By Mike Cernovich
I returned this book since I didn't find that many things useful. I've got some nuggets of wisdom, anyway.
My Rating: 6/10
Click Here to Read My Notes
I returned this book since I didn't find that many things useful. I've got some nuggets of wisdom, anyway.
My Rating: 6/10
Click Here to Read My Notes
To get more out of life you must get more out of yourself. You must take personal responsibility for your thoughts and emotions. You must stop blaming the system. The days of looking outside of yourself for answers are gone.
“When are you going to get serious?” Those words, coupled with the expression on his face, were a wake-up call for me. I made the decision right then and there: I would get serious. Very serious.
Now imagine that you believe that the world is massive. The world is one of endless resources and infinite possibilities. What you do matters. Choices matter. You matter. Each day is a new day full of limitless possibilities. How would you act if you knew that anything you wanted to do was possible? Would you live life differently if you believed that you were abundant and full of potential?
Mindset is “a set of assumptions, methods, or notations,” which are so powerful they force you to “continue to adopt or accept prior behaviors, choices, or tools.” You can’t change your life unless you change your mindset.
The answer to all of life’s most difficult questions resides inside of you.
The heart of the Gorilla Mindset system is a paradigm that, when applied, will change how you think, feel, and live your life.
Negative thinking usually ends up being lies.
Ask yourself: Is this person looking at me the person I want myself, my family, and my friends to see?
Get a tape recorder or use your computer or iPhone’s record function. In today’s smart phone era, there are many easy ways for you to record yourself. Turn on the recorder. Start talking. As with the mirror exercise, above, do not censor yourself. Be real. Let it all out. Say all of those mean, nasty, angry thoughts out loud. Get it out of your system!
The attacks in your head are other people’s voices that you’ve heard and internalized over the years.
That means that you are attacking yourself based on someone else’s standards. How goofy is that?
It’s YOUR affirmation. It can be as “corny” as you want it to be. What matters is that the powerful self-talk resonates with you. You have permission to do any goofy New Age stuff, so long as it works.
“This is a fantastic challenge that will test my resolve and will. Even if I don’t win, I will grow stronger.”
“Today I am better than I was yesterday.” [Last of the Renshai, a science fiction book.]
“The only easy day was yesterday.” [Navy SEAL motto.]
Once you improve your self-talk, your mood will improve. What’s more, your improved self-talk will have another effect: it will improve how you treat those around you. When you start talking more politely to yourself, your friends, family, business associates, and other loved ones may be surprised by how you talk to them.
Extensive research into the science of willpower and mindset has shown that people are far more likely to believe something when they are given a reason to do so. Unless you have a reason for your affirmation, you may not believe in it, and you won’t follow through.
Your affirmation can be anything from a belief you hold about yourself to a commitment to perform some new task or engage in a new set of habits. In other words, “affirmation” is not a fixed concept with a clear meaning. It is not a rule to abide by, or a clever saying.
Imagine your consciousness is the judge or jury or parent or friend you must persuade. You want your conscious mind to believe in you. Framing is how your mind perceives whatever situation you are in.
Framing is how you choose to think about and thus perceive a challenge in your life.
Reframe the issues. Choose to focus on how the difficulty you’re facing will make you stronger, more intelligent, more emotionally complex, or more resourceful.
Instead of calling something a “problem,” reframe it as a “challenge.” That seems cliché, but it really works.
Adopting a growth mindset is bittersweet. The bitterness comes from the pain accompanying growth. “No pain, no gain,” is true.
“Mindfulness is ‘the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one’s attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment,’ which can be trained by meditational practices.”
Walk with a purpose by talking to yourself as you walk about how you are walking.
I am going to take an active approach to managing my state.
Your body and mind are connected. Your emotions are influenced both by your thinking and by how your body feels.
When people insist you do what they want, they are controlling their own lives and your life. They are the most selfish people of all.
When you develop ruthless focus, you may learn that many of your friends and family members aren’t friends at all. They are people who use you for their own ends and become deeply offended when you start living your own life.
Your lifestyle and mindset are linked.
Lifestyle is, as psychologist Alfred Adler observed, the “interests, opinions, behaviors, and behavioral orientations of an individual, group, or culture.”
