Hello men,
Well things have certainly gotten interesting lately haven’t they? I wasn’t sure whether or not I wanted to do this send this out, but I know now that its the right thing to do. Typically the content pieces I create, I like to create to be timeless pieces, meaning the viewer can read (or watch) the content, and resonate/find value in it irregardless of what point in time he finds it.
Although at the time of this writing, we are currently in the middle of the Corona-virus scare (COVID-19), I would venture to guess that at some point in the future, there will be another pandemic that occurs. When it does, most of these principals I discuss here will probably still be applicable.
I have some very strong thoughts and observations, about what is going on right now, and some things that I’ve seen and noticed thus far. In times like this (pandemics that call for a quarantine period), there are one of few paths one can take, when choosing how to react to all of this.
I will tell you, if you want to keep with principals I talk about here at Mission Life Motion, then as man you are to only react in a manner consistent with one of these ways (see # 3 below).
We won’t even discuss the other two.
Without further udo, let me give you my best practices and advice on how to handle yourself in chaotic times like this:
1.) Use this time to get organized, and to get caught up on anything you’re behind on.
If you’re not going to get ahead, then at the very least you can at least get ”caught up”. We all have a lot of shit going on in our day to day lives. Oftentimes, it can be very easy to fall behind on your personal projects and goals that you’ve set for yourself. Now is your opportunity to get caught up on all these. Do not waste another minute, even if that’s what you’ve been doing so far this entire quarantine period.
Finish this out strong and on a productive, high note. At some point this quarantine period will be over, and once it does this opportunity will be lost.
Get yourself caught up, and if possible get yourself ahead on your goals.
This is your chance, this is your opportunity, SEIZE IT!
2.) Realize from this point forward that things are going to go wrong in society, this situation (although very unique) is fundamentally ”normal”.
Over the course of your life, things like this will happen. They will each be unique, just like this one has been, and just like 2008 and 9/11 were. However they will share several common characteristics. Is this situation that’s occurring right now with the Corona Virus unique and different? Absolutely it is, I’m not denying that at all. But you have to look for the opportunities in everything.
Let what’s happening right now be a lesson. Let it be a lesson that different ”Black Swan” events like this will occur approximately every 7-15 years. I can’t see things ever getting worse than what we’re experiencing right now to be honest (due in large part to the global scale of this), but if this experience has taught us anything it is this: life will sometimes catch you off guard.
How will you react to this next time it happens? If you’re not amply prepared next time, then you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.
3.) ACT LIKE A MAN.
Be a leader. The world doesn’t need more uncertainty right now, they have enough of that already. You need to do what everyone else is NOT doing. You need to remain calm, cool, and collected. You need to stay on your purpose. You need to focus on your mission. If you have a woman in your life, she will look to you for guidance and leadership. She will look to you to be her rock, her anchor. This is your opportunity to show her that you can handle yourself amidst uncertainty.
This whole experience is bringing out the true nature of many people. Many people (including many so called ”men”) are revealing who they really are in all this. For some men this is a good thing, but for many: this will prove to be a detrimental thing.
What will it mean for you?
Be a man, don’t let things like this phase you or de-rail you from your course. That’s not what strong, resilient men allow to happen to themselves. Strong resilient men make things happen, they don’t let things happen to them. They affect the world around them, instead of allowing the world around them to affect them.
If you have allowed this situation to scare you shitless, then you’ve got some work to do on yourself my friend. Its okay to have some internal anxiety over what’s going on, but you keep that anxiety at bay, you keep it in its place, you do not allow it to take the wheel. You stay cool, calm, and collected, just like Cool Hand Luke would, or Charles Bronson.
4.) Take the proper precautions.
Wash your hands (with soap preferably), do not touch your face, and stay inside as much as possible. Keep all your counter surfaces clean, as this virus can live on surfaces for a period of time. It can also get onto your shoes and clothes, which is why staying in your home is very important right now.
Think ahead (for example if there’s something you’ll need soon then thinking ahead will allow you to order it online before you’ll need it). You can order something online and it will be delivered to your door within a few days. Be thankful at the very least that something like this happened in the internet age and not before the internet age.
5.) Limit the amount of time you spend on your phone, and/or social media.
You probably know this already, but you have to understand that too much of anything, is not good. This is exponentially true of social media, and too much time spent on your little smartphone. You have to be cognizant of the fact that time spent on your phone releases dopamine in your brain. You don’t want to release too much of this dopamine, too fast in given period of time.
This is good rule of thumb to follow anyway, however its even more important right now, since you’re confined to your apartment or house. It’s a lot easier right now to fall prey to the urge to jump onto your phone and consume Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and/or Facebook.
I don’t care if there are educational things to watch on YouTube, you still have to put a limit on how much time you spend watching it.
6.) Focus on what you can control, do not worry about what you cannot control.
There are things in life you can control, and there are things you can’t. What’s going on right now, and everything I’m talking about here, is a PERFECT opportunity to take note of what IS in your control (and what isn’t).
Your ability to detect and differentiate between what IS and what ISN’T within your control, should be very very acute from this point forward. Too many men (and people) out there right now are obsessing and stressing out over all this, and this is completely unproductive.
What you CAN control, is stopping the spread of this virus. Only go out and take a walk if you absolutely have to. I went outside the other day and there were like 300 people out walking around…..WTF.
They were all spread out but still.
