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Does anyone REALLY wake up excited in the morning?

StrikingViper69

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No, I don't have any local friends anymore.

I used to have friends but our paths separated. I meet with one guy maybe once every couple of weeks but it's not a regular relationship anymore. Another friend is toxic (very negative) and I avoid him. Yet another started a family and he doesn't have time and changed too much. My closest friend right now lives in another city so we chat on Messenger but only see each other in real life twice a year.

I spend a shit ton of time in the sun when it's high enough to make the body produce vitamin D so my vitamin D is always very high.



What are your goals these days considering you probably don't have any financial goals anymore?



How do you know what inspires you? What inspires you?



No, I stopped consuming caffeine in all forms (including tea) 1.5 years ago.



Okay, thanks.



I understand the difference. Still, I don't believe in relying on external substances to fix something so basic.

Have you tried learning an instrument? The nice thing with an instrument is that you can always improve and try new things with it.

There's an app called "SimplyPiano" I tried recently that makes getting started with piano super easy. They have "SimplyGuitar" too.
 
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Simon Angel

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No, I don't have any local friends anymore.

I used to have friends but our paths separated. I meet with one guy maybe once every couple of weeks but it's not a regular relationship anymore. Another friend is toxic (very negative) and I avoid him. Yet another started a family and he doesn't have time and changed too much. My closest friend right now lives in another city so we chat on Messenger but only see each other in real life twice a year.

Well, that's the big thing I think. If I didn't go out every day/every other day to hang out and chat with friends I'd probably be feeling pretty down.

Not that we have the most exciting activities together, but we either play cards on a bench in the park, walk round the hood and talk about anything (I talk about different stuff with every one of my friends and still pretty much always lead the conversation, funnily enough.) or visit one of my wealthy girl friend's properties where we, again, play cards, watch movies, or play in the pool.

We've also planned and paid a 7-day beach holiday with my extended group of friends (10 people or so). It's really fun to play volleyball in the sea and F*ck around in the hotels and get in trouble. I'm happy to say that some of us now live in different countries and we still manage to gather round for the summer holidays, year after year. So we pretty much always have something planned to look forward to.

A few years ago when I was dying in hospital, I told myself I'd embrace my suffering for just a little while longer and that good things await. Less than a year later, I was on my first beach holiday with the aforementioned group of friends and flirting with my girlfriend of now nearly 3 years. I vividly remember getting high, splashing around in the water all day, getting violently thrown by the waves, cliff jumping, going to a crazy a$$ nightclub (I avoid nightclubs), and having having sex with my girlfriend for the first time. I just stared at the ceiling for hours after, trying to understand if I really did survive and manage to "get" all of this in less than a year or if I was in the afterlife.

Anyway, I've always been an extrovert, but was rather reclusive prior to this. I didn't think I needed friends to feel good and stayed at home a lot, but I most definitely did. And hey, friends aren't perfect and many will NOT get your interests, but some of them will actually take a liking to what you do and want to do it with you.

BTW, this group is a mix of friends I had in school and their friends from other schools (we all knew eachother). We're 24-25, so that might not last forever and perhaps your friend group used to be something similar to this, but hopefully my experience helps you in some way.

I spend a shit ton of time in the sun when it's high enough to make the body produce vitamin D so my vitamin D is always very high.

That's the best way. However, I recall reading that 50%+ of hawaiian surfers are deficient in Vitamin D.

Apparently, the difference between the surfers who were deficient and those who weren't was.. hygiene. Those who took a shower immediately after going home from the beach would wash away the Vitamin D layer that was on top of the skin (and preventing it from absorbing over time). Those who rarely showered had very healthy levels.
 

MTF

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Have you tried learning an instrument? The nice thing with an instrument is that you can always improve and try new things with it.

There's an app called "SimplyPiano" I tried recently that makes getting started with piano super easy. They have "SimplyGuitar" too.

No, I haven't. I don't have the right skills and traits for music.
 

GPM

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No, I haven't. I don't have the right skills and traits for music.
No fingers?

