Attachment Leads to The Dark Side

"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose." ~ Yoda

So I was watching Star Wars recently, and as the little green guy we've all come to love was giving his speech about how attachment is a direct path to the dark side, I realized that he has a point. Okay, so maybe we won't all turn into an evil sith lord for being too attached to things, but he still has a valid point; attachment can lead to quite a lot of suffering and despair if not treated the right way.

 Attachment Stands in The Way of Progress

Attachment to people and things can be a great part of life, but when taken too far, it can easily get in the way of progress. If you're too attached to everything you have now, how will you ever be able to change things for the better?

You see, in order for any change or progress to happen, you will have to let go of something else. Be it a habit that you have to rid yourself of, a relationship, or even your home city or country (as is the case for me), you must be able to let it go if it stands in the way of your progress. And the more attached you are to those things, the harder it will be to let it go and make room for the new things in your life.

Attachment Will Lead to Pain and Suffering

Attachment to the things around you isn't just dangerous to your progress in life - it will undoubtedly lead to a great deal of pain and suffering as well. You may not realize it now, but sooner or later, you will lose something you're attached to - and the more attached you are to that thing, the harder it will hit you.

Do you have something in your life which you could never see yourself living without? Most of us do. Be it a partner, a friend or a job, this kind of attachment is dangerous - because what would happen if you were to lose whatever it is you're so attached to? You'd probably be devastated. And in the process of developing your awesomeness, that's a very dangerous thing to be.

So how do you make sure you won't be completely devastated when disaster strikes and you lose something you're attached to? Well, fortunately, Star Wars has the answer:

Mentally Prepare Yourself to Lose What You're Afraid to Lose

So how do you make yourself less attached to something, or someone, without risking to lose your feelings for it? Well, the Jedi (Yes, we're back to the Star Wars analogy) actually present a great way of doing just that, as Yoda so finely explains: Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.

In order to rid yourself of your attachments and fear of loss, you should condition yourself to mentally let go of the things you fear to lose. For example: Say that you're terrified of losing your partner; the very thought of it makes your stomach cringe. Instead of obsessing over it, and being excessively clingy, you should mentally prepare yourself for the event of losing that person.

Envision yourself experiencing the break-up - imagine how you'd feel, and what it would be like. Then imagine what life would be like a week, a month or even a year after that. Life would go on, wouldn't it? The world wouldn't end because of it, and you'd recover from your loss.

I'm not saying that you should devalue your relationship though - you should still cherish everything you hold dear. But by doing this exercise with anything you feel overly attached to, you will train yourself to be able to let it go, should it be required. This will lead to two great things; 1. You'll get peace of mind, and won't be too driven by the fear of loss, and 2: Your world won't end if/when you are forced to part with the thing/person you're attached to.


Of course, I'm not saying you shouldn't allow yourself to be attached to anything, or anyone, in life - a life without attachment would be a cold and empty one. But in order to reach your full potential in life, you must take back control of your emotions and control what you're attached to, and the strength of that attachment. Over-attachment, and attachment to the wrong things will only hinder your progress in life, and cause you a great deal of pain and suffering.

The 5 Biggest Threats to Your Awesomeness

 Developing your awesomeness can be quite difficult at times. Countless things will try to get in your way, and you have to power through them all if you want to reach your full potential. And although most of these obstacles are easily overcome,  there are those who pose a serious threat to your awesomeness.

These are five things that pose some of the greatest threats when it comes to developing your awesomeness.


#5 - Unoptimized Intake of Information

The rate at which you can take in and process information is crucial to your progress in awesomeness.

It's simple: the faster you can take in information, the faster you can learn and grow. Therefore, it is essential that you optimize your intake of information in every way you can.

And since the main way we all take in new information is through reading, we ought to make sure that our reading speed and comprehension rates are as high as possible, right? Well, as obvious as that may sound, most people don't seem to realize this, seeing how most people stop developing their reading speed at the age of twelve, and remain at that level for the rest of their lives.

