Your brain is addicted to stimulation.

Social media. Human drama.
Sugar, salt, and internet porn.

Most of us live in a cycle of hyper-stimulation, mitigated only by numbing ourselves, and then starting all over again the next day.

The concept of "being alone with your thoughts" has turned into a meme, joking about the experience of feeling literal stress and terror within our own minds.

One of my best friends in the world is someone whose ability to experience absolutely NONE of the aforementioned stress is incredibly impressive to me.

As people, we couldn't be more different.

Well, we could. We're both white males, we both have significant qualms with societal standards, and we both have used entrepreneurship and fitness as ways to find some inkling of control over our little slices of reality.

But in terms of goals and demeanor, we are vastly different people.

This is, I believe, part of why we're such good friends. I learn constantly from him, and I hope he'd say the same.

My friend(Scott is his name) possesses a quality that has been infinitely valuable for me as I try to model it: the power of attention.

The simplicity he seems to have in making major decisions.

For action takers, one of the most frustrating experiences is the seemingly endless inner back-and-forth from friends and family who can't make decisions.

They can't break up with their abusive partner.

They can't pick which "genius" business idea to take massive action on.

They ruminate and argue with themselves over a decision that, in their microcosm of the universe, seems MASSIVE.

The truth is that the most successful people have a graveyard of "failure" behind them.

Hundreds of shitty videos.
Years of businesses that ended up as failures.
Years of relationships that crashed and burned for one reason or another.

Losers look at this and see time wasted.

Winners see a person on an inevitable path to success, because... like Yoda said:

"Do, or do not. There is no TRY."

You win, or you lose. And if you never give up, you CAN NOT LOSE.

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What has to change:

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In his dating endeavors, Scott never seems to get caught in this trap. He makes decisions swiftly and simply, without the endless rumination.

He doesn’t hate the ex. He doesn’t even scorn the ex.

He accepts that it’s silly to try to emotionally control another person, or demean them in mind….

Because that’s HIS energy.

To be spent on HIS joy.

HIS future.


The same goes for business.

I’ve spent many years trying to “find my groove.” This is a vulnerable thing for me to admit.


At the time of writing this, I’ve been coaching for almost 7 years. In that time I’ve leaped from YouTube to Instagram to Twitter to Reddit… trying to build presence and experiencing frustration at the amount of time it seems to take….

And the lack of progress it seems to bring.

I’ll make YouTube videos consistently for a week then stop. I’ll make daily short videos on TikTok for a couple weeks, and then bounce once again to another platform.

My friend has stuck to making YouTube videos for all of that time. Celebrating the 10 thousand view days. Staying disciplined through the 10 view days.

He’s amassed a little over 9,000 subscribers and we’ll over 1 million video views.

He’s not overthinking it.

While most of us live a life expecting fast gratification and massive external feedback IMMEDIATELY…. There’s a simple quality in the winners:

They quiet the monkey mind, and act.

I’m writing this as a bit of a note-to-self. At the time of writing this it’s May 21st, 2024.


I’ve booked an apartment in Costa Rica for a month with the idea of clearing distractions and getting focused.


I think back to the focus sprint of 2017, when my focus was iron-clad. I was physically the strongest I’ve ever been. I was operating 3 businesses and profiting deliciously in all of them.


And none of it was rocket science. I was just maintaining a few principles that I’d like to remind myself of. Luckily, I have my past to model as well as some incredibly successful people in my life.


Let’s talk practices, and since I’m coming from a place of not being a master personally… I invite conversation.


Drop a comment, tell me what’s worked for you.

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The baseline: know what you want.

It’s impossible do anything with this information without having absolute clarity on what it is that you want to create for yourself.

While this may be beneficial as a general guideline for “improving your focus” and “improving your mental health,” you’re going to find a world of opportunity on the other side of masterful goal setting.

In a nutshell, this means starting with macro-level clarity on your health/fitness/career/relationships/mindset….. down to the granular exacts.

If you’d like some help with this, I’m in the process of writing a book that I consider to be a fast track to self development by following a series of powerful journey exercises that have been transformational for me.

Chapter 1 walks you through creating these granular goals. I’d be honored if you would be willing to give me some feedback on it. Send me an email if you’re interested: zach@veganstrongfit.com

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The Mental Diet

Modern man is addicted to stimulation.

Once, mankind operated from the desire to innovate in a world with so much to discover. Information was rare; it was a privilege before it became a commodity.

Now, it’s become a liability.

The vast majority of humans today are not capable of controlling their attention.

Despite constant, seemingly unexplainable exhaustion and a total lack of focus and impulse control, the idea that “too much information” could be the problem isn’t even considered by the average sufferer.

You probably relate to the justification for endless scrolling being chalked up in your mind to “finding something that will help you.” But you don’t know what it is, and you probably don’t even know what problem you’re trying to solve.

It’s all based on a hunger for positive feedback chemicals in your brain.

A mental diet involves consciously deciding to let go of negative thoughts and emotions.

When faced with a stressful situation or a piece of bad news, instead of reacting with anxiety or frustration, you acknowledge the issue and choose to deal with it without attaching emotional weight.

It’s about handling life with a calm and composed mindset. In many cases, letting go of the need to “handle” anything at all.

