Collective Conscious (under 25)

“Man’s flight through life is sustained by the power of his knowledge”

Austin “Dusty” Miller

“If you haven’t read hundreds of books you are functionally illiterate… your experiences alone are not enough to sustain you”

Jim Mattis

Total Watch Time: ~3 hours

End State:
– Find Direction
– Understand what makes you happy
– Tools to find sustainable joy
– Peace & Purpose

I spent 6 years figuring who the hell I was. Dozens of books, a dozen countries, hundreds of articles, & thousands of hours reflecting. I didn’t like who I was for the longest time. I had to learn to deal with me. I had to find where I was going.

I’m a hell of a lot happier now. I like who I am and love where I’m going.
This list won’t solve all the problems. But it’s a damn good place to start.

Read. Listen. Digest. Go for a walk. Then step forward, damnit.
If something resonates, stop and go do the thing.
Your future self begs you.

  • 6 years
  • 12 countries
  • 100s of articles
  • 1000s hours research
  • 1 marathon
  • 1 volcano
  • 1 Barefoot pilgrimage
  • 500+ bike raceS
  • Dozens people helped

5 Min Snippet

5 Regrets of the Dying (5 min) and 4 more mind changers:

3 Hours You Can’t Live Without

  1. (4 min) The 5 Regrets of the Dying by Australian nurse Bronnie Ware
  2. (15 min) How to Make Wealth by CEO Paul Graham
  3. (20 min vid) How to Find Your Purpose Robert Greene & Dr. Huberman
  4. (10 min) Shockingly Simple Math to Early Retirement by Mr. Moustache
  5. (13 min vid)The Harvard Happy Study TedTalk by Robert Waldinger
  6. (3 min vid) What If Money Was No Object by Alan Watts
  7. (14 min vid)The High Price We Pay for Pursuing the Wrong Things in Life
  8. (45 min vid) BlueZones Netflix Doc (or Vice Documentary)
  9. ““You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than with your current results.” James Clear
  10. “All the returns in life, whether in wealth, relationships, or knowledge, come from compound interest.” Angel Investor CEO
  11. “Life is a single player game. You’re born alone. You’re going to die alone. All of your interpretations are alone. All your memories are alone. You’re gone in three generations and no one cares. Before you showed up nobody cared. It’s all single player.” Naval Ravikant

“what is my purpose?”

Total Time: ~38 min

Goal: Life is

“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how”

Friedrich Nietzsche

“Aimlessness is the breeding ground of despair”

Dr. Jordan Peterson

“Humans function like a bicycle, unless you move up and forward towards the target, you will stagger and fall.”

John D. Rockefeller, wealthiest man alive 1937

  1. What are you actively working on? What craft are you perfecting?
  2. (20 min) How to Find Your Purpose by Andrew Huberman | Robert Greene
  3. “You should be far more concerned with your current trajectory than your current results”
  4. (3 min) What If Money Was No Object by Alan Watts
  5. Obsession: What are you obsessed with?
    • Don’t know? Keep trying things until you find out

“You rarely need more information, you need more action”

Unknown

“Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul”