With just a little time devoted to learning Speed Reading (and by little, I mean a couple of hours, tops) most people are able to at least triple their reading speed. Seems like a pretty fair deal to me, once you consider how much time you'd be saving every day if you tripled the speed at which you read.

#4 - The Desire to Quit

One of the greatest obstacles to your awesomeness is definitely your will to quit. It will always be there when taking on something big, or something difficult. Whenever you're working hard on developing your awesomeness, there will always be that annoying temptation to just quit and go on with your mundane life.

 This, obviously, is a great threat to your awesomeness - one slip-up, and you could find yourself having quit forever. Therefore, it's important that you find a way to quench that little voice that tells you to quit. You need to find a way to resist the temptation of doing nothing instead of evolving. Be it through discipline or raising your motivation, you must find a way to avoid quitting.

#3 - Accepting The Morals of Society

Society has its own set of morals, which are viewed by most people as the "right morals". Therefore, most people share them - and condemn those who do not. And while most of these morals serve to keep our species alive and prosperous, a lot of them can (and will) stand in the way of your awesomeness. For instance, most people have the notion that it is never okay to break the rules or cheat on anything, even if doing so would cause no harm to anyone and could really help propel you in life.

That is why you need to question each of your moral values that may stand in your way and ask yourself if they are truly your values, or just society's imprint on you.

#2 - Settling, and Being Content

I don't care what those Buddhist monks say - an essential part of our awesomeness comes from our desire to have more - to constantly improve. Without it, we would simply see no personal growth at all. Being content with things the way they are is pretty much the same as giving up, or quitting. If we're not constantly improving, we won't get anywhere in life.

Being satisfied with the way things are, leaning back and accepting a comfortable life is the first step to failure in this world. If you're content with the way things are, you will never reach the full potential of your awesomeness.

#1 - Poor Self-Discipline

I've covered the importance of discipline before, and how it is the cornerstone of all awesomeness. Therefore, I believe it comes as no surprise that it sits undisputed at the top of this list.
 
Self-discipline is a must for anyone trying to develop their awesomeness - without it, any personal improvement will be slow and scarce. You need self-discipline to stay on course, remain committed to the cause and withstand all the hardship that comes with developing an awesome lifestyle.

 
These are some of the biggest threats to awesomeness out there. However, if you manage to push past these obstacles, there will be very little that can stand in your way of becoming as awesome as you desire.

So what are you waiting for? Start tearing down these obstacles now!

The Difference Between "Man's law" and "God's law"

There is no such thing as the perfect legal system. No matter how much we try to perfect it, there will always be flaws with it. Some laws that serve to protect us in certain cases may serve no purpose, and can even be harmful to us, in others. Other laws may just be plain stupid in most circumstances.

Granted, most of our legal system is based on our existing morals that are there for a reason (like how it's wrong to murder innocent people), but then there are those laws that only seem to have a negative impact in a lot of cases, or are just plain stupid. These laws are what I'd like to call "Man's laws".

Laws in different situations

Surely you have had a moment when the law has stood in your way for no apparent reason other than to piss you off. For instance, it is illegal to run a red light, even if you're out in the middle of nowhere and have a clear view of the road for miles  in all directions. Breaking this kind of law would have no negative impact on anyone, ever, and the only reason you follow it is because it's the law. Another example would be when the law stands in the way of doing what is morally right.

 As mentioned, a lot of laws only serve a purpose in certain situations, and to certain people. That's why, in a situation of doubt, we need to ask ourselves if the law really serves a real purpose in that situation, or if it's there simply for the point of it being the law. If following the law serves no good to anyone in your situation, and breaking it would do no harm, then what is the point of you following it?

"Man's laws" Vs. "God's laws"

In addition to this, you also need to realize that all laws are not equal. Just blindly following every single law will leave you crippled in some situations in life, and you need to accept that in your lifetime, you will probably have to break several laws. We all do, whether we mean to or not - there are just so many minor laws that everyone breaks without even realizing it.

