35 - EP35 w/ Log Fitz: Conceptualising Muscle Growth + Mobility, Designing your Routine of Success and Cultivating Presence in Everything

Cool.

So Logan, round 2 of the Soulcast. Probably a conversation that needs to happen, I feel.

Yeah, man, definitely long overdue, I think.

So I wanted to speak with you about your South American foray, because I know that when I traveled there, uh, did a bit of backpacking. I know you were doing a similar thing. A lot of life lessons and a very unique experience that I just wanted to get, uh, your ex— your, uh, thoughts on. What, you know, what did you do over there? What was the goal? And speak a little bit about the lessons you've learned.

Um, so I think the goal Man, this is interesting. I haven't really, uh, I don't know that I've really like reflected too. I did definitely have, but not like this, you know.

Yeah.

So I think the goal was just, I was in a place where, especially with how crazy the United States was, um, you know, I was just like, every— everything was just like, I just wanted to go somewhere where I could not even have to think about all the, the stupid things going on in the United States and just Yeah, all the bullshit and just the displacement of energy. And I was also too, at that time, you know, I was in Tallahassee, Florida with my partner K-Dot and the house that, the place I was renting that was ending and it got really cold there. And then I went up to Ohio where I'm from for the holidays and you know, that was very, very cold. And so I definitely wanted to go somewhere really warm, right? And so South America was that, and really just go somewhere and, uh, have a new experience, you know, see what else is out there. Especially you see all of the, you know, all of the people talking about, you know, I guess like the expat people, or, you know, all these other countries are so much better. And I just never really done that. The only other place outside of the States I had been was Mexico. So yeah, I was just excited to see something new, do something new. I also wanted to, I had been doing a little bit of, I guess, MMA training, you know, a few haphazard boxing classes. Yeah. Like just some inter, really, really introductory jiu-jitsu. And so there was also just a really cool opportunity to go and really immerse myself in that. Yeah. And man, I don't know, life lessons. So I think it gave me a lot of perspective, which is I think the point —of always the end result of traveling, man.

You get such a big perspective on life.

Yeah, and it gave me a lot of perspective there, gave me a lot of appreciation for, for what the United States is and isn't. Um, you know, at the end of the day, it's— there's a lot of cons, especially, you know, with the modern West, but there's a lot of pros. There's a lot of pros, man.

The most pros, one could argue.

The most pros, especially if you're some, you know, any form of, of self-originating thinker and, you know, ambitious. There's, you know, just seeing that, you can— and I, because I, and I liked South America a lot, it was cool. But it was really interesting, man, like especially in Brazil, a lot of those, a lot of the people, it's just a different culture. And, you know, like, so one big takeaway from that was, you know, a lot of people in the United States are locked in this hustle bustle, you know, kind of like drone mindset, really stressed out, always going somewhere, always doing something. Yeah. And then I went to Brazil and it is the complete opposite of that. Like people, you know, a lot of the people who are big chilling, you know, if you ask, if you went up to a lot of people in this, in the street there and you're like, hey, you know, you can make an extra $200,000 next year. All you gotta do is work an extra 30 hours a week. They would be like, well, I could do that, but you know, we were gonna go to Roscoe and smoke a J on the beach and surf. Like, you wanna go? The good life. Yeah. And so it was just really, really interesting to see that and, um, and give me a lot of perspective there in terms of, you know, people want to shit on the United States and there's a lot of reasons for that. And I think there's a good balance, right? You need a little bit of that Brazil kind of chill energy. Um, a lot of people do in America, I think. But, um, man, it was just like, you know, that's cool and all, but, uh, I would still take, you know, the— like, I'm always going to— like, America is a capitalist society and I'm always going to take the chance at having everything if I really bust my ass versus, you know, just kind of— yeah, settling, I guess. Maybe that's not the right word, but just settling into that kind of cozy, chill energy and just being— but it's a balance, right?

I find I can only enjoy that after I've done a particularly hard bout of work. And if you had that lifestyle like every day, I think it would just get— like, humans are meant to work, they're meant to create. And if you didn't have that all the time, like, like you said, it's a balance. And maybe South America has a bit too much chilling, and maybe America has— well, it's definitely— you can say that America has too much stress, work, work, work, you know, perform. It's a very individual performance-based culture in every Western nation, and that's a part of, you know, how they've broken up family ties and community ties and like most people don't even know their next-door neighbors. Like, there is this weird— like, they're the people that live next door to you, bro. You should be forming a community around that. And I think all the better societies have that mindset. South America, for sure, much more family-based. And, you know, they're the things we can learn about the other cultures that aren't, you know, putting your fucking grandparents in a home and locking them away with people that they don't know for the last 5 years of their life. Like, that's pretty hectic if you think about it. And it's because of this atomized individualistic culture, which is unsustainable but does lead to the environment where you can form. It's about not letting it get to you as well. Like, a lot of the stress that people let themselves feel, one, is a result of shit diet, no sleep, you know, all those things to make you feel more stressed even though the situation is the same. But it's, it's such a— like, you can just disconnect from that as well. Like, obviously Some situations are more stressful than others, but a lot of the time you're getting upset over things that, okay, you're working, you have to work for now, you're working on some other things, but you're here now and your life is here now as well. You can enjoy it by slowing down and not stressing over every fucking little thing. I remember you had a great tweet yesterday which was commenting about problems and you commented about this guy who couldn't stand up properly in a wheelchair, like lost his leg movement and then worked back to get it. Um, just having perspective, like, that's a problem. Everything else that most people listening to this podcast, myself included, um, you don't have problems really.

At the end of the day, yeah, I mean, most of our— it's so funny because I get in periods where— and I think we, we might have even talked about this a little bit last time, you know— I get in periods where I'm like not truly, truly like just aligned and really You know, because once you— and I know you feel this, um, like once you get everything so dialed in and you're just really doing things you like and you're, you're tapped in like that and you're present in your work and you're appreciative of that, yeah, it's a really like, it's a really cool kind of high. Yeah. And yeah, so for me personally, when things aren't going just like that, I'll— I have a tendency to almost harp on it and, and just like push my nose to the brimstone until it gets back to that.

And it's, um Do you think it's a question of working hard to tap in or just achieving the right, like doing all the right work? Or what do you think it is that makes that balance right for you?

It's interesting because I think it's something that I'm still working through a lot and figuring out. I think a big part of it is doing the right work. And I think when I think about it, I think almost like the concept to me, there's like this dichotomy that I really haven't figured out yet in my life truly. And it's the balance between, you know, like where do you draw the line between just competing with yourself, but then also, you know, setting like an objective standard of excellence, right? And I think the answer is just doing a little bit better every day and really finding the right work. But then there is that objective marker of like, Okay, are you hitting your— the goals that you really want to achieve, right? Yeah. And, um, and it's, it's a hard thing to sort through, but for me it's really just, at the end of the day, I've been thinking about it a lot lately, it really comes down to, I think, your relationship with time, right? And having the— I think most people just really, really think way too short term. I think way too, way too short term. Majority of the time. Yeah, you know, whenever I get into a thing where I'm like, it's basically you want to find the habits that you're comfortable doing nothing but that for 10 years straight. And if you can do that, you're never going to lose ever, because everyone else will always shoot more short-sighted and they'll always have this, that, that sort of like hustle and bustle stress, whereas you won't. It's just really becoming process-based versus outcome-based.

