(Part 2) Top products from r/GetMotivated

Ahh one of the problems young men face in today's society, the absence of a rite of passage. That sounds similar to what you're looking for; this article touches on it a bit.


> At the heart of the modern crisis of manhood is the extension of adolescence, a boyhood which is stretching on for a longer and longer period of time. Once thought to end in a man’s 20s at the latest, men are extending their adolescence into their 30′s and in some especially sad cases, their 40′s.

>But in some ways it’s not their fault. It’s the fault of a culture in which rites of passage have all but disappeared, leaving men adrift and lost, never sure when and if they’ve become men. Today’s men lack a community of males to initiate them into manhood and to recognize their new status.

>Across time and place, cultures have inherently understood that without clear markers on the journey to manhood, males have a difficult time making the transition and can drift along indefinitely. Thus, rites of passage were clearly delineated in nearly every culture as one of the community’s most important rituals.

I'm not sure of a suitable challenge or hardship for you, that's something that only you can decide. There's a few simple tasks that if done daily can improve your life.

I'll start with the easy stuff:

Fitness:

1.) Start Weightlifting

You're 18 years old and in relatively good shape i'm assuming ("biked through some mountainous canadian villages,"). There's literally no reason for you not to weightlift or run.

Weightlifting:

• Because you're 18, you'll make strength gains pretty quickly.
  
• You only need to weightlift 3 days a week (45-60 mins per session. Most of the time you'll be sitting down resting in between sets).
  
• In 2 months (probably less) your results will be visible, you'll feel stronger, more confident, have more energy, etc.
  
• The endorphin's released after a workout are awesome.
  
  
  Here are few progress pics from /r/Fitness : [1] [2] [3]
  
  Please tell me you'll start weightlifting or at least running; time will pass whether or not you lift, best to make gains along the way :)
  
  Find a powerlifting gym in your area (they're generally cheaper than commercial gyms, allow you to grunt, use chalk, and actually lift heavy weight)
  
  Meditate:
  
  Start to meditate everyday.
  
  >Benefits to meditation
  >Like exercise, your benefits will depend on your efforts.
  
  >Greater mental abilities as the mind concentrates with greater ease and there is less restless thought happening.
  
  >Greater insights into your own behavior and that of others, so the ability to live with less regret happens.
  
  >Greater physical abilities as the awareness of the body is increased, as well as the ability to visualize--if that is your objective.
  
  >Greater emotional clarity as one learns to deal with and release difficult emotions.
  
  >A greater feeling of contentment and oneness with life as the obstructions in the mind recede.
  
  Philosophy:
  
  Begin to read and study philosophy.
  
  Good Introductory Books are:
  
  

1. The Problems of Philosophy - Bertrand Russell
   
2. Sophie's World -
   
   
   One really good lecture series on ethics:
   
   Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do? Episode 01 "THE MORAL SIDE OF MURDER"
   
   Social Skills:
   
   Go out and meet knew people, fool around with girls, talk to strangers, etc. Try to stay away from the computer as much as possible.
   
   
3. /r/seduction (Read all of the sidebar, even if you never want to pickup women it's just great life advice).
   
4. /r/socialskills
   
5. /r/SocialEngineering
   
   All have some damn good articles and posts on body language, self-confidence, etc... that'll make you a lot more confident in social situations if you go out and practice; talking to a human, whether it's a boss or a cute girl on the street, is a learn-able skill that can be improved.
   
   Read How to Make Friends & Influence People. The title is not the best but it's a classic book and insanely useful.
   
   Read:
   
   Delete your Reddit account, stop watching television, and read.
   
   Read Plato, Marcus Aurelius, Camus, Thoreau, and Orwell. Read Rumi, Kahlil Gibran, and Keats. Read old english, sci-fi, old fantasy novels, etc.
   
   A few lists:
   
   
6. Art of Manliness
   
   
7. Reddit threads: [1] [2] [3] [4]
   
   Reddit's Favorite Books
   
   Benefits of reading:
   
   

• It'll really open your mind to the vastness of the world
  
• You'll realize that anything you "have ever thought/felt has been thought/felt by men for ages before me and will be for ages after."
  
• You'll mature.
  