I was going to add eyes, but some of my favorite musicians were blind so that's out.
 
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MTF

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Well, that's the big thing I think. If I didn't go out every day/every other day to hang out and chat with friends I'd probably be feeling pretty down.

You're an extrovert. I'm a deep introvert and don't need to spend that much time with other people.

I never had the social experiences you've had because my friends lack initiative and are unfortunately corporate drones with little time.

I used to organize various stuff but then grew tired of trying to get people together. There's only so much "give" you can give before you decide to screw it.

I'm even less tolerant of bullshit today so I'd rather go alone swim in the lake than spend time with people who complain about life or want to talk about petty bullshit.

BTW, this group is a mix of friends I had in school and their friends from other schools (we all knew eachother). We're 24-25, so that might not last forever and perhaps your friend group used to be something similar to this, but hopefully my experience helps you in some way.

You're much younger than I thought. I don't remember feeling so shitty when I was your age.

I think it comes with time, particularly after traumatic events that make you realize that you and everyone around you can die at any moment.

I struggle to enjoy life because I can't help but think that everything goes away. This year, it's early July and I'm already stressing out that the summer is about to end soon. It's the same when spending time with my family.

That's the best way. However, I recall reading that 50%+ of hawaiian surfers are deficient in Vitamin D.

Apparently, the difference between the surfers who were deficient and those who weren't was.. hygiene. Those who took a shower immediately after going home from the beach would wash away the Vitamin D layer that was on top of the skin (and preventing it from absorbing over time). Those who rarely showered had very healthy levels.

You can't wash off vitamin D because it's produced inside your skin cells. Here's a quote from a reputable study in case you don't believe me:

During exposure to sunlight solar radiation with wavelengths of 290–315 nm penetrate into the skin and are absorbed by proteins, DNA and RNA as well as 7-dehydrocholesterol.1,2 Most of this UVB radiation is absorbed in the epidermis and as a result when exposed to sunlight most of the vitamin D3 that is produced in the skin is made in the living cells in the epidermis. This is the reason why after exposure to sunlight vitamin D3 remains in the skin even when the skin is washed with soap and water immediately after the exposure to sunlight.

As for the Hawaiian surfers, I'm actually not surprised if that's true. Most surfers in the tropics wear rashguards, hats and sometimes also long pants when surfing to minimize the use of sunscreen. And if they don't wear all this stuff, they use a lot of sunscreen which blocks vitamin D production.

Also, usually in the tropics people surf either early in the morning or in the afternoon, so it's outside of the window of time when the sun's angle is high enough (at least 50 degrees) to stimulate vitamin D production (depending on the location and season, it's usually roughly between 10 am - 3 pm).

I'm a vitamin D and suntanning nerd so sorry for too much information...
 

MTF

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No fingers?

I was going to add eyes, but some of my favorite musicians were blind so that's out.

More like:
  • Never had a talent for anything related to music and never enjoyed it.
  • I absolutely hate classical music (hearing it alone pisses me off for some reason) and that's how you learn music.
  • Seeing musical notes alone terrifies me.
  • It requires way too much time to invest only to be, at best, below mediocre. I'm already mediocre in too many things and don't need to become mediocre in another one.
  • I live in an apartment. My neighbors would hate me.
  • I travel a lot so I wouldn't practice for most of the year anyway.
 

Simon Angel

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You're an extrovert. I'm a deep introvert and don't need to spend that much time with other people.

I never had the social experiences you've had because my friends lack initiative and are unfortunately corporate drones with little time.

I used to organize various stuff but then grew tired of trying to get people together. There's only so much "give" you can give before you decide to screw it.

I'm even less tolerant of bullshit today so I'd rather go alone swim in the lake than spend time with people who complain about life or want to talk about petty bullshit.



You're much younger than I thought. I don't remember feeling so shitty when I was your age.

I think it comes with time, particularly after traumatic events that make you realize that you and everyone around you can die at any moment.

I struggle to enjoy life because I can't help but think that everything goes away. This year, it's early July and I'm already stressing out that the summer is about to end soon. It's the same when spending time with my family.



