Derek Rake recently published an Insider's Guide which I thought is super important.
It's about how most men are suffering from mental health problems and how it's screwing us up.
It has got an important message and everyone should read it.
Here's the thing, though. Insider's Guides are only for Shogun Method members,
and so outsiders can't read them. So what can you do if you're not yet a Shogun?
Well, I've talked to Derek about this, and guess what? It's important that every man knows this...
after all, mental health is no joke. So, I've managed to convince him to let me read the
Insider's Guide here for the rest of the world. If you're a Shogun, know that I've got Derek
Rake's full blessing to share this here. And before we start,
click LIKE if you want me to ask Derek if I can share more of his Insider's Guides on YouTube.
Ready? OK, here goes... The Shogun's Guide To
Fixing A Fucked Brain by Derek Rake. There’s one thing that underlies how
well you perform as a man: Your mental health.
My six years of coaching Shoguns to become better men have led me to this conclusion.
Guys think the solution to their problems is simply more stuff. More tactics, more tricks,
more Intrigue Pings, more Fractionation scripts, more Implanted Commands
and yet what they need is less stuff, not more. Like every other kind of knowledge out there, the
Law of Diminishing Return applies. Knowing more Shogun Sequences won’t make you a better Shogun.
Most Shoguns who ask for my help have underlying
mental conditions that affect how they live. They ask me for relationship advice, but their
problems go deeper than that. Many suffer from depression and anxiety but are not aware of it.
In my coaching practice, there’s a checklist I use to identify latent anxiety in my clients.
Here’s a simplified version you can use to check for symptoms.
I'm going to read out ten statements. Give yourself one point for each that resonates
with you. Get a pen and paper ready. Here we go.
“I know what’s good for me, but I have problems doing them.”
“I feel something bad is going to happen to me.” “My thoughts are overwhelmingly negative.”
“I have lapsed hobbies. There are things I used to enjoy, but I’ve stopped doing them.”
“I have trouble sleeping.”
“I sometimes feel I’m fighting a losing battle, and there’s no point continuing what I do.”
“I have an uncontrollable tendency to overthink.”
“I sometimes get irritable even over minor matters.”
“I have trouble concentrating on my work and remembering things.”
“I feel tired all the time.”
So, what's your score? You should be alarmed if you score over five points.
It’s Not Your Fault (That Your Brain Is Fucked) Well, guess what? If you’ve got anxiety,
welcome to the club–you’re not alone. An old joke in our community: you’ve got to be
somewhat fucked in the head to be a Shogun. And here’s the thing it’s certainly not your
fault, too. If you’ve got mental health problems, it’s a consequence of living in modern society.
Now I want you to imagine our ancestors and compare their lives with ours.
They exercised every day. We sit on our butts unless
it’s to the kitchen for coffee or junk food. They ate natural, unprocessed food. We eat
hamburgers and drink Coca Cola. They stayed outside and got plenty
of sun. We stay indoors, holed up in cubicles for the better part of the day.
They lived in tribes and had family to rely on. We’re lucky if we are close to our family;
tribal connections are non-existent. They faced constant threats of getting mauled
by the tiger or speared by rival tribesmen. The biggest “threat” we face is perhaps the eyestrain
from staring too long at the computer screen. How To Fix Your Brain
So, it’s not your fault that your brain is faulty. It is, however,
your responsibility to fix it–especially now you know what the root cause is.
Now, here’s some good news: the mind is as malleable as the body. If you work on your mental
health as much as your body, you’ll see gains tremendously quickly. (Think weeks, not months.)
These improvements will bring tremendous benefits to your life. You’ll feel more confident for a
change. You’ll attract more women, too. (Positive people are attractive.) You’ll be fitter,
happier, more productive. How to fix your brain?
The antidote to this problem seems straightforward. Imagine
how the early humans live. Then, emulate them. Exercise. Eat unprocessed food. Get sunshine.
Love your family. Be the best father, son and brother you can be.
Form authentic connections with others. Build a tribe of close buddies and watch their backs.
Set meaningful goals and take up challenges.
Sounds easy, right? Your Biggest Sticking Point (And How To Kill It)
Alas, coming up with the plan is trivial. Next comes the hard part doing it.
There’s one big fucking thing that stands in the way between where you are right now
and what you want, and it’s this: Inertia.
When you’re mentally down and out, you’re not motivated to do anything. You feel tired even even
before you start. Again, this is not your fault. It’s one of those chicken-and-egg situations.
To regain the energy in your life, you need to move. And yet you can’t move when you don’t
have the energy. So, what gives?
Here’s a way out–use this trick to get your brain into gear. I call it the Low Bar Trick,
and you can use it as a flywheel for your brain. The plan to exercise, eat well, form a tribe,
get a goal, etc–lay it aside. For now, do one thing, and one thing only:
Meditate. I won’t lecture you
about the goodness of meditation and so I want you to trust me completely when I say this:
Meditation works. And it will be the best thing you’ve done for yourself, ever.
Don’t overthink it. Set aside ten minutes every morning.
Find a quiet place. Sit down with your back straight. Close your eyes. Start the timer.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Notice how your thoughts drift.
Gently bring yourself back to focus. Breathe in. Breathe out. Your thoughts will
drift again. Bring yourself back. Repeat. When the timer beeps, open your eyes.
That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Again, don’t overthink it.
Meditation does one magical thing: it disengages you from your lizard brain. With enough practice
(you must do it daily), you’ll decouple your mind from anxious thoughts. The more you meditate,
the less power your thoughts will have over you. You must meditate daily.
That’s what I ask my private clients to do. And those who follow my advice–they go on to reap
tremendous benefits that spill over into their love lives, their careers, everything else.
Now, here's the thing. My daily meditation practice has multiplied my Shogun Method
prowess 10X over–conservatively speaking. Meditation is the closest thing to a
fucking magic pill if there is ever one. That's the end of the Insider's Guide.
Derek has also asked me to say this. If you're having mental health issues, please seek help. I'm
not a counsellor nor a psychiatrist, but if you need someone to talk to, just leave me a message.
And if you're a Shogun, Derek wants you to know that he'll always lend a helping ear.
Every Shogun has his personal email address, and he replies
to everyone. I know this for a fact. Stay safe, and take care, my brother.