WonderSeeker

@koops Always doing the work, amigo. Found this forum 5 years ago. I was just a college pothead gorilla back then. In year 1 I meditated every day for 14 months straight. Had my first awakening on LSD Jan 2021. Then a shocking sober awakening in April 2021. Also read a stupid amount of books from Leo's book list. Pivoted to dating and attraction from 2021-2024. Traveled to Mongolia in 2022 and dated 5 girls there. Went on some fun insta-dates while living in Vermont. Then moved to Arizona and dated a psychopath who squatted in my apartment for 2 months (pure hell, but also hilarious). Now doing a deep dive into trauma healing literature and building my first personal brand to leave 9-5 wage slavery for good. Tried becoming a male model, D2D sales, and selling real estate coaching for a friend all in the past year. Everything failed epically. Been to hell and back. Watched news nonstop over this last month. The results are what they are. You know you're beyond green when the emotional charge of politics isn't as great; you can simultaneously care, yet be detached from the outcome too. At the end of the day, if you're in this forum, you have bigger fish to fry then get caught up in the news shit storm. You know this. In the next 3-5 years, I'm going to become financially free, travel to east and Southeast Asia (vagabonding, spiritual quests, etc), travel to South America for psychedelics and Latina women, and launch a personal brand in geology/nature exploration. Until then, tomorrow is November 12, 2024.

