Hi, I’m Mark Usyk.

I’m no different than anyone else in that I’m constantly trying to balance the life I need to live with the life I want to live. It’s not always easy. And I think people need to hear that. That they aren’t the only ones struggling. That they’re not alone. And that they can find that balance with a little work on priorities, figuring out what’s really important, and what’s actually not important at all. Who we are and who we’re expected to be are often times two different people. There has to be a balance. Well, maybe not if you’ve really got this thing called life figured out. But for the rest of us, there’s always somewhere else we’d rather be when we can’t be where we want to be, and there’s always something else we’d rather be doing when we can’t do what we wish we could.

Through my stories I try to convey the idea that your life is your own, that you can control more than you think but maybe don’t need to control as much as you want to. And that simply put… you weren’t born to just pay bills and die. Or maybe they’re just simply stories about going fishing. That’s up to the reader in the end.

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From the local creek running through the middle of town to that lake up north, and out to waters in other states, what you’re looking for can be found using a fishing pole and the lessons that go along with fishing and taking time to just be outdoors. We weren’t meant to be cooped up indoors in artificial light, breathing recirculated air, and we definitely shouldn’t be concentrating on digital screens all day. The trout, bass, and bluegills live in places that remind us of what our ancestors took for granted. Something we have so little of today. Our busy lives have overshadowed too much of what’s really important.

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Through my books and speaking engagements I try to help people bring back into focus the blurry chaos of life by sighting down the fishing line guides of a fly rod. My stories will bring back memories of being a kid with no worries. They’ll make you think of your own stories as well, because we all have them. Maybe we need our memories jogged to be reminded that we used to smile more and stress less. Some of us never had that in childhood and need to be shown what can be if we step out of our comfort zone and into a river. And they’ll give you motivation and hope to get back to those days. That those days in your past can happen again in your future if you just let more go, this stuff that you can’t control and doesn’t actually matter. Life’s too short, so cast a long line and breathe a little fresh air. Unplug.

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Life is about balance, and balance has to start somewhere. Knowing yourself and taking care of yourself are two things that begin easily with a walk in the woods and only get easier with a cast and the possibility of a fish. Life lessons happen to you every time you set out and leave behind that cell phone and laptop.

Hope is at the end of every cast.

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You can’t catch fish if your line isn’t in the water.

You weren’t born to just pay bills and die.

And a million other lessons are out there just waiting for you to show up.