How to become a meta-science creator?

[WonderSeeker]

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! ~

Edited September 12, 2024 by WonderSeeker
typos, grammar, yadda

[Leo Gura]

If you wanna do radical work you gotta first get your finances in order. I spent years doing that. Actualized could not exist otherwise. Spend some years working on your financial indepedence. No shame in that. Treat your plan as a long-term 10 year+ project.

You could pubblish radical work under a different name.

[WonderSeeker]

1 minute ago, Leo Gura said:

You could pubblish radical work under a different name.

Do you know examples of people that have done this?

[Leo Gura]

11 minutes ago, WonderSeeker said:

Do you know examples of people that have done this?

Literally all throughout history.

Jed McKenna wrote his popular enlightenment books using a fake name. No one even knows who he is. There's not even a picture of him.

Edited September 12, 2024 by Leo Gura

[AerisVahnEphelia]

@Leo Gura does living under welfare count as handling survival.

I wonder. 

In America you die. But in EU ( top 5 ) you can have all your base survival + health insurance + transportation ( free if you on welfare )

Of course that will be share house or your parents.

You get 600€ in France for 0 hours work..

Vs wageslaving for 1500€ 35h X4. + Transport time + energy waste.

I think if you work on projects you shall do that and avoid wageslaving.

If you not from America obviously.

What's the cons of it. 

You might say you get dependant on the state but being dependent of a job or client is exactly the same.

Do the best of your cards. 

 

[Leo Gura]

Just now, AerisVahnEphelia said:

does living under welfare count as handling survival.

No

[AerisVahnEphelia]

@Leo Gura 

It's just Ubi for the poor basically.

But why would you be against it. 

Genius can just work by themselves without a need to waste attention and energy in dumb works.

There is trap to feel comfortable but even if that happen. Isn't the goal of life to be confortable. Why you chase money ultimately.

 

If that's for getting free time. You get it instantly.

Edited September 12, 2024 by AerisVahnEphelia

[WonderSeeker]

On 9/11/2024 at 11:15 PM, Leo Gura said:

Literally all throughout history.

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.

Edited September 14, 2024 by WonderSeeker

[CARDOZZO]

SantataGamana.