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!

Reaching Your Maximum Potential Vs. Settling With Being Average

In the modern world we live in, we tend to measure our success by comparing ourselves to others. Whether it's about our ability to throw a football or the number of digits in our salary, we can't help but base our sense of success on how well we're doing in comparison to other people.

And while this may be beneficial in some cases (such as if you are as competitive as myself), it can be a really bad thing in most cases. You see, society today instills the idea that being average is good enough, and is what we should aim for - no matter how high our maximum potential could take us. We see the average level as the goal, and once we've reached that level, there is no need to climb any higher. As long as we're not worse than everyone else, everything is fine.

And I suppose that's a legit way of looking at life - If you're content with being another faceless nobody in the crowd, that is. If you want to amount to something and excel at life, however, you need to completely change the way you compare your own success to the masses.

 Not being bad does NOT equal being good

Most people are satisfied as long as they don't stand out from the masses in a bad way - so much so that they don't even care about standing out in a good way either. They believe that as long as they aren't worse than other people at something, they're good enough, and let it go.

This kind of thinking is great for the mindless worker drones of society. It keeps the masses in line, and makes sure they don't rise above their lot. But for those of us who aim higher, and want to achieve something of significance in life, this is a very dangerous way to think. It hinders any kind of advancement above the average level, and makes it so much more difficult to excel at something.

Only by realizing that being average is not the same as being good can we shed our lives of mediocrity, and reach for our full potential.

Always strive to improve

In order to stand out from the crowd, you must keep going even when you've climbed higher than most people. Simply thinking "But I'm already better at this than the others, there is no need for me to improve any further" will prevent you from reaching anywhere near your full potential. Sure, you might be slightly better than everyone else at something, but why settle for that if you could reach even higher? Why settle for being good, when you can be great?

Ask yourself if you're currently living up to your full potential, or if you've lowered your standards to fit in with the average level of the masses. Are you living life at your very best, or are you holding back your A-game?

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.

4 Foolproof Ways to Exponentially Improve Your Awesomeness

There are countless ways in which you can improve your awesomeness, from hitting the gym to reading more books. But whichever ways you choose to do it, there are some that are far better than the others. These stand out from the rest by not just increasing your awesomeness, but also improving and speeding up your entire process of becoming awesome.

Because of this, these ways will make your awesomeness grow exponentially, meaning that your awesomeness will grow faster and faster the more awesome you get at them. To give some examples, here's a list of some of the things that will help you improve your awesomeness exponentially.

#4: Reading

Arguably the best way to take in information, reading is one of the most important skills to be good at today. Every day you are forced to use this skill, which is why it's so important to be awesome and constantly improve at it. Being able to read at a high speed with a high understanding is therefore essential to being awesome. But being able to read fast has another huge advantage for those pursuing awesomeness. 

You see, part of developing your awesomeness means effectively taking in and processing information, and the faster and more effectively you can do this, the faster you will be able to learn new things and grow your awesomeness. Therefore it is important to constantly train your reading skills, from reading comprehension to reading speed.

#3: Physical Exercise

Exercising is a must for developing any awesomeness. You need to maintain a strong body that is capable of withstanding the strain put on by your awesomeness, which has already been covered in a previous post. But besides making you stronger, faster, more durable etc., continuous exercising has another amazing benefit; it will give you the energy you need to develop your awesomeness in general. 

It's simple; the more you exercise and keep your body in shape, the more energy you will have, which means you'll have more energy to put into developing your awesomeness. And this, in turn, will lead to faster and greater results in the long run.

#2: Training Your Mind
 
 Basically, training your mind means developing all your mental abilities, as well as changing and improving your mindsets. This involves anything from training your self discipline to changing the way you look at the world.

This all comes with a whole host of awesome benefits. Aside from becoming more awesome the more you train your mind, you will also improve your overall process of becoming more awesome in general. For instance, with a stronger self discipline, you will be able to devote more of your time and energy towards things that matter, such as studying awesomeness, and with a different mindset, you'll find it easier to change the way you live and act.


#1: Social Training 

One important area of life that people often forget is the social part. Becoming more socially awesome is equally important to training your body and mind. This is why it's so sad to see that hardly anyone puts down any effort into developing their social awesomeness, such as their leadership abilities or their communicative skills.

Social training is actually a vital part of becoming awesome, since part of awesomeness is being able to control your social environment the way you see fit. Therefore, it is crucial for anyone trying to reach awesomeness to take control of their social life and start training until he is completely in control of his surroundings. And, just as with the other things on this list, you'll only grow faster and faster the better you get at social awesomeness.

