# Saving yourself

# Delayed gratification

Most fit and healthy people focus much more on what they eat than how much. Quality control is easier than (and leads to) quantity control. ¹⁵⁶⁸ If you are willing to make the short-term sacrifice, you’ll have the long-term benefit. ¹⁵⁹⁸

# Choosing to build yourself

Anger and emotions are a huge, completely unnecessary consequence [of hard decisions]. Now, I’m trying to learn from that and do the same things I think are the right things to do but without anger and with a very long-term point of view. If you take a very long-term point of view and take the emotion out of it, I wouldn’t consider those things mistakes anymore. ¹⁷⁵²

If someone says, “I want to be fit, I want to be healthy. Right now, I’m out of shape and I’m fat.” Well, nothing sustainable is going to work for you in three months. It’s going to be at least a ten-year journey. ¹⁷⁶³

# Choosing to grow yourself

Set up systems, not goals. —Scott Adams

# Environment

The environment programs the brain, but the clever brain can choose its environment. 1792 Use your judgment to figure out what kinds of environments you can thrive in, and then create an environment around you so you’re statistically likely to succeed. ¹⁷⁹⁰

I’m not going to be the most successful person on the planet, nor do I want to be. I just want to be the most successful version of myself while working the least hard possible. ¹⁷⁹³

# Independence

If you view yourself ... as someone who was cast out by society and has no role in normal society, then you will do your own thing and you’re much more likely to find a winning path. ¹⁸²¹

[But] a contrarian isn’t one who always objects—that’s a conformist of a different sort. A contrarian reasons independently from the ground up and resists pressure to conform. ⁹²⁶

# Choosing to free yourself

Be exactly who you are. Holding back means staying in bad relationships and bad jobs for years instead of minutes. ¹⁸⁴⁹

# Freedom from expectations

If they have an agreement with you, it’s your problem. But, if they [only] have an expectation of you, that’s completely their problem. It has nothing to do with you. They’re going to have lots of expectations out of life. The sooner you can dash their expectations, the better. ¹⁸⁵⁴

# Freedom from the clock

Value your time. It is all you have. It’s more important than your money. ¹⁸⁵⁹ Do not waste it. ¹⁸⁶⁰ If you’re not spending your time doing what you want, and you’re not earning, and you’re not learning—what the heck are you doing? ¹⁸⁶¹

# Freedom from anger

Observe when you’re angry—anger is a loss of control over the situation. Anger is a contract you make with yourself to be in physical and mental and emotional turmoil until reality changes [and reality rarely does.] ¹⁸⁶⁷

# Freedom from employment

People who live far below their means enjoy a freedom that people busy upgrading their lifestyles can’t fathom. ¹⁸⁷⁰

A taste of freedom can make you unemployable. ¹⁸⁷³

# Freedom from uncontrolled thinking

The modern struggle: Lone individuals summoning inhuman willpower, fasting, meditating, and exercising … up against armies of scientists and statisticians weaponizing abundant food, screens, and medicine into junk food, clickbait news, infinite porn, endless games, and addictive drugs. ¹⁸⁹⁰