You can't wash off vitamin D because it's produced inside your skin cells. Here's a quote from a reputable study in case you don't believe me:



As for the Hawaiian surfers, I'm actually not surprised if that's true. Most surfers in the tropics wear rashguards, hats and sometimes also long pants when surfing to minimize the use of sunscreen. And if they don't wear all this stuff, they use a lot of sunscreen which blocks vitamin D production.

Also, usually in the tropics people surf either early in the morning or in the afternoon, so it's outside of the window of time when the sun's angle is high enough (at least 50 degrees) to stimulate vitamin D production (depending on the location and season, it's usually roughly between 10 am - 3 pm).

I'm a vitamin D and suntanning nerd so sorry for too much information...

Thanks for the info on Vitamin D, you really are a nerd.

Well, I don't think depression has so much to do with age rather than mindset (and certain chemical imbalances). I was always a serious, lost-in-thought kid and rather awkward in my teenage years. I went through traumatic experiences in both childhood and early adulthood, and trust me, these experiences were so full of drama, dread, fear, anger, regret, and pretty much every other negative thought you can think of.

But now, years later, after accepting them as learning experiences and just another part of life, they've added substance to my character - I am not traumatized anymore. They were just another experience, a chapter in the (predetermined?) film roll called Life.

I understand suffering is an integral part of life and that there's a good chance that nihilists are right and that there is no meaning to life or human existence. And yet, I choose to live my days as Einstein did:

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is."

It just makes everything that much more exciting.

Oh, and to answer your question that started this discussion in the first place - no, I don't wake up excited.. but I also don't feel bad about not waking up excited. I just go with the flow, if you will.

And it's true - everything that you have now will eventually disappear/end (including you), but that means you probably shouldn't be wasting any time feeling bad about it but enjoying it while it still lasts.

I REALLY think you need some friends, though. The more you avoid other people because you think they're retarded and only capable of looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses, the more grumpy you'll become.

I get it, most people don't think as deeply as you do or stop in their tracks to think about how absurd life is for a moment, but those people are EXACTLY the type to root you once you get too deep into the existential rabbit hole, man.

Besides, I've found that the most superficial and basic people I've met, when prodded, have revealed that they actually do think pretty deeply about life, but their realizations often lead to so much pain and negativity that they desperately try to avoid it. Being superficial is their way to cope with that same existential dread you're going through.

Plus, I'm sure a shit ton of people would find it hard to tolerate you as well. And that's the beauty of social circles - there are constant dynamics going on where you interact with people you love, like, feel neutral about, and sort of dislike but still respect!

You might be a "deep introvert", sure, but even people like you need social interaction to feel alive and mentally intact. It's human nature. And this forum is one of the WORST places for this and doesn't come close to simulating real human interaction.

Talking online is sort of like chess, everyone thinks long and hard on what to say in order to maintain their image/own you/sound as intelligent as possible, while actual, real-life social interaction is more like ping-pong. You bounce off ideas and topics off each other, some cool/funny shit happens, and you're just super present and in the moment.

Anyway, I might be kind of ranting at this point, but I can assure you that the reasons you feel numb and miserable are rooted in your perception of reality. And the only thing standing between the fine line of apathy and "hey, this is actually pretty cool" is you clinging onto your identity e.g "I'm a deep introvert, I can't be bothered to deal with the people around me".

P.S. If you thought I was way older than 24, you should've talked to me when I was at my lowest at 19 years old. I sounded 91, looked dead, and felt like things could only get worse. And while I held onto that belief, things DID keep getting worse. It's a vicious cycle that can be broken almost overnight, but it requires pressing the self-destruct button on many beliefs, some of which have been acquired over decades and sneakily ingrained into your perception.
 
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GPM

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This year, it's early July and I'm already stressing out that the summer is about to end soon. It's the same when spending time with my family.
Well this is a scary thought. And one that I echo completely.

I wake up stressed thinking that summer is almost over and I have barely done anything to enjoy it. The weather has been horrible and I have not been biking in the proper mountains even once yet, and that's kind of my gauge.
 

