Trusting the long game over Instant Gratification
Hey guys,
I was always a person who wanted things instantly and in this world it makes it even easier
Uber Eats right on your phone
Porn right on the laptop
I’ve even gotten nitrous delivered before since I knew the owner
This is all terrible in a way
Of course it’s nice especially in this last week to get groceries delivered since I can barely walk
However, if you outsourced everything you would have no life at all
With AI surging up fast this could be a possible reality one day and people will have no idea to do with their time
Quickly disappearing into the metaverse or sitting around doing drugs all day
Government checks will be in abundance as jobs are slowly replaced
If you go online anywhere in the week there are people just chatting with others and oftentimes these are what we refer to as incels or NEETS (Not in Employment, Education, or Training)
According to the Chicago Tribune last year they said “1 in 5 people around the world are NEETS”
I don’t know how they come up with this title and didn’t read the article
I hate hearing bad news in the morning and it seems like a real doom situation
However, the upside I see to this is people with disabilities or people who never stood on chance in our physical world with now how and equal playing field in the Metaverse
You might be saying so what does all this have to do with instant gratification?
Well, it will be even easier to get than ever before
Just being on the couch all week I could see how some guys without money, friends, or a dating life are perpetually online
My eyes hurt just from being on the screens a lot this week
In some ways I felt like a NEET at times when my mind was trying to play tricks on me
It was great being able to have everything at my fingertips because I got a ton of writing in
Lots of new tweet ideas
A new podcast
Held a spaces
I also got to play the old Oblivion game which is just fantastic
Usually I feel guilty playing games thinking they are a total waste of time
If you are stuck on the couch then you realize whatever brings you joy you should spend some time on each week
Whether that’s writing, gaming, reading, calling friends, listening to music, (I even recorded a song no one will ever hear)
When I pushed aside the instant gratifications as I had been practicing this last year but this week really forced me too
My mind could soar
I had creative bursts, ups and downs, ebbs and flows
Sat with the bad feelings as well as the good
Using ChatGPT to guide me through the whole process which it’s insanely good at
I’m going release a few of these articles some going into more detail than others
This one will probably go out first
Instead of me looking for validation from others, instant gratification from food, drink, or women
I had to create a long term dopamine
In the first few days, I was like “What’s the point?”
Then I said fuck the point and dove head first
I’ve never felt so much freedom by feeling so stuck
My routine used to be very riding in the past
It has eased up in the year quite a bit
You can’t work out every morning, sometimes you have an early doctors appointment
You can’t write every morning because you have to leave while the house gets cleaned
You can’t go for a swim first thing because it’s 30 degrees outside
When I could have a more rigid routine I said as long as I workout in the morning I was good
But sometimes you get injured and you can’t even move
How will you deal with your brain and the time then?
You have to have some purpose or path that keeps you from falling into nothingness
I see people on the weekend scrambling like rats to either get shit done they missed in the week or totally fuck around all day long
Some of them have intense careers they love so who cares
Others are slaves to their jobs
Instead of finding a way out
They watch porn, play video games, and go do the most asinine activities like watching sports
My one buddy went to his fiances bridal shower and he doesn’t even want to marry her
He noticed this year if he talks about something he thinks he did it
I see a lot of this with self improvement
People read a book and think they have accomplished the tasks in the book
Then they blame self help because they didn’t reach their goal
Self help can oftentimes be a hamster wheel people never get off making it a billion dollar industry
On one hand you should always be improving in some ways
But this “Improover” mindset gets you stuck walking on the treadmill everyday not really changing much
At first something as simple as walking or cutting out sodas is easy
Then it gets harder as you improve
In some ways you have to push things to the limit
But oftentimes that limit will maim you
It’s how your setup and your mindset that helps you keep centered
If you are going all out and never take a breather
Life will quickly humble you back down
There is simply no avoiding it
If this doesn’t happen to you
You are playing life to carefully and never push things to the limit
Injury, burnout, fatigue, are all your bodies ways of saying we need a break and if you won’t give it to us then we will do it for you
I knew I was about to get injured
I had no idea how because I’m very careful
But the universe had plans for me and something as simple as walking quickly put me in my place
It was my time to deal with emotional baggage I had been carrying for decades
Knowing that I’ll need to unload that again especially as life throws more shit my way
Running and hiding just isn’t in my cards anymore
Numbing out from drugs or booze didn’t work well and stopped working all together
My path has become much more clear
There are still some big things I need to decide but not right now
I still have work to do about the past
As I slowly integrate back into everyday life I need to see how people around me make me feel
Do they care? Are they just conditional friends? Do I want kids and to be married?
I have 3 unconditional friends including my brother
Tons of conditional ones which is fine
It’s how I like it
Having too many close friends can be a huge burden and obligation like attending weddings or even their funerals
Their is still a lot to unpack in my world
I now know 99% of people will never do this
Whether they go on autopilot and just let everyone else dictate their life
Whether they numb out the whole time
I know the top people are forced to break
Forced to be in a position of weakness for some time so they can reflect and figure out what they really want
I see it in all the top people I know
Something or many hard things came their way and they overcame all those challenges
Being in the top percentile is not easy at all
Wasting your potential is though
Most people waste their entire potential because I know fundamentally at least half the population can get into the top 10%
Some people just can’t due to environmental factors or saying being born in Africa where they are surviving day to day
I know the top people delay gratification in order to get to their goals
They don’t care about soda or porn
They care about results and being the best at what they do
They are highly competitive and don’t let others walk all over them
They don’t break the law or like to bend the rules
They like to be disciplined, they get some daily results no matter how big or small, they don’t let their emotions rule their minds
If they imbibe it’s usually in a high stress job like a lawyer
They have intensity in the day
However, they know when they have taken on too much and decide to take a step back or life will do it for them
Doesn’t really matter
Nothing gets them down
This mindset is powerful in that you could end up in a wheelchair and still be on top of the world
I know a runway model who lost both her legs and is back out their living her life
She had it extremely tough for half a decade
I can be a very leisurely person at times
I can be intense at others
I can be neutral at times like a car idling
Not everyone will play this game of life the same way
Find the skills you have
Find what brings you joy
Find obstacles to overcome
Find good friends
If you do all these things life will become much more enjoyable and fulfilling
Until next time,
-BTSC
My own blueprint I created to help you grow a social circle in 3-6 months in any city
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