@ValiantSalvatore What work do you enjoy doing? Find that.
It seems you are too focused on some end-goal and not enough focused on the work, the mastery process.
If you enjoy coding then it shouldn't matter what others are doing.
Focus on the process of being creative. This will calm your mind and the suicidal thoughts.

Because everyone is spammed to death online all the time. Ain't no high value girl checking her DMs for a boyfriend request.
Because doing a street approach takes balls. For every 99 online approaches she gets 1 real life approach. The real life approach is an honest signal. Very few guys can pull it off well. If you can pull it off well you automatically place yourself first in the line into her pants.
The reason you hate doing real life approaches is precisely the thing that makes them so effective. They cull out all the losers and pussies.
If you're wise you should want approaching hot girls to be as difficult as possible. So that nobody else does it but you.
When you take the easiest path, so does everyone else, and you all end up with scraps. But he who takes the hardest path ends up with the whole pie all to himself.

Yes, it can be dangerous if you spiral downward into madness by yourself.
But don't forget, being social can be very dangerous as you spiral downward into collective madness.
People. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't.
It is what you make of it. Welcome to life.

My whole life in a nutshell.
By reminding myself that my work is just a game and that the real jewel is my state of consciousness.

Requires lots of trial and error. Lots of experience needed.
You can be cute and romantical without being sexual.
Here are two better things you could have texted her:
"You are more adorable than a baby polar bear sliding down a rainbow." (stolen line from Jeffy, but it shows you my point).
"I want to build you a house out of Legos and fill it with exotic baby animals."
Neither of these lines is sexual, but they both clearly tell the girl that you are interested in her romantically and so there will be no friendzone from this.
Friendzone happens when you don't make your intent clear. Besides, this is only the opening shot of the battle. There will be many more lines following it which will also subtly communicate your romantic intent. For example, you can literally tell her something like, "I'm taking you for a picnic in the romantical land of enchanted unicorns. Watch out for the rattlesnakes hiding in the pink mist." If she responds positively to such a text, you know she's interested in fucking you. Your intent is clear and you never come off creepy. If she doesn't respond positively then you know she's not attracted to you and nothing you text her will change that.
That's why I commented. To disabuse you of this time-wasting notion.
You can certainly turn a woman on via texts. I can and have given girls more powerful orgasms via text than past guys ever did with their dicks. But this assumes the girl is attracted to begin with. A very important distinction to learn.
My general rule of thumb is this: avoid explicitly mentioning sex to a girl until you've had sex with her. If you follow this one rule you will save so many blown up sets.
Of course you can be much more edgy and still get the girl. But you needlessly risk blowing it up. Why take that risk? Just to be edgy?
Once you reach the attraction hook-point with a girl, you can get away with some really edgy and sexual stuff. And the hook-point is usually reached within 5 minutes of meeting her face-to-face. But you are not reaching that hook-point via your texts.
If you reach the hook-point, you can politely ask to squeeze a girl's tits, and there's a good chance she will let you. One of the most amazing experiences in game is when you go to the club, hit hook-point within 5 seconds just by looking her in the eyes and smiling, and then politely asking her if you can fondle her tits in front of all her friends, and she giggles and says Yes.
This sort of thing is possible, but it requires really good calibration and understanding of when hook-point has been hit. Hook-point is like the most important thing to getting girls. It's so crucial to be able to recognize. And it's not a function of time because it can happen in 5 seconds with no words exchanged.
When flashy and ballsy game works, it's because the guy reached rapid hook-point with the girl. But foolish newbies think they can do that on a cold girl and it blows up in their face.
When a girl likes you, she will let you get away with murder. But if she has no investment in you at all, you might as well be romancing a brick wall. Don't waste your time romancing brick walls. Look for girls who love you right off the bat. Then sleeping with them will be easy.
The most effective way to get laid is to go to a nightclub, approach every girl and screen immediately for hook-point. Once you find the one that hooks, you immediately screen her for logistics. If the logistics are not optimal, you immediately move on to another girl until you find one that hooks hard and has optimal logistics. Then you pull. Guys who are masters of game have boiled their game down to this. They are very wise to not waste their time.