In a way. Yeah, setting the stage. And this— I'm huge on habits, man. Like, you build good habits and then you become a slave to them, and that's really the way to success, like, full stop. There's no— it's not some massively complex thing. It's like, think of the person you want to be. What does that person do each day? Okay, spends a few hours handling business tasks in the morning. He stretches, he, you know, goes for walks, he's exercising, he's eating well. Uh, what do I need to do in a day to facilitate that, and how can I get to that spot? Like, and then you just do that each day, and through time you're going to become the person that you have ideally planned to be. Um, and it's as simple as that. And when you know you're doing the right things each day, like you said, you can drop the performance anxiety that people have. Am I doing good enough? It's like, I know I'm doing this each day, let's enjoy it, let's still be in the moment doing these things, but then you're still going to progress. And as long as most of your days are— obviously there's going to be times when you're traveling or you're just mixing it up and doing different things, but if you can retain the core ideals, uh, through life and stick to that, then you're good and you can enjoy it yourself a bit more rather than be stressed about performance.

Yeah, 100%. And I think that's something that I really messed up, you know, the last maybe 8 months to even a year, as I have been like really traveling and like always putting, putting myself in a scenario where I have to make XYZ happen or else I'm going to be in a, you know, a not ideal situation. And I keep like levering up like that. And it is really something that hit me, I think, last week and just realizing like, wow, you know, I'm in Miami now and just really I need to stop thinking in terms of 2-month blocks and really just getting to a place where I can sit down and say, okay, you know, I think a home base will help with that a little bit. I'm still kind of in a flux looking for like, you know, my long— where I'm going to stay long-term apartment-wise, things like that, just sorting all that out. But just really getting to a place where I have those things defined. For, and I'm okay doing nothing but that for the next 6 years. And that's like, that's really how I'm starting to think about things now.

Yeah, well, I mean, you're still young, man. What, you're 21, right? Or 22? Yeah, 22. So like, you're still very, you know, ahead of the curve, I would say, with that perspective at your age. I wasn't as locked in, uh, when I was younger. It's just a process of learning, I guess. But some people never learn that. Um, the home base is such a key one. Like Obviously you'd want to be going off partying or just traveling and doing all new things all the time, but that life doesn't work out like that all the time. So having a home base which you just curate to your specific needs, like what do you like, um, you have all your health things set up there, and you have a system where you get to enjoy like just being at home, uh, I think is so important because then it becomes like a sanctuary and you can chill in the way that you want to. You know, you got salt lamps going, you got incense. You know, it's your chill place. You can recover and recuperate, but also be comfortable with— to, you know, I am going to put more— you're going to put more hours of work in at your computer if it's a nice place to be in. That's— I think it's like a hack almost, is to make your surroundings that you're in as aesthetic as possible, because it is pleasing even subconsciously to just be in a nice environment. I like to go to coffee and nice hotels, uh, in the mornings, like the bars that they have, just because it's a nice place to be around. And I think that's important, motivates your work.

Yeah, definitely. I mean, and I've, I've been, you know, the past like month and a half, uh, in Airbnbs, hotel rooms, and I've noticed that a lot. It makes a huge difference. Like, I don't even want to it's so just like annoying to be in there working compared to, you know, the, the, the cozy, you know, yeah, hoodie on and I mean the house music going or whatever it is, you know, just right there. Yeah, definitely. That's a huge thing too, you know. Everybody wants to, you know, have that sort of travel, you know, cool travel wanderlust, whatever you want to call it. Mindset. But, uh, if you're any at all health-oriented, it does not help at all. It's a massive, um, hindrance to doing all those things that you want to do to get your body to the next level. And not even your mind, you know, it's going to cut into your work when you can't really systemize that out. And, you know, you're eating out more and doing all these different things. It's, it's not easy to do.

Yeah, um, it reminds me of Stan Efferding when he goes on his, uh, you know, takes flights to go to conferences or give speeches or whatever. Uh, do you know who he is? Bodybuilder, right? Yeah, yeah, I love Stan Efferding. Yeah, one of the GOATs. Uh, he has to take like an esky of like 8 hot meals that he has prepped in thermoses, and he'll have like 6 thermoses in a big bag that he takes with him on flights because he can't miss his meals and he doesn't want to eat the garbage. Such a boss move.

Yeah, huge, huge boss move. I, uh, that's what I should do honestly, but it's just not quite there yet. I'm not perfect. But yeah, that's the top level of prep preparation.

And if you want to travel and stuff, you got to do things like that if you're seriously committed. I mean, it's possible. The main thing is the food. You don't eat enough. It's fucking— anything you eat has got seed oils in it on the road.

Yeah, man, it's been, it's been tough. I've been— I posted about them the other day, but I've been eating a bunch of, uh, these liver chips from, from Carnivore Aurelius as a good on-the-go snack. It's been pretty, pretty good to me if I can't find something, you know, like quick when I need it, wherever. Yeah, that's—

I need to try them. He, um, was going to send me some, but I think they got lost. But yeah. Keen to try them.

Word. Yeah, highly, highly recommend that.

Um, so you were training jiu-jitsu and stuff over there. How was that?

Yeah, dude, it was, uh, it was really good. I love it. Um, I want to pursue it, and that's been one other thing that's been kind of throwing me off the past couple weeks is it's been just like hit or miss finding things around here. Or just like going in for a couple of days a week. Yeah. Just like finding the gym that I, I know the gym that I want to train at, but then logistically it's just a mess right now because I don't have a car down here right now. And it's just like, wow, like I'm not going to Uber $60 worth of Ubers every day. Yeah. Like $1,500 a month. And that's not really worth it. So just figuring out those logistics. But yeah, man, MMA and jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai and all these different things have been amazing. I love them. It's, uh, I think I got to a point too where, you know, because I used to play football, I used to play everything growing up, and then—

yeah, yeah, go on, sorry. Word, word.

Okay, so yeah, I mean, I was in a weird, weird spot where, you know, I played sports all of my life growing up, and then I played college ball while I— before I left school, and, um I got to a really weird place, man, where I was really bored, you know, especially when I'm locked in and, you know, grinding, and I get, you know, my body to where it needs to be, all my lifts are where they, you know, need to be and things like that. Yeah, I just really don't care enough, which is kind of ironic because I think a lot of the people that are listening or anyone that's seen my stuff probably thinks, oh, how could that ever be? Because, you know, I, I guess I've built sort of a persona around those things, but, um I just don't care enough about, about bodybuilding, you know. After I get to a certain point, I just get very, very bored of it. Um, you know, I don't have any desire to be like insanely massive, or I mean, you can always get leaner and look better, right? But, uh, yeah, but, um, yeah, it's just like not a true— I enjoy it, but it's not like my thing, you know. Yeah. And so MMA and all those things have been something where it really, you know, has kind of reignited the passion to, to work on something. And it's— and especially too with, with the way the world is too, you know, that, that feeling of violence is— it's amazing, you know, because we talked about presence. Like, nothing makes you more present than having some dude that's 40 pounds lighter than you and just way more skilled, you know, choke you out, or, or getting hit in the face. Like, you have to be present.

True.

I'm thinking about— but it's also too, just like, you know, it's the only thing that feels real anymore. So much of what we do, even, even, dude, even business, it doesn't even feel real. I've had really big wins and I've had, you know, losses and all these different things, but at the end of the day, it's like you're doing things on my laptop. Like, it doesn't feel real. It's not tangible. And there's very few things anymore that are, that are real. And And that's, you know, maybe the biggest one. Obviously, you have your close friends and your family and then this crazy community that we're building on the internet and things like that. But it's just like, I want things that feel real and nothing is more real than getting caught with a left hook.

I'm sure. I haven't— oh, I used to work as a bouncer, so I've been in a few fights, but I've never been actually hit in the head properly. Because I was always dodging the other way. Um, so I can imagine it would be a wake-up call to get pushed in the head by someone if you're not paying attention. What does it feel like?