But what's important to keep in mind is that there are higher laws, and lower laws (or "God's laws" and "Man's laws", as someone colorfully addressed it). For instance, we all feel that some crimes are just horrible to commit, like murder, or personal theft. Those laws would be part of the "higher laws". Mostly, those crimes tend to be harmful to other people.

Then we have the lower laws, which are mainly there to keep people, and society, under control. Such laws include taxation laws and behavioral laws (like how it's forbidden to smoke in most public places these days). A lot of these will limit our freedom, and prevent us from doing what we want in life.

So when it comes to doing our best in following the law, we must realize that not all of  "Man's laws" make sense at all times. Unlike the higher laws, these can't, and shouldn't, be followed blindly in every situation.

Is it ever okay to break the law?

Blindly following the rules and laws of society like a well-trained dog seems like a given to a lot of people, but there are times when stepping over the boundaries of the law might be okay, and perhaps even necessary. Although a lot of this must be determined by your own morals, there are some key questions to be considered when in doubt about the law:

• Would breaking the law be more beneficial than following it?
• Would breaking the law do any harm to yourself or anyone else?
• Would you follow the law because of a real reason, or simply because you don't want to be punished for breaking it?
• Is the law in question stupid?

Sure, a puppet of society would argue that the law is the law and must always be obeyed - But as a free thinker, you have to ask yourself Why would you blindly follow the law in question? Is it because your own moral tells you to, or is it simply because you don't want to risk being penalized for breaking it?

Following Your Dreams Before Life Ties You Down

Today, it's about one month left before I leave my home to travel to the other side of the world (literally). My plan is to live my dream of seeing and exploring the wonderful island country of New Zealand, where I will be backpacking for at least a few months.

A lot of people ask me why I'm doing it - why would I just drop everything and travel to the other side of the world now, without having any kind of security back home?

And yes,those people have a point; I have no job, very little money, no connections, no place of my own and no education above high school level. I have basically no "security" as some people would see it.

Securities keep you safe - and tie you down

But while most people see all this as something that's holding me back, I see it as the very opposite: Without all these things tying me down, I am completely free to go anywhere, and do anything I want.
 
 That's because securities work in two ways; they keep you safe from falling, but they also keep you from reaching the sky. Granted, it can be nice having some security in life - without it, you would never feel safe. But securities such as having a steady job and owning a house also ties you down, leaving you unable to do certain things, such as traveling the world. Sure, you'll probably never go hungry or cold in your life, but you also won't be able to live out any adventurous dreams you might have.

The future is uncertain

I believe you should live out your dreams today, because you never know what tomorrow might bring. What if I, for instance, were to get really sick in a few years, or suffer some kind of accident that leaves me crippled? Then I wouldn't be able to travel the world as I've always wanted. So why risk not being able to do it at all in the future, when I have the perfect opportunity to do what I want right now?

It makes me sad to see a lot of people today build up their securities early on in life (getting a job, starting a family, getting a nice house etc.), only to spend the rest of their lives being tied down by these things. They might tell themselves that they'll just go to college, or work for a couple of years, and then they'll be able to do exactly what they want. And there's nothing wrong with that - if everything goes as planned.

However, with most people, everything doesn't go as planned. It can be anything from illness, to getting a girlfriend, to even a stock market crash - but something will most likely come in their way if they wait too long. And then they'll look back on their past and wish they'd done everything they wanted, while they still could.


So, will you live your dreams today, while you still can? Or are you going to let life tie you down before you get a chance to?

The Dangers of Excess, and the Fear of Loss

"The things we own, end up owning us" - Tyler Durden

The more things we have, the more we worry about losing them. This can be quite the curse for a lot of people, whose fear of losing what they have can take over their lives and control how they act and live.

But we shouldn't let fear of loss affect us. Instead, we should be happy that we have that fear, since it means we're lucky enough to have something worth losing. If we're afraid to lose something, it means we're glad that thing is in our lives, and we should be happy about that, not worried about losing it.