Edward Abbey

  1. “Your idols give you insights in to your values”
    • Who are your idols -> You are a compilation of your 5 closest friends
    • Who inspires you -> Go work for them for free…. see ‘Money’
  2. (3 min) Short & Long Term Goals by Gordon Ryan, world class Jiu Jitsu grappler
    • Where do you want to be 1 year from today?
  3. “Your worldview is your greatest strength and your greatest weakness”
    People think differently. There are different types of intelligence, different ways brains work. How does yours work?
  4. (2 min) Pain & Suffering by NVIDIA CEO
  5. “Action is the antidote to anxiety”
    • “Aimlessness is the breeding ground of despair” Dr. Jordan Peterson
    • ‘Being young is like being stuck in the middle of the ocean – at some point you have to just pick a direction & start swimming’ Dr. Meg Jay
    • “You rarely need more information, you just need more action”
  6. Rational, Idealist, Guardian, Artisan>Curious, Connection, Structure, Goals
  7. ‘I think the key to life is to eliminate [long term] human suffering’ Joe Rogan
  8. (1 min) Be Famous? > Provide Value by Naval Ravikant
  9. “Life must be lived forward but understood backwards” Soren Kierkegaard
  10. Japanese concept of Ikigai: Reason for Being
  11. Intuition (2 min) by Naval: “You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” Steve Jobs
  12. “Don’t be the best, be the only”
    • This one rocked my world. It’s not you vs others. You vs you. Compare you to you 6 months ago.
  13. Questions
    1. Do Have Be by Tim Ferriss
    2. Perfect Day by TedTalk
      • hour by hour by Chris Guillebeau
    3. Your idols give you insights to your values by IDK
    4. What is a cause you’d happily die for? by Arthur Brooks, Harvard Prof
      • Happiness is Direction. Mother Nature doesn’t care if happy
    5. Money No Object by Alan Watts
    6. What brings you joy?
    7. Curiousity, Structure, Connection, Goals
    8. How do YOU earn the day?
    9. What would you do if fear didn’t exist?
      • What would you do if success was guaranteed?
      • Everything youve ever wanted other side of fear dawson trotmn
    10. List your joys, loves, & hates -> That’s you
    11. Obsession?
    12. 3 month goals, 6 month goals, 3 year, 10 years, deathbed
      • How will your spouse greet you when you come home?
      • How many grandkids will you have?
    13. Talents, Values, Passions (elaine welteroth)
    14. Ikigai: World needs, paid for, love
      • Don’t be the best be the only
    15. What’s something you could work on for the rest of your life?
    16. Pretend you’re 90, dying for a second. Now imagine you’ve been given a second chance at life… what would you do today?

Protocols

Deeper Dive

  • List of Questions to Find Direction
  • (2 hrs) Show Your Work by Austin Kleon
  • “What do i do in my 20s?” ->
    • (5 hrs) Defining Decade (Q should be asked HS/college)
    • The Alchemist
    • 7 Laws of Spiritual Success
  • (3 hrs) Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life
  • 5 Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner

“Everything you have ever wanted is on the other side of fear”

George Addair

Recipe

  1. Try shit
  2. Reflect on that shit
  3. Never stop learning about that shit
  4. Try more shit

In that order. Only prereqs needed:

  • Courage
  • Discipline

Go try shit. It is the only way. Lifelong learning.
You never get the whole plan… just the next 2 steps…. here’s to the unknown.

“make money” & “spend money”

~39 min

“You get paid in direct proportion to the difficulty of problems you solve”

Wealthiest Man Alive 2024

#2 Regret: I wish I hadn’t worked so hard

  1. (20 min) How to Make Wealth by Paul Graham. Cannot recommend enough
  2. “Retirement is not an age, but a number” Redditor
  3. “Once I stopped focusing on making money and started focusing on being useful, my career took off” Unknown
  4. (2 min) Make Stuff by Steve Jobs
  5. (10 min) Shockingly Simple Math Behind Early Retirement by Money Moustache
  6. “I save money so that I can spend money on the things I value”
    • What are your values?
  7. (1 min) Stop Trading Things by Chris Williamson
  8. “Money is a mere exchange of value. If you want to make money, you’ve got to provide value” Unknown
  9. (5 min) Stories – Rich and miserable from Reddit
  10. How you spend your time and money reveal your True Priorities
  11. Hedonic Treadmill

Deeper Dive

  1. Mr. Money Moustache Blog
  2. (4 hours) Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason
  3. (5 hours) Die With Zero
    • “Retirement isn’t an age but a number” Reddit
    • “If your cost of living is 0, you are retired today” Money Moustache
  4. Rich Dad, Poor Dad

“how do i get happy?”