I mean, you've been knocked out? No, no. And it's— and everything I've done so far, I still have a long way to go too with, with all that stuff. Everything I've done so far, you know, it's— you have headgear on, things like that. But it's just, uh, I mean, obviously it doesn't feel great. Although I— maybe, maybe I'm weird in the sense, because like when I played football, you know, obviously you're not supposed to spear, but I loved hitting people with my head and within the football helmet. Like, it's very, very enjoyable, which is probably pretty weird, but it's just, uh, you know, it just wakes you up and it forces you to tighten up, and it's just like you can't focus on anything else but that. And it's just very, uh— I love the feeling of too, just like the adrenaline you get from it, you know. It gets— it's like fight or flight, but it's constructive and it's fantastic. Yeah, I can imagine.

Did you find that because you're lifting, like, I know it's mostly technique, but there's got to be some benefit to having more muscle and— or just that potential of muscle activation if you've done heavy lifting going into it? Compared to not being trained, do you think? Advantage-wise?

Yeah, it's really interesting. And like I said, I think I'm, you know, maybe different from your average, I guess, bodybuilder in the sense of everything that I've trained for essentially my whole life has been to, you know, be strong but also utilize it. You know, I played linebacker. Yeah, I played linebacker. And so, you know, if I'm getting really strong in any sort of pressing movement, that was then built to be repped into, you know, striking, uh, an offensive lineman or a tight end or whatever. Yeah. And so I've always sort of had that, I guess, transfer. Um, there's definitely a huge benefit, especially in— I think in boxing it's— but it's really weird because, you know, with striking, I feel like it's, it's very similar to You keep people— you either have heavy hands or you don't, and it's not really something that you can train. So honestly, I would say maybe even has a negative benefit. You know, if you took your average guy that could say bench 315 versus your average guy that can bench 225, the, the average guy that benches 225 might punch just as hard, you know, um, because he, he's, he's a lot faster and it's just like a lot more coordinated. So I don't, I mean, it definitely, it also depends what kind of fighter you are too, right? You, if you have that power and it like naturally carries over, then you're going to like, that's probably my biggest asset, but it's also my downfall too, because I also probably tire out quicker than guys that are lighter and less, less strong. Um, and it's also really interesting because you don't want to, you don't want to rely on that. You know, everybody that I talked to and that I trained with thus far, they were like, you want to utilize your strength as, as little as you possibly can. Yeah, because otherwise it'll just become a crutch for you. Yeah, because you're utilizing that rather than understanding concepts and, and getting on better technique-wise, things like that.

Yeah. What's your training like at the moment?

Uh, you lifting any heavy weights or Yeah, I, I've, I've started toning it down. I've been doing a lot of like work stuff and just been back and forth. So it's really just been maintaining while I get truly, truly settled in. Yeah. Um, but I think since— so I've, like I said, I've just been maintaining, doing random kind of stuff. There's a really, really cool outdoor gym on in South Beach that, uh, that we've been going to. And just going there. They have the barbells, everything you need. Um, so been doing that and running, but I think here very, very soon I'm gonna really, really dial the, the heavy lifting stuff back a little bit for a while. And I always do, I kind of oscillate with a lot of these things, you know. There's, uh, I want to get off the heavy lifting so much and really focus on some of the, the more— I don't know what the right word— maybe I guess like cutting edge or kind of esoteric. Um, you know, there's a lot of things with, with the body that I think general bodybuilding doesn't quite cover, and there's just a lot of room to still be improved on with a lot of these things from the, the mainstream strength and conditioning or bodybuilding world.

There's a lot— what you say esoteric, what do you mean by that?

So like one thing that I've been working on really, really heavily, um, and I recommend anyone listening to this to, to check them out too, is I've you know, talking with and going back and forth and reading a lot of their stuff and applying it, um, the, the Gota guys. And there's a lot of things with your feet that you can do that, that will enable you to, you know, be strong but also build these, these biomechanic patterns that allow you to express a lot more athleticism, a lot more resiliency, right? And so I've been working with a lot of these sort of concepts, things orienting your, your arches and, and training your feet and putting the right pressure through your feet, you know, working through your lateral ball of foot rather than your medial ball of foot, not letting your ankle bone collapse in at all, you know, sort of setting up a high arch when you're doing a lot of these movements. And there's a huge carryover, and it's really just cultivating a higher awareness towards your physiology that, you know, working on these things and keeping my, you know, the lateral ball of foot pressure. And now it's really, really insane because my, you know, I'm squatting, but my squat is so different now than what it was, you know, when I was like 18 or 19, because I was really, really strong during that time, but I wasn't the athlete. I don't know, I was still a good athlete, but I wasn't the athlete I could have been because I didn't I didn't know these things, one, and just the, the way that I was taught, I just don't think was ideal. So there's a lot of concepts like that where, you know, I'm kind of looking to almost rebuild my body in a weird way. Yeah, not that I'm unhappy with it, but just build it from the ground up for, for function. I think that's a big problem, you know, and obviously you and I both have, you know, built our our, I guess, our brands or whatever you want to call it, on, on this sort of awareness in, in helping people become more aware of these concepts. But that, that, that's truly what it is. When you really understand how things are supposed to work in that regard, you're able to do so much more of them. Like, one example that I think really, really— it's like an easy to understand example right? It's like, uh, you know, anterior pelvic tilt. Like, most people have that problem. And honestly, I feel like the problem isn't even necessarily what they're doing. I mean, that's definitely a piece of it, right? Stop sitting, walk more, you know, stretch. But if they really understood, you know, how, how their, their hip flexors and their glutes antagonize each other and pull against each other and they cultivated a bigger awareness of that, the things that they do to fix it are going to multiply, you know, fivefold in the actual result they get from it. Because when you have intention, when you're doing these things with intention and awareness, you know, so rather than, you know, them just doing a hip flexor stretch, they're really thinking about almost rolling, rolling their hips underneath themselves and extending their hips while they're getting that stretch and activating that glute, which is antagonizing your hip flexor. Yeah, now they're getting like— they're— it's the same exact movement, but their intention and their awareness to it is going to drive their results, you know, maybe 3 times more than, than just going about going through the motions. And so that's something that I've been really, really working on right now. I'm probably going to move towards, you know, like I said, I really have been thinking I want to pursue it and just even if nothing comes from it, just go in and work my ass off every day for the next 3 years and just see what happens, you know? Yeah. Um, and so taking my training back from, you know, the more bodybuilding aesthetics, strength, that kind of deal, and just building the, the most resilient, effective, efficient body that I can while still maintaining some of that strength, you know, a lot of single leg work, a unilateral upper body work, and then just mixing in a lot of these really, really cool kind of esoteric concepts. But yeah, that's, that's where my training's at right now. I don't want to go on too much of a rant with that.

No, it's good. Um, I think I've been like slowly coming around to the same realization, I think, just through my own experimentation with the body. Like, so much of muscle building, I think, is just tapping in to the unactivated or potential muscle cells that you just haven't made the neural connection to. And the more muscle you build, the more you can activate and potentiate with that mind-muscle connection. But it's a skill in itself. There's lifting, but then there's lifting by contracting the specific muscle cells that you want to activate and then bracing with other antagonistic muscles. And that is a skill in itself, and that only comes from years of gymming. But the more that I work on my flexibility, particularly with— particularly with yoga, all of that is just pushing to the end range of where your mind— where your control of those muscle cells kind of stops, and then finding that extra few percent each time you're in the position and holding the strength. That flexibility is not It's not this tight thing that, you know, needs to be stretched. It's just the body protecting where you're weak. So all of these flexibility techniques, eventually you need to actually, you know, doing the splits, actively using your glutes to push your legs away like that, rather than it just being, you know, these tight muscles that you can kind of let go. And that's yin yoga a bit, like you don't want to be activating muscle cells when you're doing in positions. But in general, having that conscious control is where most people lack, just from they've never used them before. And sitting down and everything, you don't need to use your glutes as much rather than walking. But I find it's such a massive translation to, you know, squatting. You're more present through the whole part of the rep rather than just kind of thinking, right, push my quads on the way up. Like, it, it's very controlled. It's a lowered descent. And I'd always— I go back to, um, what's our ancient ancestors, right? Frogs. Think about how frog swims. The same glute muscles except they have completely wide hips, you know, way more than any human would be able to do unless they've trained. But you mimic that action when you're pushing with the glutes, you'll get much better activation rather than what I think, at least for myself when I first started, it's like, okay, the glutes push up and down. It's slightly different than that. And when you can visualize, like you said, you know what each part of the muscle is trying to do and which way it should go, that actually lets you have a bit of a framework for expanding your mind-muscle connection, which I think is super important.