 Another reason not to worry about losing what we have is that we've gotten along without it just fine in the past. We may be afraid of losing our homes, our jobs or even our partners. But that's when you have to remember that you've gotten by without those things before - the only difference now is that you've gotten used to the luxury of excess.

The luxury of excess

You've gotten used to living a certain way, with everything you have now. You've long since left behind the life where you didn't have these things. And that's why it would hurt so much to lose the things you have now and revert back to where you used to be. The higher you climb, and the more things you gather, the more afraid you'll be to lose it all.
 
But behind all this excess, there are the basics that are enough; your body, your mind, and your gathered knowledge and experiences. Anything you have over that is purely excess, and more than you need. Sure, it's nice to have more than that (and probably necessary too), but my point is that you shouldn't worry about losing something above this level, because as long as you still have these basics, you can always get back what you lost.

Interactive Example

Let's have a little example. Imagine yourself having a luxurious castle. How would you feel right now if I told you that your castle had suddenly been taken away from you forever? You probably wouldn't feel very strongly about it.

But let's say the same thing happened to your current house, or apartment. You would probably feel a bit more devastated about losing that, wouldn't you? Strange.. Why is that?

Well, to explain it, we'll have to imagine that our lives are made up from different levels, which we get used to over time. Say that you're on level 10 right now, which represents your life as it is at the moment, with everything you have. You've probably gotten used to this level, and accepted the things you have right now as part of your life. You're happy that you've climbed up from the previous levels, and never want to go back down there.

Now let's bring the castle back into the picture. That's level 11, a level which you haven't climbed to yet. You haven't left level 10 behind you, and since you haven't done that, it didn't hurt at all when you fell right back to it when you lost your imaginary castle.
 
 But if you were to lose your apartment, you would be devastated, since it would mean you would fall right back down to a level which you've left behind long ago. It would mean losing the level which you're so accustomed to by now.
 
You've gotten used to the higher level, and therefore, it will hurt so much more to fall back down to a lower one. This is one of the main contributors to the fear of loss that a lot of people experience.

Living on the Basic Level

Therefore, to get rid of the fear of loss, you need to change the way you look at things. You need to see it as if you keep living on the very simplest level, where you take only your body, mind and experiences/knowledge for granted. You should treat anything above this level as excess.

And since it's excess, and you're already at the most basic level in your mind, losing these things wouldn't cause you a lot of pain. That way, you won't have to be so afraid of losing what you have, and your fear of loss will be far less severe.

Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't care about anything you have, or treat them lightly - far from it! You should be grateful for what you have, and appreciate how lucky you are to have it. You just shouldn't let the fear of losing what you have control you or the way you live.

The Shame of Choosing not to Improve

So I was reading a book about Alexander the Great today (yes, he is (was) one of the people I look up to), and I came across an interesting quote; "There is no shame in performing poorly at something, only in choosing not to improve."

I had to put the book down for a moment to ponder the awesome message in this quote, and how much I agree with it. This is actually something I've held true for a long time, but never seen expressed so accurately; It doesn't matter how much you suck at something, what's important is that you try your best to improve at it.

Picking Up Something You Suck at

Whenever you attempt something entirely new, this is what you should be telling yourself. You probably won't be very good at it, at least not in the beginning. But that's when you have a choice; either you choose to continue with your new thing until you improve and become awesome at it, or you take the easy way out and just quit, sparing you the "shame" of being bad at something.

But guess what? If you just avoid the stuff you're bad at, you'll never improve in them, and you'll suck at them forever. That is where the true shame lies - not in being bad at something in the beginning, but choosing to continue being bad at them forever. Sure, if you choose to quit something with the sole purpose being that you suck at it, it might spare yous some momentary embarrassment, but it will also hinder your growth at whatever it is you want to do.

The Shame of Quitting

 Chances are that if you're doing something difficult, it's something you want to improve at. Whether it's a new sport you've picked up or even online blogging, it's in your best interest to become good at it (otherwise, what's the point of doing it in the first place?). Especially if you're bad at it, you would benefit the most from improving in whatever it is you're doing.

