don't be a slave

drop the ankle weights

you are a slave to something.

alcohol, nicotine, video games, or your phone.

approval, status, fomo, or gossip.

work, food, debt, or porn.

you're thinking about nicotine while you're out to dinner with your family.

you're on instagram while you're at your sibling's graduation.

you're thinking about video games while you're on vacation.

you are a slave to something.

fight it. resist it. break free.

you mindlessly walked into a prison you designed yourself and now it feels impossible to escape.

you were so consumed by the very thing that now controls you that you forgot to lock the cell door on your way in.

you know what that means?

you can walk out any time you want.

wake up. the alarm has been going off for way too long.

"Beneath the blankets is no way to fame"

— dante alighieri

dig in your heels

there's something in your life holding you back.

maybe you need that coffee first thing in the morning to "function."

maybe you have a few drinks at night and those calories are keeping you stuck in the gym.

maybe you work a job you hate for the sake of status, or money, and without it you're empty.

you already know what it is. break the cycle.

for me, it was video games. i had a serious addiction disguised as a "hobby." it kept me from doing what i actually wanted with my life.

since i got it under control, literally every aspect of my life has improved. i shit you not. everything i care about has gotten better.

even so, there's always a new demon lurking in the shadows. gotta keep your head on a swivel.

you can't think of one? bullshit, it's there. even if untraditional.

right now, I'm enslaved by my own schedule.

i become agitated and dysfunctional when I'm off routine. the very system I created to improve my life now prevents me from experiencing the new things that would make life more fulfilling.

i haven't hung out with friends on a weekday in two years. working on it.

we all have vices. we all have our guilty pleasures. and i think that's okay. gotta enjoy the dance.

but how are you supposed to do that to the fullest of your ability when you're not the one picking the music?

what matters is control. authority. sovereignty.

this isn't about quitting everything. it's about recognizing what's got you sitting on your hands.

discipline is destiny

"freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves."

— nietzsche

so you know your achilles heel. now what?

most people think breaking free means going cold turkey. quitting everything. White knuckling their way to a new life.

spoiler alert, that’s not freedom.

it’s trading one punishment for another.

real freedom comes from discipline. from being in control instead of being controlled.

discipline is your shield against emotions, circumstances, and opinions.

it's the difference between being a slave and being free.

without it, you are vulnerable. with it, you are strong.

discipline is not punishment. it's freedom.

it is a road less traveled. of short term sacrifice. of pain.

but on the other side, waits glory. true happiness. your dreams.

and it all starts with dropping the ankle weights. Those habits, addictions, and patterns that keep you locked away like a fool.

they say the phoenix burns before it rises.

you need to strip away what's holding you back, or control it, otherwise you’re running in place.

you can, maybe against your current belief, become a disciplined human overnight.

but, if not, win so many battles that winning the war is inevitable.

slowly, but surely, become disciplined. improve. grow.

if you're addicted to coke, try olipop.

if you scroll indefinitely all day, set a timer.

if you spend $1000 per month, try to spend $900.

every time you choose the harder path, you're proving to yourself that you're in control.

as always, this is about balance. it's about consistency.

maybe you can dabble in your vice. maybe you can't.

that's for you to decide.

above it all though, is awareness. this is everything. you cannot defeat an enemy you cannot see.

become aware of what that thing is for you, the specific habit, thought pattern, or addiction that's pulling your strings.

because once the seed's planted, it will grow until one day you have no choice but to cut it down.

hopefully i planted that seed in your head today.

thanks for reading, as per the usual, godspeed nerds.

— dante

things that’ve possessed me this week:

song: undressed by sombr

book: dark age by pierce brown

idea: listen more than you talk