  Create something:
  
  Whether you write stories, music, or draw try to create something. Try to write 300 words everyday on any topic you want, a random dream you had, tasty food, etc.
  
  Travel:
  
  Work on a farm for a week or two while staying in the home of complete strangers. Helpx
  Miscellaneous things:
  
  Misc:
  
  /r/LucidDreaming
  
  
  tl;dr
  
  Make the most of your time and try to improve yourself as much as possible in the next 300 days; whether physically (weightlifting!), mentally, or spiritually.
  
  Decrease reddit/internet use and go outside, hit on random beautiful women, make new friends, etc.

Hey emyouth,

I'm so sorry for your loss, it must have been so very hard on you.

> How do I start seizing opportunities so I don't look back on my life with bitterness and regret?

So one path that I think could really work for you is called ACT. The principle is that a lot of the problems we experience come from fighting against ever feeling painful thoughts and memories causing behavioural avoidance. Things like withdrawing, staying in bed, eating etc. can be tactics to avoid pain.

The solution is counter-intuitive - its to become willing to feel pain so you no longer need avoidance and can start living a full life again. This book is full of exercises, its hard work but mind-blowing:

https://www.amazon.com/Get-Your-Mind-Into-Life/dp/1572244259

This one is a bit easier going:

https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Trap-Struggling-Start-Living/dp/1590305841

> I've gained about 40-50 pounds

I've been there, and this might sound odd to say, but it presents a great opportunity. It might not seem like something in your control, but it is. Lifestyle changes are great things to play with and simply any form of change can start making things look brighter.

So I know diet evangelism is pretty annoying... so apologies... but I suggest taking a look at r/keto. Look at how many amazing success stories there and how supportive the community is. One theme you will see is how easy people are finding it. You might find another way of eating that attracts you more.

Eating keto can be a hard step to take, but after a couple of days you adapt and it feels like its cheating because its so easy - you become free of junk cravings so it doesn't need willpower once over the initial hump. One reason I suggest keto is that when you start, you get a big drop in water weight. This doesn't mean much from a fat-loss perspective but it is HUGE to the spirit. You get a massive scale shift and look visually different almost immediately which really helps kick-start that positive spiral.

As you continue to see the scale go down and start to see visual changes, you begin fuelling a positive spiral that will grow your self-worth. What is fantastic is that its so measurable. Even if you can't see visual changes immediately you can see the scale go down. You can start going to bed a winner and waking up with the promise of some good news on the scale.

You probably know that exercise has a dramatic effect on well-being and will also fuel that positive spiral. But its also hard to start so suggesting can be unhelpful. The good news is that I often see that once people have started feeling the energy improvement from dropping a few pounds, exercise starts getting attractive again, and once you add that BOOM, you are now stoking a fire that helps you live the life you want.

Best of luck!

There's a pretty good book on this sort of thing.You need to go digging through historical biographies and text to get a more typical view of what life was like back then (I'd start with those I recommended above.. A lot of people, myself included aren't a fan of Churchill's politics, but if you look at him through the lense of his era and keep in mind his differences to you or I... As in we weren't born in a palace as the son of a lord, on a first name basis with all of the richest & most powerful gentry. Getting to hang out in his teens & taken places by the Prince of Wales/the future King, Edward VII (who his mother was probably sleeping with)) its a great read and will give you a decent insight into what life was like for both the gentry & the people who worked for them:

https://www.amazon.com/Last-Lion-Winston-Churchill-1874-1932/dp/0385313489


The book on how great today is:

https://www.amazon.com/Abundance-Future-Better-Than-Think/dp/1451614217

Hi Dark Knight ;)

I have experienced similar situations myself. Here's what I think about your whole predicament :

• It seems you are good at your job considering you got best performer award & on site opportunity. So I don't think you are useless.
  
  
• Also you are working on a startup & already you have got a funding! That's commendable! So you are not nothing.
  
  
• I am assuming you have a package of 3L+ which is a sufficient income for most unless you are a materialistic person who can't do away with ac, gold class seats & branded jeans. Money buys you comfort not happiness.
  
  
• Regarding misbehaving incident, you know you are innocent & your bosses have not thrown you out, so don't worry about it. Specially what others think of you. People have short long memory & with new scandal you will be forgotten quite rapidly. Look at all the politicians, cricketers & filmstars!
  