This virus is not going to stop spreading if you do not take the proper precautions. If you feel like you’re getting cabin fever and just absolutely can’t take it anymore, then fine go for a drive or a walk around your building. However until this thing slows you need to stay inside as much as possible. Unfortunately this is the reality of the situation we’re in right now. The sooner we get this thing contained, the sooner we can go back to leading a normal life.
Don’t fuck this up for everyone else, just because you have no goddamn self control.
7.) Enrich your mind by reading books, blogs, podcasts, or Audible books on tape (avoid video games as much as possible).
Use this precious time (yes I’m using the word ”precious” there for a reason), to read books you’ve been wanting or needing to read. Do not waste the rest of this quarantine period playing mindless video games, or watching mindless TV. Why on earth, any man would ever WASTE his precious time on something like a video, is just completely beyond me.
The winners and the ass kickers will use this time to get ahead. They’ll use this time to better themselves mentally. Read books about finance (building wealth), bodybuilding or building a better, stronger body, or books about how to get better with women. Here is recommended reading list of some books in each of these categories if you need a few ideas:
These are all books that I recently read:
1.) Choose Yourself (By James Altucher)
2.) The Metabolic Blowtorch Diet (By Jay Campbell)
3.) The Unchained Man (By Caleb Jones)
A couple good podcasts I recommend are: 1.) Before The Trainwreck (on ITunes) and 2.) The Mike Cernovich Podcast (his podcasts with Jay Campbell are good, as well as the Mindset Squared one that he does).
Again, this quarantine period is only going to last for a certain period of time, at some point it will be over and it wont be easy for you to consume a higher volume of content (that will help better your life)
8.) Do 350 push-ups a day, 100 squats, and 100 crunches.
350 push-ups may sound like a lot, but it really isn’t, especially if you spread it out a little over the day. If you ARE going to spread these out though, try to get them all done the morning, instead of spreading them out over entire day (your muscles grow when they’re recovering). Try mixing these up a little and do some of them with your legs/feet elevated up on the couch, that way you can hit your upper chest area as well. Diamond push-ups are good as well.
If you have barbells, use them to workout your shoulders, and your arms (biceps and triceps). If you don’t, then you can still do push-ups, body squats, and crunches (and/or sit-ups). Do not just sit around on your ass for the next 2 weeks! I guarantee you that you will feel better after completing these exercises every day, even though you’re probably used to the gym and prefer that. This is the next best thing.
9.) Stay positive.
I know it will be difficult to do this right now, but if you’re adhering to everything else I’m telling you do to on this list, this won’t be as hard as you think. Everything else I’ve given you to do here, us designed to increase your self-esteem, release endorphins, and to enrich your mind and body. Only good vibes, feelings, and emotions can come out of that. Remember what I said to do in #7: focus on what it is you can control, not on what you can’t!
Let me tell you guys what I am doing during this quarantine period, to better myself and make the most out of this situation. As I go through these, I will explain why I am doing these things, and why I have these goals. In hearing me discuss these, hopefully you will get some ideas for things you can apply to your own goals, over these next 10-14 days.
My Daily Quarantine Goal # 1:
I read blogs that I enjoy (that teach me valuable things) every morning for 45 minutes. This is the 1st thing I’ve been doing every morning. I was actually doing this every morning anyway, even before all of this. Now that we’re in this quarantine period, I have actually taken this daily goal and doubled it, meaning now I’m spending 90 minutes a day doing this. Reading valuable blogs, is really no different than reading valuable books. You can glean just as much knowledge out of the right blog article, as you can out of the right book.
Here are a few of the blogs I’m currently reading: Dare And Conquer, John Doe Bodybuilding, and Ed Latimore
If you like my content, chances are you’ll probably like these websites as well.
Daily Quarantine Goal # 2:
Writing up content pieces for Mission Life Motion. Every morning I sit down to my computer, and for 40 minutes I do nothing but write. Whatever is on my mind (that I think could help other men), I write about. After a week or so of this, I’ve written something that can usually be turned into a piece of content for my channel (or my blog).
While doing this, I make sure I bear in mind how what I’m writing or documenting) can benefit other people (specifically men, since that’s who I write for). If you’re a successful man, and there’s things you’ve accomplished in your life, that other men could benefit from, then there’s nothing stopping you from creating your own personal brand. Now would be a great time to take that leap, and get started on that.
I won’t talk too much more about this though, because if this is something you’re serious about doing, then you’ve already made up your mind to do it anyway. Hearing me say to go do this, is not likely to be the catalyst for this actually finally happening for you.
If this is something you HAVE already been turning over in your head however, then what in the world are waiting for? Get GOING!!
Daily Quarantine Goal # 3:
I’m learning a new language (Serbian), and am also allocating a certain number of minutes each day to prepping myself for my move overseas. I’ll be teaching English a couple days a week while I’m over there. This will likely have to be done online, but that still of course will require me to do a thorough job search.
Daily Quarantine Goal # 4:
Making some extra money. This article is bit dated, and not every suggestion Chris offers in this post will be a job you’ll want to go after right now, but if you’re looking for some ideas on how to make some extra money, this article here is at least a good start.
Stay safe and healthy out there men, and remember: now is the time to act like a man: a man is a leader, he’s a winner, an anchor, an un-moving, unfaltering rock, he will not be taken off his course. IF he’s eventually forced off of it, then he will forge a new one.
-Matt Mitchell
