What I Learned in my 20’s: Life Hacks,

Advice and Principles to Live Your Best Life

By: Sean Litt

Table of Contents
What I’ve Learned: A Collection of Essays................................................................................1
Preface: Why this book was written........................................................................................5
Why You need to come up with more bad ideas......................................................................6
Procrastinate on Purpose........................................................................................................6
Frugality.................................................................................................................................6
Investing.................................................................................................................................7
The Power of Momentum........................................................................................................8
The One Thing.........................................................................................................................9
Know Thy Self..........................................................................................................................9
Trust in yourself/Building confidence....................................................................................10
Cognitive Dissonance............................................................................................................10
Compound Growth................................................................................................................11
Delay Gratification................................................................................................................12
One Vs Multiple Sources of Income........................................................................................12
Frame Control.......................................................................................................................13
Take Imperfect Action...........................................................................................................13
The Gut Micro Biome.............................................................................................................13
Be Authentic..........................................................................................................................15
Almost and Maybe................................................................................................................16
Fear.......................................................................................................................................16
Detachment..........................................................................................................................16
What I learned from studying sharks.....................................................................................17
Cultivate a Growth Mindset..................................................................................................17
The Pareto Principle..............................................................................................................18
Stoicism.................................................................................................................................18
Be a Lone Wolf......................................................................................................................20
Nice Guy Syndrome...............................................................................................................20
Time Blocking........................................................................................................................21
Why you should Read More...................................................................................................22
The Importance of being Unreactive......................................................................................22
Intuition................................................................................................................................23
Toxic Masculinity..................................................................................................................23
Potential Leads (helpful mindset)..........................................................................................24
Heartbreak............................................................................................................................25
Your Judge............................................................................................................................25
Sexual Selection....................................................................................................................26
Dominance hierarchy Animal Perspective..............................................................................27
How to Climb the Dominance Hierarchy................................................................................28
Layers of Purpose..................................................................................................................29
Watch who you get Advice From...........................................................................................30
Emotional Contagion.............................................................................................................30
The 5 Minute Rule.................................................................................................................31
Feeling Stuck.........................................................................................................................31
Learn to trust Others.............................................................................................................31
How to Conduct Yourself.......................................................................................................32
Eye Contact...........................................................................................................................33
Gratitude..............................................................................................................................33
Meditation/Morning Routines...............................................................................................34
Implementation Intention.....................................................................................................35
How to Build a Habit.............................................................................................................35
Style......................................................................................................................................36
Reputation............................................................................................................................36
Choose your addiction...........................................................................................................37
Indicators of interest.............................................................................................................37
The Downside to Self Help.....................................................................................................38
The Key to Effective Networking............................................................................................38
How to Spot Opportunities....................................................................................................39
SMV......................................................................................................................................40
Attitude.................................................................................................................................40
Why you need to Travel Alone...............................................................................................41
Triune Brain Model................................................................................................................42
Depression is a Life Problem..................................................................................................43
Instagram Should Be a Tool...................................................................................................44
Abundance Mindset..............................................................................................................44
The Hero’s Journey................................................................................................................45
Now......................................................................................................................................46
The Meaning of Life...............................................................................................................46
Play to Win...........................................................................................................................47
The Pomodoro Technique......................................................................................................47
The Kaizen Way.....................................................................................................................48
Your Environment.................................................................................................................48
What a Bad trip taught me....................................................................................................48
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs................................................................................................49
No matter what you’ll be ok/ It’s on you (Conclusion)...........................................................50
References – People who I learned from................................................................................52
Preface: Why this book was written
Throughout my life, I’ve experienced situations I never could’ve predicted, but nothing
out of the ordinary to the universal human experience. Through the ups and downs, I’ve
accumulated enough knowledge to the point that I believe the average person can benefit from
my advice. I’m a firm believer in the Pareto principle, which states 80% of your results come
from 20% of what you do. Now imagine the last book you read. I guarantee a week, a month or a
year after you finished it, you only remembered one core principle (if any) which you potentially
implemented. That is what my realization was and what lead to the creation of this book. Instead
of wasting your time reading 300 pages only to remember one thing, I decided to condense the
core information into different sections. Due to this, this book is a collection of many random
segments a lot of which have helped me or been big realizations in my 22 years of life. Short and
to the point, organized in no particular fashion, specifically designed so that you can take
immediate action and not get trapped in the knowledge-action gap. This means there may be
some sections with beginner-level advice or advice you already know, but think of it more as an
action hand guide, it gives you the necessary information to get started and do well or general
life advice mixed with a philosophy that everyone could use a little more of. Regardless I
guarantee the influx of information in this book will be beneficial in some manner. Now, keep in
mind that I am a work in progress and all the information in this book is my opinion, forged by
my experience through life. You don’t necessarily have to agree with my opinions but it’s an
insight into a different perspective none the less. Finally, I want you to understand that the info
in the following sections are not absolute guidelines you must follow, instead, each idea has its
own use in certain situations and can be mixed with your own ideas to help you as best it can. I
also want to give credit where credit is due and at the end of this book, I will have a list of people
from whom I either learned a lot, gained insight from or added to some of their core ideas. To the
reader, I promise that by finishing this book you will get at least one piece of invaluable
information that can help you improve in some area of your life. So why was this book written?
It was written for you.
Why You need to come up with more bad ideas
Quantity vs quality, an age-old topic. Through social programming, we’ve been taught
that no matter the circumstances, quality should always be at the forefront in the completion of
any endeavor. But I don’t believe this to be the case. Originals, mavericks, never waited to reach
perfection before completing a task. Take Einstein as an example, He is now famous for his
development in physics, discovering the law of relativity. But before he got to that point, he
published 248 papers that were heavily criticized. The point I’m trying to make is that through
quantity you will develop quality. Imagine you want to start a business, so you begin
brainstorming ideas. If waiting on quality, those ideas will be few and far between and it is more
likely that you will quit before you discover an idea that you are satisfied with. Now imagine
instead of looking for quality you focus on quantity, you cultivate the habit of coming up with 2
business ideas daily, no matter how terrible they are. At the end of 1 week, you will have 14
ideas, at the end of the month you will have 56 new ideas. It is highly likely that by the end of
the month when reviewing your list, you will have found at least 1 business idea that meets your
standards. Throughout history, highly creative people simply produce more work. As you work,
you will get better, this will translate to higher quality.

Procrastinate on Purpose
In the book original thinkers, the author writes about a study that was conducted where
participants would try to come up with creative solutions to a complex problem. The
experimenter divided the participants into 2 groups: those who would complete the task in a
single sitting and those who started the task, procrastinated, and then completed it later. The
results were extraordinary. What he found was that those who procrastinated came up with
better, highly creative solutions to the task. The reason why is simple; it is due to the Ziegarnick
Effect. This is a psychological phenomenon where once a task is finished, we stop thinking about
it, but if the task is left incomplete (even for a short period of time) it stays active in our mind.
We subconsciously continually process the problem to identify new solutions. So, while
procrastination may kill productivity, in the process it breeds creativity. Now, this does not mean
that if you have an assignment due tomorrow, you wait until today to start it. The point is to get
started early, but never finish in a single sitting, this will breed creative results.

Frugality
The definition of frugality is being economically efficient with money. Today our society
is severely lacking in financial education. Many people believe the key to reaching financial
independence is finding a high paying job and while this can certainly help you reach your
financial goals quicker, it’s not the real answer. Think of your income as your offense and while
important, it does not win championships. To quote a cliché “Offense wins games, but defense
wins championships”. To accumulate wealth, you must control your spending habits. Most
people live paycheck to paycheck never considering future complications or retirement funding.
Create an efficient method of tracking your spending so you know what you spend your money
on, then cut out anything that is not a necessity. Personally, I use the app mint, it’s an easy way
to keep track of your spending. You should be able to know what you spend on a weekly,
monthly and yearly basis, if you don’t know, then figure it out now. Next, save at least 20% of
every paycheck you earn (ideally more) and place it into a TFSA or your countries equivalent.
The only way to accomplish this is to live below your means. If you make 50,000$ a year live
like you make 20,000$. If you make 100,000$ a year live like you make 50,000$. Never by any
means, spend more than you make, this will just place you in debt, something that you want to
avoid. You want positive cash flow, to make more money then you spend so the net balance is
positive. Lastly, create an emergency fund that has enough money in it to keep you living at your
current lifestyle for at least 6 months. Therefore, if tragedy strikes and all of a sudden you have
no income, you will have a leisure period of 6 months to find a way back on your feet.

Investing
I am by no means a god-tier investor, I only started investing about 2 years ago. However,
through reading, listening to mentors, trial and error, I have accumulated enough knowledge to
where I was able to make substantial gains in this short period of time. A key point I’d make is to
start investing as early as possible. Take advantage of the power of compound growth and watch
that investment exponentially increase over an extended period. Of course, all this information is
extremely simplified and meant to get a beginner level investor started. With that out of the way
here are what I believe to be the key principles of investing:
 Pay yourself first: This is self-explanatory but so few people follow this concept. you
can’t invest if you have no money. Take a percentage of what you make (bare minimum
20%) and put that into your savings. Open up a Roth IRA, a 401K, a TFSA or whatever
your countries equivalent and put the money in here. The money gained off your
investments can’t be taxed by the government in this account. Do not touch the money in
this account. Generally, there will be a limit to the amount of money you can put in each
year, keep that in mind because if you go over you will be charged. Now use the money
in this account to buy your preferred investment vehicles.
 Identify what investing vehicle works best for you: Depending on the condition of the
economy/market, your circumstances and the time you are willing to allocate to research,
there are several great investment vehicles. Bonds are a safe bet and can still make you
money even when going through a recession, the downside is the minimal return. The
value of bonds is inversely proportional to interest rate, as it goes down (as long as
interest rate does not pass zero) bond value goes up. Individual stocks generally give the
greatest return but are associated with the most amount of risk. Unless you are willing to
spend at least 5 hours a day researching the market and shuffling through quarterly
reports, these are not a good choice. A good rule of thumb is to (if considering individual
stocks) only invest in the companies where you believe in the product being sold. Now
everybody has a different opinion, but I listen to the great minds of Warren Buffet and
Benjamin Graham. They said 97% of mutual fund managers don’t beat the market. If
people that are paid to spend their whole lives studying the stock market, looking for
anomalies, cannot beat the market, what makes you think you can? Invest in ETFs or
exchange-traded funds. I buy Vanguard ETFs. These are baskets of stocks meant to
replicate the market. On average these funds go up 7% per year. Meaning, if you invest
100 dollars per/week from age 20 to age 30, by the time you are 65, you will have 1
million in savings. Keep in mind this is with minimal research and time spent watching
the market. I call it passive investing. If you do the math, in 10 years you invest 520,000
to gain 480,000. It is important to note that ETFs are associated with an expense ratio (the
fee the fund charges to manage the stock, also the only downside) so when picking one
look for low E/R’s. Finally, all the great investing minds would agree the best choice is to
diversify your portfolio. When doing this take your circumstances into account. If you are
 20 years old, then I would recommend investing in more ETFs and individual stocks
because you have more time and can make the money back if a recession occurs. If you
are in your 60’s, invest more into bonds as this money is likely what will fund your
retirement lifestyle. All in all, have a little bit of everything, mix and match to find out
what works best for you.
 Investing is Emotional: As much as we believe we are rational creatures we are still very
much governed by our emotions. This is why it can be so hard to make money off the
stock market. Greed and fear will take a hold on your mind, and try to govern your
decisions, you must not let them. Therefore, the bottom line is this, when you feel really
good about an investment decision that is usually a good time to sell. When you feel
really bad about an investment decision that is generally a really good time to buy. If
everyone says buy this stock, sell it. If everyone says sell this stock, wait a bit, then buy
it. Always pay attention to why you are buying a stock and then come to a decision. Are
you buying it because everybody else is? Or because you don't want to miss out? These
are terrible reasons fueled by greed and will most likely result in a loss of money.
Likewise, when the market begins to tank don't panic and sell, this is fear guiding your
decision process. The market will always rebound and past, where it was before if you
panic and sell, you will lose money.
 Invest in yourself: In the end, the best investment you can make is in yourself. Read
books, take courses, learn from mentors and do research, all this will help you improve
your life. If you invest in yourself early on your gains will be exponential later in life.
Now, this is just basic information for beginner investors, use this advice to get started and
then move on to whatever works for you. I suggest researching Ray Dalio’s all-weather portfolio
or reading the book the intelligent investor by Benjamin Graham.

The Power of Momentum

“Objects in motion tend to stay in motion” – Newton’s law of inertia. This applies to our
ambitions as much as it does to physics. Ever notice how when writing an essay, it can be very
difficult to get started but once you get going words just seem to flow onto the page? This is
momentum, a force that is always at play, a double-edged sword, either helping you or working
against you. This is why, when trying to start a task, it can be really difficult. Your mind will
distract you, makeup excuses and try to keep you busy. But when starting something, it is also
the reason you can’t stop. Your brain or body just seems to work without having to think. When
you have committed to a task, momentum starts to work for you. You go into autopilot, all of a
sudden, it’s not hard to keep writing the essay, in fact, it’s harder to stop. Think of momentum as
the attention you give to a particular skill. The more you give the more you get in return. Every
area of your life requires attention. Just take a look at any part of your life you are not satisfied
with, why is that the case? It's due to your lack of attention. Attention does not mean frolicking
your way through whatever you are doing, it means being intentional. It means working
diligently. Give the task your full undivided attention and you will gain your momentum back.
Once you start it will be very easy to keep going, but as soon as you take your foot off the gas
pedal, momentum is now working against you. It is the key to accomplishing your goals easily.
The way to build momentum is to start extremely small and take the first step. Starting small and
moving forward from there. This can work to build habits or get something done. overtime
completing the task will take less and less willpower until it just becomes a part of who you are.
For example, let’s say you want to cultivate the habit of reading. You decide to start with a
700page book. At first, your mind will think of this as a daunting task, but that’s because it looks
at the book as a whole. Here’s the thing though, you don’t have to finish the whole thing in one
go. Commit to reading 5 pages a day. If that's too hard then commit to reading 1 page a day. It
doesn’t matter as long as you stay consistent. What happens is your brain will automatically
continue going until it becomes a daily habit and eventually a part of who you are. This principle
can be applied to any endeavor. You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be
great.

The One Thing

“Going small is to ignore everything that you could do to focus on what you should do” –
Gary Kellerman. Don’t spread yourself thin over many different tasks, put all your energy into
one thing, the only thing, that if done right, will make everything else easy or unnecessary. Do
fewer things for more effect, the things that bring you the best results. This is a much more
strategic version of the compound effect, which states if you do a small task consistently its
effects will magnify over time. The difference being when focusing on one thing you not only
have the compound effect working for you, but you’re also moving in on the single aspect that
causes the most improvement in that specific field.

Know Thy Self

Many of us, as humans, have the potential to accomplish great feats, yet we walk around
this earth distracted by a fundamental wound. Who are we? Sure, you know what you look like.
You know what you like to do for fun and maybe you even have some current pursuits, but is
that the whole you? I believe the secret to finding yourself is to find out what your worth is and
to create a stable set of morals. Without knowing who you are you constantly mold to get
validation from the court of public opinion, living your life how other people want it, not how
you want it. Look inside yourself for the answer, this is something only you can solve. Without
understanding who you are you will neglect your true talents for public praise instead of looking
deep into your own mind for what you should want and feel. We formulate our identity through
experience, starting with a parent that judges not through their lens but through fairness. Finding
your true self is about creating a defensible view on how you believe to live the best life. If
something is important to you, you should be able to state why. If you desire something, you
should be able to state why. If you think someone else has done something negative, you should
also be able to state why. Answering questions like these will give you a deep insight into your
own principles, to be more concerned with doing the right thing, not with what everybody else
wants. Deep, deep down you know what it is that you want, so go out and do it.