Hi all, This post is an atom bomb, and it means a lot to me. (TL/DR at the end if you're short on time.) I'll be asking for opinions and advice that could really help steer me in the right direction on what has been my work over the past 6-8 years. The main topics are: life purpose, starting an online biz/creating a website, making money online, and execution. Okay, now for some background on me. Here's the important questions to consider while reading: What is my life purpose and why pursue it? How did I get to this point in my growth toward this end? And, what are the roadblocks that keep me from taking bigger steps forward? (I'll get to what I think those steps are shortly.) So, I am a scientist. I am a geologist. And I fuckin love geology. I studied geology at university for 6+ years, from Aug 2016 to Dec 2022. So, I got a Bachelors and Masters. After just one semester in undergrad, I already knew I wanted to be a professor. I told my advisor and he told me what to do to find success and get into a graduate program. And I didn't fuck around. Over those 4 years I sacrificed dating (I think I only went to like 5 parties and had a girlfriend for a little while senior year). But I went to all classes and aced every geo class I took. I even started to get mentored by one of the younger assistant professors. We did field work in the mountains and I felt so alive. But by sophomore and junior year I had started smoking weed and taking psychedelics. This was before I found Actualized. And yet I could already see the epistemics of truth in the sciences and geosciences crumbing before my eyes. The validity of other perspectives became SO obvious. (ca 2019) Eventually I did find Leo's work and began meditating, reading shitloads of books, and having deeper psychedelic trips. (ca 2019/20) While in grad school I started writing a book about geology. I wrote half a book (~20k words) while also writing my thesis. I never finished the book but did finish grad school. While picking at sand grains under the microscope in my uni's lab, I listened to Leo's Deconstructing Science series. I laughed my ass off because I was sitting there playing those academic games for a couple years and everything he was saying was true as fuck. My life purpose began to be shaped and molded more by my aspirations for a better "philosophy of geology" which I saw a vision for in my field. (ca late 2020-22) Fast forward: I finished grad school, moved from Vermont to Arizona, and began working for a mining company in Alaska. I had no money and didn't know how the world worked. I spent all my money on dating courses so I could get laid a little and start building a more well rounded life. But the mining job (aside from the cool natural environment I was in) fucking blew, so I quit out of my contract early. (ca mid 2023) Out of desperation for money to stay afloat and refusing to move back in with my parents in New York, I stuck it out in Arizona and became a full time Uber driver. I lived paycheck-to-paycheck in unhealthy survival-mode for months (really up until just now). While Ubering, I tried commercial modeling (paid a friend to coach me), online real-estate sales (also with a friend), and door-to-door sales where I knocked 2,000+ doors. I did all of this because I felt that I needed to generate some business experience so I'd have some confidence and know-how when I go to launch my product [some day]. Only issue there was my instruction and practice wasn't concentrated, but my heart was in the right place. (ca late 2023-24) Ok so now I'm going to break the timeline and go back... Since meditating, taking psychedelics, and journaling (all habits I started 2020 or before), I have generated dozens, perhaps hundreds of geology or "geophilosophy" ideas and insights, storing them in my obese OneNote drive. And to this day I passively get 1-3 insights per week because my brain has a funny way of combining ideas for me while I'm doing other stuff. Anyways, these insights have a purpose. And this brings me to my life purpose. My life purpose is the following: (1) visit all of the most beautiful and culturally significant geologic sites on the face of the earth, document it, and share it with other nature enthusiasts; (2) develop a comprehensive meta-scientific understanding of geology ("geophilosophy" or "geoconsciousness" as I call it), and share it with a wide audience of nature enthusiasts, geeks, and systems thinkers. That's the gist of my highest vision. Not every detail but the big-picture of it. Ok, so here's the thing: I've been wanting to make YT videos, online free/paid courses for a couple of years now. This is that self-actualization part of Maslow's hierarchy that I'm so passionate about living. And, what have I done? Stalled. Now, part of it is being young, not knowing wtf to do, and having not enough time and money. Ok, I'm past that. That situation is changing. That leads me to ISSUE #1: my "geophilosophy" content is mostly impractical/abstract, like some of Leo's higher teachings (2016-20 era stuff). About a year ago I became aware of this. Now, I'm looking at how I can take a more PRACTICAL angle, so when I do start creating content and funneling people in, it's over real problems I could solve based on my track record so far. By track record, I mean I have: 1) excelled at my geology major and graduated w/ degree, 2) got into graduate school as a geo and graduated there with awards, and 3) I got a job in both the exploration and consulting sectors of my field. I know what it takes to do all 3 of these things and I think I could hit target audiences––therefore charge money––for all 3! So that's my current idea for getting started is starting with what those in my field are ACTUALLY STRUGGLING WITH AND COULD USE HELP IN based on what I know. Now, I still need to do more research and I'm gonna fuck around with ChatGPT a little to learn more. I will prompt it with "my target audience is [insert target audience]. Give me a list of 50 of their most common problems." Ok, so now I get to what happens when I transition (make the Big Leap) from practical help for students to JUICYASFUCK geophilosophy that I actually want to talk about. The tricky part for me is this: I just landed a good salaried job. Being a 26 y.o. with 55k student debt and 12k credit card debt, I'm looking to fix my fucked money situation which is 100% my fault. Taking ownership on that one. Now, being that I'm working as a professional scientist, I fear that if I talk crazy stuff like using psychedelics to have samadhi's with rocks (or God knows what I will talk about) that they will see that and I'll lose my job and become a quack in the eyes of my whole field. I feel like I need to be in good financial standing before doing this kinda stuff. And don't just take it from me: I've read about America's early geologists in New York and New England. They had to fight hard to be independent scientists at a time when there wre no established state surveys and zero funding. (ca 1820s) Either you were a successful MD in your 40/50s and could self-fund your newfound naturalist interests, or you had a wealthy friend slide you money. I'm in a similar position, different time period. Perhaps, I should get money, then I can do what I want. If you want to pin a particular name to my ideal occupation/calling, it would be something like independent (meta-)scientist (eg, James Lovelock) mixed with Yoda. Since I am a typical example of an American who graduated with a pile of student debt I'm not necessarily incentivized to take this route. And yet I don't care because I love my unique purpose, which is my truth, which is good. As mentioned before I recently landed a more stable, salaried consulting job. I'm happy about the money, stability, and potential for career progression. I'm in a better position than ever to create. So, where do I start? Create video content online (YT, IG reels, LinkedIn). Not sure which platform I'll emphasize, but LinkedIn would seem like a good start. That video content would give away free value that connects to a course that would actually help students or young professionals in this niche industry I'm in. What I feel like I need is the following: (1) to prove to myself that I CAN make money online by helping REAL people (even just selling 3 courses would mean a lot), and (2) to generate a base of loyal followers (right now my industry has a few accounts over 100k followers and maybe 1-2 dozen in the 20-80k range). I want to lay out the groundwork for the growth and leaps to come. Ok, now for some more fears (yaaaaay). ISSUE #2: Fear of not generating audience due to not being able to commit enough time and resources to this pursuit (slipping). It feels like this NEEDS to work or else, how will I create "geophilosophy?" ISSUE #3: Already mentioned, but basically the fear that professionals will see my more advanced content when it comes out and not be okay with it (ie, I get excommunicated). Now, I think ISSUE #3 is less real because by then, I would have already separated myself from the mainstream thinkers in my field. However, doing so is contingent on making a killing in the business (making $ so I aint in debt and broke), which of course means overcoming ISSUE #2. Now, to take action against ISSUE #2, I do know of trusted people to learn from on making money online (Dan Koe and Dakota Robinson; look them up on IG/YT). That in it self will require some time though, as I need to invest $ to get the proper education in order to build fortified, useful, and awesome content and courses. Good content -> good leads -> good money, assuming course charges well which is contingent on good leads(?) Anyways, you see me thinking though all of this. Again, I'm 26. I fuckin love geology, philosophy, psychedelics, spirituality, truth, and consciousness. But I need to start at practical and grow into something awesome. @Leo Gura you essentially did just that with your IPEC coaching, to Actualized as general self-help, to Actualized as advanced spiritual teachings, right? In conclusion I see roughly the path laid out ahead of me. But I also see a mile into the forest and some of the bear traps in there. Perhaps some of them are very real, others imaginary. I'm deeply curious about any of your experience in online money-making and trying to talk about more esoteric topics. - - - TL/DR: I am a young, passionate geologist who worked hard in school and now find myself in the working world. However I've experimented with many spiritual techniques over the years and now have a big creative vision for taking my field to the next level. I have come up with many "geophilosophy" ideas and insights as I call them. I want to share these but fear they are too abstract. So I've decided I will start by creating free content which leads to a course for students (since I succeeded in school and would like to help them). I see the arc: go from practical communicator/educational consultant to deep geophilosophy/spiritual "teacher". But to get there is the bitch. I'm 26 and broke (55k student + 12k credit card debts). I just landed a good salaried job and want to ride that for the next few years to make some "comeback money." But ultimately I want to be an independent thinker and put out my EXACT creative vision that I'm DYING to let free. That said, what's your advice on creating online courses? Mindset? I feel like I know the path yet still have fears around failing and getting found out as a woo-woo quack, say for hypothetically telling people to take LSD to gain access to higher truths about geology, etc. I'd love to hear your responses guys. Cheers! ~