MJ DeMarco

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FYI: The chat about waking up in the morning excited has been extracted and moved to its own thread.
 

Trevor Kuntz

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Well this is a scary thought. And one that I echo completely.

I wake up stressed thinking that summer is almost over and I have barely done anything to enjoy it. The weather has been horrible and I have not been biking in the proper mountains even once yet, and that's kind of my gauge.
I do the exact reverse, which is that I dread summers and long for winters. I think the ideal life would be to have the ability to split the year between two opposite climates as you do, GPM. Being able to thoroughly enjoy outdoor life all year-round is to me one of the three highest factors of an ideal life and sustained happiness.
 
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MTF

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Well this is a scary thought. And one that I echo completely.

I wake up stressed thinking that summer is almost over and I have barely done anything to enjoy it. The weather has been horrible and I have not been biking in the proper mountains even once yet, and that's kind of my gauge.

That's why each summer I'm like a junkie. I even neglect my obligations just to be outside as much as I can. And when it's August (to me August already feels like the end) I still feel as if I didn't fully take advantage of the summer.

I do the exact reverse, which is that I dread summers and long for winters. I think the ideal life would be to have the ability to split the year between two opposite climates as you do, GPM. Being able to thoroughly enjoy outdoor life all year-round is to me one of the three highest factors of an ideal life and sustained happiness.

That is crazy. Barring skiers and snowboarders, I can't understand why anyone would long for the winter.

But I agree about being able to enjoy outdoor life all year-round. I love European summers but I dread the rest of the year which is why I almost exclusively travel between fall and spring.
 

Trevor Kuntz

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That's why each summer I'm like a junkie. I even neglect my obligations just to be outside as much as I can. And when it's August (to me August already feels like the end) I still feel as if I didn't fully take advantage of the summer.



That is crazy. Barring skiers and snowboarders, I can't understand why anyone would long for the winter.

But I agree about being able to enjoy outdoor life all year-round. I love European summers but I dread the rest of the year which is why I almost exclusively travel between fall and spring.
Imagine living in the US equivalent of Baghdad, Iraq and you'd understand why I love the winter. :rofl: I actually don't do winter sports at all, I just enjoy being outside when it is 75F/24C or lower and that occurs November-April.

Although, this summer has been relatively mild compared to 2020's hellish weather, I'm still looking forward to fall.
 

MTF

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Imagine living in the US equivalent of Baghdad, Iraq and you'd understand why I love the winter. :rofl: I actually don't do winter sports at all, I just enjoy being outside when it is 75F/24C or lower and that occurs November-April.

Although, this summer has been relatively mild compared to 2020's hellish weather, I'm still looking forward to fall.

Well in this case it's not so much about the winter as it's about temperatures that are considered summer temperatures in Europe lol.
 
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I woke up full of energy and went for a run this morning.

Now, 5 hours later… I’m not full of energy.
 

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I’d still try the magnesium, doctors and their healthy ranges are a joke. do you get restless legs?

Also what’s your sleep environment like? Dark?

Do you have sleep apnea? Maybe tape your mouth closed while you sleep. I did this and I’ll never sleep without it now.

Plan something each week that you are excited for to look forward to.
That tape over the mouth thing sounds dangerous to me lel

As for @MTF , I also have a lot of trouble falling asleep. Even if I feel head-nodding, can't-with-my-life tired, some dumb little sound or thing will wake me completely up and I'll have too much energy for the next few hours. I get some good work and reading done but I'll be dead
tired in the morning. A few things that helped me a bit were eye masks, white noise and magnesium + valerian root relaxants. However, it's not consistant at all. Going to see what I can do but I have high hopes considering the wonders homeopathy has done for me
 

MTF

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I woke up full of energy and went for a run this morning.

Now, 5 hours later… I’m not full of energy.

Was it a 5-hour run? Lol. In that case I wouldn't be full of energy, either.

As for @MTF , I also have a lot of trouble falling asleep.