Trust in yourself/Building confidence

Confidence is probably the most important trait one can cultivate in their own life.
Google defines it as “trust in one’s own abilities”. People think confidence is something your
either born with or you’re not, which is false, it is a skill. Being a skill, this means it can be
improved upon. The first step in improvement is to take care of your body, your thoughts and
how you feel. What happens is when an individual think’s he/she is worthless, they stop taking
care of themselves. They think they don’t deserve the good things out of life, so they stop eating
healthy, studying, etc. This causes a downward spiral because the body begins to degenerate.
When they look at themselves in the mirror this causes more negative thoughts which in turn
generates no action and further degeneration of the body. In essence, the snowball effect is at
play. To get out of this cycle you must take care of your body and thoughts. Go to the gym, eat
healthily, spend time with friends, all these will change your thought processes and begin the
upward spiral. Another technique is to implement meditation, this will give you control over
your thoughts through reprogramming, so you can change it into mainly positive thoughts (more
detail in a later section). lastly, every day we have tiny constant internal battles with ourselves.
For example, say you want to make a habit of going to the gym, so you stay consistent for the
first week. After a night of drinking you wake up at your regular time to prepare, however, you
don’t feel like going. This is a tiny battle, depending on your decision, you will either win or
lose. If you go, even though you did not want to, your confidence will receive a slight boost.
However, if you decide to sleep in and skip the gym session, your confidence will take a hit.
There are many tiny battles like these that you have with yourself every day, the key is not to win
every single battle, but the majority. As long as you stay consistent, win more battles then you
lose, your confidence will continue to increase. This will allow you to build new habits that in
turn will make you feel better about yourself and the cycle will continue. This is the crucial step
in building your confidence.

Cognitive Dissonance
Simply explained, cognitive dissonance is when an individual behaves in a manner that
contradicts their thoughts or actions. Thoughts that contradict one another cause tension. This
tension leads to mixed feelings about the person, place or thing, creating inconsistency, an
extremely undesirable tendency which ultimately becomes stress. Let’s take the example of a
smoker. One thought says: “I like to smoke cigarettes”, the other understands the negatives
associated with smoking. This is a case of dissonance due to the inconsistency. The smoker can
undergo a series of resolutions in order to bring about consistency again. Change in thoughts,
change in behavior or simply trying to ignore the tension. Dissonance is a negative in your own
life because it gets in the way of finding your truth. To understand the world, you require a clear
structured view of it. Cognitive dissonance can cause you to hesitate or doubt your abilities.
Thought patterns that contradict one another destroy belief systems. To achieve whatever
ambition you have, you need the appropriate belief system, one that breeds trust in yourself, in
your abilities. If you do not 100% believe you can attain the goal you have set for yourself, you
will not even come close to achieving it. Understand how and where in your life cognitive
dissonance, or inconsistency in thought patterns, has held you back. Maybe you knew a girl was
attracted to you but at the same time thought you were not good enough for her. Maybe you want
to get a certain job but deep down think you don’t have the abilities necessary. Notice when
contradicting thought patterns have entered your mind and change them instantly. Create a
consistent belief system, one that can help you get what you want, instead of holding you back.

Compound Growth
In your life, what do you think is more important? The big decisions you make once in a
while or the small decisions you make every day. If you understand the concept of compound
growth, you would choose the latter. Compound growth is an aspect of investing that can be
applied to all areas of your life. Simply stated it is growth on your investment taking into
consideration the previous growth on that same investment. Let’s take a look at one of the
simplest examples: Would you rather receive 1 million$ right now or 1 penny that doubles every
day for a month? If you choose the penny, (spoiler alert) after the first day you have 2 cents, two
weeks in you have $81.92 and at the end of the month, you will have over $10 million! So, what
happened? The power of time and compounding. Growth is never linear, and while applying the
concept of compound growth to investments is the key to growing your finances, I discovered
the same amount of growth when I applied this concept to other areas of my life. It’s crazy to
think that small, almost insignificant steps done correctly every day can lead to massive results in
the long run. Mediocrity doesn’t just happen it’s created through the small choices we make
daily. Often people quit because after a week or so of dedicating themselves to making the right
choices they see no immediate change. Let’s look at an example, taken straight out of the book
the compound effect by Darren Hardy. Three individuals exist Bob, Joe, and Tony. All three of
them have average lives, for simplicity’s sake, they all start at the same point. Bob continues in
the same manner of true insanity, continuing to do the exact same things and while occasionally
complaining, never taking any action to change his circumstances. Joe, on the other hand, begins
to make seemingly irrelevant positive changes. He begins to bike to work instead of driving. He
commits to reading 10 pages of a good book a day and listening to podcasts that change his
thinking patterns for the better. All this together takes up an hour of his day at max. Tony makes
poor choices, he subscribed to more T.V streaming sites for his enjoyment, started eating out
more and began drinking a few beers every day. With all these slight changes made, at the end of
6 months, there is no perceivable difference between the 3 individuals. This is what causes us to
quit, we don’t see immediate results and decide our effort is not worth the minimal gains, not
realizing if we hold out long enough our gains will become exponential. Why? Because the gains
build on themselves, just like your money does in investing. Going back to the example, it’s not
until month 18, that we can begin to decipher slight differences between the 3 people. By month
30, there are significant, measurable differences. Bob looks exactly the same, possibly more
bitter due to partaking in the same routine for so long. Joe earns more, has a healthier body and
has become very confident in his ability to achieve in our external world. The same cannot be
said about tony. He is now fat, lazy and an alcoholic. While this example may seem extreme, it
perfectly exemplifies the power of compound growth in ALL facets of your life. Remember life
is a marathon, not a sprint. Plant the seeds of your future now and keep watering them every day,
even if it’s only for 5 minutes because over time your results will build on top of one another and
years later, when you look back, you’ll realize how much you’ve improved.

Delay Gratification
Enter Walter Mischel’s famous marsh mellow test, the best example of a psychological
study that correlates with success in life. In this test, done in the late 1960s to early 1970s, a child
was offered a choice between one marsh mellow provided immediately, or two later, depending
on if the child could refrain from eating the marsh mellow until the experimenter returned. Years
later, in follow up studies, it was found that the children who were able to wait longer for the
better reward generally had better life success, as measured by scores on SATs, higher status in
society and goal attainment, among others. So how does this help you? Understand sacrifice,
understand the benefit of long-term gain. Our society has programmed the need for instant
gratification into the minds of everyone. The successful among us bargain with the future, you
should too. Plato viewed self-restraint as “vital to individual flourishing”. Temptation in the now
is incredibly hard to resist, but it can be done. Think of self-restraint like a muscle in the gym
that can be developed over time. To fight the urge, reframe your thoughts or diverge your
attention onto something else, if all else fails, create an intentional barrier. Living by sacrifice
allows strengthening of character but even more importantly, it teaches you the value of your
time. What we have in our brain that separates us from other animals is the understanding of
time, of the future, we understand that if you hold out long enough, put in the work now, there is
a pot of gold waiting for you on the other side of the rainbow.

One Vs Multiple Sources of Income

This topic is an age-old debate, one that can inspire a lot of resentment between people.
I’m not here to tell you how to "get rich quick" or how to create multiple streams of income. I’m
here to tell you what my opinion is on the matter and why I think you should stick to this
blueprint as well. The richest man in all of American history was Andrew Carnegie, if we were
to include inflation since his time, he would be 4 x richer then Jeff Bezos. He said put all your
eggs in one basket, just make sure to watch over that basket. When deciding which route to take
it is important to look at the situation through this lens: Am I generalizing? Or am I specializing?
As a rule of thumb, who makes more money? who brings more value? Analyze the salary of a
family doctor, now look up the salary of a neurosurgeon. Who makes more money? As a society
we pay more for specialization, it is the fundamental key to building your empire, your riches or
whatever it is that you want. Generalists make much lower incomes because they don’t offer as
much value. So, when you hear the saying “the average millionaire has 7 streams of income” ask
yourself, how many are specialized? Creating multiple streams of income is not a bad thing, in
fact, I actually recommend you do it, but here’s the catch: Only create multiple streams of
income once you have already specialized and made your income off it. I recommend you spend
your 20s specializing on one thing, once you’ve made sufficient income of that endeavor (at least
100k/year) then you can begin to diversify. Remember, jack of all trades = master of none.

Frame Control
Your frame is your perception of reality. Our brain is constantly bombarded with stimuli
from the external world which we sort into frames through our thoughts, beliefs, and actions. In
any social setting, when two or more people begin to communicate, their perceptions of the
world collide and the one with the stronger frame has control. When you are in control you can
dictate the interpretation of the meaning behind the frame to everyone associated. Frame control
begins with an authentic belief system of the world. Think about it as the value system you
believe you bring to any interaction. This is not something that you can fake. In every social
interaction, one person (the one with the weaker frame) is reacting to the other. Socioeconomic
status and other external variables can impact this dynamic but having a strong frame does not
completely rely on external status. Frame control is unconscious, it is a part of you, again your
perception of the world. Frame control is earned, it can only be developed through your belief
system and life experience. The difference between a strong and weak frame is the difference
between a rookie NBA player and a grizzled veteran. The difference between a strong and weak
frame is the difference between a grade 12 high school student and a grade 9 high school student.
Develop your frame through life experience, confront your fears because every time you do, you
add another reference point to your experiences. Think of your frame as a muscle, one that needs
to be challenged and forged through exposure. Experiencing self-doubt is normal and if you
continue to face it, your frame will continue to improve. Every situation in which you experience
fear is a reflection of a weak point in your frame, a chink in your armor, by intentionally leaning
into situations that trigger fear, that vulnerable point in your armor will be healed.
Take Imperfect Action
Perfectionism kills growth. When it comes to bettering yourself, your ego will be the
biggest obstacle. People don’t want to take imperfect action because they attach their self-worth
to their accomplishments or results. On the journey to success, you will fail, it is an essential part
of reaching your goal. But what happens is people avoid failure because of the blow it would
cause to their self-worth. This is just a mindset. Switch your thinking from focusing on your self-
worth/accomplishments to becoming the student. You want failure, you need failure, especially
if you truly want to reach the heights of greatness. Taking imperfect action is key, don’t expect
to know exactly what to do, expect to figure it out along the way, eventually, everything will just
fall into place, but to get to that point you have to get started. “You don’t have to see the whole
staircase, just take the first step” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Gut Micro Biome

First, I think it’s important to note that microbes are everywhere. They are on your hands
right now. In your hair, in your hair, after you shower and exist in every imaginable place on
earth. They are common and widespread and there is literally nothing you can do about it. With
microbes existing in such abundance, millions and millions of years ago we made a truce.
Microbes could live inside us with a steady supply of food and we, in turn, got many healthy,
benefits like help in digestion or the extraction of vitamins. But as we begin to learn more about
the gut microbiome, we realize that the relationship is one resembling an evolutionary arms race
as well as mutually beneficial.
When human babies are first born, they are sterile in their mother’s womb. As they exit
into the external world, millions of bacteria from the mother covers the baby’s body. This is the
baby's first defense against the outside world and is proof that we not only accept invasion by
microorganisms but welcome them. It takes approximately 2 years after birth for a human to
develop its gut microbiome and while the seed of your microbiome is received from your mother
it is highly influenced by the type and variety of food you eat. There are 3 general categories for
microbes in the body: neutral, detrimental and good – most of whom live in our gut. But the gut
is the best place to attack for intruders as there is direct access. Because of this 65% of the white
blood cells in our body are on the other side of our gut wall.
So, for our microbiome to be able to survive, they have evolved to be able to interact with our
bodies. For example, some microbes in our biome produce messenger molecules to interact with
our immune system while others can even stimulate gut cells for rapid regeneration. However
recent evidence suggests that our biome does much more and can directly interact with our
nervous system, acting as a second brain! The debate began when it was discovered that 90% of
the neurotransmitter serotonin (which regulates mood) is produced in the gut, it was thought to
be a way of allowing the microbiome to interact with the Vagus nerve, the nerve connecting the
brain to the body. We are just now beginning to understand how large of a grasp our microbiome
has on our brain and behavior.
In a recent experiment conducted on mice in 2018, the behavior was observed to
understand how the microbiota influences the host’s brain functions. The mice were divided into
3 groups were fecal transplantation took place. There was the control group (Germ-Free mice),
LPS mice (mice treated with Escherichia coli derived lipopolysaccharide) and depression
microbiota recipient mice. Germ-free mice were found to exhibit no depression or anxiety-like
behaviors, LPS mice did not display depressed behavior but had exhibited anxiety and mice who
were recipients of the “depression microbiota” were both depressed and full of anxiety. This
study was a reproduction of an experiment done at McMaster University in 2011 which had
similar results.
Ok, but how does this relate to humans? Well, studies have shown that our microbiota
might even be influencing our daily lives by deciding on what type of food we crave. The variety
of creatures in our gut feed and grow off different sources of nutrients. Some prefer fibers and
leafy greens while others prefer monosaccharide units from starches. We constantly decide
which types of organisms will predominantly own the space in our biomes by what we eat. But
this is not a one-way show, as the predominant bacteria in the gut will send signals to the brain
craving the food that it feeds on. So, for example, let’s say you eat a lot of healthy greens. The
bacteria that thrive off this specific food would reproduce and take up more space in your gut
microbiome, the same space that would otherwise be occupied by a different organism. These
bacteria then send signals to the brain which causes you to crave more of the healthy green foods
and the cycle continues. It is thought that this self-relying cycle plays a large role in the
development of obesity. It is however of great significance to understand that you can fight the
cravings depending on what food you eat, as this will cause the bacteria in your gut who digest
that food to reproduce and take up more space. Balanced diet balanced microbiome
But weight gain is just one aspect that our biome has been associated with. It is also linked to
autism, cancer, diabetes, and even cardiovascular disease. The right balance of microbes in the
gut could help stave off disease but what happens if your gut microbiome is over-run with
damaging bacteria? Fecal transplants have emerged as a potential treatment for many different
types of gastrointestinal diseases, especially in patients who have disturbed their gut microbiome
through a bacterial invasion or the use of antibiotics. In one reported case a 32-year-old female
had a recurrent C. difficile infection, a nasty gut bacterium. To treat this a fecal transplant was
done using stool received from her overweight daughter. While this did work to cure her
infection 16 months later, she gained 34 pounds with a BMI going from 26 to 34.5 and this is all
occurred while she underwent a liquid protein diet and regular exercise routine. This is also not
the first time this has occurred as several mice studies provided the same results when obese
mice transferred their fecal matter to skinny mice.
While research on the gut biome is still relatively new and it is still unknown exactly how
and what role our biome plays in the development of chronic diseases this information will be
vital in the future. In the end, we need our microbiome just as much, if not more than it needs us
and if we can keep the peace between us, who knows how powerful this truce can become.

Be Authentic
Authenticity is one of those unique qualities that is so sought after it has turned into a
joke. But just like many other topics in this book, it seems to return to the core concept of being
yourself. The funny thing about authenticity is we think it’s something you need to develop, a
skill. This could not be farther from the truth. Authenticity is something you are, not something
you have. If you’re trying to be authentic, newsflash, you’re not being authentic. With that being
said there is one way of coming across as genuine. If you look back on the meaningful moments
in your life, I guarantee all of them to include some degree of authenticity. We are wired to
respond to realness when you meet someone you have a connection with its most likely because
you were both being genuine, who you truly are. Unfortunately, you can’t learn to be authentic,
but you can learn how to not be unauthentic. For example, what does your muscle feel like when
it’s not sore? You can’t really explain it, but you can define the feeling of a muscle when it is
sore, therefore, to define a not sore muscle, you would do so by stating it’s the opposite of what a
sore muscle feels like. This is the same thing, anytime you put on a persona, lie or act differently
to those around you, this is being unauthentic. Inauthenticity does not feel comfortable and you
can’t keep it up for too long before your true self comes out anyway, so why put on a mask? Do
what you really feel in all situations. Honest confrontation is much better than fake harmony.
That means you can live with being disliked if telling the truth requires it. Being authentic and
being polarizing go hand in hand, you can’t have one without the other. The act of attracting
people, by definition, will push other people away at the same time and that’s fine. So just notice
anytime an inauthentic activity arises. When you notice an attractive person at the bar, do you act
differently? Not only will you not get them if you do this, but you’re also falling back into an
inauthentic pattern. Just be willing to put it aside and go back to being you. It will be hard at
first, but eventually, it will come through and when it does, people will respect you for you, not
your persona.

