The Museum #9 - Habits That Got My Life in Order
Upgrade your presence. Add intention to your 20s.
Every day, every week, every month, every year, you compound simple, subtle habits.
These habits have constructed the person that you are right now, at the end of 2023, looking at this screen.
Life gets very fun when you realize that simply shifting the habits you fill your days with can formulate an entirely different person through time and consistency.
I thought I’d shed some light on the habits I’ve implemented over the past few years that have vastly improved my life, my circle, and my presence as a 24-year-old.
Habit 1 - Abstain from False Dopamine
The moment I became aware of the direct outputs I was seeing in my life from this habit of just treating my mind like a garbage disposal was when my life began to authentically change.
Better people began to enter my life, better environments, better clients, and work opportunities.
I was making better decisions all because I simply began to respect my time and energy. I made the decision that I’m not a blind consumer. I’m not a cog in someone else’s machine. I’m not fuel for someone else’s dream or financial advancement.
I’m out of that game. I’m in another realm where I have control of what enters my space.
Once you declare that you are someone who respects their time and their energy to an extreme degree, everything will follow suit. People will start respecting you, higher-level things will enter your life, and abundance will form.
If you continue to treat your mind like it’s nothing special, tossing in garbage, then your reality will be quite similar.
I intentionally select where I put my time so I can create my own life how I want to. Do this too, and watch your world morph into something you are far happier in.
Habit 2 - Stop Working Out
Yep. You heard me.
I worked out religiously beginning at 14 years old. I took on the whole gym-bro mindset. I treated working out as if it was my life. 2-3 hours per day at the gym for 6 years straight. I got so obsessive over it that my actual sporting career, my social life, my growth in many other more ROI-conducive areas took a downfall.
I can confidently say that my life got tremendously better when I pumped the brakes on this blind commitment to just getting bigger, to looking good.
You should be active; it’s great to want to look good. I still ensure I’m healthy physically and look how I want to look, but not at the sacrifice of life.
I see so many young kids seeing these monk mode videos, these gym motivational videos, and just putting everything else aside, and thinking that working out is enough.
You can look like Brad Pitt in Fight Club. But if you can't captivate. If you don't have anything else to offer. No knowledge. No life experience. No one cares.
Instead of going to a dark, smelly, fluorescent-lit gym, and blasting music in your ears for 2 hours. Join a yoga class. Play tennis. Play golf, get some fresh air, and learn a craft that serves other areas of your life while also being active.
Habit 3 - Stop Dressing Like a Goof
For the longest time, I never put any stock in my style. Fashion was more of a fad in my eyes, and I would always just succumb to my environment and choose the safe, quiet option of a wardrobe. Which was shorts, a t-shirt. Or slim black jeans and a t-shirt, with the occasional sweatshirt.
I come from a traditional background where style and fashion are completely thrown out the door; no one cares.
But finally making a jump into caring about my wardrobe and investing in pieces of clothing vastly changed my perspective of myself and, in turn, changed the perspective of those around me, forming this flywheel of convinced growth.
Clothes on your skin literally affect your mental state. How you talk, how you act, how you carry yourself. This is a proven scientific fact; look up enclothed cognition.
I now look at clothing as one of my most important investments. If these items are quite literally responsible for how I walk, the confidence in which I speak, the energy which I feel, the presence I establish. Then I’m going to invest in that and treat every purchase with intention.
Habit 4 - Make It Real
The issue with starting habits or making certain decisions, especially ones we know are going to be good for us is that we overglorify them.
Our brains do a weird thing, convincing us that doing this is going to be so hard and take so much work, so we continue to let it live in our heads.
We think that introducing reading, for instance, to our routine means we need to buy a book and read it all in one day.
We think that starting to run means we have to go out and run a marathon right now.
We think that starting our own business means we have to sign a client or get a customer tomorrow.
It has never been about that. It’s a black hole you slide into, that I was stuck in.
Wanting to be better every day, but overglorifying every single potential better version of myself, coincidentally I ended up doing nothing year after year.
I actually trended in the opposite direction, making worse decisions that led to worse versions of myself.
Say you really want to start reading. You want to be that guy or girl who knows and understands more about the world. Well, the 90% keep this as a desire. A “that would be cool,” or a “I really need to do that eventually.”
The 10%, upon that first jolt of desire, grab the first book they see, whether it’s a quick Amazon order or one they already own. They pop it open and read one page. Just one. The moment you do that, it’s real. You just made this a tangible, existing thing. 5 seconds ago it was a thought, a potential. Now you’re a reader.
Film of the Week.
This one may be the most misunderstood masterpiece of the past 20 years. It is one of the most beautiful, subtle films I return to every year. It is remarkably quiet and paces along perfectly to one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard. This one will challenge you and evoke emotions you may not have known you had.
Watch of the Week.
I’ve been watching Drew for a little while now, and love his content. This video provides some good direction for those who want to start investing in their wardrobe, without going through the mess of figuring out what looks good, etc.
Link of the Week.
Speaking about upgrading your wardrobe. This is one of my favorite brands right now. Everything is unisex and transcends the line between streetwear and a vibe of elegance. A bit pricey. But the quality and long-lasting material will provide a solid ROI on your investment.
this is such good advice and a great reminder of the things i’m already trying to implement in my own life. i love your words, keep it up!
Awesome! This is incredible advice especially going into the new year and the temptation to make all these resolutions you don’t end up following. I especially found the advice of not becoming a «gym bro» intriguing.