Lifestyle is how you live your life.
Lifestyle is what you eat, drink, where you live, the people you spend your time with, and the activities you engage in.
Avoid negative situations and draining people, instead choosing to engage in life-affirming activities with positive, helpful people.
Cut off contact with negative people, even negative family members.
There is nothing cool about “powering through” sleep deprivation.
Reflect on what you seek to achieve the next day. Too many people dwell on what happened during the day. Be forward-looking. Focus on tomorrow.
Numerous scientific studies have shown that sitting is deadly. People who spend more hours a day sitting die sooner than those who stand up more often.
Stay hydrated. My goal is 8 trips to the bathroom a day, and to wake up with clear urine.
For at least two hours each day I am totally disconnected. Disconnecting each day has done much for my levels of inner peace and mindfulness.
Most of us are defeated before we even get out of bed. We stay up too late and wake up exhausted. We press the snooze button several times. Our mindset is in a negative place.
You are an elite athlete in the game of life who must properly warm up for an intense and inspirational competition.
End this life of quiet desperation by beginning your day with an empowering morning routine.
A cold shower can raise testosterone levels, lower levels of cortisol, boost your immune system, and increase your mental toughness.
Cold showers also work as a form of “cardio,” as you’ll quickly find your heart pumping to warm your limbs.
Cold showers have even been used to treat mild symptoms of depression and some hypothesize cold showers may be beneficial in the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
“My day is a serious athletic endeavor that requires me to actively warm up my body and mind.”
On some days you will think to yourself, “I don’t feel like doing a warmup.” But ask yourself, “Would I warm up before lifting weights or playing a pick-up game of basketball?” Even golfers stretch before playing a leisurely 9 holes. Life is far more taxing than playing golf. Why would you warm up for a game of golf but not warm up for the serious game of life?
Your lifestyle is the sum total of how you spend your time, and that means what you spend your time on and who you spend your time with.
Who — and what — creates positive energy in your life? Who sucks away your energy like a vampire?
You can’t make the most of your mind if you don’t have blood pumping to it.
In fact, research has shown the best way to improve your mind is to improve your heart.
Ralph Sacco, M.D. and past president of the American Heart Association observed, “Most people don’t understand the connection between heart health and brain health, and as doctors we’re learning more every day.”
The heart and mind are connected. If something is good for your heart, it’s good for your mind.
If an activity or supplement boosts blood flow, it’s good for you.
Beet juice and l-arginine (and over the counter supplement) also improve endothelial function by increasing the amount of nitric oxide in your body.
Nitric oxide (NO) allows your blood vessels to dilate.
To master your mindset, master your breath.
Posture keeps your organs aligned, keeps your balance proper, and makes it much less likely you’ll fall down or injure yourself. It also makes you look taller, more confident and more physically attractive. Good posture boosts your mood, can increase your testosterone levels, and even improves your breathing.
Get a massage. During a massage the massage therapist will push on your body, which stimulates lymph fluid movement.
Your gut has been called the “second brain” by Dr. Michael Gershon, author of the book The Second Brain: A Groundbreaking New Understanding of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestine.
If it’s good for our gut, it’s good for our brain.
You can also improve your digestion by improving your diet. First, make sure you get enough fiber.
The “best foods” are foods the fittest people tend to eat the most of and that are ranked high on the ANDI scale.
The 20 best foods to base your diet around are: chicken, salmon, white fish, lean beef, kale, carrots, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, rice, eggs (whole eggs are great; eat those yolks), blueberries, Brussels sprouts, arugula, red peppers, romaine lettuce, broccoli, asparagus, spinach, tomatoes, and oranges.
Our brains demand up to 25% of the blood flowing through our body. Exercise improves blood flow and heart function, leading to more efficient blood flow to the brain. Exercise has also been shown to reduce stress.
at the cellular level, exercise ‘works’ the brain.
By acquiring the skills you need exercise a squat or dead lift, you are creating neural pathways.” In other words, working out the body works out the mind.
You only have one body. Take care of it, it has to last you your entire life.
Two great books giving detailed training instructions include Body of a Spartan and Becoming the Bull.