So if you decide to quit that, you're actively working against your own wishes and your own progress. And there is no awesomeness in that, only shame.

Example of Awesomeness

I actually see this principle in action quite often as I help some of my friends to start working out (yeah, I consider myself a bit of a personal trainer for those of my friends who want to get fit). Most of the ones I introduce to training don't have a lot to show for when it comes to muscles - at least not in the beginning. Usually, they can't lift any more than the 20kg bar without any weights on. But that's how it is - you can't start out and expect to be at the top immediately.

 Now, this is where a lot of people would simply quit, being disheartened and embarrassed about not being at the level they want to be. And that is when a person's true character comes to show - either they quit pretty much instantly, or they decide to push through and become stronger, ignoring whatever embarrassment they may be feeling in the beginning.

And that's what separates the awesome from the unawesome; that will to continue, to improve, even when facing a few obstacles.


So whenever you consider quitting something simply because you're not good at it, ask yourself this; Would you rather take the easy way out and keep sucking at it forever, or push through the hard times in the beginning until you emerged as a pro in your chosen field?

Accepting a Bad Situation Vs. Changing it

People today have become accustomed to accepting their bad situations, telling themselves that they can't change anything. Be it that they're stuck in a dead end job or getting sick every autumn, they tell themselves that "It's just the way things are. You can't change that."

And most people who reason like that will never see their situation changed. Why? Because they've accepted it as something unavoidable. Instead of potentially changing the bad situation, they remain in it for an unnecessarily long period of time. All because they keep telling themselves "That's just the way things are."

Most situations, however, can be changed. Although some can be quite difficult, the cornerstone to improving any bad situation is to adopt the right mindset for it. You need to refuse to accept the situation you're displeased with!

Because saying "That's just the way things are" is pure bullsh*t. We can always change the things around us, if we just put some effort into it. Don't just accept a bad situation - that way it will never change. Instead, refuse the terms of it, and demand a change! Only when deciding that you won't accept the situation anymore can you actually do something about it. Whether you feel like you have no free time, or simply don't like your job, there is always something you can do about the situation, as long as you actively decide to change it.

Example: Diseases

I remember a discussion I had a while ago with a friend, who told me about how she usually spent months every fall and spring with a cold and runny nose. Months! When I asked her how she put up with that horrible situation, she told me "That's just the way things are for me."

As most of my friends there agreed with her, sharing that they too were used to getting sick at least twice a year, I couldn't help but wonder how they could just accept that.  How could anyone put up with expecting to get sick every year?

I guess I can consider myself one of the lucky ones who don't get sick a lot - I can't even remember the last time I was bedridden, and I haven't had so much as a cold for years. This has made me view diseases as something completely out of the ordinary, which makes it so difficult for me to understand how people can just accept getting sick every year as something unavoidable.

And people don't even seem to question it! Let alone try to do something about it.

This is a fine example of how you can get used to a bad situation, and eventually accept it as unavoidable. People seem to believe that staying healthy all year round is an impossibility, and therefore don't even aim for it. They just lay back, accept the situation as it is, and refuse to even try to change it.

This same principle applies to a lot of situations for a lot of people, although it might not be quite as obvious. The solution, however, remains the same; Only by refusing to accept the situation can you hope for a change to occur.

Breaking Down the Excuses That Stand in Your Way

 Today, I was in line at the grocery store when I overheard a rather obese woman in front of me complaining to her friend that she wanted to get in shape. As if putting words to my own thoughts, her friend then asked what was holding her back, to which she got the answer "I'm just too lazy for it."

She then unloaded her shopping cart full of snacks at the register.

This got me thinking about the ridiculous excuses people make to avoid doing anything difficult. Being "too lazy" is not a valid excuse for not doing something. It's a problem they could easily fix as well. Then I came to the conclusion that almost any excuse can be broken down to a ridiculous level, if questioned enough.

Breaking Down the Excuses

For instance, whenever someone I know complains about being out of shape, I ask him "Why don't you start working out, then?" I almost exclusively get answers like "because I'm too lazy", or "because I'm not disciplined enough" To which I always continue to ask "And why are you *insert provided lame excuse*?"