Almost and Maybe

Almost getting something is not the same as actually getting it. Stop giving yourself
validation for something you didn’t even achieve. From now on commit, you either accomplish
the goal or you don’t. You either come in first or you don’t. You either get what you want, or
you don’t. Almost is just another word for not getting the job done but rewarding yourself for
doing so.

Fear
Fear is probably the number one thing holding you back from what you really want in
your life. The thing about it is that it will never really go away, it’s a thorn in your side that you
have to learn how to deal with. Luckily, the good news is that each time you face your fear it gets
a little bit smaller, a little bit easier to handle. What happens is when you voluntarily expose
yourself to things you are afraid of you get stronger. It’s like leveling up in a videogame. All of a
sudden you realize you can do, and handle, way more than you previously thought. Picture a
scale to understand this concept, every time you confront the stimulus that causes a fear reaction,
your reaction to said stimulus on that scale drops by 1%. So, for example, let’s say an individual
is dealing with the max amount of social anxiety anybody could possibly have. In other words,
on a scale of 1-100, he would be at 100. Finally, one day, the individual chooses to confront the
fear by attending a party. At first, he/she will be overcome by fear, but once said person
confronts the issue and enters the party, all of a sudden, the fear of that stimulus drops from 100
to 99. If the person continues to face their fear with daily consistency the fear response will
continue to drop until its barely even recognizable. However, the opposite is also true. If the
person gives in to their fear, that fear will get bigger and the bigger it gets the harder it will be to
confront. You will never be able to permanently get rid of fear but if you choose to confront it,
with consistency, you can keep it at an all-time low. Realize the choice you make when debating
whether or not to confront your fear at that moment will dictate how big it is next time it crosses
your path.

Detachment
The things we own, end up owning us. The secret to detachment is understanding the
power that exists within you to conjure up the feelings of whatever you want to have. At this
moment, you have the ability to feel whatever emotion you want. You need to learn to fall in
love with the process, not the result. When we become attached to an outcome, we tend to focus
on that result, the achievement aspect. This, in turn, causes us to create and follow some type of
blueprint to reach our goals. The problem is we become so attached to the outcome, to following
this single-minded path, we miss the other opportunities that present themselves. Stop limiting
yourself from the different ways of attaining your goal. If a different opportunity presents itself,
you will discount it and not take action. Know that as you simply have faith and detach from
how it happens, you will instinctively trust the process, and everything will fall into place. What
comes into your life is a reflection of who you are being and how you are acting in the world. Be
confident in who you are, don’t place your happiness on anything external. If you focus too
much on the result, when you don’t get it, you will build up resentment, which will create
negative thought patterns and in turn push what you want even further away. To desire
something is to communicate scarcity. As you acknowledge lack in your life more of it will
inevitably show up, so be ok without it. Now, this does not mean don’t have goals or never want
anything. It does not mean slack off. Get your ass out there and put in the work. It means want
things but know that as long as you work extremely hard towards them, with faith and a
willingness to try new things, it will happen. The fear you communicate repels that which you
desire. When you are free, you don’t need or depend on anything outside yourself for happiness.
Being locked into one objective can be detrimental because it can lead to scarcity. In my opinion,
the ultimate method to get rid of scarcity is to focus on 3 goals (not in the same endeavor), 3
branches of your life that you want to improve. Be willing to desire without attachment. You
want it, but you don’t NEED it.

What I learned from studying sharks

If I were to ask you what you think the fiercest predator that exists today is, what would you
say? I think it’s the shark, these animals are the stuff of nightmares. Over the years I’ve watched
a lot of documentaries about these organisms and discovered that some aspects can be applied in
my own life. Maybe they can help you with yours too.
 Keep moving forward: Sharks have to keep swimming, constantly, (even when they
sleep) to stay alive. This is because if they stop moving, water does not pass through the
gills and they cannot absorb the oxygen in the water. In your own life, you will get hit.
It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when and so the only thing you can do is keep
moving forward. If you let it paralyze you, drag you down, then you will just create more
problems that will drag you down even further. As long as you get up, stand and keep
going, things will turn around for you.
 Be the hunter: Sharks are apex predators and as such, they hunt. When you go out into
your own life, be the predator, not the prey. Be proactive, not reactive, play offense not
defense. Instead of waiting for some external stimulus to push you to change, go out and
take action now. Psychologists suggest that adults can only undergo tremendous change
through some type of trauma, the pain associated with the event forces the individual to
change and make their life better. But why wait till a negative experience? Why not go
out every day and strive to get it. Sharks do it for survival, make the same shift in your
mind. Push to be better because if you’re not growing your dying.

Cultivate a Growth Mindset

Why is it that some people seem to succeed within any endeavor they choose to partake
in, and others cannot manage a slight glimmer despite spades of talent? Researchers suggest it’s
the way they think about their capabilities. There are two ways to analyze ability: A fixed
mindset and a growth mindset. A fixed mindset believes that innate abilities are characterized by
genetics, they are fixed. Improvement is useless because no matter what you do, you cannot
change them. A growth mindset believes that any single ability can be improved upon as long as
the appropriate amount of time is allocated to improving. The belief that you are in control of
your own destiny is the key to success. Work, talent and intelligence are all very important, but
not as important as a deep underlying belief that you can improve in any field. It’s important to
find enjoyment through the process, not the outcome. What’s interesting is that in people with a
fixed mindset, the brain is most active when they are being praised on how well they are doing,
but in people with a growth mindset, their brain is most active when being told what they can do
to improve. Another aspect is dealing with setbacks. Fixed individuals get very discouraged and
likely will not try the problem again. In people with a growth mindset, they view setbacks as an
opportunity to grow, to improve and make themselves better. They attack the problem head-on,
identifying the best route to overcome the challenge on the road to triumph. The best part about
this whole topic has to do with neuroplasticity. No matter where you are in your life, how behind
you feel, how old you are, if you begin to change your mindset now, the brain will begin to
change too. The brain is plastic and can be remodeled over time to form new neural pathways.
These pathways are created by what we think and do, they then become hardwired in the brain as
habits. These habits become wired into our brain through high-speed cables which then makes
the activity easier to complete. There are two keys to developing a growth mindset, the first step
is realizing there is a problem and you need to change your mindset. The second is listening to
your thoughts, realizing when limiting beliefs have entered your mind and changing them.
Implementing these steps today can begin the change necessary to succeed. If your willing to
take action tremendous change is in your near future.

The Pareto Principle

This principle is named after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. He discovered that
80% of the entire landmass of Italy was owned by 20% of its inhabitants. What’s interesting is
that while originally this was a mathematical model, it can be applied to any facet of your life.
Use this principle wisely. Time is our most precious resource, all of us have the same amount in
any given day, equal to those of the highest achievers. The difference between being average and
being exceptional is how effectively you allocate this resource to different tasks throughout the
day. Most of us are just busy, not productive. The common thought process is that working more
hours will lead to better results. But in my experience, this is not always true. What is true is
working more efficiently will, always. By sacrificing a chunk of time to the most important task
of the day, you will create results in any field. Spend your time focusing and doubling down on
the most important 20% that will cause 80% of the results (give or take).

Stoicism
Originated by Zeno of Cyprus, stoics believe everything around us is tied together through a
network of cause and effect. The core principle is while we may not have control over what
occurs in our lives, we can control how we react. Only those who develop self-restraint within
themselves can create positive effects in the world. The Stoics believed there were four cardinal
virtues to follow when pursuing self-improvement; Courage, wisdom, justice, and temperance.
But just like everything else in this book, what you want to take away is the self-improvement
aspect. The stoic goal of life was self-fulfillment or supreme happiness and many principles were
followed in order to reach this goal, here are the ones I think are the most important
  Human beings have the ability to think rationally: What separates humans from every
other species is our capacity to think rationally. To live in agreement with nature is to live
with purpose, direction, and ambition. To wander around in a pointless manner chasing
gratification in the form of the next high or sex is to behave like a beast. If that is all we
do, then what would separate us from animals?
 Live by the 4 Cardinal Virtues: Stoics believed living by the 4 virtues would lead you to
become your highest self. These are the 4 different areas you can excel in.
o Wisdom: To accumulate knowledge and then put it into practice
o Justice: Live with an aura of generosity and treat all men equally
o Courage: To persevere in the face of fear
o Temperance: discipline, self-restraint, and control over your own mind
It is important to keep in mind that to live virtuously is to follow all 4 virtues. You can’t
practice wisdom by reading books and then smoke throughout the day (breaking temperance)
and expect to live virtuously. It is an all or nothing package.
 Focus on what you can control: When you analyze your life, you begin to understand that
only about 8% of it is actually in your control. The daily worries that plague your mind
just take up space and cause negative emotions for they are out of your control. What Is
in your control? Your thoughts, your actions and your perception of the situation. Focus
on these, focus on what can be done to improve your life, not the external variables that
just cause worrying and fear. We can control our behavior, but we have no say over the
outcome, therefore accept the rest as it comes and only put your mind to the aspects of
life that you can control.
 Practice misfortune: Mentally prepare for the inevitable misfortune that will be fall your
life. Prepare for the future so that in the event of adversity you will stay calm. The point
of these negative circumstances is not to view them as misfortunes but to be indifferent
towards them. It is this indifference to feared or traumatizing outcomes which you need
to strengthen so that when they occur you are prepared and can respond (focusing on
what you can control) in a calm, rational manner. Be ready for things to go differently
than planned. Preparing yourself does not mean you can easily handle every variable
thrown in your path but at the very least it stops you from falling apart, giving you the
spark to start working your way back. “The point is not to wish for these adversities, but
for the virtue that makes adversities bearable” – Seneca.
 Accept the Outcome: Give everything to reach whatever your perfect ideal is but accept
whatever outcome you get. Understand that your ultimate goal is outside of your direct
control, but this does not mean you should not give your all in order to reach it.
Accepting what happens does not mean giving up. Plan and do everything possible to
reach your ideal but at the same time understand something might prevent you from
acquiring this goal. Accept that, then adapt, plan around the new circumstances and again
try to do the best you can to reach that new ideal. So, it’s a process, one of continual
growth, as long as you keep going, keep adapting, you will eventually reach fulfillment.
Remember, some things are just not meant to be.
 Your Perception: “If you are pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs
you, but your own judgment about it” – Marcus Aurelius. Our perception is what
meaning we give to the external situations around us. Are you starting to see the
underlying theme? Focus on what you control! Your perceptions of any event are a part
of this. What the Stoics practiced is not to take the initial external event at face value but
 to analyze them objectively and choose to view the best part of it. Boom, x variable is
thrown your way and now you have an impression about it, this is something we can’t
control. However, what we can do is choose whether or not to accept this initial
impression. Turn your obstacles into opportunities. For example, imagine you get injured
practicing your sport, well, take a minute to let the initial emotions flush out and then
look at the positives. An example could be now you can focus on your grades in school.
Understand every negative situation can lead to a positive result if you choose to view it
that way.

Be a Lone Wolf
First off let me clarify. Being a Lone wolf does not mean locking yourself in solitude and
cutting yourself off from all social interactions. It means going your own way, cutting against the
grain, moving towards want you want in your life, the way you see fit, even if that means having
to deal with extended periods of time alone. If you only take away one piece of advice from this
booklet it be this: walk your own path. This means CHOOSE your own path. Most of the
priorities in everyday life are not your own. When deciding to walk the path of ambition, many
times your friends or significant other will not understand. At times, you will need to isolate
yourself, as mastery can only be achieved with extreme productivity. Being a lone wolf does not
mean that you are lonely, it only means you like to hunt alone. Cultivating this trait allows you to
develop a mind of your own not hindered by the psychological phenomenon of groupthink. This
occurs amongst a group of individuals when the need for harmony in the group's logic or ideas
overtake rational thinking. This discourages creativity and causes conformity in the individual’s
way of thinking. Each human individual has their own unique way of viewing the world,
differentiated from the masses by their own perspective. In a group, individuals conform their
needs to those around them rather than their own. This causes you to lose a tiny bit of who you
are. Another benefit of this trait is the cultivation of independence. Self-reliance teaches you how
to fend for yourself, survive on your own. Stop relying on other people to get things done for you
and take the bull by the horns. This one shift in perspective allows you to see the world in a new
light. Rules no longer are set in stone, rather seen as guidelines. Limitations are no longer felt,
and you begin to internalize that just like fear, its an illusion. The Lone wolf understands change
but has an underlying ability to adapt (even in the toughest of circumstances) this develops an
aura of trust in one’s own abilities that other people take note of. Understand there is no benefit
in separating yourself if you are not working diligently towards your goals. What’s funny is we
admire those who stand out but spend all of our collective energy trying to fit in.

Nice Guy Syndrome

Sharpen thy sword but keep it sheathed - an exert from the bible. What do you think this
means? I’ll tell you what it means to me. In a figurative sense, this sentence is discussing nice
guys. Nice guys are not the same as good guys. Good guys are capable of anything, including the
worst possible thing that could enter your mind at this moment. Nice guys are nice because they
have to be, not because they want to be. They know they wouldn’t be able to handle any
confrontation that occurs and so because of this, they act nice to everyone. Often times being
nice comes from a place of lack, this syndrome has been adopted from the mindset that if a
person is nice then he will be loved. What occurs is this attempt to be nice leads to the individual
hiding certain attributes that could be potentially negative and this all accumulates in a vibe of
insincerity. This is classic approval-seeking behavior, you think a high-value person, someone
with abundance, someone with a mission, someone with the potential to change the world, would
act this way? Stop seeking validation from other people, find it within yourself, this is why the
nice guy is so universally hated. Stop hiding your flaws, it is your imperfections, the unique
quirks that make you, you, that allows people to connect on a deep level. A nice guy needs to
learn how to make his needs a priority. Due to this whole mindset of acting nice to get people to
like them, getting their needs met seems very contradictory. Nice guys act uncomfortably when
they get what they want, but a part of being mature is striving to get your needs fulfilled. Accept
your needs, cherish them, find out what they are and go about getting them. Yes, don’t stop
giving to others, but don’t do it if you expect something in return. Finally, if you want to stop
being a pushover and get takin seriously, build up your physicality so that you will be better able
to exert your masculinity. No one is going to try to push around a 6’7, 250-pound man, but I
guarantee a 5’7, 130-pound man isn’t as fortunate. Stop fearing strength, acting soft, step into
your body and respond to the physical constraints of being a male. Motion and strength affect
your psyche, which has direct control over your masculinity. To achieve your goals you need
that masculine energy, that ambition, that drive to go out and get what you want.