The best brain-boosting drug (or nootropic) on the market is exercise.
The best time to do cardio is whenever you get a chance to do it. There is much argument among fitness people whether you should do cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, after you lift weights, or at some other time. That is much ado about nothing. Doing your cardio is what matters and you won’t notice a difference one way or another.
Yes, you can eat after 6 p.m. However you should keep your carbohydrate intake low, as the body does not process carbohydrates well at night.
No matter how you feel before going to the gym, you will always feel better afterwards.
“Out of sight, out of mind.”
Your body and mind, as you now appreciate more than ever, are not separate entities. They are linked. What’s more, your posture impacts your mood, feelings of well-being, and even your hormonal levels.
As physical therapists often say, “You can’t undo 23 hours of bad posture with one hour a day in the gym.”
You can find all of these posture exercises and more at GorillaMindset.com/Posture The page is password protected and exclusive to Gorilla Mindset book purchasers. The password is Cernovich (case-sensitive).
Although “middlemen” have a bad reputation, a good middleman brings real value to a transaction by bringing together buyers and sellers who might not otherwise have met each other. Start thinking like a middleman.
It’s a limiting belief that you have nothing of value to share. People turn to you for answers because you have them. Start getting paid for giving answers.
Record everything you do. If you have a smartphone, you have better video cameras than film studios had in the 1960s. All of those sitcoms you grew up watching can’t compete with your technology.
Find a way to serve men and young men. Position yourself as a market leader in what will be an exploding market.
shift: Become a trusted authority.
When you establish yourself as a trusted authority in one area, people will believe you have the answers to other problems. This is due to the halo effect.
“I am a producer and not a consumer.”
shift: Become an investor, not a trader.
One of my favorite books is Choose Yourself by James Altucher. Choose Yourself is a raw look at today’s economy. Large companies are looking for ways to cut costs, which means ways to fire you, decrease your benefits, and expect you to do more with less. In Choose Yourself, Altucher makes the compelling case that the days of doing good work and being discovered are long over. Instead of waiting to be discovered, you must choose yourself.
Find ways to choose yourself in your own life. Ask yourself: Are you waiting for others to recognize and appreciate you? Take action.
For more information on tax planning, go to GorillaMindset.com/Money for links to additional resources.
“When are you going to get serious?” Those words, coupled with the expression on his face, were a wake-up call for me. I made the decision right then and there: I would get serious. Very serious.
Now imagine that you believe that the world is massive. The world is one of endless resources and infinite possibilities. What you do matters. Choices matter. You matter. Each day is a new day full of limitless possibilities. How would you act if you knew that anything you wanted to do was possible? Would you live life differently if you believed that you were abundant and full of potential?
Mindset is “a set of assumptions, methods, or notations,” which are so powerful they force you to “continue to adopt or accept prior behaviors, choices, or tools.” You can’t change your life unless you change your mindset.
The answer to all of life’s most difficult questions resides inside of you.
The heart of the Gorilla Mindset system is a paradigm that, when applied, will change how you think, feel, and live your life.
Negative thinking usually ends up being lies.
Ask yourself: Is this person looking at me the person I want myself, my family, and my friends to see?
Get a tape recorder or use your computer or iPhone’s record function. In today’s smart phone era, there are many easy ways for you to record yourself. Turn on the recorder. Start talking. As with the mirror exercise, above, do not censor yourself. Be real. Let it all out. Say all of those mean, nasty, angry thoughts out loud. Get it out of your system!
The attacks in your head are other people’s voices that you’ve heard and internalized over the years.
That means that you are attacking yourself based on someone else’s standards. How goofy is that?
It’s YOUR affirmation. It can be as “corny” as you want it to be. What matters is that the powerful self-talk resonates with you. You have permission to do any goofy New Age stuff, so long as it works.
“This is a fantastic challenge that will test my resolve and will. Even if I don’t win, I will grow stronger.”
“Today I am better than I was yesterday.” [Last of the Renshai, a science fiction book.]
“The only easy day was yesterday.” [Navy SEAL motto.]
Once you improve your self-talk, your mood will improve. What’s more, your improved self-talk will have another effect: it will improve how you treat those around you. When you start talking more politely to yourself, your friends, family, business associates, and other loved ones may be surprised by how you talk to them.
Extensive research into the science of willpower and mindset has shown that people are far more likely to believe something when they are given a reason to do so. Unless you have a reason for your affirmation, you may not believe in it, and you won’t follow through.
Your affirmation can be anything from a belief you hold about yourself to a commitment to perform some new task or engage in a new set of habits. In other words, “affirmation” is not a fixed concept with a clear meaning. It is not a rule to abide by, or a clever saying.
Imagine your consciousness is the judge or jury or parent or friend you must persuade. You want your conscious mind to believe in you. Framing is how your mind perceives whatever situation you are in.
Framing is how you choose to think about and thus perceive a challenge in your life.
Reframe the issues. Choose to focus on how the difficulty you’re facing will make you stronger, more intelligent, more emotionally complex, or more resourceful.
Instead of calling something a “problem,” reframe it as a “challenge.” That seems cliché, but it really works.
Adopting a growth mindset is bittersweet. The bitterness comes from the pain accompanying growth. “No pain, no gain,” is true.
“Mindfulness is ‘the intentional, accepting and non-judgmental focus of one’s attention on the emotions, thoughts and sensations occurring in the present moment,’ which can be trained by meditational practices.”
Walk with a purpose by talking to yourself as you walk about how you are walking.
I am going to take an active approach to managing my state.
Your body and mind are connected. Your emotions are influenced both by your thinking and by how your body feels.
When people insist you do what they want, they are controlling their own lives and your life. They are the most selfish people of all.
When you develop ruthless focus, you may learn that many of your friends and family members aren’t friends at all. They are people who use you for their own ends and become deeply offended when you start living your own life.
Your lifestyle and mindset are linked.
Lifestyle is, as psychologist Alfred Adler observed, the “interests, opinions, behaviors, and behavioral orientations of an individual, group, or culture.”
Lifestyle is how you live your life.
Lifestyle is what you eat, drink, where you live, the people you spend your time with, and the activities you engage in.
Avoid negative situations and draining people, instead choosing to engage in life-affirming activities with positive, helpful people.
Cut off contact with negative people, even negative family members.
There is nothing cool about “powering through” sleep deprivation.
Reflect on what you seek to achieve the next day. Too many people dwell on what happened during the day. Be forward-looking. Focus on tomorrow.
Numerous scientific studies have shown that sitting is deadly. People who spend more hours a day sitting die sooner than those who stand up more often.
Stay hydrated. My goal is 8 trips to the bathroom a day, and to wake up with clear urine.
For at least two hours each day I am totally disconnected. Disconnecting each day has done much for my levels of inner peace and mindfulness.
Most of us are defeated before we even get out of bed. We stay up too late and wake up exhausted. We press the snooze button several times. Our mindset is in a negative place.
You are an elite athlete in the game of life who must properly warm up for an intense and inspirational competition.
End this life of quiet desperation by beginning your day with an empowering morning routine.
A cold shower can raise testosterone levels, lower levels of cortisol, boost your immune system, and increase your mental toughness.
Cold showers also work as a form of “cardio,” as you’ll quickly find your heart pumping to warm your limbs.
Cold showers have even been used to treat mild symptoms of depression and some hypothesize cold showers may be beneficial in the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
“My day is a serious athletic endeavor that requires me to actively warm up my body and mind.”
On some days you will think to yourself, “I don’t feel like doing a warmup.” But ask yourself, “Would I warm up before lifting weights or playing a pick-up game of basketball?” Even golfers stretch before playing a leisurely 9 holes. Life is far more taxing than playing golf. Why would you warm up for a game of golf but not warm up for the serious game of life?
Your lifestyle is the sum total of how you spend your time, and that means what you spend your time on and who you spend your time with.
Who — and what — creates positive energy in your life? Who sucks away your energy like a vampire?
You can’t make the most of your mind if you don’t have blood pumping to it.
In fact, research has shown the best way to improve your mind is to improve your heart.
Ralph Sacco, M.D. and past president of the American Heart Association observed, “Most people don’t understand the connection between heart health and brain health, and as doctors we’re learning more every day.”