Yeah, dude, I'm, I'm so big on stuff like that. And there's a lot of— I've got like a few things I want to touch on now that you brought that up, right? Yeah. So without— yeah, that's— so firstly, that's shaped a lot of my philosophy in terms of training my body. Um, when I first dropped out of college, I I found there was a, it used to be a gym in Clearwater. It's called ATG. And have you ever seen like Knees Over Toes Guy on IG?

He's the— I've heard of him. Yeah.

And so he was the owner of that. And there was a couple of really, really good guys. They were all partners in that and him. And then, you know, one of my good friends, his name's Jeff. He's opening up a gym. Up in either Clearwater or Tampa now. And they had like this really almost proprietary system for unlocking that new strength. And everything that you just said there, like, I look at, um, you know, lifting and stretching, they're the same thing really when you think about— when you think about it. It's just a different emphasis of the stimulus you're placing on your body. And it— and You have to have both, and you have to have the right awareness of both for them to have the proper effect that, that you're going to want. And you're so spot on when you say that having that awareness in the intention— and that's a great way to think about it— is tapping into the muscle cells. Because I think the more you can stimulate all these different senses, you know, feel, touch, smell, sight, etc. The more input you can get with that, the more you can, you know, touch, like really tap into feeling it and getting more results from that. And then it's really interesting you brought up— so that's my first point, is that, you know, lifting and, lifting and stretching are essentially the same thing. You're just, you're just tweaking some variables, you know. You're sacrificing load for, for range, but in, in theory you want to be doing, you know, you want to be maximizing the— like, you don't want to drop it off if you can, right? Like, if you think about a, you know, what is the difference really between a Romanian deadlift and stretching your hamstrings? There's not really that big of a difference. I mean, yes, obviously you're hinging with a Romanian deadlift, but you're strengthening your hamstrings. Like, when you're stretching, you're strengthening, right? You're, you're placing tension on your hamstrings through an elongated position. Now, what are you doing during, during a Romanian deadlift? You're doing the same exact thing. You're just sacrificing a little bit of that range for a lot more mechanical tension from the weight, right?

Yeah, so you end up develop— developing— just a quick point, um, that middle range strength, but not your end range strength, which is essentially what stretching is. Yeah.

And so, but I, you know, really push— and a lot of the people that I work with, I really push them to do that. Like, for example, most people when they squat, they, they think that they don't need to get in those end range position. And if you just want to get, you know, huge, yeah, you don't. But if you want to build the most resilient body and the most efficient body You know, working through a full range squat is going to be far, far better than you, in my opinion, than doing otherwise. And people will say, oh, you know, you get a lot of, uh, I think cope responses there. And they're like, oh, well, your spine's in a weird position and stuff like that. And that's another thing that I think I kind of differs from my philosophy. Like, I don't necessarily think that there are— and there's maybe some, but there's not like positions that you shouldn't be in. It's whether or not your body is strong enough for you to handle that. And if you have strength in that, in that positioning that's deemed unfavorable, probably going to be fine, right? You know, like people really shy away from training like lumbar flexion. Lumbar flexion is fine if your lumbar is— if your lumbar spine is strong and the muscles that are supporting— and I don't mean the actual spine, I mean the region, right? But if you're, you know, your lower back muscles are strong, there's not a problem with having flexion. If you look at any, any elite athlete, they're being put in those positions. You know, anybody that's doing anything rigorous is being put in those positions. It's whether or not their body is strong enough and, you know, firing in the correct way in a non-injury patterning to allow them to handle that.

And that's— yeah, well, there's, there's no bad exercises, there's only people that don't have the flexibility to perform that or the strength. And it's like I posted the other day, um, saying, hey, I've been supersetting overhead military press into behind the neck press, um, as like a shoulder blaster. And it's all because, because the recent kind of mind-muscle connection thing I've realized is that, you know, the shoulder is your front and back. You have your front delts and your back delts, and you can focus one or the other, but they're still working in unison. And so you're— it's like this entire top half push forward up where you're stabilizing the back, and as if you're trying to, you know, push the ceiling away from you. Um, it's like an entire thing rather than just like— when I first started lifting, it was like, I'm shoulder pressing, okay, my anterior deltoid. And maybe it's just, you know, weakness turning into strength, but I've found that my musculature has made a massive improvement from this realization of, okay, so my deadlift is a loaded stretch essentially, and you just, you attach your hands at the bottom and then you're flexing your back, you're flexing your glutes and your whole kind of chain of movement there at the same time. It's the same as if you're just, you know, stretching and pushing your back up anyway, but with that load across 100% of the degrees of motion You know, you need to have control across every degree. And this is— I've been doing like a deadlift, but on the way down, um, and the way up as well, if you're a, you know, you want the extra effort, um, as slow as you can. Like, literally just go all the way down, and it forces you to have conscious control of the movement, um, so much so that I think your musculature on my end has, and I've gotten bigger since making that connection that people go, oh, you don't need to be flexible, you're big. It's made me bigger.

Yeah, 100%. And that's, there's, um, that's not, that's not even your opinion either. That's, I mean, they've proven that at this point. Um, you know, like if you look into one guy that I, I went to a conference, I was, isn't so funny to think about, right before I left college, I was still in college college, but I went to a conference in Chicago to hear from— there was a bunch of really cool guys there, but I watched Cal Dietz present. He's just a— he's probably one of the best strength coaches in the United States. He works at Minnesota, I believe, unless he left. And that's his whole thing is that the more you can slow down that eccentric or the lengthening cycle or the, you know, lowering the bar to your chest in a bench press, lowering the bar and sitting down into a squat, the more you can slow that down, the more you're gonna, you know, create a bigger stimulus and actually make more change to your musculature. And so the more you can do that in a, in a mobile fashion and get the most range of motion possible, you know, you're going to have much better results, you're going to build more muscle. And it really all stems back to having that awareness. And it's really interesting too because One area that where I've made a ton— like, it's insane how much you can make a change to your, to your body and your health is, you know, with breathing, right? And having the awareness of that and, you know, like the, the concept of mewing and all those different things. And that's cool, you know, the, the aesthetic benefit of that is nice and your posture gets better. You know, uh, yeah, that's what I was going to touch on. So much— your shoulders roll back, your hips are able to now fully extend, you, you can open up and actually engage your lower abs the way they're supposed to, and it has just this ripple effect through your body. And it's all stemmed from really no big— I mean, I guess you're making a change, but it's really just having the awareness of it at all, and you kind of tap into that. Excess range. And it really— you touched on the frogs too, and there's— and I think that's a really interesting concept because at its core, nature has all of the same patterns in everything, right? There's sort of, you know, I guess divine geometry, or I don't know how familiar you are with things like, like Fibonacci spirals, or, you know, Da Vinci and all these things. If you can trace every single piece of that back to your human human body, you know, and the way that a frog's hips extend. And, you know, I guess that would be more of a, an abduction, an adduction, sort of a rotational movement. But that's how everything works. Your body is always, you know, either— and I posted something about this the other day too, you know— your body's always either expanding or compressing. It's, it's, it's moving in these waves. Everything moves in waves. We are energy. That's what, that's what we are. And so the more awareness you can have of that and place it in the right place, you're going to tenfold the results you're getting because you're working with nature rather than against it. And unfortunately, the modern world that we live in and all of its, you know, I guess, cons are placing you into a situation where you're working against it a lot of times, and especially with a lot of the, the knowledge that's out there.