These are all examples of ways which will help increase your awesomeness exponentially the more you train them. There are many more ways like these, which will be featured in an updated post in the future. In the meantime, start training your awesomeness today!

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.

"If Overweight - Lose Weight" - Why Simple Instructions are all You Need

Today, I saw a picture on a humor website depicting a series of instructions, which included the very helpful advice "If overweight - lose weight." 
I laughed a little at the blatant simplicity of this "advice", but then I thought "Why is this funny? It should be that simple."

 Let me explain:

[NOTE: The principles in this post hold true for a lot of things, from laziness to addictions, but for the purpose of this post, I'm going to use obesity as an example.]
 

A lot of people today are obese, and face a hard time struggling to overcome it. What's sad is that most of these people go about it all the wrong way. They think the obesity itself is the only problem, and that once they fix that, everything will be all right. 
 

What they fail to realize, however, is that their obesity is most likely not the problem itself, but rather a symptom of a much bigger issue.
 

Fixing the Problem, Not the Symptom
 

Let's look at this another way by using an analogy. Say that you've broken your finger, and it's causing you a lot of pain. 
 

Would you A) focus entirely on the pain and take pain killers for the rest of your life while ignoring the fact that your finger is broken, or B) go to the doctor and have your finger fixed, thereby removing both the problem and the pain? It's a simple choice, isn't it? Why would you focus entirely on the symptoms and ignore the problem?

Well, the exact same principle applies here: things like obesity, laziness and addictions are merely symptoms of something much worse: a lack of self discipline.
 

In this case, the poor self discipline is the broken finger, and the many problems that arise from it is the pain. Don't just treat the pain - fix the problem, and the pain will go away on its own!

"If Overweight - Lose Weight"
 

Back to the obesity analogy. If you think you can fix your weight problems by going on a special diet, taking weight loss pills or having surgery, you're going about it all wrong. All those things do is treat the symptoms of an underlying problem. And if you don't take care of the problem, the symptoms will almost certainly return.  What makes you think you'll be able to stay slim after you stop taking those pills, or give up on that diet? You'll just revert back to your old self if you haven't addressed the real problem.
 

The problem: your lack of discipline.
 

Fact: a disciplined person will never become fat. He is able to stop eating when he's had enough, and can easily push himself to exercise. He doesn't need any special diet or weight loss pills - he stays in shape by controlling what he eats and how much he exercises. He is in control of his own body. He won't get fat, because obesity is nothing but a symptom of a problem he does not have.

A disciplined person who is intent on getting in shape needs no other instructions than "If overweight - lose weight". It's that simple.

Remove the Problem, and the Symptoms Will Disappear
 

If you're struggling with losing weight, you're probably going about it the wrong way. If you need a bunch of guides, diets and outside help, you're completely missing the point. The obesity isn't the problem - the lack of discipline is. 

Train your discipline, and your obesity will be a problem no more.

(These principles holds true for a lot of things, from laziness to addictions - just replace obesity in this post with the problem you want to address)

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. 

Mental Awesomeness

The mental aspect of life is another vital area to become awesome in. Without mental awesomeness, there is just no point in becoming awesome in the other areas. 

This is where the very essence of awesomeness lies – if you don’t have an awesome mind, you simply cannot call yourself awesome.

But what is an awesome mind? 

Just as with the other kinds of awesomeness, the definition of mental awesomeness varies greatly from person to person. However, regardless of how you define it, there are four components that are essential for an awesome mind:

The Key Components of an Awesome Mind

Anyone can have an awesome mind – it’s simply a matter of continuous training of the mind, just the same as with the body. However, there are basically four components which you need to continuously develop to maintain an awesome mind;

Discipline - This is the most important aspect to leading an awesome life. Without discipline, you just can't hope to achieve mental, nor physical or social, awesomeness. Developing your discipline should therefore be a number one priority in your journey to awesomeness.

The Right Mindsets - this may seem iffy, but the way you think about and view things is absolutely crucial in order to become awesome. The way you've been raised has left you with a certain way of thinking, which is most likely holding you back in some ways. Only by questioning the way you think, and reshaping it the way you want can you reach the awesomeness you desire.

The Process of Learning - this is another --- that's holding us back. Most people tend to stop actively learning the day they leave school, which means they stop developing their ability to learn new things. In order to become more awesome, it's important to develop your process of learning, so that you are able to actually take in and learn from new information.

The Will to Improve - this is the most important component of an awesome mind - the will to improve, and always strive towards becoming more awesome. With this will, nothing can stand in the way of reaching the other aspects of awesomeness.

If you focus on developing these four components, you will find that not only does your mind grow more awesome, but it becomes a lot easier to reach your goals in the other aspects of awesomeness as well.