I don't have trouble falling asleep. I just don't enjoy the act of sleeping as I often wake up at night and it aggravates my rotator cuff injury (because of some weird position in which I end up sleeping which is also one of the reasons why I wake up at night - to make sure I don't sleep in this position).
 
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Antifragile

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Was it a 5-hour run? Lol. In that case I wouldn't be full of energy, either.

Lol, no it was a 30 min / 5km slow run. First workout after my covid... and then life took over, busy at the office, shit isn't going right on a new acquisition, I am solving problems I didn't want to have... I am glad I had my high in the morning, because otherwise, I am not that happy today. F*cking banks... enough said.
 

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You're an extrovert. I'm a deep introvert and don't need to spend that much time with other people.

I never had the social experiences you've had because my friends lack initiative and are unfortunately corporate drones with little time.

I used to organize various stuff but then grew tired of trying to get people together. There's only so much "give" you can give before you decide to screw it.

I'm even less tolerant of bullshit today so I'd rather go alone swim in the lake than spend time with people who complain about life or want to talk about petty bullshit.
You can be a deep introvert while still longing for meaningful connections with other people. It sounds like your primary issue is not that you don't like people, it's that the people around you are unavailable, and when they are available, you cannot form or maintain a meaningful connection with them. At some point, you might just have to accept that for what it is and try to form new friendships based around common interests, worldviews, availability, etc.

You may have to try different avenues that previously used for forming friendships. As a kid, most of my friendships were determined by proximity and availability. Now, most would be determined by shared interests and mutual engagement. For you, maybe you start with an online group of Polish stoics and see if you can spend time with any in real life. You might not consider yourself a stoic, but I'm sure there'd be some overlap of worldviews and being able to connect at a deeper level than just day-to-day life will help you anchor early on with what you are looking for in a friendship.

If friendships are not your priority, are there any projects you have wanted to work on? I find that I am most excited to wake in the morning when I have a medium-term project (2 to 6 months) to look forward to working on outside of business. Often, I prioritize my own enjoyment of the project at the expense of efficiency. For example, I spent 2 hours this morning hauling 3 tons of free soil from a neighbor's yard to my own. I could have paid a day laborer $40 to do it for me, but I found the activity highly rewarding and know that future me will appreciate being able to say that the entire project was completed with my own hands.

Last year, I lost five friends in three months, so my project after that was to budget about $600 and 100 hours of time to producing handmade gifts and handwritten cards, which I mailed to 78 people in my life. That project took 7 weeks and brought me a lot of joy and helped with the emotional pain of suddenly losing loved ones.

I know that one of my future "projects" is that I'd like to get an evening job for 4 to 6 months next summer. I don't know exactly what job yet, but I have a list of requirements for the job type including high likelihood of meeting interesting people, active work, and that it must be completely unrelated to any previous work I've done in the past. Primary emphasis on workplace sociability.

Not sure if any of this will help you, but as someone who once had a very nihilistic worldview and extreme existential dread, I now
 

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Was it a 5-hour run? Lol. In that case I wouldn't be full of energy, either.



I don't have trouble falling asleep. I just don't enjoy the act of sleeping as I often wake up at night and it aggravates my rotator cuff injury (because of some weird position in which I end up sleeping which is also one of the reasons why I wake up at night - to make sure I don't sleep in this position).
Oh. Then I dunno. I love sleeping, it's just incredibly hard for me to get there
 
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I just came back from 10 days spending time with my family.

Yup, I was absolutely excited to get up this morning and get to work. I woke up at 5:30, about 45 minutes earlier than normal. I was in my office by 6:15.

Like, for example, why does making even more money if you already have money inspire you? What's the point? Why chase the stuff that you chase?

Why climb a mountain after you've already climbed one? Who needs to see more mountaintops? What's the point?

I know you weren't talking to me, but my end result is not the money I make. It's the journey. It's the strategy. It's the bobbing and weaving and ducking and rolling that comes with a growing enterprise. I love the jiggle and the juggle that is my life. I love creating order from the chaos. That's my art, or the closest I get to art anyway. Building patterns and process while interweaving the lives and skills of small teams into a cohesive unit.
 