Yeah, I mean, it's just surface-level understanding versus because you've been doing it for 10 years, you know intuitively what your body feels like, you know what works, you know what doesn't, and then it's just the slow— if you're actually interested in research and, you know, I think it's lived experience as well. It's like the whole concept of dad strength. Dad strength is even though they might not look particularly big, they've had 40 years of practicing how to activate their forearms. So that in itself and that potential, and there's variation of course, but I think dad strength is just practice of 40 years of fucking holding a hammer or, you know, doing manual work, uh, kind of thing.

Yeah, that's really interesting too because I think it, it ties back into intention as well. Um, you know, I think dad strength is a really, really interesting concept to bring up because 'Cause you think about like, there's so many young guys and I got my first taste of this when I first got to college. And there were guys that like, there were dudes that were also linebackers that I would drill with and practice every day. Dude, I was way stronger than them as like an incoming freshman, you know? Or I could bench more than them, but like their hands were so much heavier than mine. And then you realize, okay, why is that? Okay, he's had 3 years of wrestling with these bears, you know, 6-foot, 300-pound dudes. Offensive lineman. And the only real difference there is you change the intention behind how you're doing these things. And you, you really— and I think that's the same thing with dad strength, you know, at least some dads. There's a lot of soy dads out there, but, um, you know, when you're, when you're doing something because you're protecting your child or something's gonna break in your household or whatever it might be, you have a much more violent intention behind it. And it's, uh, and it carries over, I think, really, really heavily Yeah, there's skin in the game.

You're always gonna be more in tune and aware and have the potential to perform better when there's more on the line. Always. Because it's not, it's not real, like you said, unless there's something on the line, whether you've made a big bet or you need to get this deal done or it's a sporting event where it's a big deal, like You, if you don't let the pressure get to you, you have to perform, you know, sink or swim, which I think is, it's so easy now. And, you know, I'm not saying my life has been, you know, these hectic decisions and heaps of pressure because it hasn't. But when you are doing things that, not that it matters if you fail, but it's like, it's just more on the line. There's more pressure because everything can be baby wrapped or bubble wrapped in today's society where it doesn't really matter if you fail at this job interview or school or uni. It's very like, there's no real, oh, okay, if we don't hunt, we're gonna not have any food. You know, it's that kind of intensity that's so lacking now. And I think you just get more out of yourself when when you're at least trying to do harder things that make you feel that way.

Yeah, dude, 100%. I mean, it's, it's so interesting, you know. I get a lot of— and I think you can parlay these concepts from your body into your life itself, right? And that's really the big takeaway from training and living well, is that you can apply these concepts into making every area of your life better, because at the end of the day, they're all really the same. Game, whether it's, you know, lifting or training or fighting or, you know, women or relationships or business. Any— it's all really the same concepts from a meta perspective. Yeah. And it's one thing that's really interesting because I, I get a lot of, um, you know, younger guys that, that hit me up. And it's— for me, it's almost like it doesn't even make sense because I think like, wow, I'm still still a 22-year-old idiot, like, in so many ways. Yeah. Um, but, but guys will hit me up and they're like, hey, you know, I don't have any purpose. And, and I get it because it's— we do have that, right? There's no real danger. And I think that's a lot of people's problem. And it's just taking that and really, you know, carving out— you know, that can either be for— I think that can either be the greatest realization you can make in your life. And that's something— is why I left school. It's why I decided to, you know, blaze my own path and just, you know, shoot for the stars. And if I fail in 20 years, I'll feel much better doing that, you know, than not. Yeah, um, but you won't fail. Exactly. And, and, but it's really interesting because you— it like, go— just going back, it's a bit— the intention, you know, you have to carve out these things for yourself and, and go all in on them. Otherwise Otherwise you're never going to find it because everything is so easy now. You have to actively seek them out and have the intention of finding all of these things, or you'll never ever have a shot in finding it, you know. And even if you have some of that, you know, you, you really have to like deeply— has to resonate with every fiber in your being. I'm not saying you have to be geeked up, you know, high on life all the time. Um, even though I try to be. But yeah, you have to have that deep resonating intention to find these things, or else you're never going to get any of them or even close to it.

Well, I think it's the people, uh, I think it's they're pessimistic. They're too pessimistic about it. It's like, okay, you have no purpose. Do you realize that you can create whatever kind of life that you want to lead? Like, that in itself, and the having the potential capacity to create something, literally design your life— you just have to do the right things each day and move towards where you want to go, visualize it, believe it's already happened, and so it will come to you— that in itself is so motivating. And like, that's your purpose. You can fucking lead a wonderful life and help lots of people and raise a beautiful family and have a fucking sick compound where You know, you build your own house and all these kinds of beautiful creative things that you could lend your own, your own personal touch to that. I think that alone is like, oh, I don't have a purpose. It's like you make your own purpose in the way by being the creative director of your life.

I think I 100% agree with that. There is no, there is no golden path for yourself. You carve out out, you carve out a path, and then whatever you carve out is the golden path. But it's not gonna, it's not gonna fall in your lap. And I think that's been one of the biggest tenets of my, I guess, relative success or happiness or whatever the fuck you want to call it. It's just that thinking, you know, like, life is a video game and you can trade off. And it's so, it's so crazy to me because because most of what most— and I'm not immune to this either. I just, I had a big epiphany the other day of like how much time I'm still wasting, like, on my cell phone. It's insane how much time I, how much time I waste. But it's like most people are letting these things carve, like, suck out the energy from them doing the things that they truly, truly want, and the things that they're giving in, or they're using or doing in return It's like the most mindless shit, you know? Yeah. And just like, I mean, they're unhappy and they don't feel like they have any purpose, but at the same time, like, man, you're not even fucking doing anything really if you break it down. I mean, there's so many people that are just, I don't know, man, like watching, just consuming mindless entertainment, and it's just, I don't even understand it to an extent anymore. More. Yeah, um, it's just crazy to me.

Well, it's chemical addiction, I think. You know, we have these portable entertainment devices where these big companies with billions of dollars try to— they literally have rooms of scientists testing things, seeing what best way they can get their hooks into you on their app, uh, it's in order for you to spend as much time there. Your attention You know, that's, that's their currency in a way. So, uh, someone— I was listening to a podcast, it's a very interesting thing. It's so uneven. You think, okay, most humans, they should have the awareness to realize, okay, I'm wasting time on this, you know, I shouldn't do it. But what happens is, because there's each individual human is up against a— the collective, uh, you know, let's say Facebook, where they are pulling all of the attention of their users. So they're amassing all this wealth and information and data about users and things like that, but they're playing effectively against a single person because that's how they deliver their app. So that's already a massively uneven field. So of course, for the most part, unless you're, you know, even myself, you know, everyone's addicted to their phones. It's It's a fact at this point, uh, unless you're very, very mindful or very— not everyone, of course. There's people who just, you know, have an old flip phone kind of thing, which I think is probably, uh, a good move. But it is this— I think something needs to be done about the companies themselves, otherwise you're just going to lose so many people who are not in the right mindset to deal with that kind of thing, which I think is maybe the cause of a lot of the listlessness of most people. And yeah, that they have this vague feeling and understanding of, what am I doing? Like, I'm not really doing anything, I'm consuming all the time. Like, whether or not they articulate in those words, that's what's happening. And they feel that general unease, I'm sure, unless they're just completely unconscious, and maybe some people are. But they don't know what to do about it because they're stuck in their brains going, get that dopamine, get that dopamine, You know, like, it's, it's a very tricky situation that I think more has to be done, uh, otherwise you're just gonna lose people like we're seeing now.