So, I have been on this self actualization channel for a few years. Recently is has become obvious to me that, though I am doing well in a lot of ways considering where I was when I started that I am still very naive, unprofessional, ignorant and lack the skills/ skill level I need to achieve anything big in life. I have been foolish in so many ways in my life the past 2 years. So many mistakes, poor judgements and a lack of strategic planning has set me back. I feel frustrated but know I must accept reality of my situation. I was torn between making my project Youtube channel and journal coaching Thought Art and my musical project Engramn, OBC and was dealing with a lot of fear and resentment.. I also had a some media project making videos for other music artists called OBC which has some really exciting minor successes. Though, personality problems caused it to fail.
I feel sad because I want to be a powerful creator in the world I am 25 years old now, and I feel the creeping of old and age death is just around the corner. I have been cleaning up my mind and my habits over the past few years and feel I have come a long way.Not without set backs of course. But, still I am just so fucking naive it is really frustrating. I know I am smart, I am reading a lot and have watched Leos videos. However, both my parents are uneducated and I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid and sometimes I feel like I am just a blind idiot stumbling around in the dark. My family has also abandoned me because they don't understand my spiritual pursuits and I think me working on myself threatens them. I also did try to change them in some ways, that never works. I guess I just wanted more love from them I never got as a kid, and honestly still have some PTSD from things that happened as a kid. I have been cleaning up a marijuana addiction (thank god what a waste) and I am thinking clearer, getting my finances in order and maintaining a really healthy set of habits. I am returning to school to study an 8 month accounting program because I think it will give me a comfortable job and a foundation for future business as I continue to develop myself to be a powerful creator.
Smoking weed chronically is antithetical to self actualizing. Clear, rational and pragmatic thinking has to be the foundation. Then the transrational stuff can we built. What in my models of reality is real? What is delusional? No one knows.
Thought Art was a channel I was using to share my journey,I was talking about e-ink tablets and other things however tonight I had this big realization as to how shitty the content quality was and I decided to delete the channel. I felt scared doing it but I think it is important. Though i was fun, and I had like 1 super fan who actually offered me money for a course I was giving on journaling....it was overall a waste of time and focus. Youtube is not worth pursuing. Also, seeing as I am not really a genius at living life I am not someone who should be giving advice. I am just really collecting as much as I can so I have a solid life long learning foundation. I feel sad in some ways letting it go. But, in life I am realizing you really can only do one thing. My mind had been jumping back and forth. I realize now that If I can't put my focus all on one thing then the products I create will suck hairy ball sack. 
Engramn is my music project, which has seen some success. I have played some Youth Showcases and festivals in my home town. Which is honestly a lot more than I ever thought possible when I started. I've made an album I am very proud of. Though I know if I want to take it to the next level there is going to have to be some big changes. I want to take my music to the next level but this ringing in my head is really scaring me. I feel trapped. I feel it in my heart that it is something I want to take to the next level and it was even my life purpose statement: To make deep insights beautiful to ignite the spirit of humanity to self actualize. I want to make music that helps guide people out of hard life situations, etc.  When I look at my heros playing like Fleet Foxes, Arcadefire, Jose Gonazlez my heart lights up and aches so badly because I know that is what I am supposed to be doing. I feel a fear because I know the universe doesn't care about me.... It feel really scary sometimes I just want to kill myself.  When I play open mics always get a lot of compliments and other artists really seem to respect my work. I love singing to people, I love creating the music and I love creating unique feelings and ideas. When I study poetry, psychology and music theory my heart lights up.  I want to be the best singer song writer in the world and contribute something the world has never experienced before. I feel this great sense of urgency and fear. I also have so many fears around being famous sometimes I feel crippled by the weight of it all. Find my music here....https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzntACYqCzlbPIE0icZ1sMw
I felt so scattered the last year, doing lots of meditation, yoga, psychedelics, reading, journaling etc. At times music seems like it would be a fruitless pursuit, and what if my tinnitus worsens? I have no hearing loss at all, but the ringing is always there... It generally doesn't go away. I had a lot of time on my hands because of the pandemic this year. I think I put a lot of time into myself, reading, listening to audiobooks, cleaning up, attending Tantric festivals. I think I was a bit foolish in my psychedelic use which created some setbacks though....  Though, I didn't put as much time into music as I have into spiritual pursuits which felt really important to me because I still had all these old traumas coming up from the past. 
Sometimes I think I will become a Qigong, Yoga Teacher... Or I will integrate Yoga, Qigong, shamanic practices and Reiki..... but really I just want to use these spritual practice to become a better singer song writer.
I just, I don't really want to do anything else but music... but then my tinnitus makes that feel like its impossible. It's all in my head. Might just have to accept it and keep putting in the work.  Also, the whole slave labour thing, the grinding nature of it all. Apparently this world owes me nothing.  What kind of loving God would create this? Like seriously if you have infinite creative potential? 
In some ways I have come further than I ever though I would, but at the same time I am honestly still a piss poor creator and my current results in life make that glaringly obvious. It is a cause of some guilt and shame, self disgust in this present moment just looking at myself. I am overall happy, and I see my potential and the growth I can have in the future. I have been a piss poor creator all my life and this will not be how I die. I will die a powerful creator, I will realize God and I will life a rational, practical, creative and spiritual life. I will not let my parents mental illness and victim mindset ruin my life like it has theres. I will not die a piss poor creator.
I still lack self trust, though it is developing over time. I love Leo's work and his content. It makes me feel like I can really figure this whole thing out. I realize that what he is teaching is some of the more hardcore and challenging things to ever figure out in life and I can congratulate myself for trying and for how far I have come. I haven't come far at all though at the same time. I want to inspire the hearts of millions of people with my song. I don't know if I will, and that scares me a lot. It won't happen as I was, the piss poor creator I have been. I will improve.
 