How To Make It Work For You

- Reject Negative Information:

On the surface, the next step is relatively easy to carry out.

Consciously avoid consuming news, social media, or conversations that bring negativity into your life.

You have to get into the habit of ACTIVELY analyzing whether information is:

1. In your sphere of control.
2. In your sphere of influence.
3. Totally out of your hands.

This is a difficult concept for most people to grasp because MOST of what we’re concerned with on a regular basis is either only in our sphere of influence, or totally out of our control.

Let me keep it a buck:

Most peoples lives are boring as fuck. Thus, we have a tendency to create urgency/scarcity/and desperation in an attempt by our subconscious mind to create meaning.

The first step of a mental diet is actively rejecting information that doesn't serve us... even if we feel like we NEED it (i.e. national/international news).

- Neutralize Negative Reactions-
When negative thoughts or feelings arise, practice observing them without judgment and letting them pass without getting emotionally involved.

Your feelings HAVE to be in your control. You have to practice actively noticing the way that you feel, and providing a new... more POSITIVE narrative in order to get your mindset back-on-track.

-Wire Your Brain to Focus on Solutions-
Shift your focus to finding solutions and taking constructive actions. This step is nearly the exact same in practice as neutralizing negative reactions.

If you've ever read "The Easy Peasy Method For Quitting Porn," you know the feeling of getting to the end of a book and wondering wtf you just read.

"WTF are the steps though?"

It's to decide you want to change, and be aware of your thoughts in relation to the change.

You HAVE to acknowledge that once you commit to this process, it's going to take work in every second of everyday. Every single moment is a chance for you to become the master of your thoughts, or be controlled by them.

It's incredibly simple, but it is not easy: notice your thoughts, and actively shift them.

This is where the next step becomes a powerful tool for mental mastery.

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Moments of Presence

Meditation is often hailed as one of the most powerful tools for massive mindset transformation. Whether you're trying to stop being so reactive, or you're trying to beat addiction.... 99/100 the identity shift is based on rewiring your tendency to rely on massive stimulation as a bandaid for your problems.

The doom scroller experiences stress in their intimate relationship and scrolls the pain away.

The alcoholic has a conversation at work that makes the future of their job seem at risk, and they need to drink a few beers as soon as they get home.

Both of these individuals have automatic reactions of utilizing substances or massive sensory stimuli to essentially avoid the emotional pain.

The idea of "moments of presence" is just to do the opposite.

Sit with it. Exist in the discomfort.

Rewire your brain to recognize that pain happens for a reason.

Your relationship needs work.

You need more skills or job opportunities in order to make your career one that's not constantly at risk.

You're reframing the automatic program from one that relies on escapism(or more correctly termed "avoidance behaviors), to facing that shit head on.

"Through it, not over it." -Dory, Finding Nemo

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Some Ideas On How I Do It(and How You Can Too).

The bottom line is you need to make the time. Simply practicing stillness allows you to become comfortable in your own mind, and more capable facing your fears/doubts/discomforts in order to let them flow through you.

**Side Note**
I'm a big believer in the "Letting Go" Method, from Dr. David Hawkins. I've made a few videos about that in the past which I'll link here:


Take the time, and take it often.

Making it part of your schedule is the best way to make it a habit, and the following ways are good examples that I HIGHLY encourage you to use:

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- Morning Routine:

Start your day with 20 minutes of meditation. You may have to start with just 2 or 3 minutes and work up from there. That's totally fine. You're not going to be perfect at first, but even just a minute or two with the intention of doing it for longer periods sets the intention that this is important and it's now habitual.

Do the same thing with journaling. You're practicing brain dumping, which gives your thoughts the respect they deserve(putting them somewhere concrete and forever), and making space for the new.

Making this a habit also creates space in your day to leverage all the new journaling practices you will inevitably learn now that this is a regular practice for you.

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- Evening Routine:

Do the same thing. Make time to meditate and make time to journal. Both practices create space in your mind. Both practices allow you to deliberately fill your mind in ways that are most empowering to YOU.

**Side Note**
I'm currently writing a book that's intended to be the end-all self-development book for self-actualizers on the journey to building epic physical/financial/intimate states of being.

I'm doing this by having the book focus on action steps. Essentially, it's 90% journaling prompts, and only 10% my own ideas/philosophy/motivation for you.

If you're looking for a place to start journaling in a way that's intentional, I'd like to invite you to try the first chapter for free. Email me at zach@veganstrongfit.com and say "give me the journal."

“Stop thinking, and end your problems.
What difference between yes and no?
What difference between success and failure?
Must you value what others value,
avoid what others avoid?
How ridiculous!

Other people are excited,
as though they were at a parade.
I alone don't care,
I alone am expressionless,
like an infant before it can smile.

Other people have what they need;
I alone possess nothing.
I alone drift about,
like someone without a home.
I am like an idiot, my mind is so empty.

Other people are bright;
I alone am dark.
Other people are sharp;
I alone am dull.
Other people have purpose;
I alone don't know.
I drift like a wave on the ocean,
I blow as aimless as the wind.

I am different from ordinary people.
I drink from the Great Mother's breasts.”
― Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching

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Check out the video version of this article: