My future is awesome!

TakeActionNow

Respected Member
I watched a documentary on youtube called facing the fat.
This awesome young man water faster 55 days, even with exercise and people surrounding him w food and eating.

3/4 way in was an interview with a doctor.
He said that many people failed at dieting because they started, and gave in, and binged.
And they considered themselves failures so they even binged harder.
This is exact same the plight of many addicts.

The voice in our head is so so very important.
It cannot be negative
It cannot be giving up
It must encourage and motivate

This is the inner voice we all must cultivate.
Externally, we must cultivate an attitude of effort, never laziness
 

TakeActionNow

Respected Member
Pain and sadness is not having what I hoped for
but how can i have something that I've never put in effort for ?
and how can i know i'm doing the right thing without feedback?

I must do/ask/seek what I want
only then will I be accountable for myself
only then will I receive feedback if what i want is reasonable
only then will I find balance

Any "relationship" that does not give me feedback is a relationship that does not exist
Only real relationships matters
Everything else is self make belief



 

TakeActionNow

Respected Member
My journey to job improvement has taught me alot about the human nature.

Reboot made me face up to all my challenges.
I took this same attitude to work and did the same.
I was completely open w my boss on all my challenges and he helped me face them.
In return i learned many new skills and ideas and gain confidence and respect for myself.
On the other hand my colleague who refused all help, feedback and closed up, got worse and worse until he imploded and was eventually fired.

This taught me a few things:
1. If we were closed and self centered we can never improve
2. Improvement requires absolute openness and feedback
3. There are solutions in reality. But you have to work on finding them
4. Effort is rewarding
5. Seeing things clearly (not swimming in imagination) helps you identify the best solution
6. Confidence and expertise in one area of life flows into confidence in other areas of life.

In facing up to challenges, we learn one very important skill: differentiating between what is real and what is false/make believe.
Heaps of things in our head are false.
And wrong notions only lead to wrong outcomes.
So learning to face and deal with reality is the best and only way to live in reality. Everything else is false and will never come true.
 
T

Totte

Guest
It?s a wall of text but all the words have a meaning.
Like reading what you think and feel.
 

TakeActionNow

Respected Member
Thanks Tom. Hope you're doing great too!

I missed her.
Looking at her picture i still feel some pain and longing. I was seeking love.
And i realized what i needed to give myself the most was self love.
And with that i can move on again.

Proper Self love will lead us out of pain and attachment
 
T

Totte

Guest
TakeActionNow said:
Thanks Tom. Hope you're doing great too!

I missed her.
Looking at her picture i still feel some pain and longing. I was seeking love.
And i realized what i needed to give myself the most was self love.
And with that i can move on again.

Proper Self love will lead us out of pain and attachment

You are so right in this!
What steps did you Take to get to self love.
T
 

TakeActionNow

Respected Member
Hi Tom, a simple way to start is figuring out what we have been doing that is not self love (self hurt):
. External dependence for self affirmation (ignoring self)
. Being overly harsh and demanding on self (self hurt)
. Expecting perfection (blocking sense of achievement)
. Expecting outcomes that are imaginary based (blocking realism)
. Not taking note and care of emotional needs (blocking feelings)
. Not having self discipline to see through goals (blocking success)
. Not accrediting proper acknowledgement for achievements (blocking self pride)
Etc

So to self love is simply to recognize all of the above and do the opposite!

So gratitude diary is super important.
It is self time.
It helps us to internalize and give thanks to all that we have done and received and be grateful for.
It teaches us to see the world clearly and recognize all the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives, what we have instead of what we don't.
Attitude is everything.
When we are happier, every experience becomes better.
 

TakeActionNow

Respected Member
Well its clear.
Seeking pleasure only leads to indulgence, dependency, weakness and cravings
Its me me me

Seeking growth and giving is more rewarding.
Its win win and it feels better.
There is good self pride and respect and care and love.
It may be less easy, but its more sustaining.
Whereas easy things leaves me feeling hollow and unsatiated.

Keep growing.
 

TakeActionNow

Respected Member
More about self love:

Like the girl i love desperately and want to do anything to win over, this is the attitude i should do to win myself over.

And so begins the journey to take care of myself properly.

If she looks great in my eyes, i need to learn to look great in my own eyes

If she has attitude and behavior that i admire, i need to find my attitude and behavior within myself that i admire

If i aim to care for her well, i need to learn to care for myself well too.

Basically i need to love myself as i would love another.
 

TakeActionNow

Respected Member
One thing nice about reboot, i think I'm noticing and taking better care of my emotions now.
Since there's no recourse for quicky eacape, i am aware and taking better steps to manage.
This means I'm also better at recognizing and addressing issues
Better is better
 

DavS

Active Member
Thank you for all your contributions. I am only on my third day. Already I'm worried about flatline, and my own capacity for denial and rationalization. Porn seems like an escape, but it feeds on you. I know that I've used it to escape feelings of stress, guilt and negative feelings about myself, exactly like an addict using to escape the plight caused by his addiction. All the while denial and rationalization, to protect the addiction, facilitate the downward spiral.
 

TakeActionNow

Respected Member
Hi Dave, thank you.

Please dont worry. In fact, you're already ahead. Because you already know what are the most important points :
What you are doing  (escape and denial)
What you are escaping from.
Therefore, flatline is the least of your concerns.