Question: People who are powerful creators now, how did you get that way? What challenges and lessons did you learn and overcome?
TLDR: I have been successful in some ways, but foolish and piss poor creator like in other ways. 
 

@FeelSpaghetti There are many other factors for decreased cognition, brain fog, etc. You should research them. For example, heavy metals definitely impair cognition very significantly.
Consider the possibility that your issue may not be the psychedelics but other factors which simply got conflated with your psychedelic use. There is no reason why psychedelics should ruin your cognition rather than enhance it.
You need to run tests on all those other factors, which you can correct and cure to get your cognition back. Don't just accept that it is ruined forever. You have remarkable capacities to heal if you get serious about it.
Clean up your diet, get blood work, check your hormones, check your heavy metals, try various supplements, try detox protocols, etc.

Some folks seem to be night owls. I am. I usually go to sleep at sunrise.
Night is good cause no one bothers you and its dead quiet.

The first few years of getting into self-help are the hardest as you flood your mind with self-help theory but aren't yet serious enough to be doing sufficient practices. This leads to a lot of fancy new ideas and ideals, but very little results.
This is normal and not really a problem because you need to build some theoretical foundation before your fully roll up your sleeves. But don't drag it out forever.

Looking at some of the symptoms of depersonalization I can't help but to notice extreme similarities to enlightenment.
How could you differentiate between the two. What if enlightenment and derealization are the exact same thing, but for the "derealized" person the no-self and dream-like nature of reality gives them anxiety and they can't come to acceptance of their ego death or disillusion.

  

@Kaity You are right where you need to be.
At 24 I didn't have my LP figured out. So you're ahead of me.
Just be patient and don't give up. Move in the general direction that lights up your heart.