Yeah, um, and it's, it's so like, it's such an interesting concept to think of how, how much of a gift, you know, the reason, you know, life can even feel like it's not real or it's a video game now is because of that technology in a lot of ways. Um, but man, it's really, it's really, really interesting. And it's been something that, like I said, I'm not immune to this at all. I still do this to an extent. Um, but it's just crazy, you know, really we do need a hard reset. And I think that's something that I'm gonna try to cultivate in my own life. Like, it's very easy to, to get in that mindset of like, okay, I can do anything, and set that vision and that belief in it. And, um, and, you know, set aside my habits and do these things to build that. But then also, you know, detoxifying from— I think a lot of people too, and I know like me in to an extent, and this is something I've been thinking about a lot recently, most people have this idea of like, okay, they can do anything and they want to build it, but now even their efforts to do so are so far detached from, from reality because it's hard to discern what is and what isn't real. Like, I mean, is Twitter reality? I don't know. There's people, you know, there's people making tons of money on Twitter, IG, social media, whatever, but like, it's still not— and they should leverage that 100%, that's not what I'm saying, but it's it's— I think a lot of people really need to hard disconnect, you know, and just get themselves out in, in, in the world, in reality. I mean, I've been trying to take at least one or two, you know, long walks a day with no cell phone and just leave it at home. Yeah. And it's amazing how much clarity, how much clarity you get and how much presence you get from that. And just being back tapped into, to the source, and now ideas coming to you tenfold, and you're getting the— and I think a lot of people do it with, um, you know, and I know you're huge on, you know, the, the sexual energy stuff, and I think a lot of people do it in a really interesting way too. You and I were talking about this, um, even if they're not like, you know, some coomer brain porn junkie or something like that. Yeah, they're, you know, they're giving their, their energy in their life force to like things they really shouldn't. I think one big thing that people would do really, really well of is— and it's something that I consistently keep doing— is having that vision and having those, you know, those habits, but also setting your standards and your morals and like really having a code that you live by. Yeah, as a man, or I guess a woman too, you know, and, and really sticking to that. Like, that's something that I'm really big on now and, and going to really try to cultivate in my life is like, don't, you know, never ever settle below that top-tier standard, even if it's painful. I think that's— it's more than even dopamine. It's people go for, you know, the lowest hanging fruit of pleasure, which is, I guess, sort of dopamine. But, um, you know, like giving themselves these, these easier paths to their victories, ultimately shorting them from getting what they ultimately want. And a lot of times, like I said earlier, you know, the trade-off that you're getting is like, it's just not even worth it at all.

Yeah, I think that's— every guy goes through it. I think for the most part, it's like you realize, hmm, okay, what am I doing if these sexual forays are not really turning into anything? Or, you know, even just pursuing dates all the time because you'd rather— like, I think people have a, a need to not be alone. I think it's probably like part of it is they need always something distracting. I saw a fucking meme the other day on TikTok— not that I saw TikTok, it was a screenshot, but whatever. Um, this guy was just watching 5 screens at once, so so that a stray thought wouldn't pop into their head. Like, that was what he was openly admitting to, and it had 200,000 likes. Like, that is where we're at. It's like people are so— just can't be with their thoughts at all for some reason. Usually because whenever you're alone with your thoughts and you're not doing the right things, that's when you get fucking anxiety. And that's the other thing with the moral code, is it eliminates all of the heartache, all of the just wasted time, all of the possible problems. Matthew McConaughey calls them red lights that you set up in your future for you. And you can avoid those by having some kind of code where you just blanketly say, okay, no, I'm not going to do this because I know it will possibly lead to problems or is not my best use of time. Sticking to that, and then you don't have— like, you're not lying to anyone. You don't have these, um, these red lights that we put ourselves in the future. You're just living chill. You know you haven't harmed anyone. You know there's no like, oh, should I do this, should I do that? There's none of that talk in your head, those anxious thoughts. And I think that is a secondary benefit to that, uh, as well as, you know, you're not just wasting your time and energy, um, is that, you know, heaven is a state of mind. And a lot of the religious rules, uh, some of them have, you know, you know, you can take the core lessons from, uh, from religions overall. And like the commandments saying, you know, do not harm your enemy, or whatever, harm your— don't harm anyone and kill anyone. Obviously those kinds of rules lead you free of your conscience because you know you've done good by everyone. And I'm sure people that do bad by other people, like their karma is those thoughts in their head was like, man, you're a piece of shit, you shouldn't have done that, or you were rude to this person, XYZ. That is hell. And that— the hell as well of not living up to your own expectations. Uh, not that you should have expectations, but your standards. Like, everyone knows when they've done a good— had a good day, had a productive day, or done the things they should and avoided things they shouldn't. And that is peace of mind. And I think that's why self-improvement and, you know, treating yourself well is so important because it's the basis for everything and you just live a healthier, better life.

Yeah, man. And that just— that goes back to, you know, I think how we started the, the cast talking about, you know, their people's or everyone's relationship with time time in, in really just becoming process-based and habit-based. Because, and this is something that I really realized, you know, I had some, some moments where it was honestly like everything that I could have thought I wanted, you know. There was like, especially there was a week in, in Brazil when I linked up with a few of the guys and all that. I think they're all on Twitter now. Um, some guys I met there that are now really, really good friends of mine. And it was like, you know, I had a great week of, of business, you know, like just a big win in my book, you know, doing things that I had never really done before, you know, just big milestones. I'm going out, I'm partying, and, you know, with, you know, good-looking women, just having a great time. And it was one thing that really struck me is that, I mean, and I'm not against, obviously I'm all for winning and doing those kinds of things, but that's not going to make you happy at the end of the day. It's not, you know, having there, there's, because it's never ending. It's always the next thing. Yeah, there's always a next thing. And, and I found myself caught up in that a little bit, like, okay, how do I replicate this or do it better, do it whatever? And I'm like, that doesn't make you happy at all, really. At the end of the day, what does make you happy is knowing that you're building towards the, the process, like the struggle, and, you know, replicating that into habits, that you're doing things that you truly enjoy, you know, meaningful work every day. Because you don't want— because otherwise, you, you know, I got, I got into a habit where Like, you know, if you view these things as something to be paid off, you know, I'm going to do XYZ for XYZ result. Yeah. Then you're going to get XYZ result. And yeah, there's, there's just always going to be a next thing, but the more you can craft, like every— that's, and that's something, again, these are all things that I'm working on or things that I've realized over the past few months. The more I can set it up so that I'm okay with every single day being the exact same and, and, and slotting time for that into my life versus, you know, these big ups and downs or buildups. So, and then a release, and like, the more you can just make your lifestyle so that you could not change anything, you know, for the rest of your life. And obviously there's some, you know, exceptions to that. You know, maybe you have kids or whatever, and I'm sure that'll change it. But, you know, overall, just having these things set up so that every single day you can do these things, you know, you're not, you're not working, working, working, and then you spend time with people. You know, you have meaningful work every day. You train every day. You do something artistic or creative every day. You spend time with people that you want to spend time with. Every day, you know, you have that time to yourself. The more you can do that, that's been one thing that's like been a huge, huge takeaway for me is stop thinking in terms of these, these time blocks or these periods, or I'm doing this until then. It's just like, yeah, how can I set up my life so that I can do these things and be happy doing them for the next 30 years, 40 years, 100 years, and and be okay with that and be happy with that and just enjoy each day as it comes.