The heart and mind are connected. If something is good for your heart, it’s good for your mind.
If an activity or supplement boosts blood flow, it’s good for you.
Beet juice and l-arginine (and over the counter supplement) also improve endothelial function by increasing the amount of nitric oxide in your body.
Nitric oxide (NO) allows your blood vessels to dilate.
To master your mindset, master your breath.
Posture keeps your organs aligned, keeps your balance proper, and makes it much less likely you’ll fall down or injure yourself. It also makes you look taller, more confident and more physically attractive. Good posture boosts your mood, can increase your testosterone levels, and even improves your breathing.
Get a massage. During a massage the massage therapist will push on your body, which stimulates lymph fluid movement.
Your gut has been called the “second brain” by Dr. Michael Gershon, author of the book The Second Brain: A Groundbreaking New Understanding of Nervous Disorders of the Stomach and Intestine.
If it’s good for our gut, it’s good for our brain.
You can also improve your digestion by improving your diet. First, make sure you get enough fiber.
The “best foods” are foods the fittest people tend to eat the most of and that are ranked high on the ANDI scale.
The 20 best foods to base your diet around are: chicken, salmon, white fish, lean beef, kale, carrots, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, rice, eggs (whole eggs are great; eat those yolks), blueberries, Brussels sprouts, arugula, red peppers, romaine lettuce, broccoli, asparagus, spinach, tomatoes, and oranges.
Our brains demand up to 25% of the blood flowing through our body. Exercise improves blood flow and heart function, leading to more efficient blood flow to the brain. Exercise has also been shown to reduce stress.
at the cellular level, exercise ‘works’ the brain.
By acquiring the skills you need exercise a squat or dead lift, you are creating neural pathways.” In other words, working out the body works out the mind.
You only have one body. Take care of it, it has to last you your entire life.
Two great books giving detailed training instructions include Body of a Spartan and Becoming the Bull.
The best brain-boosting drug (or nootropic) on the market is exercise.
The best time to do cardio is whenever you get a chance to do it. There is much argument among fitness people whether you should do cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, after you lift weights, or at some other time. That is much ado about nothing. Doing your cardio is what matters and you won’t notice a difference one way or another.
Yes, you can eat after 6 p.m. However you should keep your carbohydrate intake low, as the body does not process carbohydrates well at night.
No matter how you feel before going to the gym, you will always feel better afterwards.
“Out of sight, out of mind.”
Your body and mind, as you now appreciate more than ever, are not separate entities. They are linked. What’s more, your posture impacts your mood, feelings of well-being, and even your hormonal levels.
As physical therapists often say, “You can’t undo 23 hours of bad posture with one hour a day in the gym.”
You can find all of these posture exercises and more at GorillaMindset.com/Posture The page is password protected and exclusive to Gorilla Mindset book purchasers. The password is Cernovich (case-sensitive).
Although “middlemen” have a bad reputation, a good middleman brings real value to a transaction by bringing together buyers and sellers who might not otherwise have met each other. Start thinking like a middleman.
It’s a limiting belief that you have nothing of value to share. People turn to you for answers because you have them. Start getting paid for giving answers.
Record everything you do. If you have a smartphone, you have better video cameras than film studios had in the 1960s. All of those sitcoms you grew up watching can’t compete with your technology.
Find a way to serve men and young men. Position yourself as a market leader in what will be an exploding market.
shift: Become a trusted authority.
When you establish yourself as a trusted authority in one area, people will believe you have the answers to other problems. This is due to the halo effect.
“I am a producer and not a consumer.”
shift: Become an investor, not a trader.
One of my favorite books is Choose Yourself by James Altucher. Choose Yourself is a raw look at today’s economy. Large companies are looking for ways to cut costs, which means ways to fire you, decrease your benefits, and expect you to do more with less. In Choose Yourself, Altucher makes the compelling case that the days of doing good work and being discovered are long over. Instead of waiting to be discovered, you must choose yourself.
Find ways to choose yourself in your own life. Ask yourself: Are you waiting for others to recognize and appreciate you? Take action.
For more information on tax planning, go to GorillaMindset.com/Money for links to additional resources.