Waves

It was one of the first self-help books I read, and I think it's really valuable, especially if you don't have a model close to you that shows you what a healthy and grounded self-esteem looks like. It describes what it's like to be a happy and healthy human being and tells you that there's a higher ideal you have the potential to aspire to and become. I finished the book and waited some months before doing the exercises (I know, poor execution), until an event made me realize that I should work on my self-esteem. So I began completing the sentences every morning for 10 minutes, for 31 weeks I believe. I feel it worked as some kind of journaling therapy. It pushes you to come out with your true motives about life. It makes you think about the person you would like to become, about your blocks and fears, about things you repressed, about your desires, and ways you can improve. It's an empowering exercise that gives you trust and some insights about yourself. But, in my experience, it's only an uncovering process, a launching pad. You still have to go out and take the necessary steps to make change happen.

Glad you found it useful You should check out other videos of him, he gives practical ways of studying efficiently. If you want to push yourself even more you could already type notes in your own words, which is what people who hand-write tend to do because they have a slower writing speed, so they have to choose carefully what to record and cannot just write all the speaker says. If you can do that while typing I think you make most of the gains possible, and yeah, it then comes down to how you play with the information and how well you can concretely apply it. In general I find that I remember stuff I hear just once only when it's really relevant to my situation, according to the good old principle of "good shit sticks" (heard it from Tim Ferriss).

In class, I take notes on lecture slides, hand-writing on the iPad, which is pretty convenient. Then I formulate questions and answers in a google sheet document (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIyDJK_SAjs) and when it comes to study I test myself on those. I found this works well with subjects like biology and physiology, but I have no experience with humanistic subjects. If you were thinking more about self-help books, I personally re-type what I underlined in books. I don't think it makes a difference whether I type or write, because I'm just copying and not formulating my own sentences. I'll then bold the key expression in my notes, for when I look at them again. By typing them I have a digital version, which is much more accessible and practical. The mental process and cognitive effort when you're taking notes and reviewing them (eg recalling information using your own words) is more important for retention than the way you record information.

I was initially reluctant to try them out, especially because you have to pay for the audible subscription, and because I listened to podcasts during commutes. Then I decided to give them a go and I was surprised by their convenience and delivery of information, but this might have to do with my preference to listening. They're a good and practical way of being exposed to knaawledge. Concerning retention of information I don't feel there is much of a difference from reading. It just takes more effort to register quotes or information, that's why I often download the ebook version and take the important stuff out of there, especially action steps.

@Leo Gura What do you suggest is a good balance to strike between handling basic needs and cultivating a spiritual sense? Or, put in other words, what amount/what kind of spiritual work do you feel is to be prioritized to slowly set the foundations for pursuing awakening later in life while the focus is on working on life purpose, developing a business, improving social and dating skills, ecc.? I know I want to handle the basics first, but I also don't want to abandon and forget about spirituality.

I feel we're in a similar situation. When I'm in a club I'm also practically sober and try do dance and feel the music, because it's fun and helps me loosen up and open to positive vibes. It's already an accomplishment to be able to reach this state without alcohol. Then, I start telling myself it's time to approach (which shouldn't come so late) and I suddenly become extremely picky: I come up with all sorts of excuses not to approach (classic) and end up talking maybe to a bunch of girls without concluding anything. I'm talking about something like this: and this: I wonder if in this situation we should lower our standards for girls to at least create a channel where a potential intimate connection can happen. But the underlying emotion is, at least in my case, fear of intimacy/commitment. This is exactly the opposite of Proactivity, which I believe is one of the most important principles to follow in life (1st habit of S. Covey's 7 Habits). I am as well guilty of falling in the trap of avoiding responsibility, and it sucks, because you give away all your power. But this is all overthinking, whereas what we need to do is just act and make shit happen. I hope I gave you some ideas

This documentary exposes very well the red/orange values and the insane drive and dedication of McGregor. You can find it on Netflix.

What are you doing in particular? I'm thinking about starting a journaling habit and would like to discover various ways to do it.