  
• You can search for new job as well if the work & the work environment is not stimulating. Also try for another state or metro. You will get some distance from your parents, you will get new experience & exposure in new city, new people & culture. It will take your mind of these current issues & you will come out mature & self-reliant.
  
  
• You are confused about further carrier direction as well. Stay in same industry, start your own business or IAS? Practically speaking you should get more experience in one industry first. Simultaneously you can work on IAS preparation or startup (but not both). After few years you will have more experience, options & clarity. On the other hand you have only 1 life & you should not waste your years doing the things you don't love.
  
  
• It's secondary what your parents expect of you or whether you will be able to crack the IAS exam. What's important is what really excites you? What are your values? What is important to you in long term?
  
  
• Your parents want you to be an IAS. So somewhere in their head they know that you have a potential, that you are smart. I dont think they really think you are useless, they probably want you to do more, be more. Ofcourse it's not right of them to pressurise you into any carrier choice, marriage choice etc. You need to sit & clarify this to them in a civilized manner.
  
  
• It's difficult to ascertain whether your gf was intoxicated or not. But unless her friend is really chhapri (cheap), he would not have dared to grope her (knowing she is with you). As you said she had ignored his lewd messages previous, that might have sent him wrong idea. But I hope she had told you about those messages before this incident otherwise it was definitely wrong on her part to hide such important issue from her bf.
  
  
• Trust is important. But none of us are Saints. What is important is to acknowledge your mistakes & not to repeat them. Fool me ones, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me! So meet her, explain your situation like a gentleman but make it clear that henceforth you expect complete & upfront honesty. And from that day onwards, never utter a word about it.
  
  
• Long distance relationships are difficult to maintain & if there are trust issues then it's just a daily frustration, continuous snooping & tons of fights. If you delay the marriage & you are still in different cities, fighting against each other & with parents then it will only be an excruciating mess.
  
  
• When you get cheated on but decide to forgive the other person it often results into a snooping sort of thing. And it's quite natural if you think about it. One fine day, your brain suddenly got the shock of its life & it was painful to say the least. Now he doesn't want to go through similar ordeal again, so he goes into this super cautious mode & tries to verify every data, every odd occurrence. It assigns meaning where there is none & sees a face even in the shadows. Isn't it like getting bitten by a dog! But the good news is that you can curb your anxiety by clarifying this to your brain. Tell him that if she is lying then that would be the end of this relation & he need not worry. If she isn't lying then thats a good thing & he need not worry. Conclusion: Don't worry, be happy & brave. And yes, you are not a psychopath!
  
  
• You are young, you have health, education, job, financial stability, family & a gf. Yes, few of these variables are not perfect but atleast they are there. If you throw your problems in a basket where everyone threw their problems then you would quickly take back yours. Suffering is not the problem, it's a part of life. Suffering without meaning is the issue. Nietzsche said, “He who has a Why to live for can bear almost any How.” It's not what happens to you but what you 'think' happed, matters. If so then these problems are rather opportunities in disguise to take hard decisions, to find your meaning of life & to grow further.
  
  
• Tell me, if all your problems are solved within 3 months, will you still like to end your life? That is, if you have a new job, away from the house & probably a new gf, will you still find this life unbearable? What I am trying to say is, you are frustrated not because life in general sucks but because you haven't been able to glimpse at the solutions to your particular problems. Don't run away from the problems, run towards solutions. That's what engineers do, we solve problems!
  
  
• Empty mind is Devils paradise. You need to get busy. Start reading & exercising daily. This will rejuvenate your mind & body. I can't stress enough on exercise. If I skip 2 days, I start feeling low. Don't waste too much time on a gf who may or may not be honest, with whom you may or may not have future. Soulful conversations, jokes, romance is healthy utilization of time. Checking out last seen, fb pics, dress regulation, movement regulation, analysing every word & smilie is equal to eventual self destruction. Decide today to say, 'Fk it. I am above these silly games'. If you love someone set them free, if they come back they are yours but if they don't, they never were.
  