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Does anyone honestly wake up excited in the morning?

If so, what do you do?

I've always felt that this whole "create the life you can't wait to wake up to" is bullshit propagated by self-help gurus and maybe only lived by abnormally happy people who have some kind of a genetic make-up to feel like that most of the time.
A few weeks ago, I had to drive 11 hours to pick up a dog that I fostered that was returned to the rescue. My parents think I'm crazy to do things like that. They think I'm wasting 22 hours of my life. But I honestly, have nothing else going on.

So the night before I drove 2 hours and got a room at a Motel 6 in a small town. Went to sleep at midnight and woke up at 6am ready to drive another 9 hours. Picked up the dog at 4pm. A few days later drove her back another 11 hours to my place. Normally, I have trouble waking up in the morning, but because I had a goal that day, it was easy. The drive was easy. I felt a sense of accomplishment.

Now, my normal everyday life is waking up at 9am and wondering what to do. I'm usually doing house stuff. Yesterday I put up shelves in the laundry room. Today, I installed new lights in the garage. Yeah it's busy work but nothing near as fulfilling as picking up the dog.

I think the answer to get excited about waking up is to have something meaningful to do that day. It doesn't have to be everyday, but you must fill it at least once a week or every two weeks.

Do you ever just wake up and look forward to a dinner reservation? Or look forward to going to a movie? They don't need to be big things, they just need to be things...
 

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Sounds like depression based on all of your responses to people in here. I was depressed and had terrible anxiety for most of my 20's. I started seeing a therapist and pyschiatrist and got on a low dose of Lexapro. It wasn't perfect but it really helped me get out of my funk. After about a year on it I tapered off of it and feel great most times. If it is depression dont be afraid to get help. It's not weak to get help from professionals.
 
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Jerma

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I'm with MTF on this one. I don't wake up excited in the morning most of the time.

I don't control the mood I'm in when I wake up (directly), it just happens unconsciously. It's a little f*cked up when I think about it; it's as if my brain is withholding the excitement from itself?

It could signal that the unconscious doesn't approve of your life's general direction maybe? Having a personally meaningful purpose/goal seem required from what I'm reading. Maybe it's a problem of self-knowledge.

Or maybe it's just a chemical thing like others are mentioning.
 

Thoelt53

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I like kicking a$$. My purpose and all that isn’t dialed it by any means. I’m still figuring it out.

97% of days I wake up eager to kick a$$. I know when I get going I’m whoopin’ a$$. I’ve got a long way to go, but as long as I tackle the obstacles I know that I’m moving toward where I need to be. It’s not about a particular goal for me.

I have goals. When I hit them I hit them. I find it works for me to simply defeat each daily obstacle. Eventually I’ll meet the goal.

I feel it’s been said to you @MTF, maybe I’m wrong, but it’s apparent you need bigger or perhaps more impactful goals. Think beyond yourself and your family.
 

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A few weeks ago, I had to drive 11 hours to pick up a dog that I fostered that was returned to the rescue. My parents think I'm crazy to do things like that. They think I'm wasting 22 hours of my life. But I honestly, have nothing else going on.

So the night before I drove 2 hours and got a room at a Motel 6 in a small town. Went to sleep at midnight and woke up at 6am ready to drive another 9 hours. Picked up the dog at 4pm. A few days later drove her back another 11 hours to my place. Normally, I have trouble waking up in the morning, but because I had a goal that day, it was easy. The drive was easy. I felt a sense of accomplishment.

Now, my normal everyday life is waking up at 9am and wondering what to do. I'm usually doing house stuff. Yesterday I put up shelves in the laundry room. Today, I installed new lights in the garage. Yeah it's busy work but nothing near as fulfilling as picking up the dog.

I think the answer to get excited about waking up is to have something meaningful to do that day. It doesn't have to be everyday, but you must fill it at least once a week or every two weeks.

Do you ever just wake up and look forward to a dinner reservation? Or look forward to going to a movie? They don't need to be big things, they just need to be things...

