Focus Shift

@Yarco I'm glad you found the video to be informative, it's a topic I've wanted to explore for some time. Although I do think social media doesn't help with our social lives, there's still plenty of ways to meet really conscious and aware people if you know where to look and put yourself out there. I'd just like to go back to the 80s or 90s for a bit for the music lol That's awesome that you're into Dr. K too by the way!!

I've been watching Leo's content since 2015, and it's been an incredible experience watching the evolution of topics on the channel, from more noobie personal development, to intermediate, to advanced topics like consciousness. However, the more practical episodes I've seen here and there in recent years are incredibly rich and insightful. Although we may realize that reality is a matrix, it is still important to know how to navigate it to avoid being exploited. True, we are one consciousness, but from a relative standpoint it is still important to stand up for yourself and set boundaries. A Christian saying for this is "Telling the truth in love." I just wanted to express my appreciation for the more practical videos in addition to the mind expanding ones. I look forward to the video on how to set boundaries and not be a doormat!!

I wanted to give some thoughts on Leo's "How To Get Laid" series. Overall, it was incredibly insightful to watch, as someone who struggles with this aspect of personal development the most (Dating and Relationships, hookups aren't my thing). To give some background, I am 23 years old, and haven't had much success with dating in recent years. A year ago, I read Models by Mark Manson, after getting ghosted by someone I had strong feelings for. The first few chapters of Models made me cry, however, as I progressed through the book I started to realize that these were "Models" I could start to observe and practice, such as having a low investment strategy (having the confidence to ask someone out when you feel a connection, not being a pen pal for a century) showing interest, social cues, where to meet people you like, etc. I started going out to meet people as regularly as I could afford to, with varying results, which I have to admit was frustrating at times given the pandemic (now that things are opening up a bit, I recommend taking advantage of that as much as you can, depending on your circumstances). I took dancing classes, yoga, went to artsy events, and shows of local bands. Dancing was tough because I didn't really connect with anyone, it felt weird being the only guy in class. There was one time in yoga I had the guts to go up and talk to this cute redhead, but I assumed she would be in the next class, so I didn't ask for her info (which bit me in the ass). It might be worth trying to meet people through a yoga class, but if you decide to do this, you have to go consistently (weekly or biweekly) which can get a little pricy if you do it every week (roughly 20 USD a class), and show up early to have a chance to have a conversation with someone. Another problem I found with yoga was I would rarely see people my age. Classes mostly had people in their 30s or above, so you have to be a bit strategic with this, go to all the classes, and figure out which ones have the age group you fit in. I've noticed early mornings on weekends tend to have people closer to my age (this is my experience, it could be different for you). If you want to meet someone this way, you have to be consistent and strategic (don't just blatantly hit on someone and make them uncomfortable, also, be sure to stare at everyone's ass for an equal amount of time to "just learn the pose" ). Personally, I found that events and local music shows are the best way to meet someone. You're already in a place with people of similar taste, so it's really easy to connect with them. You can just ask who's playing tonight, what genre of music they like, etc. (if you ever wonder what to say next just use mirroring and repeat 1 to 3 words they just said). Local shows are also a great opportunity because in between bands it's a good time to socialize. If you're early, it's a good time to socialize when the doors open as well. Local shows are also cheap! 10, 15, 20 bucks a show tops, usually 10 or 15 though. Hippy type events can also be a great way to meet spiritual people as well (though the access to these varies depending on where you live, I had to drive from CT to NY and NJ to go to these). This is where I would like to offer some feedback on the "How to Get Laid" series. Leo has a background in Pickup, where men "cold call" women essentially. From my perspective, there's nothing wrong with this per se, it can even be a good way to build confidence and overcome fear of rejection. I did something similar last year, if I saw someone I thought was really attractive, I would just ask her out and give my card (with my number on it). This helped me overcome fears of rejection (that I would get #metoo'd and my life would be ruined). Although I didn't get any dates this way, I was pleasantly surprised to discover they would blush instead. The problem with talking to any random, beautiful woman on the street is that it is not precise. How do you know you have anything in common? Or that you have similar values and life goals? You just find her attractive. I admire that Leo did this so many times, it must have been extremely tedious and demoralizing. However, doing this hundreds of times seems like a large time investment (counter to Manson's low investment strategy). The biggest takeaway I got from this series, was that I need to intentionally go out and be more social, on a consistent basis. When I plan my week every Sunday, I deliberately make going out a priority, finding out what's going on that week. Leo even mentioned that throwing events and parties is a really good way to meet someone. Even though naturally you could say I'm an introverted person, which is the case for a lot of intellectually minded people (and a bit of a curse at times). We still have this yearning for social connection. In my experience, going somewhere with intention is a way better strategy for meeting someone to date. Over the course of the last year, I asked out a dozen girls, and went on 2 dates in the winter (It didn't work out for personal reasons I won't go into, but it's progress from 0 dates over 2 years previous LOL). Finding places where you find people you like will make this process easier, and more fun as well. I just wanted to provide some thoughts on this subject because it's one that I struggle with, and am quite passionate about (I even made a documentary about it last summer). To anyone reading this (especially if you're a young guy like me) I have a great deal of compassion for your circumstance. It can be quite painful, and even embarrassing to put yourself out there at times, but it sure beats staring at a screen for hours a week, hoping that someone will finally swipe right on you. To close, I recommend giving meetup.com a try and seeing what's near you, spend a few hours one weekend finding what's closest, and what you are most passionate about. If you have any thoughts on this subject I'd love to hear any of your suggestions, and to share your journey as well, especially if you're trying to navigate dating in your 20s.

