• I have a four-year degree (which required five years due to stupidity in late teens)
  
• I've worked a five-year career in the job associated to this degree and was reasonably successful at it
  
• I've shifted gears and am four years into a new career that is more aligned to my interests.
  
• I have investments and a net worth; I have some credit card debt, but it is a small fraction of my assets.
  
• I've paid my taxes on time since filling them independently at 26.
  
• I book all of my own dentist appointments, and go to the doctors when I feel that there's something wrong
  
• I've been playing guitar since 13 years old, and I've been taking it more seriously since 2020; I'm a my all-time best playing ability.  
  
• I've been taking singing lessons for four years and I'm at my very highest skill level; I would be classified a bass or bass-baritone but I can belt G4-B4 (iffy) and hit head voice in F5-A5.
  
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• I've played guitar in a couple of musicals this past year. I have another one up in May 2026.
  
• I speak five languages; not just "know a few phrases", but I can hold entire conversations in all five of these languages. With German, my fifth language, I've just gotten to 7,100 known words.
  
• I've written seven non-fiction books, and I'm working on my eighth; started doing this in 2016. 
  
• I've had a phase where I pursued a lot of women and have had a decent number of lovers until a couple of years ago.
  
• I have the ability to learn just about any skill to a basic degree reasonably quickly
  
• I hold a purple belt in Jiu Jitsu, and have been showing up for 7 years.
  
• I've done about a year and a half of kickboxing, and I'm pretty good at my high kicks
  
• I have a gym routine, and make it out 1-3 times per week, separately from my Jiu Jitsu practice. I'm as strong as ever.
  
• I'm in great shape; I'm 6 feet 2 inches, 220 pounds and fit in most size 33 jeans, as long as the thighs are wide enough.
  
• I have great health; no chronic ailments, pains, or medications
  
• I have a regular skin routine that keeps me looking reasonably young and youthful.
  
• My latest conscious/spiritual practice is to try to use tap into the subconscious with things from Dr. Joseph Campbell (The Power of the Subconscious Mind). These are all conscious-level practices.
  

• I probably have some kind of divergent thinking; it's not extreme but it has me thinking very deeply about things, pattern recognition, and getting bored with a lot of people's conversations.
  
• I was radicalized in my early twenties, largely due to YouTube videos and not very many friends at the time; I lost years in a pit of negativity and spite towards others. I've largely gotten over it.
  
• I have inner confidence - that I can get the job done - but I don't convert it into charisma (you know the type).
  
• I tend to yield in conversations and in physical posture more than the other person; I used to believe that it's because I'm bigger/taller/scarier but it might have become a habit that's affected my confidence.
  
• I currently have this strange inner shakiness - which evokes feelings of guilt or shame - that I'm working through, possibly related to Maximum Learning Speed.
  
• I've psyched myself into some shame related to sex and haven't had sex in several months. I used to approach plenty of women, and I accidentally went up to someone underage and I've gradually stopped putting myself out there since then. The motivation just isn't there anymore.
  
• I have some negative beliefs related to my aging and my desirability; a lot of my self-worth was tied up into being a young strapping lad, and now that I'm shifting into a different - more distinguished - look, I'm in this weird limbo where I don't know what I can do.
  
• A don't have that overwhelming pull to talk to women anymore; I currently don't have any interest in taking women on dates; I would have sex with various women I see. 
  
• Without these drives, I realize how stilted or platonic my interactions with women are; they don't have that sexual edge because I see no point of trying it. I've approached several hundreds of women in my life and have had such a small success rate by doing that.
  
• I'm realizing that people's opinions of me have more influence over me than I realize. The thought of being the "creepy old man" lingers more than it should. Or of feeling people's disapproval of me if I became socially magnanimous or if they saw me flirting with a hot woman. I realize that I'm technically not afraid of anyone or more things, but it's the internal feelings stirred up when I'm witnessed or heard, especially while talking to women.
  
• My current credit debts relate to various business and spiritual coaching I've taken which have not bore fruit. I've also spent thousands on Facebook ads and have basically broken even on them. It's not strictly the fault of the coaches either; they're correct in their teachings, but some part of me either got psyched out or disinterested (probably a subconscious strategy to avoid completing the necessary steps).
  
• My many attempts - and "failures" (aka running out of steam) - in business have discouraged me from trying again. I know myself, but every time I try something in the hopes that things will be different costs me something. It's technically more profitable for me to stand still at the moment.  
  
