This sub rightfully emphasizes the importance of working out. In fact, this emphasis is the reason I started lifting three years ago. It is something that one just learns to accept as a necessary obligation in life. Recently, I have found that physically pushing your body is only half of the battle. Everyday one should not only overcome the voice inside you telling you to take a day off at the gym, but also should overcome the voice that tells you to read your book later and just browse Reddit now. The voice that says "I'm in line at the coffee shop, let me just check my phone". The voice that says "I'll do my work later, I've had a long day, let me watch some television." As one should strive to physically work out everyday, it is just as important to mentally workout. You should spend at least two hard hours forcing yourself to critically think, whether that is through your career, school, dense philosophy, or academic journals, it doesn't really matter. The truth is we all know deep down what we should be critically thinking about, and we put it off all too often.
When it comes to lift, the benefits are twofold: 1) you physically improve your strength and aesthetics 2) you feel a sense of accomplishment and confidence. The same thing is true for a mental workout. Just as one's body can decay, I have found my mind turn to slop if I do not push myself to engage with a hard mental task daily. The point of engaging in a hard mental task is to tire out your brain. It needs its exercise too, and trust me you'll sleep like a baby if you've worked it out to its limit.
So put away your phone, pick up a book. What's that hobby that you've always wanted to get into? Find the resources, and start at it. What's that topic that's always interested you as a kid? Use Wikipedia and delve in. Learn something because no one can take that away from you. At the end of the day, mental fitness is just as important (maybe more so) than physical fitness. Kill it out there; best of luck on the mental gains boys.
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circlingldn 5y ago
How will reading in any way improve your mental fitness with women?
[deleted] 5y ago
Also is important to note not to read the rubbish. Rubbish in rubbish out. Remember all those stupid Oprah show women who read ton of books, and despites them, still dumb as a rock.
rpsck 5y ago
I would argue that lifting also challenges you mentally, especially when that voice (which is your ego) is telling you that you aren't going to be able to put more weight on, do more reps, do another set.
It's feeling the fear/anxiety and doing it anyway.
It takes practice to overcome the ego, and is only detrimental to dive in head first, because you will get overwhelmed .
CowboyEpicurus 5y ago
Pick up a book and don’t put it down. Discipline is the golden egg of mental fitness. You can live on your own terms, putting grueling hours into things of your choice — or you can bitch out and do shit you don’t want to do for other people or institutions. Do yourself a favor and read a hard book, and read it to completion. Then do it over and over again because that is how it has to be from now on. Discipline yourself and live as a man or waste away like a mindless zombie bitch.
pjleo85 5y ago
I’ve always loved books and I have noticed that I’ve always had at least a slight mental edge over my friends who don’t read. Knowledge, if used properly, truly is power.
clavabot 5y ago
Knowledge is power, but powerless If you've got it and you do not acknowledge it -Royce da 5'9
OfficerWade 5y ago
Knowledge isn’t locked in books but it certainly can be used as a tool to push a narrative. Pardon the pun. But anyone who is trying to sell you something obviously has something to gain so be careful who you get your game from.
CuntQueefBalloonKnot 5y ago
Don't let anyone tell you reading fiction isn't worthwhile, either. I'm an AP Lit teacher, so I'm obviously going to be biased, but a short story like "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" by Hemingway is filled with RP principles. http://www.english.unt.edu/~simpkins/Macomber.pdf e.g. man shows fear/cowardice on big-game hunt, his wife sleeps with the Alpha big-game hunter that same night. Wife cheats on/belittles Macomber for his beta characteristics
silversum1 5y ago
Thank you for posting that, it was interesting on a few levels. If you have any other good ones like that I’d be grateful if you’d post them or PM me. Question; do you try and work RP literature in to your curriculum? I’m sure you can’t talk about it openly, but do you work tid bits like this in for the young men in your classrooms?
lostdog1 5y ago
The first time I read that short story it tweaked me... not only did Hemingway nail the atmosphere and tension, but the hidden veil that women can possess which all men should be aware of. That was my first lesson of actual TRP knowledge; excellent of you to point this story out to the forum
dresdonbogart 5y ago
Hemingway's novels hold so many valuable lessons that all deal with masculinity. He is by far my favorite author.