Man I'm so excited! +1 for Vancouver 2019 for sure (workshop as well)

Yeah they're both great methods to remember better the lessons, since they make you recall the information in your own words.

@Equanimitize So if I understand correctly you use audiobooks as a broad exposure to good concepts that you can eventually delve deeper into later if they offer great value. Do you feel/think that you can apply what you listen just as much as what you read? The principle of "good shit sticks" (I heard it from Tim Ferris) means that if you hear something wise that resonates with you at that moment you will remember it even though you don't take notes on it. What a sweet service! Unfortunately I don't live in the US. I'm considering signing up to Audible since I'm going to travel for some time next year and I won't be able to carry around physical books.

How do you guys retain information from audiobooks? Do you go by the principle "good shit sticks"? Do you use audiobooks as a complement to the physical books, as repetition?

@moon777light I am confused as well, you are not alone hehe. As @Strikr wrote, Leo made some points concerning this issue in the blog video "All understanding is metaphoric - part 2" around 18.30 (and maybe further).

It might seem like a detail, but I think that this is one of the things that prevent me from going out more often. We all know that a consistent sleep schedule (going to sleep and waking up at around the same time throughout the week) is important to feel well and rested, and we all know that going out to bars and clubs mess things up a little. So how do you keep a regular sleep routine or how can you feel rested and active when going out, let's say, twice a week? In my situation a hot night would be on Thursday, but on Friday I wake up at 6.45 to attend a class. If it goes well I sleep 3-4 hours. I also add that I don't drink when I go out, I exercise regularly and I'd say I eat rather healthy. I would love to read your strategies! PS: I was not sure where to post this, since it includes both domains of dating and health

Bump! I made it last May. Already printed and right in front of my desk

I use Evernote on the phone to write quick, temporary notes, which I'll transfer later on the main digital journal (OneNote). I find the digital version to be more practical because I can write faster, brainstorm and better organize notes from different topics and purposes. However sometimes I like to draw mindmaps and outlines on paper, so that I can visualize things better and modify them. I also find that physical journals gain a certain affective connotation, especially if you use them while traveling. It is as if the object recalls the good memories and emotional states you were in. To me it adds value to the experience.

Sorry to disappoint you, but this isn't a video request. Since the blog now contains 20+ pages of insights I thought it would be nice to have a little search feature. Sometimes an insight I read weeks or months before becomes interesting and more relevant to what's going on in my life, and it would be nice to find it and dive deeper into the topic. Maybe I'm just lazy, but if it doesn't take too much to program, I think it will improve a tiny bit the blog. Just an idea

Difficult to find a blog post of Leo on google. What I meant is to have a search feature for blog posts like the one that there is for videos on the website. I know I can CTRL+F all the pages of the blog to find what I'm looking for, but for example on the phone it doesn't work. It's just a minutiae but it could be helpful as the blog grows.

Wow that was powerful, even though I watched the video I forgot about the power of that perspective. @Viking Maybe it is just a lazy period. It happens. You've got to accept the fact and allow yourself to be completely lazy for some days, and then rise up rejuvenated. But I don't feel it's the case here. One thing that I'd like to add to what has been said and that helped me is the realization of the fact that life is short and that we're going to die pretty soon. Get in touch with that, really feel it, see it as something concrete that will happen, and remind yourself of it every morning. Also be grateful that you can breath, that your heart beats, that you have legs (I suppose), that you don't have some mutation that compromises your health or prevents you from doing what you like. Once you realize and remind yourself of the opportunity you have to experience the magic of life, you will start moving towards challenges and playing this game hard, because you'll be aware of the waste that would be not doing so. Some helpful old videos of Leo (sometimes it helps to refresh our memory):

Jokes aside I wish you good luck! I think it's a great idea and it will prepare you for a possible future retreat

