Ch 6.2 - Willpower

"If the Bible were man-made, it wouldn't go against all man-made desires." - Unknown

a. Supernormal Stimuli
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"All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone," - Blaise Pascal

Nature designed us to enjoy things that help us survive and reproduce. Two of the main ways we get pleasure are from food and sex. Today, these pleasures have been weaponized against us. Consuming supernormal stimuli like watching threesomes, unlocking an achievement in a video game, or getting likes on social media is easy. Your mind thinks they are real.

The human mind was designed for the scarcity of ancient times and was never equipped to deal with the modern age of abundance. Our primitive brains are not equipped to handle the supernormal stimuli of the contemporary era. P*rn, social media, and video games weren't around when our ancestors were alive. These are the three biggest enemies young men have nowadays.

"If you’re addicted to your phone your life isn’t interesting enough." - Unknown

"When you have just one problem, it's a problem. When you have many, you have none." - Brute de Force

“The modern struggle. Lone individuals are summoning inhuman willpower. Fasting, meditating, and exercising, up against armies of scientists and statisticians, weaponizing abundant food, screens, and medicine into junk food, clickbait news, infinite p*rn, endless games, and addictive drugs.” - Unknown

"When you think about things from an evolutionary perspective, the history of human technology essentially becomes the history of developing supernormal stimuli for profit." - Unknown

b. Happiness
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The goal of the system is to take your time and energy away. Use it for things that don't matter, are counterproductive, or are against your self-interest. You cannot effect change and support yourself and others if you aren't rich and healthy.

"Happiness that lasts can only be gained by accomplishing things in the real world. Ikigai is the Japanese Formula for happiness that combines 4 elements:
1) Something you are good at
2) Something that you love
3) Something that the world needs
4) Something that pays you well

love+good at = passion -> figure out how to make money doing this
love+needed = mission -> get better at this craft
good at+paid well = profession -> try new things and find something you love doing
paid well+needed = vocation -> challenge yourself to get better" - Unknown

c. Temptation
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"The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself." - Lilly

“Demons don't come when you're giving into temptation. They come when you are fighting it.” - Unknown

“I can resist everything except temptation. “ - Oscar Wilde

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." - James 1:12 KJV

"Think no impure thoughts, and you’ll never get in trouble." - Unknown

"A man becomes a slave to anything he can't walk away from. That goes for pleasure, women, bad habits. Conquer yourself first." - Unknown

"Reality cannot be ignored except at a price; and the longer the ignorance is persisted in, the higher and the more terrible becomes the price that must be paid." - Aldous Huxley

"Sometimes God puts you in the same situation again to see if you’re still a dumbass." - Unknown

"Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke vou. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you whe you forsake the Lord your God and have no awe of me, declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty." - Jeremiah 2:19

"As a dog returns to its, vomit, so fools repeat their folly." - Proverbs 26:11 KJV

d. Motivation
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"It's you against you. The second you create that other voice in your head there's battles. There's wars. There's defeat." - David Goggins

"75% of you is still in there because you didn't want to find your willpower." - David Goggins

"Lack of motivation is caused by your lifestyle—crappy mental health caused by instant gratification." - Hamza

"Everything you want is on the other side of worse first." - Unknown

"Until one is committed there is always hesitancy, always the chance to draw back. Always ineffectiveness." - Unknown

"Guys will j*rk off 3 times a day and wonder why they have no motivation to go to the gym, build a business and go and find a real women." - Unknown

"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Neither does bathing. That's why we recommend it daily." – Zig Ziglar

"Opportunity is often missed because it’s dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison

“Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor.” - Unknown

"Whatever your brain gets dopamine from when you wake up first will be what you continue to do the rest of the day. If you wake up vaping or scrolling that will be what it wants to do the rest of the day. But if you wake up writing or moving or lifting it can want to do that too. It will set a productive tone and your brain will just naturally want to move." - Unknown

“Procrastination. The first thing you do sets off the tone for the day. I will do something/quit when tomorrow/next month / I get a relationship / when I'm older / when I'm married / when "x" event happens / when life is less hectic / when I have kids / when I retire / when I'm dead.” - Unknown

"Fear will lead you to a life that’s too small" - Unknown

Not even Steve Jobs allowed his tech into the home for his kids.

You can never have enough sin. Sin doesn't satiate. Do you know what can satiate? Gratitude. Gratitude inverts sin because you begin to appreciate what you have, even if it's less, rather than rapaciously demanding more.

