Adopt the combined framework of the ‘call to adventure’ and ‘responsibility’ to guide your progress in life towards achieving your best possible outcomes.
Firmly establish a clear, upward aim, as this clarity will cause the necessary pathway forward to manifest itself, guiding your actions and perceptions.
Rather than merely inhibiting ‘impulses,’ work to integrate lower-order motivational states into a sustainable voluntary structure, subordinating them to higher-order goals for greater success and social sustainability.
Understand that true adventure and its inherent rewards are found in the voluntary adoption of responsibility, rather than in the avoidance of duty or the pursuit of mere indulgence.
Pay attention to what genuinely interests you (calling) and what bothers you (conscience), as these internal signals are manifestations of your destiny and provide guidance for your path forward.
Understand that personal transformation and becoming more than you currently are necessitates making sacrifices, letting go of what you were, and enduring the necessary costs.
Strive to optimize your long-term vision while simultaneously maximizing your focus on the present moment, allowing each step forward to contribute maximally to both immediate impact and intergenerational productivity.
Orient your actions towards an ultimate, highly valuable goal, as this will increase the dopamine reward derived from each proximal step, making the pursuit more intrinsically motivating.
Begin by identifying and fixing small, tangible problems in your immediate environment, even if they seem trivial, as this process is exponential and will build competence and reveal next steps.
Acknowledge and embrace the fear and anxiety that arise when venturing into new or challenging endeavors, as this discomfort indicates areas of potential growth and evolution.
Voluntarily accept the role of a ‘fool’ when starting something new, understanding that ignorance is the price of entry for improvement and growth.
Be wary of large, rapid dopamine inflections that are not preceded by significant effort, as these (e.g., from drugs, pornography, processed foods) are dangerous and run counter to evolutionary wiring.
Recognize that prioritizing immediate self-gratification without considering others or the future is an unsophisticated, immature strategy akin to psychopathy, which leads to alienation and self-betrayal.
Utilize various stories, such as biblical narratives, to gain self-understanding and effectively direct your actions towards positive and generative outcomes.
Employ insights from story, philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience to better comprehend and direct your decision-making process.
For addiction recovery, consider religious transformation, which involves generating a hypothesis about your ideal self, establishing a relationship with that ideal, and inviting it into your life to restructure incentives.
Recognize that pornography acts as a ‘super stimulus’ that unnaturally exceeds natural stimuli, making it highly addictive and capable of hijacking the brain’s reward systems, especially for visually-oriented individuals.
Recognize that pornography can create unrealistic expectations and train the brain for voyeurism, making it difficult to establish and maintain a fulfilling sexual relationship with an actual partner.
View social rejection as a valuable corrective mechanism, providing feedback on areas for personal improvement rather than something to be avoided or replaced by artificial gratification.
By hearkening to the call of adventure, your life will become a blessing to yourself, you will gain just renown, maximize your probability of establishing lasting value, and bring abundance to your community.
As a parent, encourage your children, especially sons, to push themselves beyond their limits in an adventurous manner, as this fosters their growth and embodies the spirit of the call to adventure.
Pay attention to the internal ‘voice’ that calls the wise to prepare in anticipation of future troubles, as this foresight is a manifestation of wisdom and a key to navigating uncertainty.
Recognize that responsible sacrifice is fundamental to the functioning and integrity of any community, as contributing to the collective good necessitates giving up individual desires for the future and the group.
As a scientist, prioritize the discovery of being wrong over the demonstration of being right, holding the truth higher than personal career advancement or self-valuation.
Commit to following the path of truth, which is an adventure requiring you to let go of predictable outcomes and embrace the unknown, leading to potentially more valuable discoveries.
Start your day with a small, consistent act of ordering your physical space (e.g., making your bed, organizing a small area) to establish linear operations and bring a sense of relief and clarity.
Take your conscience seriously as the ‘still small voice’ that guides you, understanding it as a profound internal compass that reveals what you need to set right and what path to take.
Engage in prayer as a distinct practice to allow external guidance to come through you, bringing out your best qualities and capabilities.
Before important tasks, pray for clarity of mind, sustained focus, and the ability to let go of control, allowing for optimal learning and transmission of knowledge.
Practice active listening during prayer by stilling yourself and inviting in messages or insights that might not be heard amidst daily distractions.
Consider your thoughts as a form of secularized prayer, where posing questions and setting an aim enhances the probability of creative ideas and revelations emerging.
Worship attention as the ‘all-seeing, upward-striving eye,’ using focused attention as an antidote to pathological states and a means to seek and find answers.
Understand that religious apprehension and truth can be arranged in a hierarchy of quality and depth, similar to literary works, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of spiritual traditions.
Recognize that play is the antithesis of tyranny, and its emergence signifies an optimally structured environment, whether in personal relationships or broader society.
Incorporate a sense of humor, even a rough or comic touch, into discourse, as it is a characteristic often absent in tyrannical figures and can facilitate more genuine engagement.
Cultivate genuine curiosity by asking real questions and actively listening, rather than believing you already know everything, which fosters understanding and connection.
Recognize the importance of a strong, credible political opposition to serve as a necessary corrective force, preventing excesses and ensuring balance in governance.
Allow genuine curiosity to drive you to explore new technologies or domains, even if they seem trivial initially, as this adventurous spirit can lead to unexpected and world-altering opportunities.
To achieve proper satiation and avoid overeating, prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods, as the gut’s neurons signal actual nutrient content to the brain, unlike processed foods that only activate taste systems.
Utilize a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to gain real-time feedback on how different foods affect your blood glucose, informing food choices, eating times, and meal timing relative to workouts and sleep for stable blood sugar.
Consume a high-protein bar (e.g., David bar with 28g protein, 150 calories) in the early to mid-afternoon to bridge the gap between lunch and dinner and meet daily protein goals without excess calories.
Wear red lens glasses after dark to filter out short-wavelength light from screens and LEDs, which helps calm the brain and improves the transition to sleep by preventing melatonin suppression.
Utilize comprehensive lab testing services like Function Health to detect unexpected health issues (e.g., high mercury levels) and receive medical doctor-informed insights on how to address them through diet and supplementation.