Looking for life advice

**slamdunc** · Posted On: 4/21/2012 1:35pm

Originally Posted by Rivington

Wealth and self-empowerment don't go together as easily as you may think.

These are truly profound words. Self-empowerment can come from several different sources. By educating yourself and remaining open-minded, you are laying a good foundation. Any type of self-improvement (physical training, courses relating to things you are interested in, etc.) will help in your daily life. As long as you have a good work ethic and are motivated, the wealth part will happen. The most important aspect of self-empowerment is that you actually feel good about yourself, not about what you have accomplished.

**Tom .C** · Posted On: 4/21/2012 3:45pm

one thing I learned that can help is that a fondue fork is one lip burning hot ************

another is don't keep pushing on a pull door

**gregaquaman** · Posted On: 4/21/2012 3:48pm

If you want something you have to train for it. approach what ever your issue is with the same method as you approached your fight.

**ChenPengFi** · Posted On: 4/21/2012 4:19pm

Live life to the fullest, be like this guy!

http://balibelly.tv/news/190

**TheMightyMcClaw** · Posted On: 4/21/2012 7:28pm

Originally Posted by Uglybugly

Hi. I am looking for ideas for things that I can do to empower myself. I have trained a few martial arts so I guess the fighting part is somewhat covered. I have also bought my first slim fit pants. They make me look really tall.. some ideas that comes to mind when I think about self empowering is things like get rich.. learn more languages.. become better at "picking up girls"

A little about me. I work as a waiter. I like martial arts and fighting. I study chemistry. I have terrible fashion sense. I am somewhat "skilled" with girls. I have an echtomorph body figure but I am not extreme. I am about 6 feet tall and my weight range between 165 and 175. I desire freedom to anything without limitations..but who doesn't ?

any advice?

Here's some of my personal advice for min/maxing your life:

First off, get a bike.
Seriously, if you don't have a bicycle, get one right now and make it your primary form of commuting. It'll save you tons of money on bus fare/gas in the long run, and more importantly, keep you in shape even in busy times of life when you're unable to train or hit the gym.
Ok, that language thing: start looking around online for podcasts and audio lessons and such. Now put them on an mp3 player, and listen to them while riding said bike to work/the gym/grocery store/etc. I do audiobooks during my commute in order to keep up with literature/pop culture (just started the Hunger Games), but you can totally do language podcasts. You'll want to supplement that with written study and (ideally) classes as well, obviously.
Good. Now we've turned your commute - something that normally just bites time out of people's day and drains money away - into a thing where you're simultaneously exercising and learning a second language. So like, mega experience points.

Regarding fashion: this is something that I can go on about *indefinitely* (I'm a fashion designer btw), but I'll try and be succinct-ish. The important thing to keep in mind is that men's fashion is a barren wasteland of horrible ideas designed to make men look boring and kind of ugly. The slim fit jeans were a good start, though. I would highly recommend that you do most of your clothes shopping in second hand stores. The clothing you find will be of just the same quality as shopping in a mall (all that clothing came from outlet stores in the first place), and moreover, you'll spend about a tenth as much money on clothing, and generally find more interesting things. Also, straight up, do not be afraid to shop in the women's section. While some clothing genuinely doesn't one gender or the other, most of the gendering of clothing is arbitrary bullshit that we fashion designer do.
In general, I'll recommend: tuck your shirt in, wear belts, wear boots instead of shoes, roll up the sleeves on dress shirts, wear clothing that fits *you* and not people twice as big as you (a very common skinny guy error), and FOR ****'S SAKE, if you're going to wear sleeveless shirts, shave your underarms. And don't be afraid to be good looking. Honestly, that's what holds men back the most; the fear that if they invest too much in their appearance, they'll be perceived as "gay"/effeminate/unmanly/whatever.
I can give you more advice if I learn more about your personal style, and a shitload more advice if that style is "So metal you rust in the shower."

As far as "picking up girls", I would highly recommend that you stop thinking in those terms because it turns you into a douchebag who sees sexual partners as goals rather than volitional beings (see: "Pick Up Artist"). Don't get wrong, observational data indicates that douchebags still have sex, but but not to any significant degree above non-douchebags, and it creates the much larger problem of being a douchebag.
Instead, try and think ask yourself "would I have sex with me? Would anyone else?" It's not about what you do, it's about who you are. The same thing applies for making those regular sorts of friends, the ones who you're not trying to vaginally penetrate. Are you an honest and sincere person? Are you of a clement disposition? Are you motivated in life? Are you pretty, and witty, and bright? Unless your target demographic for sexual partners are those who like ugly, dumb, and evil-tempered men (who I'm sure exist), you should probably try and cultivate those characteristics. And most importantly, remember that flirting is not a video game, and that sharing your bed with someone is the result of yours and another human beings collective decision, not hitting the right button sequence during a quicktime event at a trendy bar.
Unless you learn to play guitar and sing some Deathcab for Cutie songs. That's like a cheatcode for the hearts of young women (see: "being a douche" above).

I'm also tempted to through in a bit about going straightedge and how giving up drinking/smoking/cocaine will help with all of these things, but I'm already pushing the preachiness envelop with the bike thing and my very strong opinions on men's fashion.

**Devil** · Posted On: 4/21/2012 7:49pm

Be more manly. It's good for the soul.

Go camping. Smoke cigars. Drink straight whiskey. Learn a trade. Work on your car. Dress like an adult. Play poker with the fellas. Buy a truck. Carry a pocket knife. Go fishing. Do pushups.

**Ranger Ben** · Posted On: 4/21/2012 8:09pm

I never gave half a turd about what people think about my 'fashion sense.'

You shouldnt either.I have haters,but i also have a few friends who i would never give up.I have been known to go to weddings in a ghilly suit.I have gone to big official political meetings dressed in a mossy oak tuxedo (and got thrown out of said events).Who gives a damn what others think of you.You will have less friends,but your close friends will be good people,who like the fact that you dont change for nobody.

Keep it up with the martial arts.Learn another language,but only if your gonna use it often.

**TheMightyMcClaw** · Posted On: 4/21/2012 8:19pm

Originally Posted by Ranger Ben

I never gave half a turd about what people think about my 'fashion sense.'

You shouldnt either.I have haters,but i also have a few friends who i would never give up.I have been known to go to weddings in a ghilly suit.I have gone to big official political meetings dressed in a mossy oak tuxedo (and got thrown out of said events).Who gives a damn what others think of you.You will have less friends,but your close friends will be good people,who like the fact that you dont change for nobody.

Keep it up with the martial arts.Learn another language,but only if your gonna use it often.

And ironically, as a result, it sounds like you have better fashion sense than the majority of men. The choice of clothing should be an expression of the invidual, rather than an effort to blend in with the rest of the herd.