has shaped their life in ways neither of them expected — and their three sons.
He writes, builds things, asks uncomfortable questions, and believes surviving sucks.
Influences
Catcher In the Rye
Catcher in the Rye was the first book I ever read based on a friend's recommendation. I was immediately drawn to Holden Caulfield. His ability to describe the setting around him and the thoughts he was having as others were engaging with him, blew me away. Oftentimes I felt like it was me, rather than Holden Caulfield who was talking. Pure paper magic!
Bob Mould
The cool thing would be for me to say that I first learned of Bob Mould when he was in Husker Du. That wasn’t the case. His first solo album, Workbook was my first exposure. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I could relate to the angst of his voice, the distortion of his guitar, and the genius in his ability to do what he wanted to, regardless of what he had done in the past. Not to mention he can scream in tune - so freaking cool.
The Outsiders
I was introduced to the book The Outsiders by watching the movie first. I had never sought out a book prior to The Outsiders. I was completely immersed in the story. I imagined myself being like Dally, even though I was the furthest thing from tough or a greaser. It was the first book I read where I imagined, unabashedly, about being someone other than myself. I felt cool!
Death of a Salesman
Senior year of high school we had to read Death of a Salesman. I remember my teacher saying that he could tell I was changed as a result of that play. It was the first time reading where I could feel the characters. I felt like I knew them. I experienced the saying “art mirrors life”.
Janes Addiction
Uninhibited, wild, and mysterious is what I thought when I first heard Janes Addiction. My music tastes were pretty rigid until I heard them. They inspired me to think different. Instantly I started to consume music differently. I embraced my old favorites while indulging into the new. It was ok to be a rock guy, a pop guy, a punk guy, an alternative guy, all at the same time.
Lou Reed
I was in the basement of a buddy’s house. He had cool older brothers. He grabbed “Lou Reed Live” and turned up the volume. “Vicious” started to blast through the speakers. I was instantly teleported into the coolness of the city. I felt different. I felt confident. I felt, for a moment, that I belonged.