The first thing we tell new guys here is to STFU, start reading sidebar resources, and LIFT (not necessarily in that order). There is a good reason for all of those things separately, which have been covered repeatedly in posts here and askMRP. Today I'd like to talk to you maggots about the deeper reason those particular activities are all staples of the 'program', and what ties them all together: self-esteem.

Now, I'm not talking Stuart Smalley daily self-affirmation stuff here, and I'm certainly not giving out participation trophies. I'm talking about true, genuine positive self-concept, which has always, and can only be built on honest achievement. If you've washed up on our shores here, odds are you don't have much positive self-concept, and probably could use some basic empowering achievements.

We tell you to lift because you don't like how your body looks. You're fat, you're weak, you're unhealthy. You get winded moving furniture. You take elevators up one floor instead of the stairs. You know you should do better, and you don't. Cue bad feelings, poor self-concept.

We tell you to read because you lack the knowledge of how things are and how you should cope with that. You fail shit tests, you get taken advantage of, you are not in control of your time, of your life. Your philosophy is broken with predictably disastrous results. Cue bad feelings, poor self-concept.

We tell you to STFU because you play the victim, you overshare your fee-fees, you ruin any respect people might have had for you. As you learn, you want to get validated: Look, I'm figuring it out! Don't do that. If you do, you'll undo your progress. Cue bad feelings, poor self-concept.

I'm smiling imagining those of you who, as you read this, knee-jerk reject the whole notion. "I'm not low self-esteem! I like myself just fine, it's the World that isn't fair! It's the World that doesn't recognize my value!" Don't kid yourself. You don't have any value until you make some.

I know you have low self-esteem or you wouldn't be in the mess you're in. You wouldn't take the shit you do from your family, your boss, your friends, your WIFE. So follow the program. Get fit, get educated, and for the love of all that's unholy, STFU. Then you'll start to actually LOVE YOURSELF. The rest is just noise.

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