 

These excuses are always pure bullsh*t. Being lazy or undisciplined aren't valid excuses for anything, since it's easy to do something about that too. People who make such excuses and refuse to do anything about it are not awesome - An awesome person doesn't just give up like that. Oh no.

 

An awesome person will strive to overcome whatever is holding him back. If he is fat, he will begin a diet and exercise program. If he lacks the discipline to do that, he will begin working on improving his discipline. If he is too lazy to do that, he will start working on becoming less lazy. If he doesn't know how to become less lazy, he will try to find out how, and so on. An awesome person does not make lame excuses to cover for his weaknesses. Whatever they may be, he finds a way to fight them, one at a time!

 

Beating the Excuses

 

If you want to improve your awesomeness, you have to stop making excuses. And as I mentioned above, there is a simple way to make any excuse manageable - you simply need to break it down to the core. Question every excuse you make, and ask yourself "Why?" , until the chain of excuses sounds completely ridiculous. 

 

Just break down each and every one of your excuses to a manageable level, and start working from there. Every excuse can be overcome like this - it just takes a bit of time and effort. Because, as you will notice, every single excuse you make will start to sound ridiculously easy if you question it and backtrace it far enough.

Shaping Your Future Self

Most people (myself included), mainly thinks of the present, or near future, when it comes to their daily routines and habits. They continue with their bad habits without caring what it will lead to in the future. 
 
Because eating that extra piece of pie, or smoking those daily cigarettes, won't have any effect on you today, or tomorrow - so why should you deny yourself that small pleasure now? Future you is faar away, and he'll probably be able to handle the consequences later. Right?
 
Well, if this is how you think, you need to consider how all the things you do now will affect your future self. Sure, you probably won't see any noticeable increase in weight within the next few weeks from drinking a soda to your lunch every day, but it will come back to haunt you in the form of your future self's stomach.
 
And it's not just the negative things you need to consider - you should also consider what the positive things you do right now will lead to. Deciding to read a few pages in a book every day, or going for a jog twice a week will give your future self some amazing results.
  
Ask yourself this; What do you want your future self to be like? How should he act, how should he look and how should he think?
 
You probably want him to be better than you are now, or at least as good, in every aspect of life. You want him to be in shape and to be smarter and wiser than you are now. But how do you expect this to happen, if you don't start working towards it now? Do you expect yourself to magically achieve all your goals at once someday far from now? Because that will never happen.
 
You need to act today in order to shape your future self. Do you want to be big and muscular in the future? Start working out and eat right today. Want to be smarter? Start reading more books, or do something else that stimulates your mind. You get the picture here - whatever you want yourself to be in the future, you need to prepare for today.

Training Discipline - The Key to All Awesomeness

Discipline. The single most important thing to possess when it comes to developing your awesomeness. It's what allows you to resist any urges, and keeps you going when the temptation to quit is strong. If you have a strong discipline, nothing can hold you back. You can learn whatever you want, become whatever you want and do whatever you want. It is the cornerstone of a strong mind and body, and it will enable you to develop all other aspects of awesomeness as well.

Therefore, it is absolutely essential that you greatly develop your discipline!

So how do you do it?

Developing your discipline is a simple, straight-forward process. You develop your discipline every time you force your body or mind to act against an impulse, no matter how weak or strong. This teaches your body and mind how to more easily resist temptation, which is exactly what we're trying to accomplish here.

For example, say that your body is craving sugar, and you're thinking about going to the kitchen to get some candy. If you refuse to act on that temptation, you train your discipline, and you will have an easier time resisting the temptation in the future.Your discipline will have grown stronger. Then, when stronger temptations appear, such as the temptation to quit whatever you're doing, you will be able to resist it, since you've trained your discipline well enough. If you forfeit to that same temptation and go stuff your face with candy, however, you will instead find it even harder to resist it the next time temptation comes around.