@itachi uchiha This guy!!! Agreed! There is healthy and unhealthy tendencies in every stage of the spiral. There is healthy integration of orange, appropriate use of rationality, and there is also healthy integration of compassionate, "hippy" green values. Every stage is important for individual, societal, and global development.

No matter our position in life, dealing with people can be a source of immense frustration. In this video, we will explore various patterns in ourselves and others to more effectively navigate the human ego. Robert Greene gives us the tools to more carefully observe others, and more importantly, ourselves. By recognizing the needs of others, and understanding their perspective, we become indispensable. We also explore Mark Manson's Subtle Art of not Giving a Fuck, in which we explore our values to find what's important in life.

I'm 23 years old, my skillsets are in video editing, 3D animation, music, pretty much anything related to multi media. After the spring semester of 2018, I dropped out of college to create an animated series. It didn't pan out and I felt horribly depressed for six months. After dealing with some mental health issues I found stability in some freelance work and various projects. However, lately I've felt frustrated because everything feels like a time suck from everything else. If I work on freelancing and making content for others, I get paid, but that takes away time from creating content for my channel (and it's not enough to even move out and be on my own, 10,000 dollars or so a year). If I create content for the YouTube channel to build an audience for the more ambitious projects, that takes time from 3D animation, etc. Sometimes I'm unsure about whether or not I should have gone to school for 3D animation, however the average salaries of graduates of those schools aren't that good, and I feel my skillset is decent enough to where I wouldn't have to go back. Leo once mentioned that 3D modelers/animators make 50 to 100 dollars an hour, and that just blows my mind. In the long term, having my own content would feel better, building a community, providing value and thought provoking insights, while making a living. Freelancing has a more immediate pay off, although I don't know how to find clients who would be serious enough to pay me thousands of dollars or more per project, so I could move out and live on my own. My end goal is to create an animated series, but that is very time consuming, would require a lot of funding, and a team of highly dedicated people on board. 3D animation is what I'm most passionate about, but I'm unsure how I'd make my own vision full time. If anyone has any suggestions for how I could get better clients, or turn my channel into a more viable business, it would be of great appreciation. Perhaps you've even seen a few of my videos, it's "Focus Shift Media" if you'd like to see some of the content and give me any feedback. Thank you so much for any input that you have And Leo, if you're reading this, you were a huge inspiration that gave me the artistic confidence in myself to drop out of school and pursue this full time. Blessings, -P

@MarkKol That's a good idea. Maybe some short films in the future. Those aren't that bad to make at all. All in all, writing, filming, and editing take around 30 hours to make some smaller skits. I've made 2. People like them, and they're easy to make on relevant issues.

@ItsNick As far as my portfolio goes, I do have a website with a few categories. If anyone has any suggestions to make it more viable or make the most out of it I would love to hear any feedback. https://www.focusshiftmedia.net/

@Superfluo I don't feel socially awkward at all so when I have the opportunities I don't feel awkward at all. It's really just the consistency and balancing short term and long term goals. If you struggle with the social side of business, I would recommend Chris Voss's Never Split The Difference. He also has a really good masterclass as well.

@Nahm Here's some examples

@EugeneTheSage I'm no newbie. I've been a user of After Effects since 2014, and a user of Blender since 2012. I even have a few clients. The income however, is not consistent enough for me to move out and successfully be on my own. The problem is not my technical abilities, but finding the best way to generate the income with the skills I have, while also having enough time to develop Focus Shift. This is some of my work: https://www.artstation.com/pthibault7823

A lot of good input here, so here's a list of action steps I've complied based on these insights Following your passion, become dedicated - I've mapped out all the content for the year on a monthly schedule Networking - There is a Steve Vai guitar camp I signed up for over the summer, there might be some people who need music videos there. Portfolio - Curate items to apply for certain types of projects/clients Lastly, passive income - I would like to make courses out of my skills. Does any one have any insight into how to make the most out of gumroad/patreon? A lot of artists talk about that, but there's a lot of marketing that goes into it.