Trauma and the Soul by: Donald Kalsched

Self Mastery Co. (formerly RSD) executes this EXACT pitcher plant model.

Two things: 1) Check out your words: imagine and contemplate. These are both important tool, but also feel for your passion - like, in your body. Sensations are also important indicators to consider. What makes you more animated in the body? 2) I'd be pissed if I didn't do both science and spirituality. It is not that you can't have both. Rather, you ask Which option will I i) pursue as a career that makes me money and ii) which option is more like a pet developmental project or hobby? Also, for this it helps to think long-term. Right now I'm using my science background to generate a stable income at a good company. But in the future I want to teach science online through my own creative style and integrate more radical spiritual tools like psychedelics. When I first got this vision I was naive about it and thought I'd have this up and running in 2 years. Well, its been 3 years and I'm just trying to get my finances in order (which will take another 5-10 years). How old are you? Your highest passion becomes clearer as you move through your 20s (I'm 26). I studied science at uni for 6+ years and thought many times Is this subject really still for me? In my case the answer was and is still yes, but you never know... things change. There's a good reason so many students change majors. I only see upside to your situation even though it gets you riled up - ahhhh, which one is it?!

I think Leo went through IPEC. Have you researched the market? You might wanna do some leg work and come back with more specific questions that people on here with experience can answer.

