ItsNick

Yeah... isolation can do that. I guess early in life when going to school and through college your "social life" and "role in society" is more automatic and unconscious and it's much easier because of that. And it's hard after that to figure out how to live a social life or be a member of society. But on the upside: Now you get to consciously create it... I'm sorry for your bad experiences. But it's possible to heal simply by socializing again in a healthy way. I was going through similar things as you (at least socially) and set a general long-term goal for myself to significantly improve my satisfaction with my social life. I had a lot of bad experiences while working towards that goal but by being persistent I found some people I can really connect with after about 9 months of work. I also found a better way to balance being introverted and being in solitude (and not feeling lonely, Leo's recent videos on this topic are amazing for this too) and socializing. Other aspects of my social and sexual life are much better now too. The good experiences really do help to heal. You gotta learn to forget about the failures and accept them as necessary. It's important you really sit down (multiple times over a longer period of time) and contemplate what you want out of your "social life." And then set a number of concrete goals to work towards. By having this goal in your mind you also start to notice you can learn a lot just by observing how others do it or people similar to you. Also watch a lot of YouTube videos on this, read about these topics, and take a lot of action.

Yesterday I told an entire story about finding a wallet on the street while going for a walk and my journey to find its owner. To me it was kinda boring but I tried to tell the story in such a way the people listening were interested in how it ended. I try to go out every Thursday and socialize and I'm noticing just practicing small talk makes it easier

Seems like life is more unfair when it comes to selfish things and fairer when it comes to selfless things. Can't blame life for not developing yourself as a man. And more selfish desires such as getting laid will come as a fruit

Well I personally fear commitment and intimacy because of the reality that I will lose some of my independence. I also value some solitude and not having to deal with people for weeks sometimes because it's just a great way for me to be very productive and has proven to lead to success. And with friends it's much easier to socialize when desired and not when not desired. At the same time (and I think this is true for most guys) I do desire intimacy, despite fearing it. It's just that the sacrifices are real. So it makes sense that a guy would only commit if it's really worth it.

Nice video I came across. The advice is quite basic but still useful. Summary: Work daily Volume > Perfection Steal (like an artist) Conscious Learning Rest Feedback Create what you love (duh) And in general I think the point he makes about rest is important. Sometimes if you take a break from your work for some time it will help you return with a fresh perspective.

@Max8 A physics degree is tangible. I also have tangible savings and tangible free time to be creative and work on myself and business. As well as tangible increases in my satisfaction with life and my health (thanks to a healthier lifestyle). But one last time: This work is that hardest thing in life and requires you commit 100%. It's ultimately challenging. Obviously if you work on yourself and your life hard enough you can improve it (a lot). If you're not interested in that because you believe it's all nonsense then just leave this forum.

Lol. Just look at people who are doing what they love in life. Study them. I'm currently working really hard towards this myself. I've been able to get my degree more quickly and take many months off to find and work towards my Life Purpose. I'm also working towards becoming more financially independent. Can't say I have achieved it but I'm on the right track. My understanding of life, and specific things like marketing and business have also grown a lot this year. An important point is also that true understanding is not "mental masturbation." It will serve you for the rest of your life. Also study materially succesful people if money is so important to you. Sure. Set some goals and do whatever work you need to do to achieve them. Nobody to fool but yourself.

Self-Actualization, Self-Improvement, Personal Development...it's one of the hardest possible things in life. It's ultimately challenging. It's framed as the "hero's journey" for a reason dude. Even so. Minor improvement happens for many people. Most basic self-help is about finding a job you like, learning more about yourself, time-management etc. Easy stuff. But you don't have to do this work. You can just try and create a comfortable life and be a normie. But that would probably be much less fulfilling.

I guess you should just watch it. It's just interesting more and more "mainstream" YouTubers are using psychedelics and talking about it

Hard question. I don’t fully know the answer yet but I really love it when I remember life is magical. Now that’s quite abstract and I find it hard to pick one thing. But I experience life as magical in different ways: When learning about anything. But more specifically something deep and beyond myself like nature, maths, psychology, or philosophy. Although if you dive deep enough into any topic, it becomes beautifully complex and interesting. When I’m being creative. The act of creating does this. Makes me feel participant in the universe. I also especially love the creative process because it involves imagination and then you can actually turn it into reality! And ways that are harder for me to articulate. Sometimes when I’m in the right state everything becomes magical. Normally I feel like a “flatlander” in life and take it for granted (like Leo said in his previous vid) but occasionally I remember that life is infinitely fucking significant and it’s time to become passionate again. This can be triggered by music, nature, by something someone says, or at random. Anyways will take more than contemplation to really find the answer for me. Needs lots of more experience.

The problem is not merely that the spirit of science seems to be missing these days. The spirit of wonder and mystery at all of nature. Most scientists these days (even many of them that are popular and have PhD's and many citations) are lacking in philosophical understanding and even dismiss metaphysics and epistemology altogether. And people like this Dave are among the worst of them. Being proud (almost like a religious fanatic) about being anti-spiritual and dismissing philosophy. I remember in college my physics professors used to get annoyed when students asked philosophical questions about Quantum Mechanics. Some of them would even proudly tell us that we physicists are doing the real work and the philosophers are now extinct. It's funny though that physics used to be called natural philosophy back in Newton's day. Metaphysics and epistemology and other branches of philosophy were central to the craft. And before Newton's day the scientists, philosophers, and mystics were often a single person.

Came across this by accident. But oh boy, imagine being such a big materialist you deny even science

The people who are whining about their freedom have no clue of what freedom means. Here's an interesting quote I came across today while reading.

@whatishappeningtome Netherlands too. Huge housing crisis here

@njuufa Only a psychopath would get that score

It's not wrong to chase desires as long as you're aware they will ultimately not satisfy you. For example it's very useful to have concrete goals, but don't expect happiness when reaching them. Find satisfaction in working towards them instead with desire being useful fuel. Annddd....just watch this:

All of these smoking anti-vaxers lol These people are probably more likely to put real toxins in their body

I know his heart is in the right place, but he's a bit stupid sometimes.

Well. Do the work you love for the sake of that work. For its own sake and the satisfaction you get from it. If you have that you already have more than most people. It really is a great joy to be creative and passionate about anything. And if you really love that work enough it should be enough motivation to position yourself to make a living off of it. You have to figure out how yourself. Maybe start working part-time and then on your Life Purpose on the side at first.

When Trump is not low-consciousness enough for the crowd: Pretty funny but also very sad. So many rotten minds who won't take the vaccine Edit: Actually Trump might be afraid of losing supporters if they all die from Covid lol

@Leo Gura What do you mean by Togetherness? That the Oneness includes all seperate things?

This conversation reminds me of this: It's an interesting video

Start with some discipline. Read at least 10 pages a day. Or 25. Whatever minimum amount you can manage. But yeah ideally you build an enjoyable reading habit

I used to like McDonalds as a kid. Now I literally cannot eat it lol. And it makes me gag