Yeah. Yeah. I'm— I mean, that's pretty much what I've set up now. Like, so grateful and blessed to have been able to do this. But, you know, I swim in the ocean 3 times a day. I'm writing, doing creative work, talk to some people, do some business, whatever. And then the afternoons, you know, I'm walking outside. Training, lifting weights, cooking good food, stretching, going to yoga. Like, that's, you know, that's a productive day. You're ticking things, everything over every day and putting out content every day. But I could do that, you know, like Groundhog Day, and eventually it'll all work itself out. I'm still taking care of myself. That's what, you know, I'm very lucky to have, be able to work for myself now. That's why I I think I encourage so many dudes, just fucking start some kind of business where you can work on your own schedule because it's a complete game changer. Like, your independence, um, skyrockets and it's just a better place to be.

Yeah, I mean, even if you're— and the world's changing too, and so even if you're not doing— because I still— a lot of the stuff I do, I'm still, you know, beholden to a schedule in some regard. If I'm, you know, if I'm doing, if I'm selling something for someone else or whatever it might be, right. Or even if you're, you know, we have guys that we train, you know, I'm beholden to them and there's still responsibilities that go along with that. And so even if they can't, you know, at the end of the day, you're never going to not have responsibilities, at least, you know, for a few. I mean, you can definitely set it up that way, especially with the internet. Internet, to minimize it as much as possible. And once you delegate and do things like that, but man, I would tell people, even if you are working for someone else, you can always fit those. That's the thing, dude. I've just been thinking about this so much, people's relationship with time and my relationship with time. Even if you are working for someone else, maybe you're working for them, you have the worst setup. You have an hour commute each and then you're gonna work from 9 to 5. So you're AWOL from, you know, 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM, right? And then obviously you have to sleep. And, um, but even that, dude, just like if you have something that you can do it and you enjoy it, maybe you come home and you make music for an hour, or you go surf for an hour in the morning, or you go train MMA, or you go lift doing those things and setting that up is going to be so, I mean, otherworldly beneficial that it's just, um, and it's so funny that we convince ourselves that we don't have time.

Or yeah, there's the thing, it's the reallocation of time. Most people wasting 2 hours a night watching TV, but it's like, cut out all that shit. You cut out 15-minute Instagram breaks 8 times a day, that's an extra 2 hours, you know, like down. That stuff turned into positive health habits wherever you're at in life. That's your first steps, right? And then you work on everything else. Do what you can, do the best you can in any situation as it is at the moment, and then work towards whatever it is you want.

100%, you know. And I am— I'm really big on, you know, it's funny too because as you get more of these things that think you want, you know, or what most people think that they want, or whatever, you know, money or material objects or women. Like, now I don't— I mean, I still— there's still a lot of things that I want, right? I'm not gonna say that I don't, but it's just really interesting now. Like, all I really care about is having the time and the, the freedom and independence so that I can do the hobbies that I like, you know. Yeah, like, I really, you know, I know you've been surfing recently, um, things like that, or skateboarding, or making music, or fighting. Like, that's really what, what I, you know, even care about and enjoy more than any of these other things, just because it's, it's tangible and it's real. And, um, yeah, it's just fun and enjoyable, man. And it's a type of fun and enjoyable enjoyable that allows you to be present with it. Whereas a lot of the, you know, when you get in these build-up and release mindsets with a lot of these things, you don't get as much enjoyment from it because then you're just scrambling to recreate it.

Yeah, it's, um, well, I think it's also just humans are meant to move all day, and when, like, life is just better when we're doing things that encourage movement. And most of the things you listed, you know, exercise or some creative hobby, it's, it's so needed now because everything is input-based rather than output-based. We have so much information coming in from social media, from TV shows, from movies, podcasts, music. Everything is input, input, input into our brains, cutting into that internal thought, that connection. You can't pay attention to yourself if you're constantly reacting to things outside of the body and outside of your mind. When you sit down and maybe you're busy doing a sport or when you're creating something, that's output-based. You're doing something in the physical world or drawing from the creative world, putting pen to paper, whatever it is, writing. That is almost an offset for the buildup of inputs that is so common now. It's just like your senses are assaulted in every form in built-up areas. Like, the music's on at the gym all the time, they're blasting the news in the fucking toilets, TVs, you know, loud noises, all of that. It's— your brain can't handle that.

Yeah, and I think— and you said, you know, you encourage every guy to start a business, like even more. And that's great, I do too. Um, but yeah, man, more than anything, I encourage people to create something. Yeah, because also too, you know, that leads to, to business, you know. Create for the sake of, of artistry and, and craftsmanship and having that mindset, because that's something I see too, you know. There, everybody gets, everybody thinks of— and this is, um, something that I took away from, um, from Colty Bra. He's one of my favorite people that posts content. Um, he, he posted something a long time ago that really, really stuck with me, was the idea of, you know, you can— like, he said, he said something along the lines of the— I used to make business decisions And then I realized that, you know, the better creative decisions I made, the better business decision they were, right? And, and basically that concept of just, you know, being unique and kind of coming from a place of genuine creation, whereas everybody's in a big rush now. And I think there's a lot of emphasis lost on— and even like, I think Bap talked about this, you know, talking about the— there's like, we've lost like an emphasis on true quality in craftsmanship and dedication to these things. And I think so the more that anyone can truly genuinely create and come from a place of— because it's really interesting too, I almost think our thoughts are chosen from for us to a sense of— because our thoughts really aren't our own thoughts. You are not your thoughts. They're the things that, that come to you. Yeah. And, you know, and this goes back into like the concept of, you know, the Akashic Records or, you know, whatever the hell you want to call it. But your thoughts are not your own. They come to you from this, this energetic web that we're all in. And the more you can open yourself up to that and, you know, really truly create from that no-mind kind of presence place— Tej also talks about this. You're, you're going to be way more fulfilled, and you're also gonna do way better in a business sense, you know. Like, whenever I try to manufacture business, business sucks. Whenever I let it come to me, it's, it's so much more fulfilling and easier and effective. Yeah, almost. And so really unique.

Everyone has a different energetic attachment to that source, and finding your creative voice. And no one paints the same, no one writes the same. Like, everyone has their own unique way of creating through their specific individual attachment to source energy. That the skill of itself, of tapping into that, letting the muse come to you, is, uh, it's— you can't copy that. And, you know, people try to copy it, but it just doesn't— you know, there's innovators, the people that just stay true to themselves and they have new ideas because because it's their stuff or their own unique way of doing things and they don't let other people's opinions or value assessments of what they think is cool or not or successful or not impact that. And that's where the big— you know, Apple, Steve Jobs was one of the biggest innovators ever. Now they're the biggest company ever, or one of the biggest companies ever. You know, these things— not every business is like that, of course, but Nike The same initially, it was a revolutionary, like, nicely made shoe for the time. Whether you can say that was a good thing now we've got everyone's feet and ankles are fucked up, which I'm sure you know. But yeah, it's the creation and staying true to yourself and your voice because no one else is going to be able to do that. That is going to bring your most individual success.

Yeah, man. And it's like And also too, when you, you can't really truly align yourself to your long-term vision, you'll never be fulfilled in your long-term vision if you don't do that. Because at the end of the day, if you get to that long-term vision through any other means, but that, was it really even your long-term vision? Probably not. You know, and it's, um, and it's, you know, it's kind of echoed through a lot of these things we've been talking about, I think. With, you know, your physical body in, in that awareness. And it's just like, it's the same concept there. You, at the end of the day, you're creating muscle. And the more that you can, you know, self-align yourself with that intuitively and understand your own body and your own health, the more you can create one that you truly want, right? And that's— I think it's— that's so funny to think about because of, you know, all of the— especially in the mainstream health space of, you know, the, the source kind of people, you know? Yeah. Uh, you can't, you can't create that from— and that's, you know, it's the same thing with business or with, or with girls. Like, a lot of, a lot of dudes are like thinking of these concepts rather and putting skin in the game and creating something, you know, and just being in tune and present with that and acting that way, you know, and coming from their own genuine place.