Time Blocking
Do you happen to your day or does your day happen to you? The difference is in the
planning, be proactive, not reactive. Proactive means scheduling your days in a manner that
moves you towards your long-term goals, being reactive essentially means waking up and having
life’s problems fall onto you. Before subscribing to the power of time blocking you must first
find what it is that you have to get done. Are you a student? Working on your career? Building a
side project? Whatever it is that you are doing, ask yourself this question: What is the ONE most
important thing that I can get done today with respect to my most important goal? Once you have
straightened out your priorities, you will need to keep track of your time, without knowing when
or how long it takes to complete a task you will never be able to efficiently time block. Ok, you
figured this out, now how do we move to the big leagues? Time blocking is a method used by
CEOs to achieve extreme efficiency, it means allocating a chunk of time, the same chunk of time
every day, to your most important task of the day. Kevin Kruse author of the book 15 secrets
successful people know about time management says’s “Time blocking is the number one time-
management technique because of the discipline and order it adds to your tasks”. The reason To-
do lists don’t work is because when we create a list of many tasks that need to be completed
throughout the day, we become overwhelmed and are lucky to accomplish even a few tasks if
any. Time blocking is different, it takes into account the Pareto principle as well as your results,
by looking at one thing, yes ONE thing, that if done will make everything else easier or
unnecessary. To get started all you have to do is dedicate a specific time period (I recommend at
least 2-4 hours) to doing this most important task. Make sure it’s the same time period every day
and stick to it religiously. If it is absolutely necessary to miss a scheduled time block, make sure
you fit your task into another time slot in the day. Find out what the most productive part of the
day is to you, allocate this time to your most important task and watch your results skyrocket.

Why you should Read More

Human beings, as animals, learn through mentors. We learn how to drive from our
parents, we learn how to read through school, we learn almost anything by studying those better
than us. That’s not to say you can’t learn something by yourself, you definitely can, but it would
take much, much longer. The quickest way to improve is by getting a mentor who has already
perfected what you are trying to achieve. That’s why reading is so important. Do you want to
learn from Steve Jobs? Well, he isn’t alive to teach you. However, he did write a book on his
life. People then ask me “well why would I read a book when I can just watch a video on
Youtube” and certainly they have a point, you can. But it’s not the same. Reading is to the mind
what exercise is for the body. Books are literally the mindsets, experience, and advice of people
who are massively successful in different fields of life. You learn from someone older, wiser and
more specialized. What happens is once you start reading you begin adopting the mindsets and
advice you learned from the book because this is what we do as human beings, we learn from
each other. Reading is probably the most important thing you can do right now to get closer to
reaching success. So, challenge yourself to read more.

The Importance of being Unreactive

Keep your cool. Have you ever been at a bar or party and seen someone very reactive to a
situation? They look almost like a child, completely embarrassing themselves in front of
everyone there. I want to share this concept with you, especially for the guys, as it’s a key skill to
build in order to be successful in any field: money, career or women. Being unreactive boils
down to Emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the capacity of being aware of one’s
own emotions. It’s the ability to understand yourself, what you want and how you think.
Understand that you’re not in control of what happens to you in your life, but you are in control
of how you react. Be calm, cool and collected. Think of James Bond, he knows he has the
capability to handle whatever variable is thrown his way, because of this, he doesn’t react. A
vibe of control emanates off him, a nonchalance, a take it or leave it attitude. You can handle
whatever situation is thrown your way, therefore you know the outcome, so why react? It’s not a
big deal, it’s never a big deal. Someone insults you? It rolls off your shoulder, you never fall into
the other person’s frame. Being non-reactive is synonymous with not giving a fuck, but here’s
the thing. It’s not that you don’t give a fuck about anything around you, it’s that you care deeply
about only a few things and compared to those few things, nothing else matters. Look at James
Bond again. The only thing he cares about is completing his mission. Because of this, he doesn’t
care what other people think of him. This is a powerful trait to ingrain into your personality. You
will be respected, thrust into leadership positions and a dominant vibe will emanate of you. Now
keep in mind, I’m not saying be unreactive all the time but be unreactive when certain
unwelcomed variables are thrown your way. For example, if someone tells a funny joke, laugh!
But if all of a sudden, your business begins to fail, you need to stay unreactive and find a
solution. Un-reactivity is one of those traits that once I started using my whole life began to
change.

Intuition
Your unconscious mind has a much greater role then you think when it comes to the
decision-making process, even when you logically think of a solution your subconscious feeds
your mind with information you didn’t even know was there. Your intuition is shaped by past
experiences. Every day our brain is bombarded with thousands of stimuli from the outside world,
but our brain works to cut out the signals not immediately significant to us. However, it’s not
like your brain doesn’t still pick up on them, it just places them in your subconscious. Therefore,
the more experienced you are within the realm of any decision the more optimal the decision
your intuition comes up with will be. It can be useful to get perspectives from other people, but
in the end, you know yourself best. As previously stated, because so much data is stored in your
subconscious, your intuition uses pattern recognition to come to a conclusion. These patterns get
stored away in your long-term memory and only surface again once a situation similar to that
specific pattern is detected. So, should you always trust your gut? No, there are two questions
you should ask yourself before listening to your intuition, these have more to do with the person
experiencing the environment and the environment itself then your actual gut instinct. A) How
much relevant practice have you had? Remember your intuition is only as strong as its ability to
recognize patterns, so if you’re making a decision in a field you have spent countless years
studying, then absolutely go with your gut. However, if deciding on a field with no relevant
experience it would be wise to look at the matter through a rational lens. B) How much regularity
occurs in the environment I am in? All the experience in the world can’t help you if your
environment is extremely random because there are no patterns for your gut to detect. Use your
gut when the environment you are situated in is predictable, this will help maximize your gut
decision. This is the science behind intuition however, I’d like to finish off by stating, in my own
life, I’ve noticed that my gut instinct or intuition never gives me an answer, but always provides
me with what I shouldn’t do. So, what I’ve done is instead of using my gut instinct to make a
decision in an area that holds a lot of significance I listen to my gut whenever it warns me of
what I should not do. If it says don’t do something, then I don’t do it.

Toxic Masculinity
Being toxic is not a trait exclusive to men. There is no such thing as toxic masculinity,
but there is such a thing as toxic men. Masculinity is a necessity for society, it is not
fundamentally world destroying, or rape culture, or carnage, from a symbolic standpoint,
masculinity is responsibility. Women want men, they want leaders, providers, and protectors,
they want to feel safe. Western society has lost faith in its masculinity and this is why I believe
the west is doomed unless of course, we change this. The 20th century was a period where men
acted so poorly the world got as close to destruction as it possibly could. The lesson in the
masculinity of this time is this, men should pick up the burden of the world and walk forward,
bearing its trauma. Understand that because you can take it, you deserve respect. Look at the
individual’s humanity respects, these are the people that took on great responsibilities and dealt
with them in competent ways. Masculine energy is assertive, decisive, courageous, action-
orientated, firm in its sense of self and resilient. Your strength is your ability to exert yourself
over your own mind and the world. The same energy that causes wars is the same energy that
defeats tyranny. The same masculinity that causes men to take unnecessary risks is the same
masculinity that heroes use to save lives. So, it’s not the masculinity that’s at fault, it’s the
direction the energy is channeled in. The lesson then is that men should learn to direct this
energy towards the greater good: reaching your potential, changing lives, leaving an impact,
these are all examples of worthy quests.

Potential Leads (helpful mindset)

When it comes to dating, men often get trapped in this mindset of the one. They have a
connection with a girl, or she smiles at them and this leads to paralysis by analysis. They want
the girl so bad they place her on a pedestal and of course, this only leads to rejection. Using a
sales strategy and applying it to your dating life is a very helpful mindset to prevent oneitis. I
won’t take credit for this as I didn’t create it (check out How to Beast) however, once I
implemented this tactic into my life it made a quick impact:
 Men are very visual and because of this, whenever interacting with a girl they are
extremely attracted to, they instantly begin to imagine getting into a relationship with them.
Realize a girl has a lot more to offer than just her looks. You are a selective male and can choose
who you want based on a multitude of qualities. So, don’t create this attachment to one, there is
no fear of losing. Anytime you come across a potential opportunity to meet a new girl,
understand it for what it is, an OPPORTUNITY, just because she smiles at you, or indicates
attraction towards you, does not mean you got her. A potential lead is when you first get the
opportunity to meet a girl, be it in the club, at school, online, a girl giving you indicators of
interest or your approach. It can potentially turn into a girl you date, but you still have work to
do. Next, you have actual leads, this is when you get a girl’s number or any other way to contact
her. After that comes potential customers, these are the girls that actually reply to your texts.
Finally, you have actual customers, these are the girls that meet up with you in person, be it
through dates or just meeting at your house. Make a promise to yourself that until a girl reaches
the customer phase you will not feel any attachment to her, realistically you should not form any
type of attachment until you have been dating for at least two months. This will get rid of
neediness, oneitis and putting the girl on a pedestal.

Heartbreak 
Heartbreak is a good thing. To really understand the implications of one’s spirit it is
something everyone must go through. Use that anger, that resentment and focus it on your
productivity as the best medicine is to improve yourself. Heartbreak is a fundamental human step
everyone must go through. Feel your state of loss, cherish it, because through pain and suffering
actions are started and improvements can be made. Whether heartbroken over the end of a
relationship or because the person you were longing after never materialized into anything, I find
there are 2 key principles that if you follow will not only help you out of the pain of the
heartbreak but also help you become a better person because of it. The first step is to understand
that love is a drug. When you spend all your time with someone, you love them, your brain
releases the neurotransmitter dopamine, resulting in a feel-good sensation. When the relationship
ends or the person leaves, your body begins to crave that person because it caused you so many
good feelings. What happens is just like a meth addict who craves another hit, your body craves
the other person. But heartbreak is so difficult to get over because unlike a drug addict who
knows that the only time dopamine will get released is when they shoot up when it comes to
heartbreaks, men and women alike have no idea what causes dopamine to be released. But now
you will. Everytime you search into your memories, you think about that specific person, your
brain is releasing dopamine. Every time you stalk your ex on social media, your brain releases
dopamine. Every time you daydream about that person your brain releases dopamine. The
bottom line is every time that person enters your mind in some way you are getting your “fix”,
your shooting up that drug. This makes it very difficult to heal because technically you’re still
getting that drug. You have to get that person out of your mind and once you do, healing can
begin. Second, focus on momentum. Momentum is so powerful, and it ties into many different
topics discussed in this book. Improve yourself, work on getting better and use that momentum
to carry you threw. What happens is you will reach a point where you will spiral upward with
very little effort on your part. It can be something as simple as going to the gym for 20 minutes a
day. Breakthrough that internal pain, as you do you gain leverage. Leverage in your life can be
extremely powerful, use it to make something happen. While this is no bandage, it can serve as a
temporary patch until time comes in and takes care of the rest.

Your Judge
Ancient Greece gave birth to many remarkable men, but bar none, one of the finest
humanity has ever seen is Socrates. In his time, he gave a lot of wisdom and changed the world
as we know it. I’m an avid reader of philosophy and as such, I began reading his wisdom to see
how I could improve my own life. I stumbled upon a book about Socrates's trial, how he was set
to death for corrupting the minds of the youth (or so the people of Athens thought). He knew the
trial was coming and at the time Athens was a very small civilization, so everybody knew
everybody. He understood the trial was a warning to get out of town and if he failed to do so he
could potentially be put to death. Knowing this, his friends and family began to prepare how he
would leave the city and if not, what his defense would be. However, Socrates decided he would
not leave the city and he would also not prepare a defense, he would just accept his fate. He said
why. He told his friends that he had a voice in his head that he always listened too. He said this is
what separated him from other people. It didn’t tell him what to do, but it told him what NOT to
do. He said every time he would think about escaping the town or forming a defense, this voice
told him not too and so he didn’t. He decided maybe the gods were just giving him a chance to
bow out on his own terms. At this time people considered this inner voice the voice of god.
That’s where the statement walking with god comes from. Ok, why did I tell you this? In your
life, as you begin to elevate your aim, at the same time, you create a judge, that is your inner
voice. The judge tells you what is useless about yourself and what you have to get rid of to
ascend into your higher form. Pick an aim that fulfills the role of what ideal is for you. Every
time you step out of your comfort zone you are creating the judge, that inner voice, the same one
that opens yourself up to criticism, neglect, and embarrassment. Every time you create a higher
judge there is more deadwood, useless you that needs to get cut off the tree for you to keep
growing. This is why you feel nervous when applying for a new job, or when you enter a new
situation, you don’t know if you can handle it yet. This judge can be created on your own terms,
ask yourself, if I could be who I wanted to be, what would that look like? Once you figure that
out, instantly a judge is created and as long as you keep moving forward towards what it is that
you want in your life, all your useless bits will get cut off until there is none left. In essence “you
are shedding the elements of yourself that are no longer of value to the pursuits you are chasing”
– Jordan Peterson. Everyone you admire has gone down this path. As you continue up this chain
you mold yourself into someone that can withstand the obstacles and curveballs of life. Slowly
but surely forming yourself into a beacon of light, one that everyone can look up too, for
inspiration, for motivation, but most importantly, for hope.
Sexual Selection
When most people discuss the evolutionary forces driving humanity forward, they bring
up natural selection, but completely forget that an equally important selective pressure is sexual
selection. Sexual selection is a mode of selection where members of one sex choose members of
the other sex to mate with. It has two driving forces, male competition and the ability for females
to exercise choice. Think of when two goats butt heads to win the approval of a female, they are
directly competing for the right to mate. Humans compete differently, we climb dominance
hierarchy’s (more on that below). But to be able to understand what this is and how to climb it,
you first have to get a grasp on what sexual selection is. Because of the two previously stated
driving forces, some individuals have better reproductive success than others within a
population, usually, because they are more attractive. Because women have a larger parental
investment in their offspring, they are often the sex that selects. Due to the ability to choose it is
very rare for a female to not find a mate. This means the varying reproductive success actually
occurs in an intrasexual manner (between men). Sexual selection can and often does, lead to men
moving to extreme efforts in order to demonstrate their fitness, this is what causes sexual
dimorphism (secondary sexual characteristics that distinguish males from females). A perfect
example is the male peacocks huge tail feathers, which are a detriment to survival (because it
makes them more noticeable to predators, probably makes them slower, etc.) but at the same
time demonstrates the fitness of the individual. This is because with such a negative attribute you
would expect it to be harder for the individual to survive, yet it was still able to despite such a
hindrance on mobility and stealth. So, females essentially choose which traits they believe are an
honest representation of the individual's fitness (this is based on who they think is attractive).
Over time, through Fisherian runaway or a positive feedback cycle, these traits then persist into
the next generations. Now, of course, there are a lot of different conditions that influence
intrasexual competition but the only one you should be concerned about is social ranking. Social
ranking is what causes the disputes between males. This is because those at the top of the
hierarchy exercise the most mating opportunities, while the males at the bottom have relatively
few and in some cases none. Now that you understand what drives the dominance hierarchy, we
will look at why it is important.