Hey guys, first of all I'll give you some context: I spent a lot of time playing video games in my adolescence and I've continued playing until 3 weeks ago. I go to university and live in a city during the week and I go back to my hometown to visit my family on the weekends (let's say twice a month). I play video games pretty much only when I am at my family home, because that's how I got used to spend my time there, while my family watches TV or does other low-consciousness activities. It seems as if I was living two different lives depending on where I am. This bothers me, especially because I know that when I'll go back to my family home I will get sucked in video games again for the weekend and then I'll partially free myself from them during the week. I made progress in accepting myself when I play a lot and feel shallow afterwards, but I don't think I've done it completely. I'm becoming more and more aware of what a waste of life video games are. They compromised my social life and skills, my posture, the relationship with my family, and most importantly, they stole time in which I could have explored other activities and get a more accurate idea of what my passions are. One of the main reasons why I continue to play is that I don't know how to spend my time otherwise at my family home. I'm definitely more bored. Even meditating and reading gain resistance, and I am still not aware of what induces me to create it. A close friend of mine gave me this advice, which is asking myself what I'm looking for when I play video games and then find something more meaningful to do that fulfills that thing. I'm still pondering this question, but one thing that comes up is socialization or the reward of becoming better at something. I am close to finishing the life purpose course, and I want to start to take action on my vision. When I am away from home I can get get in touch with my authenticity and my desires more easily and spontaneously, whereas when video games are available this vision becomes secondary in the present moment, because I choose to play instead of working toward my dreams. I want to free myself from this cage. There are too many opportunities and possibilities in this life to waste it in video games. There is too much beauty to witness, too much to experience, to explore, to live, to learn and to love. The last time I played was 3 weeks ago and since then I haven’t felt any urge to play. The problem is that tonight I will return to my family home for 2-3 days, and it won’t be easy to resist the habit developed over the years. Now my question is: do I stop playing video games cold turkey or do I make it gradual? I heard different opinions and would like to have yours as well, but in the end I know that I will have to decide for myself. I’ll appreciate each of your inputs or experiences

@Ether I swim, go to the gym and started recently basketball. The best part is eating afterwards though hehe @WaterfallMachine Thank you for your perspective, I also think that there are certainly positive attributes (puzzles, mind games, reflexes, stories,...) to video games, but what I became aware of is that what draws me is the stimulation, that resemble more an addiction than a want to overcome a challenge. It's a mind-numbing activity in that sense, not a stimulus to solve puzzles and overcome challenges. I should have specified that the games I play(ed) are online multiplayer, like Counter Strike, Rocket League, Fortnite,... so no stories nor big challenges for me, only a dopamine-induced reward when I do an headshot or score a goal haha. Maybe in the future I'll take a different approach and consider playing single player games, since they add another dimension.

@Moreira Yeah, I experience this during the week, where I am more busy. However, when I am at my family home I have much more time. I should find some alternative relaxing activities to do there, and luckily summer is coming

Thank you all for your inputs. This post gave me the opportunity to explore more my situation. In the past months I've tried to be more conscious while playing, and it led me to realize the shallowness of it, the pure dopaminergic stimulation and partly the reasons why I play. I also stopped to judge my experience as good or bad and learned to accept the condition, but the fact is reality I don't feel fulfilled after I play, nor I am using this limited time toward something. I feel that I am on the side of the pendulum that requires a more drastic intervention, and what I decided to do is to take advantage of the past 3 weeks without playing and to see where the momentum brings me. I've just uninstalled steam and all the other games from my computer and will observe my thoughts and feelings especially during these two days. I felt a bit afraid of giving up this big chunk of my past, but my intuition tells me that it is the right move right now. Thanks to this I have the chance to get more in touch with the vision of the life I want to live, and actually take action on that PS: @Salvijus Good list, I see that some of those items show up in my experience. And btw I do meditate (1,5 years now) and follow the techniques presented by Leo

@Dan Arnautu Thank you for the detailed answer, it helped me clarify some doubts I guess in the end I should clarify my goals, identify those habits/books/courses/skills that are crucial for achieving them and then implement one thing at the time by working laser-focused.