"Recently learned about a term called a 'glimmer.' Which is essentially the opposite of a trigger. Glimmers are those micro moments in your day that make you feel joy, happiness, peace, or gratitude. Once you train your brain to be on the lookout for glimmers, the more these tiny moments will begin to appear." - Unknown

“Kill the boy, Jon Snow. Winter is almost upon us. Kill the boy and let the man be born.” - Aemon Targaryen, Game of Thrones

"Self-control is the ultimate seduction. Having the unrestricted ability to fulfill an overwhelming urge and yet choosing not to. Powerful." - Unknown

"In life, the only two things you can control are your effort and and your attitude. Everything else is not up to you." - S. Menutt

Your ability to resist temptation is one of the most critical skills in your life. Everyone struggles with it. But this is a skill you can learn. Most people make the mistake of setting the bar too high when trying to resist it (90-day streak as opposed to 1 day). Set small goals and work in small steps. Don't compare yourself to others. Compare yourself to yourself.

“To be exceptional, spend most of your time doing things that set you apart. Watching Netflix doesn't. Writing does. Drinking doesn't. Exercising does. Eating doesn't. Fasting does. Buying doesn't. Selling does. Scrolling a timeline doesn't. Connecting does.” - Unknown

“Hit life from all angles—physique, career, friends, status. Do the hard work, especially when you don't feel like it.” - Hamza

“Nobody is coming to save you. Get up.” - Unknown

"Life is like a downward escalator and if you stand still that motherfucker will drag you down..." - Unknown

"The bus is there every single day, and it’ll take you anywhere you want. It’s your choice." - Morgan Freeman

"I could write you a million motivational quotes. I could show you a thousand before and afters. I can quote you as much scripture as you want. But the truth is, You have to want it bad enough to get off your ass and fight for your life, while you still have one." - Unknown

"Every day you choose to create, millions of others won't. Every day you hit the gym, millions of others won't. Every day you run the trails, millions of others won't. There really is no competition. You only need to show up." - Path to Manliness

"To learn what we are trying to teach here, a man must grow beyond the need for father figures, and become a father to himself." - Whisper

"The harder you are on yourself, the easier life will be on you." - Patrick Betdavid

"Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny." - Lao Tze

"Self-development for women is, ‘You are amazing; learn to love your perfect badass self.’ For men, it's, ‘You're a loser, time is running out, here's how to get it together before you die a losing loser.’ Probably a bit harsh, but directionally not hard to see as more effective." - Cernovich

"If you don't look back at your younger self and think about how much of an idiot you were, you're probably still an idiot." - carnivore Aurelius

"Sometimes your motivation needs to be because no one else wants to f*cking do it. We need doctors. We need lawyers, we need dentists, we need teachers. We also need f*cking savages." - David Goggins on Instagram

"Everything is about doing what you don't like, for as much as you deny yourself in every way, God approaches you in the same measure. Let no one be deceived that it's possible in any other way." - Elder Arsenie Papacios

"Anterior Midsingular Cortex - Area of brain concerned with will to live. And you can build it up or tear it down. Invest in things hard for you. If you love the ice bath it doesn't grow. If you hate it it does! Strongly activated when we move our body when we don't want to move our body." - Unknown

"The man who blames others goes nowhere.
The man who blames himself is halfway there.
The man who blames no one has already arrived." - Chinese Proverb

"Do what makes the best story. What is the most interesting story? The most entertaining outcome is the most likely." - Unknown

17 Laws of self-improvement by Hamza Ahmed:
1) Motivation is a treat, but discipline is a necessity
2) Smart goals are king (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound)
3) Morning routines are overpowered
4) You must be a life-long student
5) You're the average of the five people you spend time with
6) Progressive overload (add more weight every week)
7) Weightlifting is the cornerstone of masculine self-improvement
8) 1 hour of videogames is unacceptable
9) Don't keep a streak (it makes you look autistic, and you feel worse when you relapse)
10) You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink (help people who want help)
11) Productivity is the gateway to making money
12) High performers are 100 times more productive than you
13) You need your FTE (fuck this event)
14) You have to leave people behind (some people slow you down)
15) Don't trust your Jeffrey brain (watch porn, play video games, eat junk, etc.)
16) The environment controls your actions (change your environment/move somewhere)
17) Books and courses are better than YouTube videos and TikToks

"Nassim's 11 Rules for Life:
1) Do not disappoint your 18-year-old self -> Your measure of true success should be how your 18-year-old self would look at you today. Would they be happy or disappointed?
2) Sacrifice for Others - Have a heroic death... or a heroic route for the benefit of the collective. "You must live for another if you wish to live for yourself." - Seneca
3) Seek Self-Respect -
4) Do not read newspapers - To be convinced, go to the library, and read last year's newspaper as an experiment
5) If something is nonsensical, say it - the little harm you get is more than offset by the respect
6) Be more respectful to manual workers - the boss can go down, not the doorman
7) Avoid things that bore you
8) Don't do to others what you don't want them to do to you - Own your risks - more robust than the golden rule
9) Start a business - take risks
10) Tell people what you do / Not what they should do
11) Communist to your family / Capitalist to large group - the larger the group, the less the trust" - Nassim Nicholas Taleb

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