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Today is my Birthday, April 4th. I am 31.
I did not anticipate having a birthday like this, but such is life. I am appreciative of the strange and changing times in which I live in.
Last year on my birthday, I offered everyone a 40% off sale on all products.
In light of the gyms being closed and no defined end in sight to Corona, who knows when anyone can train again.
That said, I wanted to offer the code regardless.
The only product it does not apply to is the Home Workout Guide.
Type in the code “AJAC” at checkout…and you will receive 40% off
The code can be used an unlimited number of times (both on Gumroad and the Website)
Use it in good health,
That said…I aim each year for Self-Reflection on my Birthday…
Many thousands of years ago, during the Middle Kingdom of Egypt (2050 to 1710 BC), there was social trend that developed amongst the Pharoahs and learned men of the ruling class.
That trend was WISDOM LITERATURE.
For those that are familiar with Julian Jaynes and the theory of the Bicameral mind, this time period corresponds with his theory on when consciousness developed in mankind, the phenomenon of the self aware mind that became capable of internal introspection.
The mind that watches itself.
Wisdom literature became a tradition amongst the Pharoahs and his advisors, with various books were written on how to be a wise man and just ruler (look up The Maxims of Ptahhotep)
These works are largely forgotten about today, and they don’t equal the timelessness of the Grecian philosophy or wisdom but they are quite good. And they would predate the trend of Judaic and Greek and later Roman rulers writing was essentially amounted to memoirs and wisdom books.
They also predate the bible (and some arguments have been made that the book of proverbs and Wisdom of Solomon borrows from these books).
Short history lesson aside, the wisdom literature tradition contains a great lesson:
Reflect on your life. Extract wisdom from it. Find the lessons in your experiences, examine yourself. Strive to become wiser, smarter, more discerning.
That theme in mind, this is my point to point list that I came up with today.
31 Reflections at 31
- Those things that you value for the sake that they are seen by other are not true values
- The skill of recognizing when people believe what they say, and when they are saying what they wish to believe, it is to know the difference between lies and truth.
To perceive this is to understand human nature, and the nature of any individual. - Take time in getting to know people, but do not waste time in knowing people who you do not enjoy spending time with.
- Youโre the sum of whatever the fuck you want to be the sum of. Pithy quotes are the biggest scam in the accumulation of Wisdom
- When in doubt, do what is brave over what is safe
- The biggest egos are found in those that believe that they do not have one
- The great questions of life are not problems that must be formulaically solved, but realities to experience.
You will have your answers through living. - The only authentic answers you will ever find are the ones in yourself, not in asking others
- Human experience and our perception of reality is a quantum drop in an ocean compared to everything that exists. Think about this before you laugh at the idea that there are powers in existence beyond yourself. Human ignorance is matched only by human arrogance that mankind has figured things out
- No shit you do you need discipline and good habits to get things done. Like fucking really
- A soft environment can never breed hard men. Only weak ones that will feign the toughness of prior men that came before them
- Some people are born lazy, will live lazy, and will die lazy. Donโt waste time in trying to change them
- Honesty in ones living requires a commitment that scares most people away from it. For those that embrace, you learn that its a freedom that can never be taken from you
- Until you travel away from your place of upbringing, you wonโt know what your values really care. Its until you are taken out of your native environment that you can accurately asses yourself
- Incline bench press and dips will build an upper body of power. Do them consistently and experience the gains
- The easiest way to control a Man is through his vices.
- You can never reasonably train your back too much
- A key difference between exceptional people who are action driven, versus average people: The exceptional think in possibilities, and then do what is necessary. The average think in likelihoods, and love to talk and think about what COULD happen
- Luck is absolutely real, and it is a modern myth that it is only the product of hard work. People believe this because it means they can work for it. In reality there are people every day who are undeservingly lucky, and every day people that cannot catch a break
- Generally speaking, anyone under the age of 25 is more or less an imbecile. Even more so if he has money and he believes it makes him important
- The root of a Manโs ability is his strength. You can develop the body, you can develop the mind
- Always appreciate the favors of fortune. And be prepared for when they are not so favorable. No one is immune to either
- Anyone that lies to their self will lie to others. Self-deception is the root of dishonesty
- The majority of what people think about the opposite sex are false rationalizations that suit their fantasies, insecurities, and blind spots
- Contrary to popular refrain, some rare individuals DO โhave things figured outโ. When you understand human nature and conquered yourself, you are unlimited in what you are capable of accomplishing.
- The beginning of anything new is a balance between being bold & being careful. You want the first step to be the correct oneโฆBut you also don’t want to hesitate into inaction. What you learn later on is its easier to pivot once your are in motion than it is to start moving
- A Man does not obtain confidence, power, and respect by instinct alone . A man that proceeds through life mindlessly, with no reflection or forethought, he is not much more than a trained animal. For a man to become anything requires conscientious work and awareness. Youโll never fulfill your potential by accident. Only by intention
- Pain filters weakness from strength, and what is left over is what is most real. If there is nothing left, the person has been either exposed, or destroyed.
- There is no virtue between friends so great nor so rare as loyalty.
- You will never be too generous for a freeloader, too convincing for a fool, or too kind to a manipulator. Donโt allow yourself to be used and abused by aberrant personalities.
- Greatness is a transitory experience. It is never consistent. It depends in part upon the myth-making imagination of humankind. The person who experiences greatness must have a feeling for the myth he is in. He must reflect what is projected upon him. He must have a strong sense of the sardonic. This is what uncouples him from belief in his own pretensions. The sardonic is all that permits him to move within himself. Without this quality, even occasional greatness will destroy a Man
~MuadโDib~(This cannot be said any better, it is a perfect passage)
I appreciate all of you that read these emails,
Love you all,
talk again.
Alexander