This is the basics of training your discipline. All you need to do is to try and resist any and all temptations you feel during the day - no matter how small. Feel like checking Facebook before you get to work? Resist it! Want to get a soda with your meal? Resist it! Eventually, as your discipline grows stronger, you will find it easier and easier to resist these things.

A more detailed and in-depth guide about how you can develop your discipline will be posted in the future, but for now, this is all you need to know. 

Getting Started With Awesomeness

So you’ve decided you want to become more awesome, but you don’t know where to start? I’ve been there myself – seeing how much there is to improve upon, and having no idea where, or how, to begin. I know how frustrating it can be. But don’t worry – this guide will help you get started on your journey to Awesomeness!
 

Deciding Where You Want to Become More Awesome
 

The first step towards becoming more awesome is realizing exactly what you want to become more awesome at. Are you in poor shape, and want to become more physicallyawesome? Or perhaps you could benefit from improving your mind and mentalawesomeness? Or maybe you simply want to become more socially awesome. 
 

The choice is yours – all you need to do is ask yourself where you could use some improvement (because let’s face it, we all need to improve something). If you’re having a hard time coming up with things to improve, I suggest you check out the following list of suggestions which most people could benefit from improving in.

·         Discipline

·         Physical strength

·         Reading speed

·         Learning

·         Leadership

·         Confidence

·         Reflexes

·         Speed

·         Coordination

·         Arguing

·         

Choosing What Area(s) to Begin With
 

By now, chances are you’ve chosen at least a couple of areas where you wish to improve your awesomeness. Now it’s time to decide which area to begin with. I strongly advise that you don’t focus on too many areas at once, since that will most likely lead to half-assed results in most cases. Instead, pick just one or two things to start with, and stick with them until you see some solid results.
 

For most areas of awesomeness on this site, there is a clear guide on how to begin developing them. All you need to do is find the area you want to improve in, and read the related guide.

Breaking Free From Social Conditioning

So you’ve decided to become more awesome. Good for you! That means you’ve already taken the first step towards leading a more awesome life.

However, there is something standing in your way. Something that’s keeping you, and everyone else, from achieving the full potential of their awesomeness. Something that’s designed to keep us all in a straight line, following the rules of society and making sure we don’t rise up above the masses.

Its name; Social Conditioning.

Our whole lives, from birth to the day we die, our minds are constantly being hammered by the rules, morals and mindsets of society, shaping us into good little worker drones who won’t step out of the pretty line our modern society has set up for us. It makes sure we live our lives in mediocrity, telling us that wanting more is wrong, and that we should always settle for what we have. It’s what tells us to get up in the morning and go to our 9-to-5 jobs, so we can work away our lives in order to afford the things society demands of us.
  

Most of us see no problem with this; working away most of our time, paying taxes on our hard earned money, buying the stuff society tells us we need and following the rules that have been set up for us. You shouldn’t even question those things - it’s just the way things work. At least that’s what society would have us believe through Social Conditioning.
 

It’s what makes sure we don’t break the lines and think for ourselves. Because what if everyone just suddenly realized they didn’t have to work low-paying jobs, and decided to become entrepreneurs instead? We can’t have that! The general population needs to be kept in place! 

Introducing; The Incredible Story of Everyday Man
 

Questioning the Beliefs of Society
 

Only when you start to question the things you’ve learned through social conditioning can you hope to achieve awesomeness. You need to review each and every belief that has been installed into your mind and ask yourself “is this truly what I believe, or is it just what society has told me to believe?” 
 

Sure, some might be perfectly fine with the way things are, and want to keep living their safe little lives – and there is nothing wrong with that. But for those of us who want more, who want to reach the very limits of our potential, the option of obediently following our social conditioning is completely unthinkable. Reaching awesomeness and following the rules society has laid out for us are just too incompatible to coexist within a single mind.
 

It is possible, however, for a person to achieve some levels of awesomeness while still being an obedient member of society. But in order to achieve true awesomeness, you have no other choice but to question the very beliefs you’ve had imprinted on your mind since childhood. 
 

The choice is yours – Choose wisely.