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Happy Wednesday my people ❤️
"The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek" ~ Joseph Campbell
I consider myself the luckiest man alive. Today, I get to make money doing what I love, my body is vibrating with vitality & I'm surrounded by a beautiful circle of people who fill my life with unconditional love. I'm an entrepreneur, writer, podcaster & speaker spreading a message of confidence, progress & happiness, but it wasn't always like that.
I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder at 7 years old. I moved 4 times during my childhood, getting bullied for being the "new kid." I suffered from social anxiety during most of my teenage years. I was feeling lonely, weak, insecure & isolated. There have been moments where I've even thought about leaving this world behind. Yet, despite all these trials, something just kept on pushing me forward, & that something is how I get to serve all of you today.
The 3 lessons I'm about to share with you are the result of 6 years of obsession with one & only question: what makes the biggest difference in people's quality of life? The answer is actually pretty simple. Let me introduce you to the power of stories.
Note: Each lesson in my newsletters is meant to be read separately, so some repetition may occur. This writing style is intentional, as each of these lessons will be repurposed into separate YouTube videos & Medium articles. Thank you for your understanding!
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3 Brutally Honest Lessons from 10 Years of Depression (What Saved My Life) |
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1- Top 3 Decisions That Could Change Your Life Today |
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Black Tuesday (October 29, 1929)
On a sunny morning in late October, the atmosphere in New York City was deceptively calm. Investors filled the trading floors of the Stock Exchange, hopeful & excited about the future. What they didn't know is that they were about to witness the most destructive economic crash in history. By the end of the afternoon, $14 billion in stock value (around 13% of the market's total value)—equivalent to $200 billion today—had evaporated into thin air.
What followed was a devastating economic downturn that would leave millions in despair, changing lives forever. People were literally jumping off buildings, the streets were filled with homeless families & the country was starving. Yet, while all of this shit show was happening, a man named Herman Fisher decided to look at things differently.
See, as one would guess, a lot people were spending their days striving to find a solution. Some took the initiative to start small businesses, such as food stands, capitalizing on the needs of their communities. Others would organize exchanges where they could trade what they had for what they needed. But not Mister Fisher.
Let me ask you a question: what’s the last business idea you’d expect to emerge in such chaos? Well, this guy probably went even further. In 1930, Herman Fisher co-founded Fisher-Price, the iconic TOY company most of us had as children, which was later sold to Mattel, Inc. for approximately $1 billion. While people were struggling to find enough money for food, this guy was selling toys.
How the f*ck did he even manage to pull this off? What makes the difference between him & his neighbour who jumped out of the window? This is what we're about to cover next.
The 3 decisions that are shaping your life
The quality of your life is shaped by the quality of 3 decisions you’re making, consciously or unconsciously, at every single moment in life:
1- What do you focus on?
Do you tend to focus more on the past, the present or the future? Do you focus on what you can or can't control? Do you focus on what you have or what you don't have?
2- What does it mean? (what is the story behind it?)
Is it the beginning or the end? Is it a blessing or a curse? Is it a problem or an opportunity?
3- What are you going to do about it?
Are you going to take responsibility or blame something else? Are you going to ask for help or shrink into isolation? Are you going to take action now or leave it for tomorrow?
Herman Fisher decided to focus on the future, he knew the crisis wouldn't last forever, & he seized the opportunity to build a business while the cost of goods was low. His neighbour decided to focus on the past, that losing most of his money meant he lost his self worth, & that the only way to escape eternal suffering is to jump off a building.
There isn't a single moment in our lives where we're not making these 3 decisions. The problem is that most of us are making them on autopilot. How different would your life be if you took control of these decisions?
What if you decided to be grateful for the past, rooted in the present & excited for the future? What if life was happening for you & all your challenges are just blessings in disguise, designed to push you into your fullest potential? What if you decided to build new habits today that will allow you to live life on your terms in the future?
How to take back control over the story of your life:
1- Discipline your focus. Challenge yourself to see how long you can focus on what YOU choose to focus on.
Action step: go for a walk & place your awareness on the feeling of your feet touching the ground with each step. As you walk, look around you as you usually would, but notice how long you can maintain that internal focus before your mind takes you somewhere else. Each time it happens, gently bring your attention back to your steps. This practice will train you to have more control over your focus.
2- Ask yourself this ONE question: what story would I have to believe in order for me to feel this way right now?
Action step: in the evening before going to sleep, open your journal & try to remember moments in your day where you experienced disempowering emotions. Then, ask yourself: what story would you have to believe in order to feel this way about it? What could be an alternative? What if the meaning was this or that instead?