~51 min

“Mother Nature doesn’t care if you’re happy… She has two goals for you, which is survival and gene propogation”

Arthur Brooks

Basic Recipe:

1. Community (5 Regrets of the Dying, Harvard Happy Study, High Price We Pay)
2. Meaningful Work (3 HappyMistakes, Happy Hypoth, Man’s Search for Meaning)
3. Gratitude/Mindset (Meditations, Analects, Peace is Every Step)
4. Reflection (What makes you happy?, Smart & Happy)
Source: (4 min) Happiness Mistakes by Dr. Jonathan Haidt

#5 Regret: “I wish that I had let myself be happier“

  • (5 min) Article The 5 Regrets of the Dying by Australian nurse Bronnie Ware
  • (13 min) Video The Harvard Happy Study TedTalk by Robert Waldinger
  • (14 min) Video The High Price We Pay for Pursuing the Wrong Things in Life
  • (1 min) Anxiety is Unfocused Fear by Arthur Brooks
  • “He who has a ‘why’ for which to live can bear with almost any ‘how’.”
    Friedrich Nietzche
  • “Play Long-Term Games With Long Term People: All the returns in life, whether in wealth, relationships, or knowledge, come from compound interest.” Naval Ravikant
    • Warren Buffett’s earned over 90% of his wealth after the age of 60
  • “99% of life is spent on the journey. And what kind of journey would it be if you don’t enjoy it” Naval Ravikant
  • (3 min) Video What if Money was No Object by Alan Watts
  • (4 min) Arthur Brooks PDF “Mother Nature doesn’t care if you’re happy”
    • “Metrics drive behavior” – On a day to day we are focused, especially in the West, far more on status than genuine well being. Mother Nature doesn’t care if you’re happy. If you don’t define your own metrics to Enjoy Life, the default for more money or things takes over
    • Your happiness is your own responsibility
  • (4 min) Video Formula for Happy by Dr. Jonathan Haidt
  • (1 min) “Life is just a set of sensory experiences and then you die” Chris Williamson
  • (4 min) Pale Blue Dot by Carl Sagan
  • ‘Don’t Stop Playing: Never stop doing the things that you enjoy… especially if you’re bad at them’ James Clear
  • (1 min) Should Successful People Be Envied or Pitied
  • (2 min) The Best Doesn’t Feel that Good
  • (1 min) Create Art by Kurt Vonnegut
  • ‘How can you enjoy the whole orange if you don’t enjoy a single slice?… that’s life’ Dr. Brene Brown

Deeper Dive

The Basic Recipe

  • Community
  • Meaningful Work
  • Gratitude/Mindset
  • What makes you happy? For me these are:
Anxiety

~27 min

  • (1 min) “Anxiety is unfocused fear” by Arthur Brooks
  • (2 min) Reduce anxiety by Dr. Andrew Huberman
  • (12 min) Stress-Breathing by James Nestor
  • “Action is the antidote to anxiety” Unknown
    • Obvi some people have a predisposition to higher lvls of anxiety. Depending on the source, action is a tremendous remedy
  • (2 min) “Anxiety is your ally” by Jewel
  • (10 min) Wim Hof Holotropic Breathwork by Wim Hof
  • An oversimplified anxiety synopsis:
    • We feel aimless when we are not challenged enough
    • We feel anxious when we are challenged and don’t feel we have the skills to take on the challenge
    • Flow state is when we are perfectly challenged

I’ve used these for immediate relief and use them on a regular basis.

Health

Deep Dive

Sleep

~3 min

Mouth tape has completely transformed my sleep. I used to wake up in a haze for the first 3 hours, swearing and pissed off. After 2 yrs, it’s all but transformed.

Deeper Dive

Habits & Discipline

~9 min

“All the returns in life, whether in wealth, relationships, or knowledge, come from compound interest.”