  
• I don't know how reliable online personality tests are. Actually you seemed opposite to narcissistic to me considering you are so concerned about everyone else in your life. In any case, you must get an appointment with a psychologist. This will give you an opportunity to fully open up & share your problems. Doctor can guide you better than us. It's not very costly either. You can expect about 500 to 1000Rs per visit for an average doctor.
  
  
• Finally, let me leave you with this famous couplet. It reminds me to become stronger version of my self everyday. (Note: I am atheist, I refer God mentioned here only in literary sense.)
  
  " ख़ुदी को कर बुलंद इतना कि हर तक़दीर से पहले ।
  
  ख़ुदा बंदे से ख़ुद पूछे बता तेरी रज़ा क्या है ।।" (इक़्बाल)
  
  " Make yourself so strong that before every destiny, God asks you, tell me what you want "
  
   
  
  Check out these books. These are all Amazon India links. But if you can't buy them now, there are free EPUB versions of every book mentioned below :
  
  
• Important life lessons : It's an online article that enlists 100 simple life lessons
  
  
• A man's search for meaning : Account of a survivor of Auschwitz
  
  
• Authentic Happiness : Cognitive Behaviour Therapy which is often given by psychologist to a depressed individual
  
  
• The mindful way through depression : How mindfulness meditation can be useful against depression, along with CBT
  
  
• The Willpower instinct : How to create habits using willpower, useful to create stronger self control demanded by tough times
  
   
  
  Summery : Don't worry friend, this too shall pass. It always does! Be brave, its a daily choice. Try to focus on solving problems one by one. Get professional help at the earliest. Invest time in things that will help you in long term. Exercise & read everyday. And always remember "All izz welll..!"
  
  

I didn't see what your exact age in your post so I'm not sure exactly how old you are, but I'm guessing you are around 10 years younger than me and I am 38.

I'm not going to be able to give you any answers unfortunately, because I still don't have any, but tell you about me and hope that maybe it helps you in some way.

I was raised in an almost perfect family. Now, my dad is one of the most stubborn, hard to talk to, and a person that has that old school mentality that men don't talk about the way they feel and they keep it all inside them and just get over it. Also my parents are extremely Christian, not that that is a bad thing, but I think it has kind of shaped me in my life. I'll explain a little more later. My dad is also one of the most absolutely hardest working people I've ever seen. He's retired now but it doesn't matter because he's still up out of bed at 6.30am, 7 am every morning and then he is outside doing some kind of physical labor all day. He is almost working on something, it's amazing. I would kill to have a tenth of work ethic. I just wanted to give you a little back ground information on my life.

I went to high school, never studied, was always highly active in sports, then college, and pretty much the same way. I did the bare minimum to get by all the time in everything I did. I've never had any passion for any kind of career, still don't. That has led to me never having any kind of job I enjoy.

When I was in college I was like most college age kids and partied(is that how you spell that?} on weekends. I always liked to have fun first before responsibilities. I'm a huge procrastinater, and always have been. Also, even though, I was a party person, I was always socially awkward and shy which led to very few relationships of any kind. I have a very small number of close, and have been in only a couple of romantic relationships in my life that always ended in me being dumped. So I have always had very low self esteem. Alright so I graduated college, moved away to a city a couple of hours from where I grew up and started working at a decent paying job. It was an easy job with decent pay. Did I like it? Of course not. Since I knew no one in the city I started drinking a lot. My weekend party habit turned into a daily drinking habit. The little bit of social life I had turned into none. You combine all this together and remember how I was raised led to a ton of guilt and lowered self esteem even more.

That led to even more substance abuse. So much so I thought I was having a heart attack at one point and called 911. It turned out to be a severe panic attack. I don't know changed in that part of my life but I think it was a combination of everything. My few friends were all getting married by this point. I developed severe anxiety and depression. This was probably around 25 or 26 years old. So the doctor prescribed me with anti-depressants of course, never mentioned therapy, and then my anxiety started to stabilize, and depression eased up a bit and allowed me to continue with my life. However, I never changed my lifestyle. So I continued to use drugs and alcohol.

A couple of years later, I was 28, the company I worked for was bought out and I was laid off. Combine that with substance abuse, a lack of friends, lack of hobbies, no motivation, and 0 dating and its not good.