Dominance hierarchy Animal Perspective

People are afraid of the truth. In our highly sensitive, weak society, dominance has been
linked to “negative” personality traits such as anger or aggression. In reality, we are social
animals and as such we instinctually categorize ourselves in hierarchies, whether we are aware of
it or not. Any social species is categorized by a dominance hierarchy which animals use to
compete directly with one another for food, mates or any other resource that increases survival.
We establish social relationships with family members, friends, peers or those in our immediate
environment, this occurs when we interact with members of the same species over time. Usually,
the underlying frame of the interaction is what is expected to continue next time you meet, called
precedence. For example, if you meet a woman and express premise or sexual desire from the
beginning, next time she sees you, she will expect more of the same. But a common problem
among all social interactions (especially reoccurring) is the competing and conflicting interests
of both parties. Even the most altruistic of personalities have a deep need to act in ways that
fulfill their best interests, even if doing so is at the expense of the other party. So, by definition,
the closer you are to somebody, the more social interactions will occur and the more times your
competing interests will clash. Generally, with animals in the wild, the easiest way to resolve one
of these confrontations would be to fight. The winner gets what he wants, and the loser doesn’t,
simple as that. The problem arising is due to the fact that it would be very costly to settle every
argument using this method. Imagine if you and your friend both wanted to ride shotgun in a
friend’s car so you fought to settle who would get the seat? Sounds stupid, doesn’t it? At the very
least it would be very costly, especially if this was the predominant method of settling clashes.
Fighting can cause both significant physical damage to the individuals or the relationship itself,
therefore fighting can make re-occuring social interactions very unstable.
Because of this, evolution has found another way to settle disagreements between social
species: Dominance. As long as there is more than one person in a room, a pecking order will be
established, this is used to settle disagreements so that there is no need to fight or negotiate every
time a problem arises. The outcome is known in advance so there is no need to fight, the
dominant individual chooses what happens and the subordinates follow. This allows the
relationship to become predictable, but more importantly stable, so it can flourish ultimately
aiding in the survival of the group. Dominance is not created because it’s some magical aspect
that helps the community or society. Dominance is established because it is a net benefit to each
individual participating and the species as a whole. Now, of course, dominance has different
effects depending on the position in the hierarchy. The dominant individual gets many more
positives; first choice in food, rights to all the females, etc. On top of that, the dominant
individual does not have to waste time and energy continuously beating the subordinate into
submission, this reduces the risk of injury. However, dominance is something that needs to be
maintained, the top position reaps most of the rewards and so subordinates are consistently trying
to climb the dominance hierarchy. Therefore, intimidation plays an integral role, but if that
doesn’t work, then the dominant individual will have to be able to back up his position.
Generally speaking, those at the top of the hierarchy are there for a reason, they have some
ability, exceptional strength, a great skillset, etc. For example, in the hierarchy of Doctors, a
neurosurgeon is much higher up the scale than a family doctor. The truth of the matter is that the
only benefit to the subordinate is he cuts his losses, instead of losing to the dominant individual
all the time and risking possible injury or death, he just gives over control (yeah being a
subordinate kind of sucks). However, as a short-term strategy, this is greatly beneficial. This is
because it buys precious time for the subordinate individuals to better themselves to the point
where they can overthrow the dominant individual and take his spot at the top of the hierarchy.
In the wild we see this all the time, young bulls (in all ungulate species) usually use this time to
eat so they grow in size and strength to the point where they can over-throw the older, larger
bulls. If subordinates never staged a rebellion, eventually the costs would outweigh the benefits
and the subordinates would ultimately lose in life, never winning the right to reproduce, because
remember, women (in all species where they are investors) mate across and up dominance
hierarchies. With all that established the main point is this: Dominance is a good thing, one that
can help keep the peace between existing groups within a species, this can help them survive and
accomplish goals. But, and there’s a big but, dominance is proportionately beneficial, meaning
the dominant individuals, the guys at the top of the pecking order, get many more benefits than
everyone else. To subordinates, dominance is only beneficial in the short term, if and only if,
they use that time wisely to eventually be able to overtake those above them in the pecking order.
This is exactly why all men should strive to get to the top of the dominance hierarchy, especially
if you want the kind of life most people only dream about.
How to Climb the Dominance Hierarchy
Now you have a fundamental understanding of what drives the dominance hierarchy what
it is and why it evolved. However, the only thing you should care about is what you can put into
action right now. You see generally speaking those at the top of the hierarchy, the 1%, date the
most beautiful women, have the best toys and live the kind of lives most people only dream
about. So, what do you want? A legacy? A yacht? Leadership? An island? Impact? No matter
what you want, however big or small, it is directly correlated with your ability to climb the
dominance hierarchy. In this section, I will teach you how. We evolved, in essence for the
hierarchy, we are wired as a species to climb as high as we can. In our evolutionary history, men
that were poor climbers or refused to play a role within the hierarchy were eliminated from the
gene pool, because as previously stated, women select mates based on the hierarchy. An
interesting point Jordan Peterson brought up is the fact that all humans have twice as many
female ancestors as males. Why? Because that’s what has been the average across the
evolutionary time scale, there is a much greater disparity in mating across men.
Human females are one of the few species of primates that exercise choice when it comes
to finding a mate, they do so by picking and mating with the most influential individuals. These
are the men at the top of the hierarchy. That means the males among the human species have
LITERALLY been selected for their ability to climb the dominance hierarchy. So, if you're
following me, that means the dominance hierarchy is a selection mechanism mediated by
females. Those men, the ones most likely to climb the hierarchy, are the heroes. In hunter-
gatherer societies, these guys were the ones that could chase away or kill saber tooth cats, defend
the territory from invading tribes and just generally help everyone survive. Therefore, “The
hierarchy is used to distinguish heroes among men and then breed them” – Jordan Peterson. But
like Peterson said, in our modern times these hierarchies should be referred to as competence
hierarchies. This is because there are so many varieties of hierarchies with different values
requiring unique skill sets in order to claim the top position. For example, the skill set required to
climb to the top of the hierarchy among physicists is very different than the hierarchy among
professional soccer players. Now, of course, most hierarchies will over-lap, but when first
starting out, pick the hierarchy you can climb, something you are good at and like doing: Your
purpose. You see, a lot of self-help gurus and dating coaches preach the importance of getting on
your purpose but they don’t understand why it works. Well, it works for one reason: The better
you get at your chosen task, the higher you climb on the hierarchy. This is why the age-old
advice of “focus on improving yourself” is still relevant today. Your purpose is your chosen
hierarchy, just by choosing to improve in any task you are creating a value system and because
you actually enjoy doing it, you will allocate the necessary time needed to get to the top. Ask
yourself “What would I enjoy doing even if I did not make any money from it?” this is most
likely what your purpose is. It is important to understand that as you grow and learn more about
yourself, your ideal image will change, your ambitions will change and what you enjoyed doing
you might not like anymore. This is due to the layers of purpose hypothesis (more in a later
section). But purpose does so much more than help you climb the dominance hierarchy, it is the
glue that holds your life together. It gives you meaning, teaches ambition, helps you find
yourself, creates independence and can help cultivate an abundance mindset. So, go out and find
your purpose. You do this by trying new things, you can’t tell if you like something if you’ve
never done it before and guess what? You might as well do it, because finding out what you
don’t like puts you one step closer to finding out what you do like.
Layers of Purpose
Throughout your life, you will be consistently growing, evolving and changing. The
person you were at 18 is not the same person you will be at 40. As you develop and move closer
to the person you are meant to become, your tastes, enjoyment, and passion for certain things in
life will change. As such, I’d like to introduce you to a theory: layers of purpose. Before I
proceed, I want to state that I can only speak from the male perspective and as such this section
is tailored mainly to men. In men, through our masculinity, we have a deep need to provide and
to obtain. To take risks and achieve. While this was relatively easy to find in our hunter-gatherer
past, our environment has drastically shifted. We no longer hunt, kill or take over. In an era
where one of the most powerful feelings in the world can be released through neurotransmitters
at the press of a button, it is easy to see why we are so lazy and overstimulated. But as long as
genders still exist, men will have needs and women will have needs. But the way to go about
fulfilling these needs will always be fundamentally different. For men, the key to happiness is to
find a mission, a purpose you are so passionate about that even on your darkest days you move
towards what you believe to be a noble ambition. But the thing is, your interests will always
continue to change, see the dilemma? Therefore, think of your current purpose, goals or
ambitions as layers. To better explain this concept, take a second and imagine an onion. An
onion has layers that peel away until you reach its heart, purpose is the same way. What is
meaningful and brings happiness to you now may not be the same as what does in the future. The
purpose you have now may very well be the first layer and only when completed, will you be
able to peel that layer and move onto your next purpose. Continue to do so and ultimately you
reach the heart, your true core purpose in life. Some of us are lucky enough to find this right
from the beginning, but most of us will not. Now understand what I’m saying, completion does
not mean achieving your goal in terms of some type of monetary gain. It means taking on a
challenging task and learning something about yourself, becoming fulfilled with what you have
developed in yourself. This means it’s not the outcome that’s important but the transformational
process that occurs when you choose to accept and overcome the challenges associated with your
purpose. Once completing a purpose, it’s not like you automatically find your next calling, you
have to search for it. It will take time, so try new things. Don’t waste your time sitting around,
watching T.V or chasing instant gratification, instead actively engage in interesting and exciting
activities. Continue until you could see yourself doing this act even if you weren’t getting paid,
that is how you know you’ve found your purpose or something you love.

Watch who you get Advice From

Just because someone gives you their two sense on a situation does not mean you should
listen to it. We are social creatures, animals that can learn from one another without ever having
to partake in the task. For example, you don’t have to get hit by a car to understand that you
should look both ways before you cross the street. With that understood, there is a lot of
dangerous advice in the world, particularly those from the people closest to you. If you’re a
normal functioning human being, chances are you’ve made some bad decisions in your life.
Thing is, bad decisions occur for a variety of reasons, one of which is following the wrong
advice. But how do you know if your following bad advice? And more importantly, who do you
look to for good advice? The general rule of thumb is this: Only take advice from someone that
has the results you want in that particular field. Ask advice from the people that have done what
you want to do or are at where you want to be. For instance, you’re not going to walk up to a
hobo and ask him for advice on how to make 1 million dollars off the stock market, so why
would you ask a teacher for career advice if you don’t want to become a teacher? The thing
about taking advice is it's usually not that obvious. When you reach a fork in the road of life, a
point of uncertainty, people usually readily fall to the wayside and conform to the “right path”
society, or their parents, have chosen for them. But that’s not living true to yourself and will not
get you the life that you want and deserve. Before you choose to follow any one’s advice in any
particular area of life, look at where their advice has taken them. Is that a place you want to be?
If so, then take the advice and move full steam ahead. Only EVER take advice from people that
are living the life you want to live or have the results you want in a particular area/skill.

Emotional Contagion
This is an interesting, little known fact that can be used to your advantage in any type of
human interaction. The phenomena, defined as the transference of one person’s emotions and
behaviors to another, can help create synchronicity in any relationship. When you experience an
intense emotion, you transfer that emotion to another person without the utterance of even a
single word. This can be extremely powerful. Imagine meeting someone for the first time, just by
displaying enjoyment and happiness within yourself, the other individual will experience similar
emotions and associate them with you. People remember how you made them feel, not what you
said. It is theorized that emotional contagion evolved as a survival strategy in social creatures or
those that commonly exist in herds/groups. The advantage of sharing emotions gave us multiple
eyes and ears to quickly react if one member of the group spots a potential threat. For this reason,
when one member of the group became aggressive or frightened the others did too. The power is
in realizing how contagion affects thinking and likability. Being joyous and grateful will, in turn,
cause other people to act that way to you and as this continues to occur with more people, the
snowball effect will take place, acting much like a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is of great
importance to understand negative emotions are more contagious than positive ones, so when
you feel negative emotions there is a higher chance other people will experience them and
associate them with you. This is because negative emotions like fear and aggression are more
closely linked to survival. Therefore, internalize when emotional contagion has a grasp on you
and how you can use it to your benefit in regards too other people.

The 5 Minute Rule

When life hits you with a curveball (and it will hit you) give yourself 5 minutes. Start a
timer, you have 5 minutes to bitch, moan, complain, get angry, cry or break things. After those 5
minutes are up, snap your fingers and repeat this statement: Can’t change it. Now, what are you
going to do? Act like a little bitch? Or make the best of the situation? Adapt, adjust and fix your
circumstances, then move towards what you want.

Feeling Stuck
Feeling stuck is a gift. While terrible at that moment, it is necessary, as, in reality, it is a
biological signal, one indicating your needs are not being met. For example, when your body is
dehydrated, it sends the signal of being thirsty to your brain which then motivates you to take
action and find a source of water. Similarly, feeling stuck is a signal that you are too
comfortable, that you’ve developed to much of a routine and need to branch out of your comfort
zone. You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. That is why I
challenge you to partake in something new every day for 30 days. In these next 30 days, do
something outside of your comfort zone every day, this will build your courage muscle and get
you in the habit of pushing yourself to try things you could potentially be scared of. Keep in
mind it does not have to be something crazy, it can be something as simple as going to a new
coffee shop or saying hello to 3 new people. Start small and slowly move towards more
challenging tasks. But remember, nothing works unless you do.

Learn to trust Others

This is definitely a personal problem, but one worthy of sharing. Years ago, I was at a
difficult point in my life, I’ll spare the details, but basically, everything that could go wrong went
wrong. During this period, everyone I trusted, (other than my family) turned their backs on me. It
hurt, but worse, it changed me. I started to think in a very primal way, everybody was out for
themselves and even acts of kindness were meant to further those individuals in some way. I
completely stopped trusting people and even best friends I would keep at a safe distance. I would
never let anyone in and never really felt close to anybody. It got to the point where I cultivated
my independence, not for its own sake, but so I didn’t depend on anybody else. That way I didn’t
have to worry about anybody backstabbing me, hurting me or taking advantage of me in any
way. While this was certainly an effective method in the short term and independence is a skill
every great individual has, I can see now the consequences this has had on my psyche over the
years. Not trusting in other people speaks more to your own insecurities then it does about other
peoples. There are some terrible, evil people in the world, yes, but your delusional if you think
every single human being out of 7.5 billion is only out to further their own agenda. Here’s the
thing, I’m not saying you won’t get taken advantage of, in fact, I guarantee that you will.
However, have enough confidence in yourself, in your abilities, that you can handle whatever
situation you are thrust into, regardless of how terrible. Because the thing is, if you close yourself
off, yes you won’t get hurt or backstabbed, but you’ll also never meet the right people, the ones
that make life worth it. You’ll never meet the friends who do actually care for your well-being or
pick you up when you fall, the ones you can call family even though you’re not related. You’ll
never meet that special someone who you can spend the rest of your life with. Yes, chase success
and focus on yourself first, but at the end of the day, what makes life worth living is the
relationships you forge and the impact you leave. So, remember that as you go about your daily
business, if you never let anyone in, you will never be given the opportunity to let the right
people in.

How to Conduct Yourself

The subtleties in body language are ridiculous. Changing the most minute details in your
posture or walk can have a drastic effect in how people perceive you. Whether you like it or not
humans are still animals, social animals. Over the years, we evolved language, but previously all
communication was conveyed through body language. Because of this, your body language gives
off a signal all other humans can subconsciously read. The great thing is you can consciously
change your body language to convey what you want. With that being said, there are certain
rules you can follow to appear more dominant, attractive and confident in any setting. The first
rule is to have open body language. Open body language conveys that you are non-threatening
but at the same time it shows confidence. When people cover up their body (cross their arms or
legs) they are making themselves smaller, submitting. People displaying closed body language
are seen as fearful, nervous or unconfident. When you display open body language you are
communicating that in that environment there is nothing you find even remotely threatening, in
other words, you can handle any situation in the immediate area. Stand with your feet shoulder-
width apart and toes pointing outwards, this is open body language. Next, no matter what, keep
your arms to the side, don’t cross your arms, put your hands in your pockets or stand with a drink
in front of your torso – this is all closed body language. Stand up straight, with a feeling of being
proud of yourself. The head should be in line with your body and your chin should be up.
Finally, take up space. The more space you take up the more comfortable you seem. Don’t be
afraid to spread out, put your arm on the chair next to you (if its empty), kick your feet up or
spread your items all over the desk you’re sitting at. However, don’t be that guy who takes up
three seats and puts his items all over them, this just makes him look like a douche. When you sit
down spread your legs, lean back, don’t fidget and have a smirk on your face. When walking, do
so slowly, this gives off the vibe of being in control. Carry yourself like the captain of the
football team. Chest out, back straight, head up and arms swaying. However, people can tell
when you’re trying too hard, so to get the walk down first you must believe you are the shit, then
your swagger will naturally follow. By making these changes you will see improvements in your
social interactions right away.