Nothing wrong with sex, but it is one of the lower joys of life.
Most people's lives involve: sleep, eat, shit, work, fuck.
There are higher ways to live.
An awakening beats an orgasm every time.
If you're pre-occupied with sex, you're stuck on living from chakra 2. Which is pretty low. At some point you'd be wise to outgrow that. Doesn't mean you have to stop having sex, but it just becomes less of a priority in your life.
Of course lots of people judge sexual openness because they suppress their own sexuality.
Also, peoples' sex drives differ. Some low, some high.

Peace comes when you realize value is an illusion.
Let go of needing to feel valuable. Notice that peace remains in its place. Simple.
The point of years of meditation is to forget all about value. When you were a toddler you had zero value and life was great. As a teen you started to chase value and life started to suck. The more you chase value the worse you will feel about life.
No they don't. You merely assume they do and they are good at acting.
There is no completeness so long as you identify with being human. A human is by definition not the whole Universe and therefore always incomplete.
What you seek is awakening and you don't even know it.

Well.... it depends how you read. Of course reading can be a great adjunct to contemplation -- grist for the mill so to speak. But even so, reading tends to fill the mind with preconceived ideas and beliefs which limit serious contemplation. The best contemplation is done from scratch, without reliance on other people's ideas. Like deriving mathematical proofs for oneself without reading the textbook.
Reading is useful, it just isn't deep contemplation.
You need to learn to develop stuff on your own, without building on top of a mountain of others' ideas. This then allows you to think outside the box. If you build on a mountain of others' ideas, you will not think far enough outside the box because you're going to internalize all of their core assumptions and get stuck in paradigm lock. This is one of the biggest problems for academics and scientists. They rely too heavily on that mountain of ideas without thinking independently enough. And how do they get that mountain of ideas in their head? By reading a lot without deeply questioning what they read.
Contemplation is not taught in school or university. Because that would be too dangerous. Students are taught to be parrots, not true philosophers.

Of course! How else could it be?
This is the fundamental nature of knowledge/science.
You're damned if you do but you're even more damned if you don't.
Hold ideas loosely, is the key.

By becoming a passionate musician today you ARE setting an example for generations to come.
The example must be set way early. These are seeds that must be planted hundreds of years in advance. Just like how the seed for democratic government had to be planted some 2500 years ago by the Greeks. Those seeds are still just sprouting.
Don't wait to plant the seed.
That is the point of automation. That is why automation is a very good and important trend. Automation frees up mankind to pursue their passions without needing to do grunt work. Most people simply don't understand this yet because living a passionate life is scary -- it takes a lot more responsibility and consciousness.

If every human took a shit in the same room, we'd all be dead.
Nothing material scales infinitely. Everything has to be in proportion in a complex society.
The mistake in your logic is that you assume that following your passion means that this should scale across 7 billion people. But of course it won't, simply because 95% won't ever even hear the advice, let alone follow it, so it's not something to worry about.
Following your passion is advice aimed at 5% of the population. And that is workable. And by the time 5% of the population is following their passion, that will open the doors for another 5% to do the same, and so on, until one day we can have 50%+ people doing it, and maybe some day 90%+. But this will take many generations.
You can be a musician precisely because most people have no interest in being musicians because they are not wired like you. Probably less than 1% of people in the world would choose to be a musician if they have total freedom to do whatever they wanted.
For example, human civilization would collapse if everyone became enlightened overnight. Which is precisely why it will never happen. Enlightenment is very rare precisely because it needs to be rare in order for civilization to sustain itself. But this is irrelevant if you are the one who knows awakening is your thing.