@Yarco That is worth considering. I do have some content in the works that is a bit more practical that more people could relate to. My next one being "How to deal with people's sh*t!"

Here's a photo of me while at COSM in early 2020. It's a very trippy place to meet fellow psyhonauts and spiritual beings so I hope to meet a few of you there in the future ^^

For those of us who are more spiritually leaning, the theme of this may seem a bit paradoxical considering our more spiritual outlook. As spiritual and unconditionally loving as one may be, this does not change the fact that life can be a struggle at times, particularly when dealing with others. How does one fight on the "battlefield" of life while surrendering to unconditional love of existence?

Great film that shows why so called "Free Market" capitalism doesn't work A friend of mine showed me trainspotting when we were both in a severely depressed period of our lives. Although one may not literally be addicted to heroin, it can still be relatable for someone who feels depressed due to their own resentment toward the world.

Gen Z and Millennials have both been referred to as the worst generation ever. They are referred to as snowflakes because they are viewed as more sensitive, and less prepared than young people in previous generations. Younger people today are viewed as struggling with adulthood. Younger people blame the older generations for not preparing them for life. What are some of the reasons the youth of today struggle with "growing up", and what can be done moving forward? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggS_uMh7sjY&t=25s

Hello there, hope all is well. I remember Leo mentioned in the blog a while back he had been suffering from chronic fatigue. In the past few months I myself have been feeling 20 - 30% less energy. In the morning, I'll wake up groggy, and coffee won't be as effective. I haven't been consuming as much nicotine either (usually snus). I work as a video editor and have been able to accomplish my client work consistently, but not as much energy as I need to run the youtube channel in addition. I eat pretty healthy for the most part (feta salads, home made wraps, etc.), exercise 2 to 3 times a week, and take lithium for medication. I've have gotten two blood tests to measure nutrients, and will be working with my doctor to solve this. In the meantime, I was wondering if anyone had any solutions to a similar problem?

I first came across Actualized around 2015. I think the first video I ever saw of his was how to get over a break up. It was also around a time where I dabbled with lucid dreaming (with little success) and he started to get into meditation and more spiritual topics. A few months went by, and as I had more earliest experiences with psychedelics, Leo relatively soon afterwards released his video on 5 MEO DMT. It felt like I was on to something, and these videos were able to help me see that others were having these kinds of consciousness expanding experiences as well. I had an agnostic upbringing growing up. I was taught the various worldviews of the major religions, but they were treated more like myths, and possibilities, than imposing dogma. Leo's videos are extremely useful because they can explain subjects such as metaphysics and spirituality in a way that an analytical mind can appreciate (provided they are open minded). This channel has also opened my eyes to methods such as meditation, and in fact after watching Leo's videos on meditation I meditated every day for a few months. Lastly, Leo (among a few others as well) gave me the confidence to pursue a more creative career. Growing up, I was always told to pursue a more pragmatic career, and pursue music or art on the side. Around 2018 I finally dropped out of college after realizing that for my career choice it wasn't a sound investment. It was watching content like Leo's that gave me the artistic confidence to have a means of right livelihood to self actualize. Not only should we investigate the nature of existence, but also have a means of supporting ourselves that doesn't suck!!! I'll always be grateful for all the content of hands down, the greatest metaphysical/personal development channel on the internet.

@universe I've found it's great for work and business, but need a bit more experience to use it with relationships personally

Dating is an area that I've found to be the most difficult and frustrating in my personal development journey, so I put this together from a variety of perspectives and sources. For many, dating can be downright anxiety inducing. However, is this because of the current age of social media? Or are there evolutionary trends that made it an inherently difficult process across all generations? Figures such as David Buss and Matt Ridley tend to lean on the Darwinian point of view, while others, such as Christopher Ryan, refer to Anthropology. In the more anthropological view, Ryan examines how hunter gatherers live in non-monogamous societies, and share other resources as well. We suffer today in our modern industrial society because it leaves us atomized. Porn, Pickup, and Dating apps are examined as well, and finally, a synopsis of Models by Mark Manson, hands down the most insightful guide that I've found to modern dating. What are your thoughts on why dating and the relations of the sexes are so strained?

@Preety_India hahaha I think humans can be pretty difficult to make happy in general. That's why I love Mark Manson's philosophy, setting boundaries, being clear and intentional about your values, and what you will and will not tolerate in your life.

@KennedyCarter @charlie cho What did you guys think of the dating doc itself?

@KennedyCarter That's true

@charlie cho Being a Tantric, I don't reject sexuality, or consider rejecting necessary for enlightenment. My mentor describes the Tantric Path as a guerilla form of spirituality as it takes place in the world, and to act in the world without being thrown off balance. From a pragmatic point of view, I recommend giving this a watch to get more context