That's honestly the greatest feeling in the world. "Little" goals like that can actually add so much purpose and meaning to your life, even if only for a short time.

I'd 100% do the same for that dog by the way. I'd probably try to fight off a bear for my dog. I love dogs.
 
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@MTF

Actually, I think it's worth adding that one of the main ways I (unexpectedly) got out of the depressive state I was in was by smoking weed.

But it wasn't in the way you'd probably think. You see, while my friends enjoyed it quite a lot, I kept having panic attacks.

Like pretty bad ones - the "I'm probably dying for real this time" type of panic attacks, the "Why are my legs shaking uncontrollably" panic attacks, and "I almost fainted because I forgot how to breathe" panic attacks.

Now, I know the above doesn't seem enticing in the slightest, but hear me out.

The real reason for those reactions had been my subconscious. Unbeknownst to me, I was stressing out about so much shit 24/7, which made me chronically miserable, depressed, and on edge.

The THC in the weed just brought all of that up to the surface. All my issues, traumas, self-beliefs, and self-imposed limitations that I would've never, ever considered thinking about when I was sober.

In fact, some of them had been present throughout my whole life, and yet I had never really even conceptualized them in my mind.

It was pure chaos. I kept having genuine Charlie Sheen moments where I'd tell people that if they borrowed my brain for five seconds, they would probably shit and then kill themselves.

"Just relax dude! You think too much..."

And relax I did, after not giving up on smoking despite my "rational" mind telling me to never touch that again. I learned to live with myself and my thoughts, recognized the patterns that made me anxious, and just allowed myself to accept and not care about them.

Does that mean I don't ever get anxious anymore from smoking? No, I do at times. But at this point, I think of it as a cold shower or some other uncomfortable act that leads to me becoming a better, more self-aware person.

And the most interesting part about it all? I notice that I have really bad, panicky highs whenever I put off working on problems I have (whether that's business-related, a relationship issue that's gone unresolved, or some other thing that's been troubling my mind recently). So smoking weed is almost like a debug tool for me, it lets me know I'm in deep shit (mentally) due to a problem in my life that I haven't resolved.

Funnily enough, whenever I have bad highs my physical health (Crohn's disease) is also flaring up a bit around that time. And, once I've resolved the pressing matters, my symptoms start to go away one by one.

I have a theory that a lot of the health disorders that are helped/brought into remission using Marijuana are actually a side-effect of people facing off their inner demons (and winning), thus experiencing lower levels of stress after (and we know how much stress impacts - or even causes - so many diseases). I am yet to write my dissertation on it, however...
 

Andy Black

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Like I said before, you're abnormally happy then. Maybe it's also a cultural thing. I don't really know anyone who's cheerful and upbeat like that. I guess everyone around me lives in a dark little world then. But it's not that people are unhappy. It's just that they aren't grinning every day or that they're "oh my gawd I'm soooooo excited" kind of a person.
Like I said before... it's been an intentional choice to train myself to look at the positive, to do things that give me energy, to avoid things that suck my energy.

Like everyone else, it affects me to be around negative people. I choose to not let it bog me down. I choose to not get into flame wars and arguments in the forum or online. I choose to let trolls have the last word.

I choose to be more child-like (not childish) and look at the world with the wonder it deserves.

I intentionally take child-like delight in things. "Woohoo! One in a row!! ... I just had my first email signup!!"

I intentionally do and say things that break the pattern of how adults are supposed to speak and think. You see me replying to people with "Oh wow. How is that cool! Well done." or "Gosh. That wasn't what I expected."

Do I have my speed wobbles? Sure... I'm not wired any different.

Just be careful labelling it as being "abnormally happy" or thinking it's "cultural". That sounds like when people say we're "lucky" not having to commute, do meetings, or have a crappy boss.
 

David Fitz

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It's a no for me.

I'm building a business that I don't have any passion or excitement for but it's working and making me money right now. Hoping once it grows I can find some passion in the business by hiring people and helping them with their lives. It's tiring and hard on the body. Some days I have to drag myself up outta bed as I know I've another hard day's work ahead of me.

