When I was suicidal, I was doing all of the below bad habits.
When I was going broke, I was doing all of the below bad habits.
I’ve gone from rich to dead broke so many times I’m like a one-man scientific experiment in what works and what doesn’t.
Or I’m just an idiot. Either way.
These things don’t work. Stop doing them.
—
A) TOO LITTLE SLEEP
If you don’t have sleep, you don’t have energy. Without energy, you won’t be able to come up with ideas, meet people for potential opportunities, follow up on opportunities.
If I don’t get eight hours then all I’m good for is binge-watching Netflix all day.
I guess that could be a benefit of lack of sleep.
—
B) BAD ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS
Why did she say that??
What did that mean??
Why did she not invite me to X? Why didn’t we do Y?
Why? Why? Why?
I’d get upset. I’d think about it.
Please stop thinking about it, I would tell myself. PLEASE!
I can’t help it. Stop asking! BUT PLEASE! Shut up.
What a waste of time. Energy. What about that girl who had the abortion? A year of my life down the drain.
What about that divorce? TWO YEARS of my life.
How many years will I give to people who don’t love me?
—
C) BAD FRIENDSHIPS
Why don’t they ever call me back? I was really there for them when A, B, and C happened?
Why did the say that about me to those other people?
Why are they always asking me for things but never offering to give me? And why am I afraid to ask for help from them?
It’s so easy to feel loyal to bad friends because they helped you out once five years ago.
Or because you grew up with them. Or because they are your sister or brother or family or whatever.
People change. I change. It’s really true: you’re the average of the five people you spend your time with.
And I’m too shy to make new friends. But a podcast forces me to be around good people.
—
D) LOSING TRACK OF YOUR CREATIVITY
You either become a slave to working on someone else’s ideas. Or you come up with your own.
Some people say, “There are no new original ideas.”
BU**HIT!
The only people who say that are people who never come up with original ideas.
Here’s how to have an original idea: Every day, write down ten ideas based on something you’re passionate about.
Every other day, combine those ideas into something new.
You’ll start to have new ideas every day. It’s that simple.
And when you do your ideas, you’re doing something for the first time. One of those first times we’ll take you to the finish line.
But then don’t give up. The race isn’t over until your heart is slit by a serial killer.
Run, baby, run!
—
E) HAVING NO SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
This doesn’t mean meditate five hours a day or chant or pray or anything.
A spiritual practice just means surrendering to what you can’t control in life.
I can’t control what people like me. I can’t control what opportunities will work and what won’t.
If I obsess on the outcomes, I die. If I focus on the process, I win. Process > Outcomes.
This is spiritual practice. To focus on process RIGHT NOW.
—
F) EATING POORLY
Without gas, a car won’t run.
Without good food, your brain won’t work. Your body will break down.
You will have less time to create, to execute, to destroy, to rebuild.
But I did have a vanilla Oreo cookie right now. I can’t help it!
—-
There’s other bad habits.
Like thinking too much what other people think of you.
But whenever you create something new, you become a threat to all around you.
And when you’re a threat, you’re a target.
And when you’re a target, people will try to put you down and trash you.
It will be irrational. It will be crazy. It will be frustrating and scary and make you angry.
Just assume all people are irrational. Keep your expectations low on other people.
Not that they are bad. But that they are lonely and they find friends who are eager to take you down.
Let them make their friends and have their fun.
You’re already having yours.