Eye Contact
You’ve definitely had this experience. You’re in a crowded bar when all of a sudden
from across the room you lock eyes with a stranger. For a moment, nothing else matters,
everything else fades into the background while your souls are momentarily connected. When
considering body language as a whole, without a doubt, eye contact is the most important part.
Scientists suggest the reason why we are the only animal on the planet with obvious white in our
eyes is because our eyes are meant to be seen. With that being said, eye contact is something you
should strive to improve on, here are some tips to help in that endeavor. First off, never hold too
much eye contact. You want strong eye contact but not too strong, this will cause you to seem
intimidating, hostile or maybe even crazy. At the same time, you don’t want too little eye contact
either, this will make you seem shy, intimidated, insecure and nervous. So, the trick is to be in
between, generally about 3 seconds. People with good eye contact are perceived as more
confident, more popular and more attractive to the opposite sex. When speaking to groups of
people or in a conversation use the 80/20 rule, spend 80% of your time looking at the individual
and 20% of the time glancing anywhere else. Hold more eye contact when speaking then while
listening, also, make sure to look at every member of the group when talking. Ok now you know
what good eye contact is, but the majority of people lean on the side of too little eye contact
(especially with the opposite sex) and need to find confidence to improve it. To do this, walk
down the street and try to hold eye contact with every person you see until the other person looks
away first. Go at your own pace, until it feels natural. Also, a key point to remember is to never
look down, especially with women, as this is submissive behavior and will make you seem lower
value in her eyes. After undergoing this task for a couple of weeks, eye contact will become
natural and you will notice an immediate benefit in your social interactions.

Gratitude
The one habit that has created the most happiness in my life, is practicing gratitude. In
life, too many times we focus on the negatives, on what we think we lack. why is this not going
my way? why can’t I have what he has? Questions like these have no use in our lives and only
cause useless suffering. I am a firm believer in the law of attraction, which states thoughts
become things. What you think and feel in your world is exactly what will be brought into
existence, this is simply because you begin to focus on it. So, to create the life you want, you
need to focus on what you have and why you're grateful for it. Gratitude is the antidote to
depression and the quickest way to create happiness within yourself. By focusing on what you
are thankful for, you create more of those things, you see the positives in every situation, and this
changes your state. Once this has occurred, you move through your day with an aura of
happiness that others can feel, it will radiate off, almost like an energy. Interestingly, some of the
happiest people on the planet are cancer survivors, but why? Well, when undergoing
chemotherapy, losing hair and confronting death, they are exposed to situations previously
unknown to them, all of a sudden, they realize how much beauty in life they took for granted.
They know have a new reference point and so feel grateful for the smallest things, like a sunny
day, a nice breakfast, time spent with family or even a nice conversation with a stranger. If you
want to be happy in life, focus on what you have, not what you want, be grateful for all the
blessings you have been taking for granted, because living in a 1st world country, even on our
worst days, we live like somebody else does on their greatest.

Meditation/Morning Routines
Many of the greatest individual’s history ever got the pleasure of witnessing, preached
the benefits of meditation. When people usually think about meditation, they picture some monk
that practices Buddhism. The truth is everyone can benefit from meditation. Every day we think,
we’re always thinking, it’s like an addiction. While most people think thoughts are a good thing,
in the majority of people most of them are actually harmful. The thing about thoughts is they
have a direct correlation with how you feel. So, if you’re thinking mainly negative thoughts then
you will feel bad most of the time. Ok, but what does thinking have to do with meditation?
Meditation allows us to control our thoughts, become aware of them. When you think less you
become more in control of your emotions. Therefore, next time a variable is thrown your way
that you were not prepared for, you can control how you react. Another benefit is the calm
manner you approach life with. Many people are either living in the past or the future, but we
only exist in the now. Through meditation you appreciate life more, you live in the present, you
notice previously invisible things: the bright color of the trees, the people in your life, the joy
you feel in the moment, etc. There are many benefits associated with meditation, but these are
the ones I think are the most important. So, we understand the benefits, how do we start? You
can meditate anywhere you like as this is an exercise for the mind. However, the optimal position
is to be sitting with your legs crossed, but in general, do what feels comfortable for you. Next,
close your eyes, this will help you avoid distractions and focus on your breathing. Before you
start, set an alarm, so you don’t think about when the session is finished. Start with 2 minutes a
day, and once it becomes a habit, you can increase the length of the session. Focus on your
breath, breathe through your nose and observe how you feel, observe the way the breath feels as
you inhale and exhale. As thoughts begin to enter your mind gently bring the focus back to your
breath, think “thinking” to quickly shift your mind back to your breath. Avoid movement as this
will divert your attention. It will be difficult but over time you will break free from the habit of
walking around in a daydream. After about a month you will see the benefits, as long as you stay
consistent. Meditation itself is simple but the practice of creating a daily habit out of it is
difficult. Stay consistent and you will reap the rewards.
Implementation Intention
Not only will implementing this strategy help you achieve your goals, but it can help you
grow your will power too. In the British Journal of health psychology, a study was done with
approximately 200 participants. The participants were divided into 3 groups and monitored on
their level of goal attainment (in this example it was going to the gym). The first group was
simply told to go to the gym and monitor their consistency. The second group was told the same
thing but in addition, received a motivational pep talk. The third group received the exact same
thing as group 2 but were also told to write down when and where they were going to go to the
gym. In the first group, 38% went to the gym at least once/week. In the second group, only 35%
exercised at least once/week. The interesting thing is in the third group, 91% exercised at least
once/week. Why? This is the power of implementation intention. Stated simply, this means when
setting goals, you don’t just describe a general goal, but you hold yourself accountable by stating
the specifics. Instead of saying tomorrow, I’m going to go to the gym, write down “tomorrow I
will go to the gym at 9:00 am”. By creating a plan in advance, when the time comes for you to
make a decision you don’t have to undergo a mental process debating whether or not to do it.
You made a schedule, so the decision has already been made. Making decisions is what drains
your willpower, it actually takes more will power for you to leave your house and go to the gym
then to complete your workout. By skipping the decision-making process completing your goal
becomes automatic as you’ve already pre-planned your day. So how do you implement this
method in your own life? First, figure out what you are trying to make a habit. Next, write out
the day and time (when and where) you will begin this habit. Be extremely specific, then write
out temptations that might stop you from completing your goal and figure out what you will do
to avoid or get around them. Using this method has helped me build habits and it can certainly
help you as well.

How to Build a Habit

“We first make our habits, and then our habits make us” – John Dryden. To build any
habit, a series of steps should be followed in order to achieve the desired outcome. To start, pick
one. Trying to create too many new habits at one time will cause you to quit trying to make all of
them. You’ll quit the boring productive habits you want and focus on the fun habits. Instead
focus on one habit, the one you actually want, then forget about the rest. Once you’ve established
the single habit you want, scale the daily requirement to a minimum. Motivation constantly
fluctuates, it comes and goes as it pleases. Therefore, focusing on purely motivation to execute a
new habit is a bad choice. For example, if you want to create the habit of reading one book per
week start by reading 10 pages a day. The less overwhelming you make the process of
developing a habit, the more likely it is to stick. Something important to keep in mind is to never
miss 2 days in a row. Failing to commit to the daily habit one day, reduces the odds of retaining
that habit by 5%. If you fail to execute the habit 2 days in a row, the odds of retaining that habit
reduces by 55%. Miss 2 days in a row and you can kiss your new habit goodbye. Therefore,
never miss doing the minimum daily requirement for more than 2 days. Once you have stayed
consistent for an extended period, don’t stop doing it and don’t trust your new habit until it feels
automatic to initiate. It takes approximately 8-9 weeks for your desired habit to become
automatic. Until you feel a daily need to complete your habit and the process of initiating it feels
automatic, maintain your minimum daily requirement and don’t focus on any other habits. Once
your habit has become automatic, you can raise the minimum daily requirement. If you read 10
pages a day, up it to 20. Increase the requirement until you hit your target. Remember you are
what you repeatedly do, therefore excellence should be a habit, not an act.

Style
How to dress well. Style is an interesting subject because what works for one person is
not guaranteed to work for another. With that understood, take this advice as suggestions instead
of strict rules that must be followed. All the most stylish people in the world have one thing in
common. They wear clothes that fit. The fit of the clothes is much more important than anything
else. Focus on the fit of your clothes across the shoulders, chest, and arms. When specifically
discussing clothes for your upper body you want the waist to be a little loose. Not so tight that it
makes your torso look like a box and not so loose that the people around you cannot tell where
your body is. You want something in between. With that said, don’t shy away from color either.
Depending on your skin tone, different colors will suit you very well. For example, I have tan
skin and I’ve noticed that bright, vibrant colors like pink look best on me, while dull colors such
as dark green have the opposite effect. With color remember, less is still more. You only need
that eye-catching pop in one garment, not the whole outfit. Finally, add accessories. A nice
watch, bracelet or sunglasses can make the difference between a decent outfit and a great outfit.
The important thing to realize is to not add too much, but also not to have none. Accessories add
an individualistic touch to the canvas of your outfit. You only need one point of interest. A good
watch or bracelet will go a long way. Dress in a way that suits who you are. Whatever you wear,
own it. Style icons are those who go their own way with a deep self-confidence that makes their
clothes look like a second skin.

Reputation
Your reputation takes a lifetime to build, but only a moment to destroy. It is the building
block of power. In our social world, your appearance matters much more than your actual
identity for that is what people reference when making a judgment about you or your character.
Your reputation can act as a shield, protecting your true self from the waiting eyes of others. This
gives you control over how the world will judge you. This aura created from your reputation, if
strong enough, can give you whatever you want: women, money, fear, respect or power. Your
reputation precedes you and if it is a good one, then a lot of your work can be done for you
before you even show up to the scene. Now you understand the importance of your reputation,
but how can it be cultivated? First off, base your reputation around one sterling quality (great
seducer, never lies, phenomenal leader, etc.). You can’t brag about your skills as this will make
you come across as low value and insecure. You have to display the quality your reputation is
built around through social proof, using your actions and the word of mouth from others. Over
time your reputation will precede you to the point that people will identify you through the lens
you have created, this aura will follow you around everywhere you go. People will have an idea
of what you're like before they even meet you. Building a great reputation is a very successful
strategy to work towards getting what you want out of your life.

Choose your addiction

In society today, addiction has a very dishonorable stigma associated with it and I’m not
sure why. The truth is we are all addicted to something, the freedom comes in getting to choose
what. As humans we are all born with an empty feeling, it’s part of the human experience. Part
of that experience is trying to figure out how to fill it. We use a variety of tactics to achieve this;
sex, drugs, alcohol, working out, working in general and everything in between. Addiction is our
bridge to filling this gap. It gives us a temporary feel-good sensation that fills the hole…until the
next day. While this might seem unsettling, the good news is you get to choose what you're
addicted to and through that choice, can actually decrease the size of the empty feeling. So why
not choose something that will create benefits in your life? Fill the empty feeling with good
addictions: going to the gym, eating healthy, fulfillment in your career. The power of choice is in
your hands.

Indicators of interest
Man does not attract what he wants, he attracts what he is. One of the biggest lies sold by
the pick-up community is the “cheat code” that is cold approach. For those of you that don’t
know, cold approach is when you approach a woman with the intention of picking her up without
receiving any type of indicators that she would like you to approach in the first place. Look, in
my humble opinion, cold approach is the biggest waste of time. Does that mean you should never
do it? Absolutely not, if you see a girl you find attractive by all means approach, but don’t go out
every single night and approach 100 women at the club. Don’t go out onto the street and
approach every random girl that passes you by for an hour. Do you think Drake or Justin Bieber,
or any other celebrity/high-status male would waste their time with this crap? No, of course not.
So, if you want to hook up with a lot of girls, instead of focusing on cold approaching and
playing the numbers game, focus on improving yourself, making yourself the hot commodity
that all the girls want. Once you do this, you will start to notice women giving you indicators of
interest or approach invitations. These are the girls that you should approach. Not only will they
be easy for you, but it will be a lot of fun to game them as well. Women are the deciders men are
the providers, so why not approach a girl that has already chosen you?
A good rule of thumb is to notice how reactive girls are to you. The more reactive she is,
the more attracted she is. Look for signals like eye contact, double looks, smiling and
positioning. Even if she acts in a negative manner (slightly pushing you, giving you dirty looks,
etc) this is still considered being reactive. Think about it this way, if a homeless guy walks up to
you and starts talking shit, are you going to get offended? Absolutely not, because you could care
less about his approval. That analogy applies here as well. We as humans, only react to people
that A) we care about or B) are higher value than us. The more attracted a girl is to you, the more
aggressive (reactive) she will be with her signals to let you know she’s interested. A very
feminine, good quality woman, will rarely if ever come out and full-on approach you, as a girl
she wants you to make the first move. But as previously stated she will become more aggressive
in signaling to you that she’s interested. At a basic level, it will start with subconscious signals
like glances from a distance, I’m talking at least 2 seconds and she won’t even realize she’s
doing it. Why? Because we are programmed to look at things we like. A level higher will be
when a girl gives you a double-take (looks at you, looks away, then looks back all in the span of
about 45 seconds) or a glance and a smile. In my experience anytime a girl has sent me any one
of these invitations and I’ve approached, I always close. A level up from this is when a girl
positions herself near you, this one is extremely obvious and usually means the female in mind
has a high level of attraction for you. It can be as simple as moving next to you in the hopes you
will start talking to her. Looking at the different levels you can see how girls get more
aggressive/reactive as their interest increases. I think the final level is when a girl simply comes
up to you and asks you a random question: how tall are you? Hey, you know my friend X? Any
random question or statement out of the blue generally means she wants you to get the
conversation going, this is usually the closest a girl will get to actually approaching you. Once
you’re in a conversation with a girl, look at her subconscious signals to gauge her attraction. Is
she touching herself? Touching you? Playing with her hair? Mirroring you? Again, the more
reactive she is, even if it seems negative, the more attracted she is. Now obviously use your
common sense. If a girl hits you, talks shit to you or is super angry at you, then you probably did
something stupid to piss her off. But in general, if she’s reactive, even if she hates you a little bit
and the interaction is slightly negative, it’s probably because she is attracted to you. This is one
of those things that you can’t read about you can only learn by going out and doing. So, go out,
look for these signals and I’m sure you’ll find at least a few girls that want you. Approach them
and I guarantee you’ll have a great night ;).

The Downside to Self Help

In an effort to improve people will read anything. They accumulate knowledge over and
over again but never do anything with it. This is the downside to self-help. Reading books will
not change your life, taking action will. Your action will never be perfect, you will fail, but you
will learn and so the key is not to wait for the perfect moment but to take imperfect action. Many
self-help gurus swear that the reason they reached a certain level of success was due to waking
up early, working out, reading every day, etc and if you just do what they did you too will be
successful. The truth to the matter is you can only learn so much by exhaustively reading or
researching how to become successful. Your time is much more valuable going after what you
want. Reading books has value but only so much value, we are still animals and as such we learn
by doing, not reading about it. You will learn much more spending a night with a girl then
reading a book about it. You will learn more actually investing your money then reading a how-
to guide on it. Work hard and let the work speak for you. The best advice I can give you is to
stop asking for advice, go out there, learn, fail and improve until ultimately, you reach your goal.