Naval Ravikant

“You should be far more concerned with your trajectory than current results”

James Clear

  • (1 min) “Discipline equals freedom” Jocko Willinck
  • “Failure is a prerequisite to getting to the place you want to be” Unkown
    • The faster you fail, the faster you figure out what you want. It’s not a bad thing, just points you in the right direction
  • “If you can spend 8 hours building someone else’s dream, you can spend 1 hour building your own” Dan Koe
  • 100x your habits: If I do this 100x, will I be any closer to my goals?
  • (2 min) Shrink the Task
  • Finland has ranked #1 happiest country in the world multiple years in a row. They have a term denoting quiet, steady determination and grit “Sisu”
  • “Show me your habits and I’ll show you your future”
    You are your habits, even if it’s just 2 mins ever day. Make it every day.
  • “The problem with winners and losers is that they’ve got the same goals” James Clear
  • 10x your goals – always think bigger
  • “If you don’t create a routine, you will be assigned one” Dan Koe

Deeper Dive

  • (45 mins) Podcast Jocko Willinck
  • (7 hrs) Atomic Habits

Resilience

~29 min

  • “The world doesn’t owe you anything”
    • There’s always something to be grateful for
    • It can always be worse
    • Work smarter not harder… learn from ppl who have what you want… read their biographies
  • (3 mins) “Good” by Jocko Willinck
  • Make every Obstacle a challenge: “I can’t do this.” -> “How can I do this?”
    • Don’t use the word “can’t”
  • “Character is often proportional to adversity” Unknown
  • “Discipline buys freedom” Jocko Willinck
  • (1 min) The Chinese Farmer
  • (4 mins) 100 Days of Rejection
    • “Everything you’ve ever wanted lays on the other side of fear” George Addair
  • “Choose your suffering” Suffering is going to happen by default anyways. If we choose the problems we run in to (exercise, facing fear, challenges) we’ll be far more suited to tackle newer, unforeseen challenges
  • (1 min) Use it to your advantage by Kanye
  • (20 mins) Start With Why by Simon Sinek
  • Single biggest determining factor if ppl successful at USMA is ‘Grit’ – independent of background, class, parents.. etc

Deeper Dive

  • (3 hrs) Fear by Thich Nhat Hanh, Vietnamese Monk & friend of MLK Jr
  • (14 hrs) Cant Hurt Me by David Goggins
  • (14 hrs) Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand

Time: “there’s not enough time in day 2 do what i want”

~34 min

Protocols

  • ‘You won’t read all the books… watch all the movies… or see all the places you want to. Choose a few that matter and experience those with every drop of the soul’ Paraphrasing Oliver Burkeman
  • Create 2 separate To-Do Lists. One Finite has only 3 things on it. One is infinite. You can only move things from the Infinite List to the Finite List after you’ve completed them.
    • There’s still infinite things, but you’ll tick off items that truly matter
  • “Treat To Do Lists like rivers instead of lists.”
    • You only get to choose a handful. There’s an infinite number of options, grab a few you like and enjoy them. Oliver Burkeman
    • We’ve got an infinite number of interests, but only a finite time

Deeper Dive

“better relationships”

~32 min

“Your relationships will rarely be better than your self-esteem”

James Clear

EQ is a far greater predictor of success than IQ.
“90% of top performers had high EQ; only 20% of bottom performers did.”

Travis Bradberry

#4 Regret: “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends”
#1 Factor of Happiness: Quality of Relationships

Protocols

  • “Seek to understand before being understood” Stephen Covey
  • “Approach conflict with curiosity”
  • “Connection before correction”
    • “Attack the problem not the person”
    • You’re on the same team as the other. Arguing to win is a fool’s gambit
  • Violent Disagreements? Pick a future point in time that you both agree on. Work back from there. FBI Negotiator uses this with armed hostages.
  • “Feel like home” Mel Robins, (3 mins)
  • (1 min) Let Them Theory by Mel Robins
    • “You don’t have the ability to control other peoples’ emotions”
  • (4 min) Mirrors
  • (4 min) Labels

Deeper Dive

“better relationship with self”

~19 min

“Your relationships will rarely be healthier than your self-esteem”

James Clear

Given that our relationships are the single most important thing in life… our relationship with self is a close contestant.