Dude! Art needs a vehicle. If you learn biology in depth, now you have a thought-medium to channel all sorts of creations. Stephen Hillenberg (creator of Spongebob) majored in marine biology before becoming a cartoonist! I am currently a geologist looking to create a philosophical-artistic product in the future. Eventually I may need someone with your talents. Do what makes you happy wither way! jp

Thanks for sharing your story. Surprised nobody's commented yet. Personally I used to be torn between 3 different areas I wanted to pursue: spirituality, science, and politics. After committing to the one (science) what happened to the others then? Well for spirituality it became more of a lifestyle move. Nonetheless practicing it has contributed to my understanding and practice of science, so there's still value there. As for politics, that became more like watching the news now and then and phoning my buddy who's a conservative to have honest debates and talk politics. More of a hobby at this point. I think when you're considering what you want "to do" in terms of what you go all in on, just ask yourself "What gets me more excited: music/films/novels or entrepreneur (consulting services such as physical trainer)? One of these will resonate more and you know it. Just check and make sure cultural conditioning isn't kicking in and saying (weLL, cAN I rEaLLy hAvE tHAt?). Nah, just get clear on what you want. And once you choose, the other thing becomes a subordinate channel of development that serves the higher priority, or it becomes a hobby. And right now it seems like a big deal but it's not. Once you crack this nut your mind and life will organize accordingly. jp

Interesting. Found that J.K. Rowling did it. Dr. Seuss also comes to mind. But why didn't you publish under a different name, Leo? Or did you? There's also people like Christopher Bache who published radical journal entries and commentary on his LSD trips (LSD and the Mind of the Universe), all after decades of being a Philosophy professor and academic. Seems like a painful thing to do to hold onto all of that work for years and wait for retirement before publishing. Another route, but not one I'm willing to take.

Do you know examples of people that have done this?

Here's an interesting media character that doesn't get enough attention. I already liked Cenk, but this interview blew me away: Politics is such a hairy area, and most of us (myself included) make asses of ourselves trying to make sense of it and make the discourse better. Yes, Cenk and TYT have a rep of being boisterous, sometimes over the top. But here was different. I was shocked by the level of nuance he brought. I'd also argue that he's a good example of healthy stage green. I say this because he's able to go meta-systemic and far-left, then come back and criticize elements of the left that are untenable or downright stupid (eg, throwing away capitalism, defund the police). Apparently he started TYT in his apartment back in 2002 with no money and the story goes he turned down an MSNBC contract for a 1M salary to keep his thinking and voice independent. Man has balls. Reminds me of you @Leo Gura, in that you could milk Actualized, yet you stay true to youself and committed to truth. Also, I think this highlights a good example of someone going outside of the inner core of the social matrix (mainstream media) to be a fresh voice/thinker. Ties in nicely with Leo's top 3 video: Not saying he's out of the matrix. He's an atheist and has other hangups. But good for politics and free media overall. - - - What do you think?

Of course he's full of ego and arrogant. (I think he knows this to an extent)

What do you mean by this question? TYT winning versus other media companies? Versus political movements? Elaborate

Yeah, his run for office was weird as hell.

Interesting, you lead with your family's concern over your major. Then your own self-doubts. Then Peterson's and society's supposed view of sociology as a field of study. And my question is: Why? Don't let anyone pimp you out if you know what's right for you. I studied geology all the way through a masters. Loved every step of the way, even though I wasn't sure what I'd do for work once I finished. During senior year (year 3 out of 6) I began experimenting with mind-altering substances and studying psychology, philosophy and spirituality on the side. So there. It's not uncommon to have your interests switch part way through college. Just keep your options open. Maybe it's not either/or, but some third option you're not seeing yet. Today I work as a geologic consultant but I still read and "practice" tons of psych (mostly trauma work now) and dabble in psychedelics. As @Carl-Richard said: passion grows the brain.

My respect to you for developing yourself wherever you are. Coming into the expert stage, from what i can remember from my earlier years, involved knowing and practicing something to a tee. For me, I learned how to solve the Rubik's cube and became obsessed. I also watched lots of Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and became hyper interested in math. Rational, nerdy, technical stuff. None of my friends did these things. I think experts take pride in differentiating themselves from their peer group. My personal examples aren't perfectly consistent with the model but they should give you a basic idea.

@quantumspiral @BlessedLion I was considering a TEFL in Korea but on the women front you make me think twice

Lol. Brother, you don't even need squat to move. I moved from New York to Arizona by car with only like 600 USD in the bank. Then I slept on someone's couch and became an Uber driver to make some money. They kicked me out 3 months later but it didn't matter because by then I had enough to rent. You have more money, plus the investments. But yes, you're a sophomore(?) in college and it would be potentially unwise to ditch the work you've put in so far. Maybe, idk. You're pragmatic, but clearly you don't have a passion for what you're doing and the people you're surrounded by. Have you thought about transferring colleges and cities at the same time? Also dude, you're 19. You don't need to be unnecessarily stressing to this degree. Take one bite at a time. Biggest lesson I've learned in year 26.