• I also feel self-conscious about my lack of  'movement' and upward mobility these past two years and what I can offer other people.
  
• I feel fine when dealing with people normally, but not when I'm trying to get them to do something for me (date me, buy something from me).
  

• Still live with your family ... instead of having your own residence. DOES NOT APPLY. Have lived alone since 18 with parental support. Returned to them at 23. Left home at 25 fully independently and did not look back.
  
• Do not have at least one legal, reliable, stable source of income... DOES NOT APPLY. Have had reliable self-sustaining income since 24 years old.
  
• Do not have stable, reliable transportation. DOES NOT APPLY. I have a car.
  
• Were raised by a single mother, and need to balance out the feminine influence on your upbringing - I had an overbearing, hyper-critical mother, but my father occasionally knew how to put his foot down
  
• Hold feminist beliefs that are holding you back from achieving your potential and or goals as a responsible adult man. DOES NOT APPLY. I believe in the basics between men and women, and I was at my most "feminist" at age 28, and it has slowly gotten more old-school.
  
• Have social anxiety - Yes, and I've been feeling especially shaky in recent weeks
  
• Consider yourself "woke" - This one is 'iffy'; there are ways where social structures really screw over people and there are certain angles where society is quick to pile onto minorities or women. I'm not irrational about my view of society.
  
• Feel guilt, shame or anything else negative about yourself simply because you are male - Yes, I've internalized a lot of the toxic discourse around women and dating. 
  
• Believe that women are better than, smarter than or otherwise superior to men (or you as a man) - I've developed the belief that women are motivated and oriented toward checking off a lot of societal boxes much sooner than men; at the same time, they get endless forms of societal sponsorship, so it's no wonder that they do alright. I do like how they can take good care of their space and care enough about the small stuff to .
  
• Have been described as/are a "white knight", and it's still true - DOES NOT APPLY
  
• Have been described as/are a "simp", and it's still true. DOES NOT APPLY, though I feel that I can assess whether a woman or a man is in the wrong.
  
• Are subscribed to one or more accounts on OnlyFans. DOES NOT APPLY, though I have a spank bank that I add to but never look at haha
  
• Are afraid of women. Not afraid, but definitely wary of a lot of the bullshit they can pull, and society doesn't give a shit or punish it. I do have a lingering worry about jealous men challenging me or squaring up.
  
• Were raised in a female dominated household, with a weak father or no father figure present. There was a period in high school where my mother was a histrionic tyrant and my dad didn't reign her in. This might apply.
  
• Hide from, avoid or try to escape adult responsibility. DOES NOT APPLY for the basics.
  
• Identify as being a part of any group that has an identity based on weakness, failure, flaws, feminine or being any kind of loser. DOES NOT APPLY
  
• Let yourself be treated badly by others, especially females. I have a complex where I would refuse to let that shit stand, to a toxic degree where I would ruminate on it and try to turn the tables as hard as possible.
  
• Have been called/are an Incel, and it's still true. Have never been called, but some of my viewed might get me called that. I'm currently a "Voluntary celibate".
  
• Moderate a reddit forum. I have a bit of status on a Discord server, but I get my voice lessons there, so probably doesn't apply.
  
• Have glasses that are held together with tape. DOES NOT APPLY
  
• Like to go to Weenie Hut Jr.'s (and especially Super Weenie Hut Jr.'s) for a milkshake. Lol SpongeBob
  
• Spend more than 2 hours a day gaming on a regular basis DOES NOT APPLY
  
• Prefer to spend your time watching TV, playing games or scrolling the Internet to doing anything else. DOES NOT APPLY, but I use the internet a lot for various self-improvement reasons.
  
• Have mommy issues or daddy issues. I've HAD mommy issues, but I think that I've held some complexes on both sides. 
  
• Live your life on social media, especially TikTok. I watch a LOT of YouTube; I hit my gyms and do music wherever I can. I don't thrive in bustling social venues.
  
• Cannot or do not think for yourself. DOES NOT APPLY; I've been writing about a book per year for the past three years
  
• Believe whatever you see in the news media. Not since 2020, but only because media companies serve corpo interests.
  
• Want and or allow others to direct your life, because you don't want to do it yourself. Technically not, but I do wait on opportunities more than the other way around (of creating my own opportunities).
  
• Seek permission from others to do things you should be getting permission from yourself to do. See above. Same case.
  