#3 Regret: I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

#1 Regret: I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

  • “The only real test of intelligence is if you get what you want out of life” Naval, full clip (1 min)
  • (1 min) It’s You vs You by Gordon Ryan
  • “Life is a single player game. You’re born alone. You’re going to die alone. All of your interpretations are alone. All your memories are alone. You’re gone in three generations and no one cares. Before you showed up nobody cared. It’s all single player.” Naval Ravikant
  • (2 min) Decision Making by Naval Ravikant
  • “Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” Lao Tzu
  • The world doesn’t owe you anything
    • It could always be worse
    • There’s always something to be grateful for
  • (1 min) Famous People by Chris Williamson
  • (2 min) If by Rudyard Kipling
  • (4 min) To Do or To Be by Air Force Colonel John Boyd
  • TNH Gerunds
    • “Breathing in I am at peace, breathing out I smile”
    • “Breathing in I know that I am breathing in, breathing out…”
  • TNH Invariable Truths
    • I know that I will die
  • TNH Fear
    • Breathing in I see my 5 year old self…I smile at that 5 year old self

Understand Self

  • Pls Understand Me PDF

Intuition

  • Steve Jobs on Karma “You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever – because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-worn path.”
  • (1 min) Jeff Bezos Best Decisions
  • (1 min) Gary Vee Your Gut
  • Soren Kierkegaard “Life Can Only Be Understood Backwards, But It Must Be Lived Forwards”
  • “The only way out is through”
    • Emotions aren’t meant to be blocked out, but to be felt fully. You cannot rid yourself of sadness, anger, pain, heartbreak… without feeling it fully
  • Have had multiple friends in long term relationships (4 and 10 years) later tell me they knew within the first couple months that it would not work out. Eventually the body figures a way out and goes nuclear. Listen to intuition. The body knows what it wants.
    • Madi 4 years
    • Juli 10 years

Jealousy (Imposter Syndrome)

  • (4 min) Jealousy by Naval
  • “One day, I realized with all these people I was jealous of, I couldn’t just choose little aspects of their life. I couldn’t say I want his body, I want her money, I want his personality. You have to be that person. Do you want to actually be that person with all of their reactions, their desires, their family, their happiness level, their outlook on life, their self-image? If you’re not willing to do a wholesale, 24/7, 100 percent swap with who that person is, then there is no point in being jealous.”
    Naval Ravikant, full 4 min article

Protocols

  • (1 min) It’s You vs You by Gordon Ryan ‘Instead of comparing you to you, compare you to you 6 months ago’
    • Imposter Syndrome sucks: So instead of comparing self to others, compare self to self 6 months ago. I use this religiously
  • (1 min) Seeing Red by Tony Robbins | Theo Von

Deeper Dive

  • Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome, Maybe most powerful man alive
  • (3 hours) Peace is Every Step by Vietnamese Monk MLK Jr recommended for Nobel Peace Prize: Thich Nhat Hanh

Leadership

~21 mins

  • “A painter uses his hands, a musicians his ears, a leader uses language” Capt David Arquet
  • “You have to care about PEOPLE” Gary Vee
  • “Be an owner not a renter” -> Extreme Ownership Jocko Willinck
  • “The single greatest deficiency in senior military leadership is lack of time to reflect” Marine General Jim Mattis
  • (10 mins) “Lazy Leadership” by @Awilkinson sourced by Naval Ravikant
  • (9 mins) Submarine Leadership by Captain David Marquet
  • (2 mins) Red work vs Blue work

Deeper Dive

  • (6 hours) Turn the Ship Around by Captain David Marquet

Happy Habits (recipe: 3 things i need ppl to know)

