Yesterday I found a good cafe in the middle of nowhere while travelling across southern India. As I sat for a nice double-shot cappuccino and opened my laptop to write, I got a glimpse of life 10 years ago. A dream I once had. I live a life I once thought was just a dream.
When my entire generation is suffering from an existential AI slop crisis, attention deficiency, and overstimulated brains, it is now much easier to get ahead of 99% of people. Competition is lower than ever with other humans.
All you need to do is NOT become mediocre.
People think the average mark of human intelligence is 50%.
I believe it is around 98%.
The average modern human is smarter than the average human 1000 years ago. Due to the principle of the survival of the fittest, humans with lower intelligence were eventually consumed over time. Just like a weaker lion doesn't survive in nature.
The brain for humans is what teeth and strength are for a lion.
But most of us still feel lost, confused, and highly stimulated.
As Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson writes:
"We are drowning in information, while starving for wisdom."
You have an opportunity to change it today.
My bet is, if you are reading this, you are not average.
The average man and woman are busy commenting on some religious post on Instagram or filling their head with unlimited negative news.
This is why I don't make videos with hundreds of jump cuts. I make it for people who can hold their attention for 10-20-30 minutes because that is necessary to get things done at the bare minimum.
I want to build a tribe of the top 1%.
And the first step to be part of this tribe is to build an elimination list, which I call an Antithesis.
The Antithesis
Back in 2017 I was trying to find a job and pay my debt.
I thought of everything I wanted in my life.
The problem is, because I had never experienced financial freedom and time freedom and all the important things, I couldn't really get what I wanted.
I was trying to visualize and create a vision board, but because none of this was my first-hand experience, I couldn't really feel it in my body.
It was all fake and a second-hand experience from an internet guru or a book.
I got so frustrated after a few days that I made myself an Antithesis.
An antithesis is the list of everything I experienced and I didn't want.
I wrote things like traveling in overcrowded 3rd-class trains we have in India, eating at roadside stands, living my whole life in a small town, or getting a job I had no interest in.
I called it "Things I Don't Want List."
There are two motivations in your life:
- Moving towards pleasure
- Moving away from pain
If you have spent your childhood in extreme poverty or you have never been around friends who are above average, it is hard to really know what pleasure is.
You can just dream of it.
But it is easier to discover the second: your pains and frustrations.
Make a list of it.
Your Personal Protocol
And once you have your antithesis, you need to develop your personal protocol.
Protocol is essentially a set of rules to follow, even if you do not want to follow them.
One of my mentors, Blair Singer, who is Rich Dad's advisor of Robert T. Kiyosaki, says this: "Rules are to protect you from yourself."
I don't want you to make extreme rules. But you still need some essential and existential rules to begin with.
Something as simple as: "Taking a shower every morning, no matter what" and "Not checking your phone for first 30 minutes", "Spending at least 30 minutes exercising 5 days a week."
These are simple rules that compound over time.
These protocols need to be aligned with your anti-vision board.
The problem is, majority of us will not do it.
In fact, most of the people reading this have already checked out. But this is not a bad thing.
Because this is the rule of nature: to be top 1% we need to act as top 1%.
Protocols are like sacred rules.
When I coach people I often develop a custom protocol based on their needs and situation. You can also see this in The Circle where I have protocols for business and personal development.
Write down what are all the things you do not want and based on it, create a protocol for yourself.
In fact, write it down in the comments below or in the Circle chat if you are part of it. This way you can affirm yourself deeply.
I would pause reading this right now to do this right away.
Second-Order Effects
And the last thing to do is to understand Second-Order Effects.
This is a powerful framework to make better decisions. This is something I haven't mastered completely so I am happy to work on it together.
Every decision has multiple layers of consequence.
80% of people don't even think of consequences of their choice. They will drink the whole night without even realizing how bad their next day will look like.
And 15% of people do think of the first-order consequence. Because of it, they will make less bad choices. It might mean not drinking too much or taking timely breaks, not overworking and so on.
But there is a 2nd layer and even a third layer of consequence.
Here is an example:
Imagine you bought a TV.
The first-order consequence of buying a television, especially if it is an expensive one with high resolution and multiple features, is you will spend a lot of money on it.
But the second order is, because you have bought it, you are going to watch it and will also waste your time on it.
And probably, you will consume news and media on that television that is not even supporting your desired life.
So the third-order consequence is wasted energy and low motivation.
Once you understand it, you are not going to buy a television.
The Three Important Points
So, there are three important points here:
1. Creating an Antithesis.
Listing down everything that you do not want.
If in this process you can find out some things you want, write them down. It is a great side effect of this exercise. Do it right now before you get distracted by another dopamine hit.
2. Building your personal protocol.
Something like: Waking up at 6AM and cleaning your bed.
And while you are doing it, think of the second and third-order consequences. If you take a shower in the morning, you feel fresh. And because you feel fresh, you will have more clarity throughout the day.
3. Think in layers before every decision.
The beauty of knowledge is, once you know this, you cannot not-have it.
Because you read this and learned about 2nd second-order consequence, from now on, you will always consider it before making a simple choice.
And this act itself is going to make an impact.
Invest In Your Education
I will highly encourage joining The Circle and investing in your education and environment.
It is not a lot of money. I will put the link at the end.
The big point here is to develop a habit of investing in things that align with your desired way of life.
So you are not investing to learn a new hack to make money online like other people. You can literally ask ChatGPT and it will give you 100 ideas.
You are investing to wire your brain to spend money on your education.
Which majority of people are scared of.
They will spend $40,000 on a college education that doesn't give any skills to make their life better. And feel resistance to invest $100.
And one last thing: When you invest, don't leave it on others.
Don't complain "oh this course is bad, it is their responsibility to make me money."
You are no one's responsibility.
Act with agency and act as your desired self will act.
Agency means taking charge of your destiny and acting in alignment with your desire.
If you can't find a leader or mentor, be one. Train yourself and others. Take the lead.
By acting positively you are showing faith in yourself and in a power greater than you.
You are acting in alignment with the person you want to become.
Join The Circle: https://withhimanshu.com/tribe
—Himu
To Your Freedom