• Allow yourself to be disrespected by others on a regular basis, especially females. I simply dismiss women who try disrespect. No use in arguing. It doesn't really happen.
  
• Have low self esteem, self respect and or sense of self worth. Half and half. I consciously think positively but I hold myself back from 'big leagues' activity.
  
• Harbor self hatred. I've never hated myself; in fact, I've always viewed myself highly, and felt that others were stupid for not seeing my value.
  
• Are afraid to grow up. I'm sure there are areas where I'm held back, but I've been functional for 10 years. 
  
• Cannot take care of yourself without help from parents, family or a girlfriend/wife because you never grew up. DOES NOT APPLY. 
  
• Allow someone else to dress you when you are capable of dressing yourself. DOES NOT APPLY. 
  
• Do stupid things like get money, and then blow it on something you merely want, instead of paying your rent, when doing so will prevent you from being able to pay your rent
  
• Think the United States is still a "patriarchy". Various insular religious groups in the US employ it. Most women are secular and have all of the social approval in the world to buck anything resembling a responsibility to their partner.
  
• Would get married without a per-nuptial agreement. "But don't you love me? I feel like you don't trust me" 
  
• Would get married at all, and you live in the United States, and have no awareness of how the laws and family courts are arrayed against you. Haha I've been paranoid about marriage since the age of 19.
  
• Consider yourself submissive, especially to one or more females. I'm quiet and not a bold leader, but I'm not submissive.
  
• Are a shut-in because of anxiety. Potentially true.
  
• Would rather masturbate than have sex with someone else because of anxiety. This is technically true, though this used to not be the case.
  
• Prefer to have someone direct you or tell you what to do, even outside of work. I don't ever enjoy being bossed around; I respect competency.
  
• Have traumas that work against you for becoming a fully responsible adult man. I'd be curious to see what becomes available to me when I run this program.
  

• To fully own my sexual desires, no matter who's around or who's listening
  
• To lean into my edge and have the foundation for immense charisma
  
• To remove whatever strange feelings and attitudes I have about money, and to learn how to create money from a principled, fun-loving place.
  
• I want the courage to be a true artist; of allowing my feelings and my passions to guide me even when people are judging or hating.
  
• I want the grit and inner resolve to stand up against the machine - the Man - and win
  
• I want the ability to share world-shifting visions with other people, and to pull them into my world by my self-
  
• I want to tap into inner joy in the basic things, including conversations.
  
• To truly be untethered from the things that I feel codependent on (my apartment, my job, etc.)
  
• I want to be a bold visionary of a leader; a communicator who is able to be highly-visible, handle criticism and scrutiny, and build for others
  

Quote:Starting to feel really good on this program. The inner turmoil is quickly going away, and doing so much quicker than what was happening on PRA. There's this sense of inner calm, and I'm no longer bothered if I'm not included in things. My mindset is already shifting to the thinking of "if someone wants me around, they'll ask", and if they don't I do my own thing.

Quote:Another thing that I'm noticing that I didn't realize was in Stage 0 is the Brain Optimizer is really starting to kick in. My thinking has really cleared up and I'm able to focus a lot easier on what I need to do at work, and am more attentive when speaking with people. The calm authoritative way of talking to people and bringing up issues at work is more noticeable (US at work as well?).

• No Feedback Loop - Even if I learned something, I had no concrete way to verify it. Progress felt invisible.
  
• Analysis Paralysis - I doubted everything. What should've taken an hour consumed the entire day. I pressure-tested every decision to the extreme. I knew it was analysis paralysis, but awareness alone didn't break the loop.
  
• Cognitive Dissonance - Some days, I felt absolutely ridiculous for having nothing in my account. Laughable, even. But reality had a way of dragging me back down before I could rise above it.
  
• Urgency - I always felt like I needed the money yesterday. That pressure compounded everything and, paradoxically, paralyzed me further.
  
• Paper Walls - I could map the terrain perfectly. Taking the first step? That's where it fell apart. Logically, I knew there was nothing to fear. And yet, no. This is where the intention-action gap hit hardest. I could intend all day long, but the bridge between knowing and doing simply wasn't there.
  
• High Standards - I probably ought to just get a job. But I live in a country where most employees are treated as expendable labor for sub-standard wages. Since my survival isn't tied to money so much as my dignity is, I'd rather take a shot at doing this on my own than grind long hours for a few hundred dollars with no time left for my actual dream.