  1. Default is Status>Happy:
    • “Mother Nature doesn’t care if you’re happy. She wants resources”
    • “If you’re so smart, why aren’t you happy”
  2. Framework for Happy = Relationships + Community
    + (Mindset unavoidable suffering + Gratitude)
    • Relationships
      • “Your relationships will rarely be healthier than your self-esteem”
      • Vulnerability: 36 Qs to Love
    • Purpose (young people!!)
      • “Do, Have, Be”
      • “Cause you’d die for… happily”
      • “Idols give you insights to your values”
      • Ikigai
      • 10 Qs
      • Try shit. Reflect. Study greats. Try more shit. In that order.
    • Unavoidable Suffering (devote it to someone)
    • Gratitude (world dont owe, could always b worse, somethin grateful)
  3. Long Term Compound Interest
    • Courage & Discipline
      • “You should be far more concerned with current trajectory…”
      • “All the returns in life financial, relationships, knowledge…”
      • “Everything you have ever wanted is on the other side of fear”
  4. Intuition
    • Curiosity
  5. Happy Habits
    • Sleep
    • Exercise
    • Water
    • Sunlight
    • Self Care
    • Meditate
    • Nature
    • Huberman 8 Pillars
  6. 10 Qs
  • 5 Regrets of Dying
  • Harvard Happy Study
  • High Price We Pay
  • Bluezones
  • Mans Search for Meaning
  • Happy is Direction by Arthur Brooks | Rich Roll (pdf)
  • Jon Haidt 3 Mistakes (happy hypoth)

Happy Habits (extended)

After college I bought a one way ticket to Europe. 5 weeks later I found myself on some farm in Estonia. I didn’t know what made me feel ‘good’ until I didn’t have them. I discovered I need these 4 things to feel satisfied:

  1. Time with Friends
  2. Exercise (or adrenaline like mt biking)
  3. Sharpen a Skill
  4. Learn forever

The list has since grown into an expansive list of things I do on a daily/weekly basis to feel good. I feel the best when I prioritize these.

  • Sleep (7.5 hr)
  • Meditation (30 min)
  • Run (35 min)
  • Writing (15 min)
  • Reflective Walks (30 min)
  • Books/Podcasts/Learn/Satiate Curiosity (30 min)

I also noted other things that make me feel good that I can pool from:

  • Learn forever “If you have not read hundreds of books, you are functionally illiterate. Your experiences alone are not enough to sustain you”
  • Nature
  • Skateboarding
  • Cycling
  • Solving puzzles
  • Reading
  • Time with friends
  • Improv
  • Comedy
  • Guitar
  • Flying
  • Snowboarding
  • Time with friends (again, because this isn’t always natural)
  • Reading/Reflection/Thinking
  • Learning something new
  • Adrenaline & Adventure
  • Sharpening a skill
  • Time in Nature
  • Working out

Deeper Dives: Podcasts/Books to rock your shit

“The truth is, I don’t read for self-improvement. I read out of curiosity and interest. The best book is the one you’ll devour.“

Naval Ravikant

“Your idols give you insights to your values”

Unknown

These are some of the most pivotal stories that shaped my perspective. The right book has the single greatest ROI in life.

JRE rec per Reddit

  1. JRE | Matthew Walker – sleep
  2. JRE | Rhonda Patrick – health
  3. JRE | David Choe – wack life
  4. JRE | David Goggins – resilience
  5. JRE | Paul Stamets – mushrooms
  6. Rich Roll | Arthur Brooks – happiness
  7. Lex Fridman | Chris Voss – negotiations
  8. 44 Harsh Truths About the Game of Life by Naval Ravikant
    • Angel Philosopher | Naval Ravikant – live ur life

Honorable Mentions/Reddit Rec

  • Jewel – resilience
  • Jordan Peterson – live ur life
  • Brian Greene – physics/big bang
  • Graham Hancock + Randall Carlson – psychedelics
  • Jesse Itzler

Movies

  • The Matrix
  • Fight Club

Books

Looking back, these are the books that fundamentally changed how I interact in the world. Everything you consume affects you. These altered lifestyle.

  1. Never Split the Difference
  2. 4000 Weeks
  3. Die With Zero
  4. Can’t Hurt Me
  5. 1984
  6. Biographies –

Honorable Mentions

  • Meditations
  • Richest Man in Babylon
  • Ikigai
  • Peace is Every Step
  • The Alchemist
  • Happiness Hypothesis?

Collective Conscious 2

Experience It All

Peace is a Journey

Weekly Wanderings:

Every Tuesday I share 4 ideas that have helped me live a more enjoyable life

On a journey to live happier, more exciting, more connected, and more fulfilled
121+ readers

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