The Key to Effective Networking

Define what networking means to you. Many of us first learn about networking through
college, we go to networking events, bring our resume, collect business cards, then go home and
send out 100 emails. Of course, 9/10 times nothing comes from it. The funny thing is, this is not
networking. The key to effective networking is giving, it’s more of a mindset then an activity.
Anything with networking in the title is one of the worst places you can go, people show up to
these events with a needy mindset, they try to make one quick contact and then find a job, but
this doesn’t work. Go to places with something else going on, conferences, your gym,
recreational soccer, this will help you meet people and genuinely connect based off of who you
are. Once you are at one of these events make it easy for people to speak to you. Stand out from
the crowd, use a piece of clothing, a hairstyle or anything else to set you apart. People will
become intrigued by you and come talk to you. Obviously, be prepared to introduce yourself, but
once you do get straight to the point, you can ask “So what brings you here?” or “what do you
hope to gain from this experience?”. When in a conversation, listen! You want A) to get people
talking about themselves and B) to get them talking about what they really want. So many of us,
especially when networking, walk into the situation looking for something, but if you switch
your mindset from looking to gain to trying to give (without wanting anything in return) people
will be more inclined to help you. 
How to Spot Opportunities
As you grow and become better equipped to take on life, new opportunities will pass by your
head consistently. Every day, opportunities to further your career, meet someone new or just
simply find a hobby you enjoy, pass by. The difficulty is not in lack of opportunity, it is in
identifying the opportunity once it has entered your frame. With that being said here are a few
ways to spot more opportunities.
 At the root of all problems lies an opportunity: As you walk through life take note of
what people complain about, oftentimes business opportunities lie in the solution to
problems. For example, Humanity had the problem of going to Mars, Elon Musk began
working on the solution using Space X, creating re-usable rockets in the process.
Brainstorm solutions every time you come across a problem as potential business
opportunities lie in every corner.
 Look for a niche: Business is very similar to sports in how you directly compete with
those in your environment. The ones that truly become anomalies are those that “compete
differently”. To understand the term niche let me explain it to you from an ecological
standpoint. In an environment, organisms take up specific niches in order to be able to
survive without having to directly compete with the other organisms around them. For
example, two types of moss are growing on a specific rock. Moss A grows faster and
thicker but needs to be moist. Moss B grows slowly and in a moist environment would be
completely outperformed by moss A. But it has a trick, heat resistance. So, while in any
normal situation Moss A would outperform Moss B, when sunshine is present it can out-
compete moss A. On the rock there is a shady section and a sunny section. Moss A grows
in the shade and moss B grows in the sun. Because of the niche Moss B has filled, it can
grow and thrive with Moss A present without having to directly compete. It is the same
thing in business. When two competitors are within the same market the one that fills a
substantial niche is often the one that ends up winning. You can apply this analogy to all
aspects of life. Analyze the marketplace, find the small void and you have spotted another
opportunity. Look at the way others are competing and decide to compete slightly
differently, this will give you an edge.

SMV
In our species, women are the selectors, simply because their investment in offspring is
much stronger than a man’s. On top of this, women have a biological clock, producing
approximately 400 eggs throughout their whole life compared to the billions of sperm cells men
produce every single day. Women select men based on their Sexual Market Value, which breaks
down into three core categories of which men are scored upon by women. These categories are
looks, money, and status. When men first learn about SMV they get discouraged, a belief sets in
that because a lot of these attributes are external, they cannot be changed. This could not be
farther from the truth. Let’s first break down the look’s category. This is the aspect of SMV that
men have the least amount of control over, variables that fall into this category include your
height, body shape and the look of your face. The only thing you can do to improve this category
is to get a haircut that matches your face shape, improve your style (the way you dress) and go to
the gym. Improving your physique will get you laid. Next is money, women are hypergamous,
this means they date across and up the dominance hierarchy. Positioning yourself at a higher
class will create more opportunities for you to mate. Improve this aspect by getting a better
career, creating passive streams of income, investing and saving money. Finally, the last
category is status. Status is very subjective to the environment you are associated with. For
example, in a high school, the “popular kids” are the ones with the most status. Celebrities too
have very high status and because of this, women chase them no matter where they go. This is
the facet of SMV that you have the most control over, it is associated with your reputation, social
proof, pre-selection, and your career. You can improve this in a multitude of ways. Improve your
body language, as tall dominant body language is associated with higher status. Work on your
social proof, create a social circle with many friends who also are looked upon as high status.
Use pre-selection to your advantage, when women see men with a lot of options it automatically
makes him more attractive. However, with all that being said the single biggest way to improve
your status is through your accomplishments. Accomplishments = respect. What makes Elon
Musk higher status then you? What he has achieved. Find your life’s purpose, what gives you
fulfillment and meaning, use this to create a career and climb your way up the dominance
hierarchy. Improving all three categories will drastically increase your SMV which will make
you very attractive to a wide range of women. You won’t have to use game and you won’t have
to cold approach because women will fall over themselves chasing after you.

Attitude 
“Excellence is not a skill, but an attitude” – Conor McGregor. Throughout my pursuits,
this quote has really stuck with me. What do you think this means? The way I interpret it is our
attitude toward life determines its attitude towards us. We shape our own lives and the shapes
created are directly correlated to our attitude. For example, if you adopt the belief system (the
attitude) that you cannot achieve a certain grade, you will not take the time to study. Before we
learn how to change our attitude toward the world, lets first dive into our attitude toward
ourselves, for it is easier to change ourselves then it is to change the rest of the world. Successful
people come in different races, sizes and from extremely varied backgrounds, yet they all have
one thing in common. They all think they will win. They expect more good to come out of life
than bad. Whenever you have written down a goal you have a burning desire to achieve think
about why you can achieve it instead of why you can’t. Our lives and environment are a
reflection of our attitude. Carlos Santana said you don’t attract what you want but attract who
you are. I couldn’t agree with this more. Expect success and you will get success, become the
person who already has what you want, and you will, in turn, get exactly that. Act as if you are
already in the position of what it is you seek. Your brain is a supercomputer, one that spits out
immediate answers to the questions you ask. 

Why you need to Travel Alone

In my experience, one of the events that caused the most growth within me was traveling.
Traveling alone is an investment in yourself, it might not teach tangible skills, but it gives
perspective. What you realize when exploring the world is you are at the same time exploring
yourself. Here are what I believe to be the most important benefits from traveling (keep in mind
there are many more, but these are just what I believe to be the most relevant). These qualities
will only be developed if you avoid tourist bubbles and actually live amongst the people in the
city, partaking in daily activities:
 You formulate independence: Becoming independent is probably one of the best traits
you can create in your life. It builds a sense of confidence, a sense of un-reactivity
because you understand from the bottom of your heart that no matter what happens you’ll
be ok. This will help you become more confident handling potential issues that come into
 your life, you will be more comfortable taking actions instead of relying on someone
else’s advice.
 Reference point: Travelling alone forces you out of your comfort zone and into the
unknown. This will test your ability to overcome obstacles, but more importantly, it will
give you a reference point for the rest of your life. Anytime you find yourself in a
difficult position you will be able to look back on this experience and think “I’ve slain
bigger dragons before”.
 Perspective: When traveling you realize how closed off you have been for your whole
life. Think about it, there are 195 countries in the world all with a multitude of cities and
villages within them. Each city or town has a unique atmosphere associated with it. What
matters to the people of one city doesn’t necessarily matter to the people of another city,
when I went to Croatia this is what I experienced. In the west, everyone cares about their
career and climbing up the corporate ladder, but in Zagreb specifically, people are much
more laid back. They don’t care about making money, they care about enjoying life. The
insights you gain will create another lens through which to view the world. It also helps
you realize how lucky you really are. Being born in the west automatically puts you
ahead of so many other people simply due to the opportunity and resources these
countries are blessed with. 
 Learn about yourself: See in life we are very much pressured to act a certain way. You
have to go to school, then you have to get a job, then you have to find a good girl and
settle down. We are forced to put on a mask and conform to our social environment. The
expectations of our peers and parents force us to develop a type of fake personality or
mask. Of course, this is completely normal, it was a survival instinct to keep harmony
between us and the tribe 300,000 years ago. But is this mask you? Probably not. If you’ve
lived in one country your whole life and been exposed to the same individuals over and
over again, their mindsets and thought patterns have been adopted by you. There are
thousands of masks or behavioral patterns out there and if you’ve only been exposed to
one your whole life, how do you know there aren’t any better options? The only way to
find out what role best matches you is to compare that specific role to others that you
have tried. Like Abraham Lincoln said, “I learn from everybody, even if sometimes it’s
what not to do”. So, try on different masks, but to do so can only be done through a
change in environment and the quickest way to create this change is to travel to different
countries alone.

Triune Brain Model

This brain model developed by Dr. Paul Maclean can help you not only understand your
own behavior but the behavior of others. The theory goes like this: through evolutionary time,
our brain became very complex because a new brain would develop over the old one, this lead to
the creation of three brains each with its own distinct function. The simplest and oldest part of
your brain is called the R complex or reptilian brain. It is in charge of fundamental survival
needs like eating, drinking, and mating. The reptilian brain is responsible for autonomic bodily
functions (things you don’t have to think about to control) such as your heartbeat, breathing, and
homeostasis. This part of your brain is very primitive in its nature, every time a danger stimulus
enters your reality this part of your brain is what causes you to enter the fight or flight response.
It is very similar to the brain in modern-day reptiles such as crocodiles. The primary purpose of
this part of your brain is to keep you alive so that you can reproduce. Aggression, submission,
and dominance are all traits associated with this aspect of your brain. 
The next part, the mammalian brain, is associated with your limbic system. Its function is
to control your emotions. Evolutionary scientists suggest it is what makes you feel a certain way
when exposed to an external stimulus. The limbic system creates chemical messages through
neurotransmitters connecting information to memory through how you feel. Ever wonder why
information retention is significantly increased when associated with a strong emotional
response? This is why. We are driven towards experiencing pleasure and minimizing pain, we
share this part of our brain with every other mammal on our planet. The limbic system counters
our reptilian instincts by ensuring we get a pleasurable response every time we do something that
helps us survive and pass on our genes. For example, after sex, your limbic system releases
dopamine a reward-based neurotransmitter associated with a feel-good sensation. This helps you
stay motivated so that in the future you can repeat these beneficial acts. This is also what keeps
you away from potentially harmful situations. Without our mammalian brain, we would never
learn from our mistakes and continue to do the same thing in a ritualistic manner. Most people
tend to make decisions based on how they feel instead of coming to logical conclusions, this is
because of our mammalian brain. 
Finally, the neocortex or primate section is the newest addition to our brain. It controls
higher-level thinking like logic, reason, and creativity. The problem with this aspect of your
brain is it is easily controlled by the lower models of your brain. This is why it can be so difficult
to get over fear even when you know that you are not in any immediate danger. The unknown
triggers your reptilian brain to enter survival mode, when this occurs, it takes precedent over all
other thoughts and your brain is on high alert. The complete opposite is also true, your neocortex
can make sense of a situation and trigger an emotional or regulatory response. This is what
causes anxiety. For example, when you watch a sad movie and you begin to cry it is your
neocortex deciphering the data to make sense of the scenario, this is what causes your emotional
response. Take a minute and think about a really arousing situation that occurred in your past,
your cortex will bring up a memory that will excite your limbic system. Now think about a
traumatic event, take note of your emotional response. Now take note of your heartbeat. Did it
increase? That’s your neocortex controlling your reptilian brain. 
Ok, so how does this information help you? Well, every time you pursue a new unknown
action your reptilian brain will work to get in your way. In most cases fear is not real, it is the
anticipation of a future event that could potentially lead to pain but in our newly created
environment, potentially means rarely. This occurs every time we pursue an unknown, get out of
our comfort zone. To be successful you must take action to minimize the reactive state of the
reptilian brain. To stop this instinct, use your neocortex to control your reptilian brain. Every
time a fear enters your mind shift your focus to the pleasure associated with diving into that
unknown. Remember the pleasure/pain principle? We are programmed to pursue pleasure.
Therefore, creating this frameshift will help you move towards that fear instead of away from it.
Avoiding pain is essentially the number one instinct of the reptilian brain, so for this to work you
must over-ride that fear response with the pleasurable emotions associated with the gain you will
make from getting into that uncomfortable scenario. Get clear on the beneficial outcome that will
occur when you step into your fears. While the r complex was a useful aspect throughout
evolutionary time, we have created an environment surrounded by abundance and no longer have
to worry about so many serious threats. Today, the majority of the time, all fear does is hold us
back.
Depression is a Life Problem
Let me start by saying long term depression is a serious mental illness and should be
viewed as such. However, in the modern era of instant gratification, most depression is not a
serious illness, it is a hint, a biological signal, that you need to get your life together. Ask any
random person on the street what they want out of life and they will all tell you the same thing,
the best life is a happy life. I disagree with this. As previously discussed in the Triune Brain
model there is a section called the mammalian brain, its function is to create emotions for
survival purposes. Therefore, the human experience is not to be happy all the time but to
experience the full range of emotions, everything from resentment or embarrassment to
depression. Depression has a use in your life, it’s a life problem, not a mental illness. When you
or somebody you know is depressed, their mind is trying to tell them that they need to get their
life together. There is no structure, no stability, no meaning and worst of all no goals to create
feel-good emotions. Through evolution, our bodies evolved a dopamine reward system. Most of
your brain's positive emotions are associated with goal pursuit. This is what drives you to
accomplish certain tasks like eating food or having sex. This is also what causes positive
emotions after participating in these acts. The reason cocaine is so enjoyable is because it turns
on the reward pathways associated with goal pursuits. Creating goals that you care about, that
bring meaning into your life is the best medicine for depression. The dopamine reward system
will work in your favor every time you move forward towards your goal, it will give your life
structure and stability. Truly sit down, look at your life objectively. Ask, what can this mean?
What is my depression trying to tell me? Find out what that is and begin to move towards it, that
is how you get out of depression.

Instagram Should Be a Tool

Our lives are not represented by the photos we share. If you were to look at someone's
Instagram page without knowing them in person, you would assume that this person has an
amazing life, one filled with happiness and laughter. Unfortunately, Instagram pages are nothing
more than a persona, a way we want people to view us NOT how we actually are. Every time
you post a photo, a tweet or a Facebook status you are contributing to that persona and there’s
nothing inherently wrong with that. The problem is we become so attached to this persona, this
identity, that we trade our happiness for validation. Social media sites are designed by nature to
be extremely addictive, Simon Sinek says “If you wake up in the morning and the first thing you
do is check your newsfeed, then you have an addiction”. Of course, there have been countless
studies discussing how depression and time spent on social media are directly correlated but
everyone already knows this. My goal with this section is to discuss the negative side effects that
people don’t even realize are there. Every time you post anything on social media you are
creating a way you want people to see you. We tailor or photos and filters with the sole purpose
of creating an ideal view of ourselves which we then use to compare ourselves to other people,
whom we may not even know. Sure, that’s you in that photo, but do you look like that all the
time? The problem is we become so attached to the mask we have created we assume that it has
to be us. This created persona is not who you are, at least not the whole you. If you care about
how many likes you get it is almost guaranteed you will be unhappy. You will sacrifice bettering
yourself to better your persona. We care more about what other people think of us then how we
think of ourselves. Caring about how many likes you get is outsourcing your happiness to others.
Placing your happiness in other people is a sure-fire way of getting depressed because they will
not always react how you want them too. I’ve seen people go to the gym just so they can take a
photo of themselves at the gym. It’s much easier to post a photo of yourself at the gym then it is
to work out. You might create the persona of going to the gym but does your life actually include
the benefits of being fit when you do this? Absolutely not. Lastly, this persona limits how you
get to behave. Because you want to be seen in a certain light you can only act in accordance with
your persona, this can potentially lead to you not doing things you want to do. Look social media
is not bad, it has many benefits and can absolutely be a positive in your life, but you should see it
for what it is, a tool. A way to help you build a better life, not a fake life. To get out of the trap
start by limiting your time spent on these apps, avoid the newsfeeds and start doing things you
want to do regardless of what other people think. Don’t do something just so you can take a
photo doing it. Finally, spend more time working on yourself then you do on creating your
persona. Hopefully, this section helps you understand that your character is created by what you
do, not by what you post.