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dresdonbogart 5y ago
I definitely would not consider Hemingway an imposter. You may dislike him, but the amount of influence he had on American literature is unarguably vast.
He did commit suicide, but he had a degenerative brain disease. How would you feel knowing that your brain was slowly going to shit, knowing that maybe one day you would not even possess the control to off yourself?
I'll check out Salinger or Chesterton, personally I couldn't get through James Joyce's Ulysses, but maybe I'll give it another shot.
DropDeadTyrant 5y ago
god, I hate ap lit right now. they switched teachers for me. now, instead of a whole year of reading poetry, we're doing a whole year of greek plays. do you have any poet recommendations?
Delirious_Solipsista 5y ago
You will find great value in ancient Greek tragedies, probably more than you may find in most poets, if you approach them with the right mindset. Try to read the subtext and contextualize.
CuntQueefBalloonKnot 5y ago
Honestly, poetry is not my favorite. So much is overly-emotional and childish. With that said, a few of my favorites are Shakespeare, William Blake, Dylan Thomas, E.E. Cummings, Charles Bukowski.
stoicgorilla 5y ago
Reading is great. During the week I spend a couple of hours in the car each day. I use audiobooks to turn this into time for learning.
GoCleanYourRoom 5y ago
I know Peterson is a bit of a marmite person in this sub, but his reading list is a good start.
Id say reading the literary greats and the philosophers is a great place to start, in order to get your own metal bullshit and emotions under control. Being critical of yourself and owning up to the truth is going to free you of so much negativity in the long run, even if it is painful to admit to your faults in the short term.
Make stoicism great again.
Newbi8282 5y ago
mind sharing the reading list ?
GoCleanYourRoom 5y ago
It's on his website. But it consists of a lot of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Dostoyevsky, Nietzsche, Carl Jung etc.
Another that appears in this sub a lot is Marcus Aurelius. Absolute essential reading.
Mr_Badass 5y ago
I have written several posts about mental stimulation, (what you call mental fitness). I truly believe that mental stimulation / mental fitness is required to prevent oneitis, have a sense of purpose, and achieve greatness.
420KUSHBUSH 5y ago
I used to hate books but got into them recently for some odd reason and I highly recommend them
voxiqs 5y ago
Just had to find books you are interested in...just like tv, you don’t watch what you don’t like
Important to remember the brain is a muscle like any other in the body and needs rest through meditation
dresdonbogart 5y ago
And a proper sleep schedule.
StimulusPackageOne 5y ago
Same here... Well I used to read science fiction, but since TRP I'm eating these psychology books... Better understanding ourselves is tremendous strength.
420KUSHBUSH 5y ago
I've gone through that ego trip celebrities go through and have been told I have a heightened sense of spirituality/self-awareness and wholeheartedly agree with you. People skills are also the most important skill you can have alongside improvisation
KilluaKanmuru 5y ago
This article talks about social intelligence being the best tool for success among many other things. Well wishes to you.
420KUSHBUSH 5y ago
Much appreciated, I share the same sentiments for you
presto_manifesto 5y ago
On the other end of the spectrum:
DoneScannedIt 5y ago
A local library let's people "work off" their late fees by spending time reading in the library.
lawonga 5y ago
If you think about it like this, it makes a lot of sense. Surprisingly, nobody ever seems to think about learning and mental exercise like this.
dresdonbogart 5y ago
That was the point I was trying to get at. Most people have taken away the fact that I suggested reading in your free time, but really I had intended to emphasis the importance of mental exercise. It’s just as good to wear out your mind as it is your body.
Alfred5150EVH 5y ago
In my case this has always been my thing. Lifting became my other half some years ago but never stopped reading. Specially philosophy or my engineering books.
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Oland_Devo 5y ago
On point, solid post. Get on your hobby and upgrade your capabilities. Pickup your guitar and learn that song you've been putting off. Read that book more often, find a word you don't know? Look it up. Write some lyrics or poetry. Never done an oil change on your car? Learn how. If you put in the work you will build on your character.
GardenofBeden 5y ago
For anyone still in college, if you read in between classes or on your way to class you’ll finish 1-2 books a week. Feels a lot better than swiping aimlessly through tinder before a lecture.