Yeah, 100%. It's just a skill, I guess, you hopefully learn. Like, once you understand that that's essentially the creative process, you can open yourself up to that. I also think, like, I know I go through cycles where I'm much more creative and then I'm not. And maybe those are, you know, lifestyle related, but I don't think you can be excessively creative every single day. Like, you can always do something, you can always write something, but there are times where you are just so much more creatively in flow, uh, that I don't know. What do you think? Do you think it's, uh, lifestyle based? Do you think it's— there are cycles What do you think?

So I think that a big piece of it— I agree with that, right? I have days where, you know, I'm tapped in, but I also think a lot of that is also, you know, associated with people's presence of— like, I think if you're not creative in that, I guess, zone it's probably because you're not. And it really goes back to that relationship with time that we're talking about. You know, like any time I think of myself where I'm like out of the creative space, it's because I'm drowning out my own input with, with other things. And I'm, and I'm too locked into other people's stuff, you know, or I'm, I'm too I have too much attachment towards, you know, what it's going to look like objectively, or— and it's almost like a form of judgment, I guess, which you definitely need that, right? You need some sort of lens. Otherwise, you know, you get a whole lot of— you get a big shithole of cringe, right? But like, I think it's more so like, I think you can be in that mode all the time. Time. It's just people have a misjudged— they're either too locked into other people's stuff or they have some sort of attachment to it. Like, for example, if a lot of— and I think this is why a lot of people on, on social media that, that want to build a business or something like that, they don't do well, is because they're— you're never going to create something good if your only intentions of it are, how is this going to do? You know, that's why the best people on, say, Twitter or Instagram, that's why everybody fucks with them, because they're coming from it from a place of true creation. So I think a lot of times you're definitely going to have up and down days, you know, and a lot of that too comes from your habits. You know, if I'm at the end of the day, if I'm not reading other people's stuff and I don't have attachment to it, it and I'm doing all the things health-wise that I know I need to do to feed into the person that I want to be, I rarely ever have these creative problems because there's an infinite flow of it. And so I would say it's more so lifestyle-based. And then the, you know, I can always trace back, trace back when I'm not in that mode or in my best, you know, my highest self. Self as form of expression to something I did at the end of the day. And so that's again why, so just building back on it, that's why I'm trying to just now get in a place where I'm routinely forcing myself to be that person in a sense of I wake up and I have that morning hour to myself to think nothing essentially, go watch a sunrise. You know, do these things, go work out, go get sun, you know, work on the things I have to work on, but I'm allotting that time to do so. And, you know, just not having attachments to it and just, um, yeah, I think that's, you know, been one of my, I guess, the biggest strengths that I've had going for me so far is I've been able to, you know, as long as I do those things, I can have a pretty good consistent creative output?

Yeah, I think, uh, it's just the natural human potential that everyone has, but it's so blocked by everything in our modern world, especially the phone, the like distraction, the distraction machine that everyone carries around with them, uh, every day, unfortunately. But you know, I've had hope, just like I have hope that all this nonsense is kind of wrapping itself up. I think I'm, I'm optimistic, more optimistic now that enough people are kind of had enough of all this bullshit that again, mass awakening kind of scenario.

Yeah, I mean, I like to, when I talk to people like you or, you know, my, my friends, I think the same. And then I, uh, but also how it works too is that's how you create some sort of mass awakening by not, not even entertaining, you know, some of this shit. It's been really, really interesting. You know, Florida is really, really open right now, um, but Miami is still— I mean, and it makes— it doesn't make sense, but it does make sense in the sense of, you know, it's a huge international city, so obviously it's going to be, you know, stricter than some of the more more rural places or smaller cities or things like that. But, um, it's really interesting, man, just to see the, the disparity of people's thought and, and how it aligns with, with all of these different things and just how much— and it's just that, that stuff, you know, black pills me. And so I just try to stay away from it as much as, as much as humanly possible and just don't even entertain it in my energy and then it can't really affect me. And I mean, which I guess is kind of a— and I sometimes I think that's a stupid mindset because it's part of the reason where we are, where we are today. Yeah. Um, is people like us ignoring this shit. Yeah. But, um, it's a, it's a tough balance.

Yeah, it is. And, you know, ideally you would aggressively stand up for all the things you really care about and like you try and logically refute people and say, oh no, this is actually why you're wrong. But none of that works for the most part. And I think there's a place for spreading the ideas. We still say stuff on Twitter, contributing to the mass, kind of just putting our opinion out there. I think that's important. You should always say that. But as far as like locally arguing, maybe, you know, You know, that's how things change in government. I'm sure if every single person that hated all this bullshit went to their local government offices every day and said, "This is bullshit," that things would change a lot quicker, honestly. Like, that's just the nature of things. But for the most part, most people have just accepted it and not written to their local government officials or whatever else because they think it's— there's no point in it. But every great political movement has started with one person, I guess. So I see both sides, and it's not like— I think maybe there's just pockets of your life where you focus more on that and say your part and do your civil obedience, uh, civil duty, uh, but simultaneously you can't let the hyper-emotionalized world of politics color your day-to-day life because then you just get nothing done. You're just letting all that negative energy into your state, which just fucks you up. And that's also why so many people are fucking stressed out these days.

Yeah, and I was, uh, I was talking to Lobo about this before he, he left here, and, um, we were having a conversation about all these things. And I think what we— and he brought this up and I agree with him— I think what we really need more than anything now is, is unity. And you were talking about that, you said some— you posted about that yesterday. Um, but even like a more like— that's yes, but at the same time, I think a lot of the people are so far gone, and it's really just a line of like, yeah, you know, some, some people are genuinely against everything I— that I believe, right? And I have no desire to even and, you know, rectify relationships in that stance. Yeah, it was more general.

Some people made that point and it was like, yes, there are some things which you just can't agree with and you have to work against. But for the most part, I think like people that identify as Democrat or Republican, they're not on those hard lines that you see exaggerated in the media.

And that's the more that I was Definitely, definitely. And I was just even more so, I was really even referring like a different kind of unity. Like, we need people and we need to harbor, you know, more in-depth relationships and more in-depth communities and, and get people to get— because right now, you know, you talk about like a great awakening, and I believe it's possible possible, but it's never going to be— like, right now we're so spread out, you know. Everybody is— me and you believing the same things when you're, you know, down under and I'm in Miami, doesn't— I mean, we can do our— we— and I think we have, you know, made a dent, but it's not really going to do anything at the end of the day because if everyone around you is negating your influence, like, locally or jurisdictionally, and then they're doing the same thing to me here, you know, it doesn't work. And so I think that's the next move for something like this, is, you know, really fostering community in that regard. Yeah. And building out something where like-minded people can, you know, really truly have something to belong to. It's starting on the internet, but it needs to get off the internet and exist in material reality.

Yeah, no, you're correct, and that is the next stage. And I think we shall see something emerge, uh, in the next 2 years or so, whatever that may be. Not sure yet, but I have high hopes, big dreams, and great expectations.

Yeah, me too. It's, uh, I'm really excited to see where everything goes, we gotta either— we gotta get them to open things up over there so we can get together and, you know, just get things rocking.

Yeah, man, I don't know what's gonna happen. They're currently saying no travel till 2022, so hopefully enough people kick up a fuss. I'm gonna be writing some letters, and yeah, I'm sure it'll figure itself out. You know, I have to stow away away, uh, on some ship and get out. Hypothetically. Hypothetically. That would, you know, this is all allegedly, of course. Um, all right, man, thanks so much for joining me again. Uh, Logue Fitz, everyone, thanks for joining me on this episode of the Soulcast. Really appreciate it, brother. Always a pleasure, dude.

Great chatting with you.

Um, yeah, happy to be here. Awesome, man. Um, cool. Well, thanks for listening, everyone at home, and we'll see you next time.