I do apologize for this post beforehand. If there was a "Daily Thread", or something of the like, I would have gladly posted there instead of creating a new thread.

tl;dr I found MGTOW - led to inner peace - I want to thank you guys

I am a reformed TRP indoctrinated individual. Since undergrad, I followed all of the social cues and expectations that led to having sex (joining a fraternity, drinking excessively, taking out student loans for cars, etc). I never once acknowledged the fact that I was surrounded by people, but was really alone.

All of those people that I thought I grew close to; it was merely superficial. The majority of my frat brothers, girls, and friends are gone now. I don't miss them. It wasn't until recently that I understood why. All of those acquaintances were for the pursuit of vagina. All of the "accomplishments" that I had before this year were aimed to pad my vaginal resume; lists of things that I would brag about during encounters (engineering degree bro, I lyft heavy bro, look at my things bro). These things all looked good on paper, but I was never fulfilled. I never looked at myself in the mirror happily and I never patted myself on the back . To be honest, I just decayed slowly internally as I sought out Long Term Relationships (LTR) in order to fill the void that I thought I had.

Luckily I found this subreddit after my last girl ghosted me completely. I was perusing r/TRP to find out why. I sought refuge in their message; "All women are like that bro, you just lost frame mate, be the 20% my guy". It just didn't make sense anymore. I just couldn't come to terms that I wasn't doing all of the things required: I lifted weights 6x/week, great job, excelled at conversation, practiced kino, the works. I continously went through the cycle every week - Tinder>Sex>Depression. I thought it would continue ad infinitum until I would find my unicorn, settle down, have kids, and retire. But there was just this one day where I cracked - I just cried in my room because I felt that I was a failure; that no woman would ever love me. This depressed state lasted a couple of weeks and was followed by an anger that is hard to put into words. I remember not the words, but the realization that I had at the end of that ordeal; "Fuck women." That sentiment led to a google search of "monk mode", after seeing someone post it one day, which led me to a post on r/mgtow. This was just the catalyst.

I don't know how long I spent on the computer that day, but I assure you that I read every top post for the last year (slight stretch). It just made so much sense to me. The fact that all of the choices I made beforehand was vaginally related forced me into an unnatural state. This sub helped me realized that my own happiness is infinitely more fulfilling than 15 minutes of sloppy sex followed by weeks of unjustified spending on a woman for the chance to do it again. It led me to pick my trumpet back up - an instrument I left behind because it was "nerdy". I started to read again, lift weights for fun, and hiking. Waking up every morning early well rested with no hangovers: no more long nights, no more texting for hours about feelings, no more skyping with my "plates" to keep them spinning. Everyday I got to wake up, do what I enjoy, then watch the sunrise. I now have very good friends that share my interests and would do anything for me - I love those guys.

I wish I could quantify the extent to which your stories and posts have affected me positively. The truth is I can't. Every man here has his own version of his path and this is not a movement. There is no leader that I can thank for guiding me, there is no set of instructions that I have found here, and there is no one post that has offered enlightenment. However, there is an idea that endures throughout every sentiment here; "Find what makes you happy, then do it." That is the message that I have received from you guys, and that is why I thank you.

Regards