Unfortunately I just got a phone call and have to step out so I will be back in a few to finish my story. In the meantime watch this and bookmark this guy's YouTube channel....

https://youtu.be/8g0dNjHz2_I

Ok finally back..... I know this is gotten long so I will try and hurry. It's good for me to write it though, and if it is even a small chance it could help you or someone else it's worth it to me.

So anyways, I was laid off about 10 and a half years ago. I had to move back home with my family because my lifestyle didn't lead to any kind of savings the way I was living. During the last 10 years I can't count the number of meaningless, low paying jobs I have had despite having a degree and experience in the IT field. The IT field, I received my degree in Management Information Systems, is one of those fields you have to constantly continue learning and I never did that. Because like I said before, I didn't have any type of passion about it, I just knew I kinda liked computers so that is what I decided on after changing my major two previous time. So I lack the skills necessary to get a job especially now. 10 years of not working in the IT field and everything has completely changed. However, I'm still paying back that massive student load bill but that's a whole other topic. I have a job now and I scrape by barely but it's pretty miserable. I'm still battling addiction. It is getting better because I finally decided to make some changes. Now it is very, very slowly getting better but any step in that direction is better than going the other way. One of the reasons I started making some changes is because of the guy I posted in the link above. He is psychology professor and one of the smartest human beings on the planet IMO. Now there will probably be people who reply to this and bring politics into because Jordan Peterson became a well known name after his stance on the Canadian Government trying to pass a law that basically says you have to call transgender people by the pronoun of their choice and they are just a bunch of made up words basically. It's nonsense. Peterson doesn't have a problem with transgender people only the fact that the government is trying to interfere in basically the English language and making laws about it. So if anyone brings any of that up just ignore that political crap.

He has tons of videos on depression, suicide, motivation, just basically anything to do with ways to help you improve your life. The one that truly made me make the decision to start making changes is one in which he talks about 5 factors that ultimately lead to depression and/or suicide. These include.... substance abuse, lack of social circle, lack of intimate relationships, no job/structure/goal, and additional health problems. He says that in his experience in in working with people with depression is that if you suffer from 3 of those problems it is nearly impossible to overcome. I have 4. I do have a job, but it's a meaningless job and the only structure I have is going to work and back home to lay on the couch or go to bed. So you can see I have 4 out of 5. I don't have any additional health problems....YET.

So you can see how when, what I consider to be, one of the smartest men in the world say something like that it's horrifying. Because I could always lie to myself and say that I would start changing later. I will post the link to that video as well.

My whole point in this is to say that I am closing in on 40 and I am in a worse situation than you. There is a very good chance I will never recover from this and it's going to end badly somehow, someway, with that either being dead, homeless, or in prison. So I believe that has shaken me enough to tell myself to at least try. I've started making daily goals to accomplish. It might something as simple as coming home from work and going walking, doing the dishes, and studyiing/reading. I probably won't do 95% of them most of the time but it's a step forward even if it's just 5% of the time. I have signed up for one of the thousands of online courses in computer programming I've always thought computer science was interesting. Now I'm not passionate about it but I'm working on that. I'm getting help for substance abuse and going to meetings/therapy and it's getting better. But I still have a long, long way to go and I may be in my 50's even if it does finally work out.

So what I'm saying to you is..... don't do what I have done. Change things now, not tomorrow, but right now. Do not tell yourself you will do it tomorrow. Even if it is going and cleaning your room and doing situps after you read this....anything. You still have some time to correct things and have a productive life and a family if you want it. More than likely I will never have my own family and that is extremely difficult to think about. If you were anything like me you probably used to think about getting married someday and starting a family and there is a very very good chance I will never have that now. There's a really good chance that I won't make it and be dead by the time I'm 50.

So that has motivated me enough for now to at least try for now. Time will only tell what ultimate happens as it is for everybody. You said you didn't suffer from depression so that means you have an excellent opportunity to make a change and take a different path. Good luck! I don't know anything about anything but if you ever need to talk to someone, send me a message. I would be happy to try and help even if it's just by listening. That goes for any other single person that reads this. We can do this!