"Psychotherapy is a sanctuary; it is a battleground; it is a place I have been psychotic, neurotic, elated, confused, and despairing beyond belief. But, always, it is where I have believed–or have learned to believe–that I might someday be able to contend with all of this." 
- Kay Redfield Jamison
Background 
I have suffered from depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and social anxiety since I was 12.
I have always avoided the traditional ways to healing (psychotherapy & psychiatry). I thought it wasn't effective. I had gone to a few of them, but none were actually good.
No psychotherapy > bad psychotherapy.
So instead, I tried all the unorthodox approaches : Neuroliguistic Programming, veganism, Yoga, Tai Chi, theater classes, hypnosis, family constellation, hardcore meditation, cold showers, Tapping, Ayahuasca ceremonies, etc. 
Some of those things work in the short-term. But sooner or later, I'd fall on my ass and be worse off. This would make me feel very frustrated because I felt it was working because of me. 
 
"I am done with unorthodox approaches. I want the traditional!" 
A year ago, I was going through a major depressive episode. I was waking up at 5 PM, would only stay in bed, watch random stuff on the internet, was heavily socially anxious. Sleeping and eating was the most exciting things in my day.
So, I decided to try a psychiatrist a friend recommended. To sum up, he was very blunt, arrogant, and incompetent. After six months of treatment, I had a hypo-maniac episode (which is a negative type of euphoria). This was caused by being prescribed the wrong medication. 
Then, last June, I found a psychiatrist online that had very good reviews.
And I also started going to a really good psychologist. She has tons of experience, and is very empathetic. She never once told me something like: "You're being lazy", "You're too sensitive", "You need to push yourself more." She does not tell me what I "need" to do. Instead, through dialogue, I come to the conclusion by myself. And because she doesn't scold me, I feel safe to open up to her. 
And btw, psychotherapy is not just a conversation. Far from it. 
 
Results
It's been about six months that I have been with this psychologist + psychiatrist, and here's what I have accomplished so far: 
1) My mood is finally stable. A year ago, I'd have a good day, and then 6 very depressed days. Obviously, I am not 100% everyday, but I can actually function, live life with its ups and downs. It is a great blessing to not feel debilitating and unreasoning emotions. I still feel bad sometimes, but now it has a cause, is manageable, and is not overwhelming.
2) My psychiatrist gave two medications that fit me very well. One of it gives me energy and will-power. And the other one helps me shut down my mind and go to sleep. Each medication cancels the side effects of the other one. 
3) My sexuality is much healthier. 
4) I have stopped smoking weed, drinking alcohol, and using any type of psychedelics. Although I didn't admit, I was pretty much addicted to those things. And in my case, nothing that alters my normal state of mind is good for me. 
5) I am proactively finding new things to do. Instead of being in bed all day or just mindlessly use the internet; I actually want to get out of the house. (I am not neurotic about always being outside doing stuff though).
6) I have started to take keyboard and Spanish classes. I practice yoga and soccer by myself daily (I don't have to force myself; it's organic). And I also walk my dog with a dog trainer twice a week. So my routine has more meaningful and exciting things. 
7) My relationships are much more healthy. Regarding friends, I can now set healthy boundaries more easily. Regarding dating, I am actually going out with people! (which was something unimaginable a few months ago). I am learning how to deal with jealousy, rejection, and so on. And finally regarding my family, it's all getting very harmonic. 
8) I am more laid-back. I used to be very tensed up and neurotic about stuff. Instead of thinking about existential, deep and shadowy stuff all day (but having no results), I now direct all of this to my weekly 1-hour of psychotherapy. This way in my day-to-day life; I feel lighter, less tensed and overly-profound, and more playful.  
9) I can trust that I will naturally do what's best for me. I am more in-the-moment. I don't hold very strong and inflexible decisions. Instead, I flow with life. 
> If I am being too stubborn, I identify that and let it go.
> If I am being lazy or passive, I negotiate with myself so that I can actually do what I want to do. 
9) I am losing weight effortlessly. Or as some self-help authors like to put it, "I am getting back to my natural body form". Because of the depression, I was eating copious amounts of food - which made me gain weight. But now I don't crave for food anymore; and I don't have to starve myself to lose weight nor eat stuff that has no flavor. Oh, and I am also sleeping less (from 10-12 hours daily to 7-9 hours). 
10) I am taking more care of my appearance and well-being. I use moisturizer; I use a type of shampoo that covers my white hair; I am shaving some parts of my body. It is not something "over the top". It's healthy. I am not abandoning my body; instead, I am taking care of it. 
Important: Boy oh boy, did I wish I could accomplish all of that through reading self-help books, watching videos, meditating the shit out of me, talking with a "spiritual" friend; or using psychedelics. I learned the hard way that I cannot depend on those things to be healthy psychologically - they are just a complement for high-quality face-to-face psychotherapy and psychiatry. 
 