Remember, if you can observe it, it's not you. Placing those thoughts in your awareness automatically weakens their grip on you, & since nobody consciously wants to suffer, new stories will be built.
3- Schedule new habits in your calendar. If you talk about it, it’s a dream. If you envision it, it’s possible. But if you schedule it, it’s real.
Action step: whenever a new vision pops up into your life, where you deeply feel called to build or create something new, immediately schedule a series of actions or habits in your calendar that will move you towards that vision. You might have a vision awakening inside of you right now... DO IT.
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2- The victim mentality is killing you |
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The victim mentality is one of the most dangerous epidemics of our generation.
What's wrong is always available, but so is what's right. I've been through a lot of bullshit in my life, & I'm sure you have too. We could sit here, complain, blame external circumstances & play the victim all day, but how would that serve us, or anyone, or anything else?
Sure, it might provide you with the guilty pleasure of comfort in the present. It might also attract some compassion, making you feel significant in a very twisted way.
And sure, taking responsibility might feel scary, it will suck, you'll f*ck up multiple times & it will feel like all of the weight is on your shoulders... but what is the alternative?
"Poor guy, life was always so difficult for him..." "He was such a good guy but luck just wasn't on his side..." "I always told him his dreams were too big for him... I guess he'll get better luck next time" Is that what you want people to say at your funeral?? F*cking nightmare. Well that's what you're setting yourself up for when you're playing the victim.
Your life is a story. Make it epic.
The quality of a human life can be summed up with this one statement: A story of perceived progress. That's it. Let's break it down. We don’t experience reality. We experience an inner re-presentation of reality. There are millions of bits of information entering our brains through our senses at every moment of our lives & the only way we can make sense of it is through a story. The author behind this story is our perspective, & progress is what we're all striving for due to our unbreakable instinct for evolution.
Facts, events or things would be completely irrelevant without an underlying purpose (reason) behind them. And what is a purpose if not a story? The current life story we are playing is a direct reflection of all the beliefs, values, & identifies we perceive as Truth. What about the people reading this, thinking: “oh c’mon, be realistic”. Well they would simply be playing a story called “realism.”
So a good question to ask is: what would be the most optimal story to play? No need to look any further than all the most influential myths, legends & stories that have fascinated us for centuries. Let me ask you a question to paint a clearer picture here: would you watch a movie about a character who complains from the beginning to the end, playing it safe & never taking any risks? Or what about a character who’s totally happy & satisfied the whole time without having to face any obstacles? BOOOORING
What we’re craving are courageous, selfless characters, overcoming obstacles & fighting dark forces for something greater than them. That’s what we call a hero's journey, & it's the most successful storyline in history. It's the story of Harry Potter, The Matrix, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, The avengers, Spider-Man, The Lion King, etc. It's also what makes real-life leaders like Jesus, Martin luther King, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Mother Teresa & Socrates so inspiring.
We have a mission to accomplish (goals), dragons to slay (problems) & treasures to share (legacy). You are called upon the adventure of a lifetime… the biggest treasures are hiding where you’re most afraid to look. Make that shit epic ✊
How to rewrite your story:
1- Presence (Meditation). That’s how you gain awareness that you are not your current story, which is very important, because as long as we believe something is who we are, we’ll do anything to protect it. Meditation is also the easiest place to face your inner dragons, which are often guarding the biggest treasures.
Action Step: Schedule 15 minutes per day where you sit down & observe internal mental-emotional patterns as they come & go from a place of radically open curiosity. As you get used to it, you can then start applying that meditative state to your day to day life as a reminder of who you really are.
2- Sharpen your perspective (Create Contrast). That's how you expand your consciousness & gain access to different options when it comes to the stories you choose to live.
Action step: Ask questions. Talk with different people. Read different books. Listen to different podcasts. Journal your realizations & ideas. "What’s the story I would have to believe to feel this way or act this way?" "What’s a more empowering story I could believe in this situation?" Trust me, the more you do this, the more you'll realize you can choose to be whoever the f*ck you want to be, & no one can stop you.
3- Back it up with action (Vote with your habits). That's how you build an undeniable stack of proof that you really are who you say you are.
Action Step: Once you have an inspiring story to live by (my favorite is the narrative of the Chosen One), start scheduling activities in your calendar that align with it. For example, I dedicate 3 hours every morning, 6-7 days a week, to writing. This practice leads to newsletters, articles, YouTube videos, video courses, twitter posts & sales letters. That's how I vote for my story—by committing to my Truth & sharing messages that few have the courage to put out there.