I just noticed I actually posted a movie link I was watching at the time lol sorry...I corrected it lol
This is the link to the video I mentioned earlier and what I mentioned earlier about the 5 things starts about 2 and half minutes in.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c9Uu5eILZ8&t=326s
This is another one of just a ton of excellent videos..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XICqcAac9jg&t=598s

Buy his book and read it as well..... https://www.amazon.com/12-Rules-Life-Antidote-Chaos/dp/0345816021/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1541126808&sr=1-2&keywords=jordan+peterson+12+rules+for+life

13 years here in March. One of the hardest but most rewarding things I’ve done. I will say that I’m down to about 2-3x per year where I think about going back. Super easy to resist at this point though. I always say NOT ONE DRAG. that is the key for me. How I quit? Alan Carr: Allen Carr's Easy Way To Stop Smoking https://www.amazon.com/dp/0615482155/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_JoHCCbQ1T8Q83 worth $12 if you are on the fence

I believe you're starting off on the wrong foot. He could read a self help book. He could read a million, won't do him any good till he takes action. If he truly is depressed, unmotivated, etc, then he needs to start changing his life starting with himself. Start eating healthy. Start working out, at the very least running, get blood flowing through the whole body, get the mind working. Have him kick start a hobby of his that he loves. Clean your home, your life, the clutter.

Everyone in this life is always looking for the key, for that "something" that will make that click and have everything become the way they want it to be. Most don't realize that that "key" is as simple and yet as difficult as an entire shift in a mentality, which in my opinion can be started with what I stated above. And most importantly, you can't do it for him. All you can do is support, but only he can do it for himself.

Oh, and if you really want some book, a lot of us here recommend this: http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/1439167346/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1373087727&sr=8-1&keywords=how+to+make+friends+and+influence+people. Seems appropriate for what you're asking for. Good luck.

Here you go.. I haven't read them yet, Let me know what you think if you get to them first. I just finished Mastery by Robert Greene and it was pretty incredible. It really hit home since I don't know what the shit I'm doing with my life yet

Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD

Clever: Leading Your Smartest, Most Creative People

Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life

By saying "It's one of the best self-help books out there" you lost me, for you can't have read them all. Neither should you promise anything to gain the confidence of strangers -if you don't rely on it- nor should you hail science as ultimate truth.

Please do not consider this to be bashing, for I'm very grateful for this recommendation.

Amazon:The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It

For example, readers will learn:

• Willpower is a mind-body response, not a virtue. It is a biological function that can be improved through mindfulness, exercise, nutrition, and sleep.
  
• Willpower is not an unlimited resource. Too much self-control can actually be bad for your health.
  
• Temptation and stress hijack the brain's systems of self-control, but the brain can be trained for greater willpower
  
• Guilt and shame over your setbacks lead to giving in again, but self-forgiveness and self-compassion boost self-control.
  
• Giving up control is sometimes the only way to gain self-control.
  
• Willpower failures are contagious—you can catch the desire to overspend or overeat from your friends­­—but you can also catch self-control from the right role models.

Read Charles Duhigg's "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business" - phenomenal read that discusses habit-making. It may help you gain perspective on your current habits, and how to truly retool them. Maybe you could get your friends and girlfriend to read it together, and have a book club about it? :)

I don't know if it is so much of a self-development book, but 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos is a really good book that I enjoyed reading. There's a lot of good "self-help" books that aren't labeled as such if you dive deeper into the psychology side of it.

Mind you, the author gets a lot of flak for his other activities in life, but most of it is heavily misplaced.

"The Art of Expressing The Human Body", by John Little. You can find it on amazon here

If you are interested in these types of books, then I would also recommend "Zen In The Martial Arts" by Joe Hyams. (My personal favorite)
You can also find it on Amazon here

Enjoy!

"The Art of Expressing The Human Body", by John Little.
You can find it on amazon here

If you are interested in these types of books, then I would also recommend "Zen In The Martial Arts" by Joe Hyams. (My personal favorite)

You can also find it on Amazon here

Enjoy!

It's a bio-trilogy called The Last Lion.

I'm still only on the first book but it is fantastically written, incredibly informative, and a joy to read.

They are not a quick read however; the one I'm reading now is over 800 pages, but I can't put it down. Right now I'm reading about Churchill as a 21 year-old youth serving in the Victorian army as a second lieutenant.