 
If you liked the quote at the beginning of this topic, check this out:  https://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/beyondblue/2010/10/kay-redfield-jamison-on-psycho-1.html. 
 

Find what you are most passionate about and lifts your spirit, brings love, joy and happiness when you partake in that activity. Pursue that.
Creation sorts out the rest, its that simple. By following your truest/highest calling you are simply being yourself, your true nature thus you are creating minimal resistance within existence thus everything naturally flows in accomplishment.
You don't have to complicate it further. Trust and follow your heart!

@Spiral Wizard The answers will depend on where you're at now (what your sticking points are) and what your goals are.
Learning dating is about as challenging as learning biz. It will take some years to sort through the BS. And just like learning biz, it's worth it. So jump right in. Don't worry about having it all figured out now. That's not possible. It is an epic journey.

Tortoise wins the race.
The mind is slow to rewire itself. If you push it too much you might just get frustrated and quit. The harder you push, the more ego backlash you'll get.
When it comes to this training, quality is far more important than quantity.

Lust for other women is common for men. It's just how we tend to be wired. But this idea that you should deliberately sleep around is stupid if you are already in a happy relationship.
I would say, if you like this girl, commit to being with her. And if it doesn't work out and you become single, then you can sleep around at that time.
There are times to sleep around, but when you're in a loving relationship already isn't one of those times.
Be mindful that you sleeping around would cause her lots of suffering and it would certianly destroy your relationship. She will never forgive you for sleeping around. Nor should she, because you're acting like an ass, throwing away a good thing by thinking with your dick.

Yes, I have worldly obligations. Mostly with my biz (Actualized.org) and you guys. Also a bit of family obligations, but not much.
I am not a social person because I find it too shallow and I like my freedom.
I don't need to talk much about these topics with people/family because I get it out via my videos. The videos are my outlet.
To me social balance looks like living in a cabin in the woods with maybe a girlfriend. And interacting with students via teachings or writing. I don't care for having a social life in the conventional sense.
Don't try to emulate this unless it feels natural to you. People have different social preferences. Mystics tend to have an abnormally high tolerance for solitude.
Figure out what you want. What I want is irrelevant to you.

You'd have to study a lot of history and culture of the Middle East.
The classic book: Gun, Germs, and Steel makes some interesting points about how geographical conditions shape development of nations and cultures.
It's not exactly rocket science to suggest that geography plays an important role in how nations develop and survive.
Arabian culture was highly tribal because survival in harsh desert climates is no easy business. That strong tribalism is evident even today.
You can think of nations almost like species. Different bird species develop and survive in different ways depending on the geography they must survive in -- as Darwin discovered and catalogued. Well, same thing with nations. Some nations develop quickly because their environment demands it. Other nations develop slowly because their environment allows for it. Some species like crocodiles have not changed much in the last 50 million years while others like birds and primates had to evolve rapidly to adapt to new emerging environments. To reduce all this complexity to problematic passages within the Quran is rather silly. The Quran itself is a byproduct of this evolutionary process of survival.
Islam is a religion uniquely suited to survival within the conditions where it arose. Unfortunately as the world becomes more globalized Islam has difficulty adapting to more modern times. But this problem is not unique to Islam. All religions face this problem to some extent. Fundamentalism is a reactionary movement against modernization and secularism. Fundamentalist movements exist within Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, etc. Fundamentalism is an ego backlash against modernity and post-modernity.