A dude messaged me about an old post I made and I answered some of his questions. Thought I'd share with you guys my personal changes from over a year of meditation and personal growth, and to simply give a different perspective:

Hey 5/16/2016 Direct message from (Private) Hey man, I saw a post you'd made on TRP a while back about meditation. How is that going for you? Have you still found that mindfulness helps with social anxiety? I appreciate any tips or advice you have. Thanks!

re: Hey 8:38 PM Sent to (Private) Great you saw that post man. I've been meditating for over a year now and I can say that my life has made a 180 from learning to be present. Honestly so much has changed in how I perceive the world that I can't even list the changes I've gone through. A very important value that I got out of it is to be my own person, without judgment of other people and to be open. I look back at TRP now and I'm just like, "Damn. It's not a bad tool to start with use but ultimately if taken too deeply it can fuck up how you view people and relationships." (P.S. To readers: I know that statement may make you feel butt hurt but keep reading. What I mean by this statement is to learn from sources, yes, but ultimately drop those beliefs to assert what is useful to you.) I learned to be open and vulnerable, allowing myself to get stronger by not putting up any mental walls when I interact with people. Because of that, so many opportunities have opened up for me. The most important thing it's taught me as far as living my day to day is that I'm enough as a person and there's nothing outside of myself that can "improve" me- it's just a matter of getting out of your own way to find personal growth. If you rely on things such as SMV too much to get women without having your inner core as a man being solid, it's pointless and you're ultimately fucked because you can't even truly CONNECT with your woman by doing gimmicky shit like "dread game" to make her want you more (P.S. To readers: What I mean by this is that you are using "tools" outside of yourself instead of relying on your masculine core, check out Way of the Superior Man.) You attract what you are, not what you want.

re: Hey 6:37 AM Direct message from (Private) Yeah man, thanks for the reply. When you talk about being present more, do you try to do that throughout the day? Like when you're at work and you find your thoughts wandering, how do you correct that? Focus on your surroundings, or the breath or something?

re: Hey 10:53 AM Sent to Feelinggood702 The thing is on a more extreme aspect people usually zone out on their day to day lives and begin to daydream without paying attention to what's around them. On a lesser extent, constant judging of things and people occur (like-dislike). A good way of practicing presence is to just experience things just as they are without putting mental labels on them (driving in your car, feeling your body on the car seat, looking at the road without thinking so much about other events in your life). This way, when you actually think, you have an "inner" knowing that you're thinking and if it's an unhelpful thought that gives you a negative emotion you stop thinking it. When you find your thoughts wandering it's not a matter of judging that your thoughts are doing that. You simply realize that you're daydreaming, and gently put your attention back to what's around you. It's hard at first because our minds are constantly in repetitive thinking mode that you will soon realize that you're back in thinking. Don't be disappointed. Gently bring your attention back to what's around you. This is the ESSENCE of meditation. For practice, as you read this, you may be having mental images or judgments about what you're reading. Try to read this again without putting any labels on these words. Just pay attention to just as they are.

re: Hey 10:58 AM Sent to Feelinggood702 I can say with 100% certainty that mindfulness/presence is what's turned my life around to a life of general well-being and happiness, with assertion and ambition as a man to achieve the things I want to achieve. Like with women now for example I just act completely myself without pulling any gamey shit and just being comfortable in my skin and I garner so much attraction it's crazy. If you want to really turn your life around only you can do that. Learn to meditate. Learn to overcome your mental boundaries that long term fucks up your chances for success. Learn to become open. The book The Power of Now is the first thing that tremendously helped me to be present. Here's a free copy: http://www.baytallaah.com/bookspdf/51.pdf

Feel free to ask if you have any questions.