Really highly recommended.

Read the books Choose Yourself and So Good They Can't Ignore You for your answer. Trust me, it'll be well worth it. :)

I'm 30 and back in South Korea doing YouTube videos while teaching. I had my chance in 2012 to do this but I screwed up due to a shite mindset. Now that i'm older and wiser, i'm doing things EVERY DAY.

If you can afford it, please do yourself a favor and buy a copy, I got this one from amazon for $1 (with prime), $1! It is always in my bag with me.

I highly recommend this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Striking-Thoughts-Wisdom-Living-Library/dp/0804834717
It's a collection of quotes by Bruce Lee on various subjects, and it's extremely interesting to read through.

I know that you've probably got a lot of suggestions to wade through already, but I'm part way through this book and finding it extremely helpful.

It's a little bit woo...but I'm more taking the main tenets from it and trying to apply it to my life. Mainly not engaging with my thoughts and worries, but observing them instead. Acting and being aware that I'm the observer of my thoughts, but not the thoughts themselves. It's still work, and I'm not able to do it consistently, but it has helped me get through things that would have kept eating away at me in the past.

And when I downloaded it from Amazon it was free with my prime membership. Not sure if that is still the case, but you should be able to find a cheap used copy somewhere.

A good book I recommend: https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/080701429X

My first ever book recommendation, because it's so important and relevant to this: "The Untethered Soul" by Michael A. Singer. If you check it out, I'd love to know what you think.

link:

I challenge you to also do this...

read.. "How to become a Straight A Student"

I wish I did during my undergrad.

Yes! He has a book and a series of podcasts where goes in depth with the research!
http://iprocrastinate.libsyn.com/
https://www.amazon.ca/Solving-Procrastination-Puzzle-Concise-Strategies/dp/0399168125?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

This was a good book.

http://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/080701429X

It's about a guy who lived through the nazi concentration camp.

Invest in yourself, buy that book, passion isn't really that important. http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/1455509124

FYI, this image is from a tweet by /u/math_rachel : https://twitter.com/math_rachel/status/856349514730422272 . And the quote is from 'Confessions of a Public Speaker' by Scott Berkun : https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Public-Speaker-English/dp/1449301959

http://www.amazon.com/Allen-Carrs-Easy-Stop-Smoking/dp/0615482155

The best $13 I ever spent in my life. Give it a shot. What do you have to lose?

Made an account just to say this:

I read most of the replies and didn't see anything regarding it; there is a book called "Striking Thoughts", which is basically a compilation of quotes attributed to Bruce Lee. I read my first copy so many times that I wore it out. Everything in it is good, but some of the things he says really make you reflect.

http://www.amazon.com/Bruce-Lee-Striking-Thoughts-Library/dp/0804834717/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450383301&sr=8-1&keywords=striking+thoughts

Read How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big and focus on the system to get you there, not the goal itself.

Join the club, man. I'm good at a few things, but greatness is something that's earned through lots of time and work towards a very specific goal. I wouldn't consider myself great at many things either.

You should look into the following books:

https://www.amazon.com/Grit-Passion-Perseverance-Angela-Duckworth/dp/1501111108

http://gladwell.com/outliers/the-10000-hour-rule/

Maybe this will help guide you along to achieving any sort of greatness in a particular area.

Pillow Thoughts II: Healing The Heart

https://www.amazon.com/Grit-Passion-Perseverance-Angela-Duckworth/dp/1501111108

His blog post on this topic:
https://www.google.com/amp/blog.dilbert.com/post/102964992706/goals-vs-systems/amp

His book where he talks about it:
https://www.amazon.com/How-Fail-Almost-Everything-Still/dp/1491518855

Pillow Thoughts II by Courtney Peppernell

https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Public-Speaker-English/dp/1449301959

link with more freedom

This book https://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/dp/081298160X

Meditations is 112 pages, at least, according to Amazon. It depends on your reading speed.

I failed my 2nd year of physics and a lot of it was due to poor school habits. This book changed my academic life. I highly recommend.

http://www.amazon.com/How-Become-Straight-A-Student-Unconventional/dp/0767922719/ref=tmm_pap_title_0