@hyruga Choose one or the other or oscillate between the two. As lion man said it depends on you. I peraonally sprint 3-6 months at a time then rejuvenate 1-2 months in between sprints.

I skimmed your post and I have 3 thoughts. 1. Dude, you're 26, I'm 26. You're fine, we're babies. 2. You still live with your parents. Ok, is this helping you or is it holding you back? Personally the best thing I ever did was drive 38 hours away from my hometown and live in a new city. 3. On the addiction thing: ya it can be a bitch getting over your attachments. I used to smoke weed every day and wank it to adult vids every other day. Its taken like 3-4 years to taper down and I haven't done either of those, nor alcohol in 6 months now. And the last time I did weed/alcohol were around toxic family/friends, so watch who you're surrounded by. At first stopping will be hard, but over time you'll develop momentum and change for the better. Best part is if you reintroduce it after enough time since your last use, you'll see how retarded those vices actually are. They're all the devil but they feel good when you're enmeshed with them Be realistic and gentle with yourself. You sound like you're hard on yourself. I wouldn't wanna be your child, lol. You're a smart, introspective, action taker. Clearly. Thats what i see. Tell yourself that and quit slamming yourself over the head my man

@k-ahmadzadeh Brother let me tell you, it's not just you. A lot of people go thru this. Me, I'm in door to door sales right now. And as someone who is not a natural at it (which is the case for most who do it), it will make you feel deeply unoptimistic about your goals, whether you'll make enough money to make it through, and change your life. Similar to what you're feeling. What to do about this? I stay optimistic by saying all positive thoughts OUT LOUD, and let the negative thoughts come and go like rainstorms. They say that a negative thought that gets emotionally energized (usually said aloud) has 10x the negative effect on you. So no negative shit out loud. Next, I always do the work whether I want to or not. No paralysis by analysis and no waiting for the world to dictate whether my future will be favorable or not. And I do this knowing I may get in a car crash tomorrow, get bit by a dog, go bankrupt, get an STD, a world war starts, whatever. Lol. Both sides are true, the Tier 2 approach is about using what works to anneal to your target reality. And then let the chips fall where they may. Be a realistic optimist.

Best video I've come across on mental illness awareness. Rewatch a few times. Notice all of the subtle body language cues. Warning: If you're like me you will be washed over with intense emotions and bawl your eyes out for over an hour after watching. The actors did an incredible job in making it real.

Just trust yourself. Forgive yourself. Study study study, but then break away and build your own thing. Honor your uniqueness and don't get sullied down the wrong corridor by a persuasive fellow. Have fun and laugh at life. Then get serious and drag your elbows thru the mud to create something beautiful. Etc. You've got this-

Take the last hour to reflect on paper: Top 3 major moves you made and how they've changed the trajectory of your life, What new seeds did you plant and how'd you grow, Top 3 moves for the next year and how you'll grow the seeds you planted from the previous year, Then get into the bod: do pushups, jump in the air, and physically feel into 2024, Then jerk off to christen the new year

Spiral wizardry. Telling the truth. Being patient with yourself. Awareness of one's devilry and self-deception. Willingness to lose old friends [as you change] and go periods of loneliness before gaining new friends. Seeing all sides to a problem, but choosing a solution that's the best-fit for the long-term health of the thing. Humbleness and paying mentors to hold your ass to the fire as you're facing deep fears. Pioneering something new even if it's not popular. Being yourself even if it's not popular. Having a strong sense of reality. Systems thinking. - - - A couple leaders I look up to are Owen Cook and Bernie Sanders. I've met both of them each a few times. You can feel what they're about. I don't agree with everything they say, but they sure as hell lead. For each of these examples if you look up old footage of them (1970s Bernie, 2000s Owen), you see them passionately talking about unpopular causes they truly believed in, way before they were on anyone's radar. Great leaders are grown, not born.