Stay focused on recovering your mind and spirit.
Denial is good because it focuses on what you really need instead of what you want.
Facing challenges head on is realistic. You gradually understand yourself better and begin to operate in your optimal zone.
Eventually when your mind and spirit are strong again, so will your body and the fella down there.

Its a whole package, and theres nothing but goodness coming out of this program.
 

DavS

Active Member
  Thanks for the support.
  Day 4, flatline starting, but it's ok with me right now. I guess it's good my brain is starting to heal.
  It's great to communicate in a space where the truth is accepted: Internet porn is not ok because everyone is doing it, if you act like an addict, feel like an addict, and it's wrecking your life - you are an addict. The fact that it's horribly prevalent changes nothing. My marriage has been so damaged by this, and that's the worst part.
  All I can do is take it one day at a time, and keep reaffirming my commitment. I have to be honest with myself first. It's so easy for my addiction to take over my thought process! That's why I've always failed in the past. I want my innocent self back!
 

DavS

Active Member
  I wonder if other men have this experience? I start with good motivation, and make promises to my partner and myself. Somewhere down the road I have some very hard experience, and get really stressed. I don't feel good about my self. I feel guilty, and have trouble having an orgasm the old fashioned way. Then my commitment, my values, my promises somehow get talked down by my addiction. " Just this one time and I'll be able to sleep. I can handle it, not let it get out of control. Everybody does it. It'll be good to clear out my prostate. I don't want to get prostate cancer!"
  I feel like it's almost schizophrenic. A part of me has no respect for my values, or my commitments. How can I win against the hijacking of my thought process? My hope now is that the rebooting will give my respectable self an advantage against this hijacking addiction.
 

mousemat1

Well-Known Member
Hi Daveosh.

Yes, I have experienced the same thought cycle. I think it's probably a common pattern among addicts. You often read of people who have a stressful event and they start to binge eat. The dopamine receptors need their hit and food does it. It's a similar story with alcohol and drugs.

My approach to stressful events is to just try to experience them as clearly as possible. I don't try to ignore them or mask them with another activity. I really try to reflect on them. Being present with these thoughts helps me to avoid returning to diversion tactics like using porn.

You don't need to clear out your prostate. I don't think there is any evidence that not doing so will result in prostate cancer. You can read anecdotal stories on the internet but how reliable is the internet?

Relapses are part of the reboot process. Just reset and start again. Good luck! We can beat this!  :)
 

TakeActionNow

Respected Member
Hi Dave and Mouse,
so good to have you guys here.

We are complex creatures.
Physically we have to manage the conditions of our body, our emotions, our exchange with our environment
Psychologically we have to manage our thoughts, our memories, our desires/expectations and our ongoing experiences.
Its a very dynamic environment, things are constantly changing/evolving and therefore to expect that things will go smoothly as we wish is therefore very unlikely.

Do not be too hard on yourself.
Everyday is different. As long as you keep to your path, you will get there one day.

===

So how do we move forward with confidence and clarity?
I feel the conversation in our head is the most important.
We need to find and apply only the correct language and conversation.
Our reality is based on this conversation.

Next we need to connect with our emotions
This is the other language in our body that uses no words, but communicates a lot.

Together these 2 dialogues will help guide us through the waters of change clearly and smoothly.

===

The first step is to define your values
Know what you want in life and how to get it
define the language and conversation in your head that best helps you get there.

The second is let go.
Everything is changing. Holding on to the past or anything that is not real is only going to cause more hurt and pain.
Learn only to hold on to that which is kind helpful beneficial to your wellbeing and growth.
Selfishness and self centeredness is harmful. Learn to let go of these and become more selfless, and generous and forgiving towards others, and yourself.

Finally is focus.
Identify activities that are beneficial to you.
Engage in them fully. Keep recognizing yourself. Learn to love and respect yourself deeply.

===

I too feel sorry and needy and dependent some times.
These are the conversations in my head.
They are telling me something is not right. That's all.
Now is the fun part of deciding what is the best process to solve these.

Our past habits or reactions have lead us to our place here today.
Mouse is right that we now need to face them instead of running away like we did before.
We can keep using ineffective old ways or find effective new ones.
It may not be comfortable in the beginning but as with change, in time we will become better and improve.
Give yourself the love and respect to do what is beneficial.
Have clarity by writing down and reminding what is important to you and your long term goals.

Focus on improving your inner conversation.
Find and hear the kind and loving voice within you gently guiding you towards strength, courage, and independence.
 

TakeActionNow

Respected Member
I wonder if pmo is the root or the result of a neediness complex.
Regardless, i must develop inner strength and resilience, and courage to overcome adversity.

Yearning for something i cant have only makes me suffer more and feel more inadequate.

I am not appreciating what i have and is only looking at what i don't have. This is wrong.

Strenght comes from what i have.
I will continue to develop that
 

DavS

Active Member
  Don't forget what an unnatural stimulation high speed internet porn is. Our brains didn't evolve to cope with such a thing. So we got overwhelmed.
  I don't fully understand this part, but apparently the guilt and risk involved make the experience more intense, and you get more dopamine.
 

TakeActionNow

Respected Member
Nope.
We cannot blame our decisions on availability.
We own the responsibility for our self care.

Forget dopamine
Forget technology

The real world has all that we need.
If we are not getting from the real world either we are lazy or delusional.

Take personal.ownership of our lives.
Be the man we want ourselves to be.
 
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