Remember, a story is never perfect & there are always exceptions to any rules, be patient with yourself, but aim for as much congruency as you can.
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3- How to Become a Master Persuader | Storytelling is the Key |
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The digital gold rush is here. We live in the greatest time in history. It is estimated that approximately 11 million new millionaires were created in the past four years alone after the COVID crisis, which is by far the fastest rate in history.
The internet is getting flooded with new valuable information every day, AI is getting smarter at an exponential rate, & young people are printing wifi money. But it won't last forever.
There are only 3 paths you can take to avoid being left behind during this unique season of history:
- Mastering the game of finance (trading)
- Mastering the game of coding (software)
- Mastering the game of storytelling (sales, marketing, & brand)
I only teach the third option. Here’s why:
The Greatest Skill In History
Time is our most precious asset & leverage is how we aim to get the highest reward possible per unit of time invested. If you're going to spend 10 000 hours mastering a skill, you better make sure it's the right one.
Storytelling is the only skill that you can be absolutely certain will still be useful & reap rewards for you 100 years from now. Why? Well because it has been useful through every era, cycle & revolution since the emergence of homo sapiens. Matter of fact, experts from various major scientific fields are now agreeing that it is quite literally part of the fabric of reality. We don’t experience reality. We experience an inner re-presentation of reality. There are millions of bits of information entering our brains through our senses at every moment of our lives & the only way we can make sense of it is through a story.
Storytelling is what you use when you're building a plan for your short term goals & long term vision, when you're communicating with other humans, when you're making any decision, or when you subconsciously try to define who you are & what this world is to make sense of it all.
Storytelling is also part of what gave birth to the greatest musical hits, the most influential movies & the bestselling books of all time. It’s the skill behind the greatest leaders of all time such as Jesus, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, or on the opposite side: Hitler. It is even at the core of religious books, such as the bible, which built the foundation of our current civilization.
We are social creatures. You can have the greatest idea ever, but that thing ain't going nowhere if other humans don't agree with it. I believe that no other skill in life could have bigger leverage than storytelling, along with all of its sub-skills like sales, marketing, communication & branding. It is the most important & timeless skill you can learn.
How to become a master at storytelling
Whether you're already an entrepreneur, have an idea that you want to spread into this world, or you just want to become better at communicating with yourself & with others in a more empowering way, this one storytelling framework will change your life forever.
It's most commonly called The Hero's Journey. My version of it is made of three different pillars. We all have a mission to accomplish (goals/purpose), dragons to slay (problem-solving) & treasures to share once we do (lessons/legacy). Let's get it.
1- Grab a piece of paper, or open the "notes" app on your phone, & note down the #1 most critical problem you've had for years in each one of the areas of health, wealth, relationships & happiness. Think about the ONE thing that would completely change your life for the better & make 99% of your other problems irrelevant if you solved it.
2- Pick the most valuable problem based on these 3 criteria:
a) your level of enthusiasm & excitement at the possibility of solving them.
b) the amount of people with a similar problem (learning how to make $10k/month vs finding a biohacking supplement that will 2x your productivity, which one do you think is more relatable?)
c) The price that most people with this problem would pay to solve it
3- Commit to solving that problem, then share the solution & sell the implementation. For example: I was addicted to pxrn. I solved my problem, I'm now sharing the secrets of how I did it on my Youtube Channel & I'm offering additional support to make the process 10x easier in the Off Pxrn Academy.
NOTE: you can go through the same process to find out the most valuable problems you've already solved in your life by slightly shifting the first step of the framework. As long as you're alive, there are problems you have solved, & if you had these problems, it means other humans have had them too.
I truly hope these lessons opened your mind to the power of stories & how to use them to make your life a masterpiece.
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Remember, every single one of us is the main character in our own hero's journey. If your life was a movie, & it started today, what would the hero do right now? Choose to be that hero, & you will be called upon the greatest adventure of a lifetime ❤️ |
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P.S. Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
#1: If your favourite way to learn is by watching videos, I dive deeper into each one of these principles on my Youtube channel.
#2: If you’re on a mission to become the greatest man your bloodline has ever seen instead of settling for cheap pleasure, join the #1 Pxrn Addiction Recovery Brotherhood today. We’re here, waiting for you on the other side. ✊
#3: If you don't want to be left behind during the digital gold rush, join the Skool Games, where 30.4% of new members make their first $ online. Start your 14-day FREE trial today!
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