I'm grateful to be alive and always try and stay positive. I'm definitely more of a night person.

Not sure why self help guru's don't write a book about being a night owl and working late at night while the early morning folk are sleeping. Instead I always hear about the guys who get up at 3am while everyone is sleeping and they jump out of bed pumped up and go for a 30 mile run and 500 pushups. They don't tell you that they're in bed at 8pm.

I can't perform if I don't get sleep. I also watched a video of Jeff Bezos stating he needs 8 hours sleep every day and doesn't have early morning meetings because his brain is still half asleep. So exciting early mornings aren't for everyone.
 
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Andy Black

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It's a no for me.

I'm building a business that I don't have any passion or excitement for but it's working and making me money right now. Hoping once it grows I can find some passion in the business by hiring people and helping them with their lives. It's tiring and hard on the body. Some days I have to drag myself up outta bed as I know I've another hard day's work ahead of me.

I'm grateful to be alive and always try and stay positive. I'm definitely more of a night person.

Not sure why self help guru's don't write a book about being a night owl and working late at night while the early morning folk are sleeping. Instead I always hear about the guys who get up at 3am while everyone is sleeping and they jump out of bed pumped up and go for a 30 mile run and 500 pushups. They don't tell you that they're in bed at 8pm.

I can't perform if I don't get sleep. I also watched a video of Jeff Bezos stating he needs 8 hours sleep every day and doesn't have early morning meetings because his brain is still half asleep. So exciting early mornings aren't for everyone.
I’m a night owl too.

Having kids I learned (had) to function on little sleep, so I’m guilty of still not getting enough sleep even though the kids are self-sufficient in the mornings now.

Is it the cleaning business that you’re currently grinding at?
 

Black_Dragon43

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Does anyone honestly wake up excited in the morning?

If so, what do you do?

I've always felt that this whole "create the life you can't wait to wake up to" is bullshit propagated by self-help gurus and maybe only lived by abnormally happy people who have some kind of a genetic make-up to feel like that most of the time.
Well, that depends on what you mean by excited. Do I wake up being like "YEEAAAAAH! BEST DAY OF MY LIFE, LET ME JUMP UP AND DOWN!!" in Tony Robbins style? Well, no. I don't think anyone can sustain that, and I agree with you on that, it's bs propagated by self-help gurus.

But do I wake up happy that I'm alive and inspired by the journey I'm on?

Sure. I get to do what I like, and use my talents to help others and make the world better. I see the impact I have on the people I work with every day. That's motivating.

At the same time, I've grown to be a hardcore minimalist. If something no longer makes me happy, I drop it. I don't care how long I've worked for it, or how much I've invested in it. My time is limited, I want to make the most out of it. So I'm always asking myself what's the HIGHEST VALUE thing I can do? If something isn't that, then I drop it.

This means that nowadays, my days are simple. Usually I do no more than 3 different tasks in a day, and that's plenty. My business is also reorganized to the point where my profit margins are at 80% and I make 3x per month what I used to make. A big tip... make sure that your business model creates so much profit that you'd have to be an idiot to fail. Most people start businesses with slim profit margins, where it will take them many months, maybe even years to scale it to $20K+/mo in profit. That's because the value they provide is low, and they cannot charge higher prices. Selling to one $20K customer is just as hard as selling to one $2K customer. Why not work on your offer until you can charge someone $20K and make sure they get 10x the value? It's the same work to get 1 customer, regardless of how much they pay.

As for my morning routine, I wake up, I do TM (very different from meditation, since it's actually OK to be thinking and have thoughts, and you don't need effort to do it), I read. Sometimes if I haven't slept enough, I will sleep 1 to 2 hours more (in the past I used to do the opposite of this). I also used to exercise and do my weight lifting before injuring my back.

Then I eat and get to work, usually doing both at the same time. Then I work till evening. I shower, I spend time with my cat and my girlfriend, and I read some more. Then sleep, and repeat. And I love my routine, I actually dislike it when days have to be different haha.
 

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