Abundance Mindset
Have you ever witnessed the way someone acts when they desperately want or need
something? They come across as nervous, scared, intimidated and worst of all extremely needy.
Scarcity is a plague, one that has affected everyone at one point in their lives. The good news is
it’s very easy to change as long as you commit to developing an abundance mindset. This
mindset applies to every area of your life, from dating to career opportunities. It simply boils
down to understanding that you have options. You don’t need to chase after that girl because you
can always get another one, you’re not worried about how you perform at this tryout because you
can attend another in the future. Understanding at a deep fundamental level that you have an
abundance of opportunities to achieve or acquire what you want eliminates scarcity. The reason
scarcity is so detrimental to your success is due to the vibe it gives off. What happens when you
live in scarcity is your needy behavior comes through in your sub communication, not only will
this turn off other people, but it will turn away opportunities as well. Scarcity communicates lack
in your life, the feeling of missing something, not being good enough. The reason you are so
clingy is that women don’t come around that often. The reason you want that job is because you
feel like this is your one opportunity to get it. That is how scarcity gets internalized. Think of the
difference between an actor who knows he’s the best in the world and a newbie stepping up to
the plate thinking “I hope I’m good”. That is the difference between abundance and scarcity. So,
it’s a shift in how you think, realize there’s a new bus that stops by every 5 minutes. To develop
an abundant mindset there are levels you need to move up. You can’t just adopt this mindset
over-night. It starts with self-improvement, work on yourself, invest in yourself, improve your
finances and go to the gym. Eventually, as improvements are made you will feel good about
yourself. People will notice your confidence and suddenly options will begin to develop. Soon
after the arrogant swagger of abundance will take foot in your life and be the foundation for
getting anything you want. Abundance is the ability to see more in your life, too tap into that
unrealized potential and create what you want.

The Hero’s Journey

Something that has really helped me in my own life, especially when facing adversity, is
pretending to be the hero of my own movie. Stay with me, I know this sounds cheesy, but if you
let me explain, this interpretation of your own life can have huge positive effects. What does
Captain America, Iron man and yourself all have in common with the heroes of ancient myths?
The Hero’s journey. Joseph Campbell studied heroes of ancient myths from all over the world
and found that all heroes are variants of the same story: it’s called the heroes journey. Think of
this as a cycle. The journey begins in the hero’s ordinary world, but to complete the cycle they
pass through an unknown world with many key points. 
Step 1, the hero receives some type of call to adventure. Step 2, the hero gets assistance,
usually from some type of older mentor. Step 3, the hero departs into the unknown world ready
to face the challenges that await. Step 4, the trials begin, the hero has to look deep within himself
to overcome the immediate adversity. Step 5, the approach, the hero's worst fear approaches (the
dragon, monster, Voldemort, etc). Step 6, catastrophe, the hero gets knocked down and almost
dies or maybe he does die, only to find some new strength within and defeat the evildoer. Step 7,
treasure, the hero receives some type of status or recognition maybe even a special power for
what he has achieved. Step 8, the result, this can vary but the hero either has to escape the trap
from the unknown world or watch as the monster bows down. Step 9, the return, the hero returns
to his ordinary life. Step 10, new life, the call to adventure has changed the hero, he has grown,
discovered more about himself through the tribulations he has faced, he has a different approach
to life with a new perspective gained. Step 11, resolution, all the plot holes and dead ends get
straightened out. Step 12, the status quo, back to the beginning but only this time it’s different, as
the hero has evolved into a new person.
Many popular movies (Star Wars, harry potter, the avengers) all follow this formula but
let’s look at an example: Captain America the first avenger. What was the call to action? When
he got drafted into the military. When did he get assistance? When he met the doctor, who
created the super-soldier serum. When did he undergo the departure phase? When he took the
super-soldier serum, his life immediately changed. You get the point, so what does this have to
do with you? You are human, just like them. The hero's journey has existed in myths across all
human cultures, it’s something we can relate to, find inspiration in. Symbolic stories allow us to
reflect on our own lives and find a way to face the demons we all have. You leave your comfort
zone, find an experience that transforms you and then return a new stronger individual. Then you
do it again, over and over. You might not literally fight dragons or demons, but you face
problems that can be just as frightening. So, what scares you? Soccer tryouts? Auditioning for a
role in a movie? Love? Be sensitive to this cycle in your own life, look for your call to adventure
and remember, “in the cave you fear to enter, lies the treasure of which you seek” – Joseph
Campbell.

Now
As a species, humans are in a very peculiar case. You see, we are the only animals that
are able to rationally think about ourselves in the past and future, while no doubt this is definitely
a good thing, for so many of us it can be a downfall. The only period of time that matters is now,
this moment, this second. Forget about the past, forget about your regrets, they will only cause
stress and drag you down. Stop being anxious about the future, worrying about this problem and
that deadline, because trust me, it will come soon enough, and when it does, you will always
realize that the thoughts and scenarios that plagued your mind were never as bad as you
imagined. Realize that the only thing you have in this world is the present moment, so you might
as well make the best of it.
The Meaning of Life
To clarify, in this section, we will be specifically discussing my opinion on the meaning
of life from the male perspective. Re-imagine yourself, from the very beginning, the moment you
were born. If somebody just dropped down from the sky and handed you the meaning of life,
told you exactly how it will turn out, when you will die and every obstacle you will face, would
that be fun? No, the unpredictability in life is what gives it spice, flavour. Not knowing whether
or not you will make it is the exact energy that will guarantee you can make it. You see the
unpredictability in life is what gives it meaning. Why? Because you create the meaning.
Countless studies have been done and there is overwhelming evidence suggesting those suffering
from depression have (the majority of the time) brought it onto themselves. Your sense of
meaning in life is directly proportional to the amount of responsibility you decide to take on.
Think about it, you're easily hurt, can easily be killed, there’s no difference between you and
every other human, so why on earth should you deserve self-respect? Look, in the large scheme
of things, we have no idea how everything is going to turn out, no idea if everything we work
towards is even relevant or not, but that’s ok. It is definitely no excuse to drop all responsibility
and live in a state of constant meaningless suffering. Freud said two things bring meaning to life:
love and work. In my experience, this is very true. In our lives we all have problems, but we also
all have a choice: We can wait for life to hand us their problems or we can go out and create our
own. Work for your meaning, go out and chase what brings fulfillment to you. It is a process of
self-discovery, one forged through the depths of failure, happiness, success, pain, love,
heartbreak and everything else in between.

Play to Win
Decide to win. Prioritize winning above and beyond everything else. Sure, this seems
simple enough, but you’d be surprised at how many people are playing not to lose. You see,
every decision, every action, anytime you do anything, there will be a consequence associated
with that act. People forget that winning also has negative consequences associated with it. What
happens is people feel they can’t handle what comes with winning. For example, you finally start
dating your dream girl, a perfect 10. Well, every time you go out guys are going to be hitting on
her, trying to sleep with her, etc. can you handle that? She’s going to have much more options
then you do, anytime she goes out by herself there will be a part of you insecure about what she’s
up too, you think you can handle that? The point is not to fear success, it’s to understand what
comes with winning so that you can prepare for the burdens associated with it. Because guess
what? If you do not commit to winning, then you will find a way to lose. So, understand what
comes with winning, do you want to look pretty? Cool? Or do you want to win? In my
experience to complete the latter, you will have to sacrifice the former. Do what you need to do
to get the job done. Playing to win means taking the risk, “You can’t steal second base and keep
your foot on first” – Fredrick Wilcox. Take the risk if doing so gives you the highest percent
chance of winning. If you want to win you will approach the girl even if it makes a scene, even if
she’s in a group. If you want to win you will try your hardest in every game even if you don’t
feel 100% that day. If you want to win you will commit to the gym every day regardless of
external variables. When you fully decide to win, you will do anything and everything necessary
to make sure you come out on top. Fully commit, because if even a small part of you does not
want to win, you will find a way to lose.
The Pomodoro Technique
This technique was a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the
1980s. It is extremely useful for staying focused and accomplishing a lot in a minimal amount of
time. It’s useful for students, for employees or anyone trying to get any type of work done. The
theory states any task (large or small) can be broken down into short time intervals with breaks
in between. This is advantageous because our brain has a very limited attention span. Say you
want to study for an exam, set a timer for 25 minutes and during that time do nothing but work,
don’t look at your phone, watch Youtube videos or do anything except study. Do not check the
timer just focus on your work. Once the timer runs out, take a short break of 5 minutes. Do not
stay seated. For this method to work it is important to have your break anywhere except for
where you are studying. Continue this cycle as long as you please. However, for you to stay
productive it is important to get up and take a 20-minute break after 4 cycles. You can skip
breaks if you want but I don’t recommend it. This is a great method for developing your ability
to focus, be productive and get work done.

The Kaizen Way

Change is hard, or maybe that’s just what people think. Everything is hard if you try to do
it all at once, but if you take small incremental steps it can be extremely easy. Small rewards lead
to big returns (check the section on compound growth) so if you find a way to surpass the brain's
built-in resistance to the unknown, you can speed up the process of change and quickly improve
chosen skill. So, what is kaizen? It is the process of improving using very small steps. By taking
tiny steps, so small they seem irrelevant, you can push past your parasympathetic response and
calmly achieve goals that have defeated you in the past. For example, let’s say you want to quit
caffeine. Instead of quitting cold turkey, decide to take one less sip daily, before you know it,
your addiction will be completely gone. To take action, ask yourself “what’s one small step I can
take today towards achieving my goal?” once you start, over time you will begin to notice
change, but keep in mind this is something that applies to all areas of life, so use it accordingly.
For example, let’s say you want to build a higher quality bike to sell. Instead of focusing on one
aspect, in this case, the wheels, and improving them 5%, you should focus on improving every
single aspect of the bike by 1%, overall this will lead to much greater gains over the same period
of time. This is the kaizen way.

Your Environment
Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future. I’m sure you’ve heard of this saying
before, but it bears repeating. Your environment is one of the greatest predictors of where you
will end up in life, this is why it is so important to keep tabs on it. Align yourself with people
better then you, that can encourage and bring you up. The most important influence your
environment has over you is its control over your behavior and motivation to act. If your room is
messy and dirty, with clothes everywhere, you will be much less inclined to go out and organize
your life then if you had a cleanroom. If all your friends smoke and you don’t, guess what, you
will eventually start smoking. Therefore, always surround yourself with people better than you or
farther ahead in life. When I say better than you, I don’t mean they have to be better at
everything, I just mean they should be better in one area that you want to improve in. Follow the
Law of 33%. Spend 33% of your time with people below your level, this will teach you
gratitude. You can act like a mentor to these people. Spend 33% of your remaining time with
people at the same level as you, these are the people that will become your close friends. The
people who push you forward, who you spend time with on the weekend. Finally, the last 33% is
the key, this is time that should be spent with mentors. People 5,10,15 years ahead of you, in any
field in which you wish to improve. This is the only way you can make quick improvements in a
short amount of time.

What a Bad trip taught me

Productive pessimism. The world is cold, its dark and it does not give any fucks about
your dreams or ambitions. There will be pain, there will be trauma. You can choose to look at
life for what it really is, or you can create it into whatever you want, the power to choose is up to
you. Knowing this, create the life you want to make it bearable. See life as an adventure, find
enjoyment through the journey, one you must go through in order to reach your ambitions. Make
your life meaningful enough to justify its suffering. I know this is dark, Friedrich Nietzsche once
wondered, is pessimism a sign of degeneration and evil or is there such a thing as the strength of
pessimism. Can the suffering and pain life bestows upon us be used for something greater, a way
of transformation and growth? The first lesson I learned is we all want to act like we are
somebody, when in fact we are all nobody. There is absolutely no difference between you and
the guy sitting next to you on the bus, sure you may look different and have different world
views, but fundamentally you are both animals, ones with very slight variations. When you stop
treating yourself like your special, like you deserve something from the world, life becomes very
liberating. Understanding this concept might be painful at first, but it sets you free, it helps you
realize that to achieve your goals there is no other way than to do the work. Because you’re not
special, you realize that what you want out of life is not some divine thing that will just happen,
you need to find the strategies, tactics, and implementations of those who walked the path before
you. Lastly, I’d like to discuss closure and fulfillment. This is something I feel like I have been
striving to achieve my whole life, but suddenly, like a ton of bricks, reality hit me in the face.
There is no closure, there is no fulfillment, why? Because it never ends. No matter what level of
life individuals get too, they always think the next step is where fulfillment will be obtained, this
is simply not true. Once I do this, once I achieve that, once I make this amount of money, I will
be enough. Something to understand is there is a very good chance that you will never be truly
fulfilled, we will continually chase the next high. But seeing the world through this lens allows
you to step back and not necessarily be satisfied but be happier with what happens in your life.
Of course, this is no excuse not to work because as I stated before, we are all nobody, which
means if one man can achieve great feats so can the rest of us.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

In my opinion, the greatest idea that ever came from psychology is Maslow’s hierarchy
of needs. This idea was developed by a psychologist named Abraham Maslow in 1943 who was
trying to identify the meaning behind life. Take a minute to ask yourself, what makes life
purposeful for all the people in the world? Is it different for everybody or do we all have the
same fundamental needs? Well, the answer is yes, and no. Maslow found that human beings
essentially have 5 different types of needs which can be divided into 2 categories: psychological
needs and material needs. These traits are then placed in a hierarchy where the lowest level needs
to be fulfilled before you can consider obtaining anything on a higher level. At the base of the
pyramid, the first needs consist of food, water, shelter, and sleep, basically all the physiological
elements you need to have to stay alive. Immediately on top, we have urgent safety needs such as
security, protection, and health. The next level consists of social belonging and love, this is
where the needs consist of friends, family, and lovers. Esteem is the second highest point on the
hierarchy, here we crave respect, status, prestige, and attention. Finally, once all other needs have
been met, we reach the most important part of the hierarchy, which Maslow believed was the key
to living a great life, self-actualization. This is where we live according to our full potential,
becoming who we were meant to be. The need met here is fulfillment, through completing your
life’s mission. With this pyramid Maslow created a structured answer to a question that plagues
all humans at one point or another, what are we after in life? Maslow reminds us that a well-lived
life is not one solely focused on a spiritual aspect or material possessions but a mixture of both.
To be whole we need to satisfy our base physiological needs and then move onto the more
spiritual aspects which create our direction, meaning and ultimately our fulfillment in life.

No matter what you’ll be ok/ It’s on you (Conclusion) 

A lot of the material covered in this book has been hard truths. Not necessarily the advice
you want to hear, but the advice you need to hear. While it can be considered cynical, I don’t
want you guys to get the wrong idea. Yes, life can be tragic, it is difficult, and it is certainly not
fair. However, this is not what it has to be like for you. You can’t escape pain, but you don’t
have to live there, it can be a random inconvenience instead of your everyday life. Let me
elaborate: Years ago, I read a book called Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (which I
highly recommend) and while I don’t remember everything about the book, one key point has
stuck with me throughout all these years. The quote says “Life is successful, only to successful
people. Likewise, life is depressing only to depressed people”. To me, this directly links how
your thoughts shape your reality. You see everything in life just is, it just happens, there is no
good or bad and there is no meaning except that which you give it. With this understood, look on
the Brightside, focus on the positives and try to maintain a grateful outlook on life in general,
this is the key to maintaining your happiness in an era riddled with dissatisfaction and mental
illnesses. Ok, but what about when life hits you, as it inevitably will. Personally, I’ve already
faced a great amount of adversity and every time I was in a terrible situation (one that could
completely alter my life) I would repeat a mantra, one that would calm me down and keep me
level-headed under immense pressure/stress. The saying goes “No matter what, I’ll be ok”.
Repeat this statement: no matter what, I’ll be ok. Even in the darkest moments, your most
stressful situations, simply repeating this statement will send a calm rush throughout your body.
It puts you at ease, knowing deep down in your soul that you will find a way. That you will be
able to pick yourself out of any hole, no matter how big. So have faith, in yourself and your
abilities. When looking back on your life, you will be able to connect the dots and understand
that sometimes, you have to suffer your worst defeats before you can claim your greatest
victories.
References – People who I learned from
- Improvement Pill
- How to Beast
- Seth Alexander
- Compound Effect
- Original Thinkers
- The One Thing
- Ryan Holiday
- Ted Talks
- Captain Sinbad

Finally, if you enjoyed this book, then I’d like to ask you for a favor, would you be kind enough
to leave a review for this book on Amazon? It would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, and good luck with your endeavors!