The Holistic Journey - July 1, 2023

I've been on self-improvement for many years...

But I really only started to take it seriously last year.

For the past 2-3 years I've been going to the gym.

Was I always consistent?

Nope!

Nonetheless, I was still exercising pretty much everyday.

But I found a big problem...

I had so much time left on my hands after the gym!

At that point, all I did on my "self-improvement" journey was go to the gym.

Sure - I was still getting good grades in school, studying, the boring stuff...

I still had a 4.0 GPA, but I felt like something was missing.

At that point, the gym was fulfilling, but I didn't want it to be the only time in my day where I felt productive.

I wanted the other aspects in my life to carry the same weight to me as exercising did.

This is a common problem that I see with so many people starting "self-improvement" today.

They watch all this content "improve yourself hurrah!" and all they do is just go to the gym.

Now don't get me wrong, going to the gym is fantastic and one of the best things that you can do, especially while young.

But don't you feel like you need something more?

Something more fulfilling?

Don't you feel like you need an activity like the gym that you can do all day?

Well here's the answer folks:

Holistic Self-Improvement

What's The Difference?

Self-Improvement and Holistic Self-Improvement are one and the same.

So what exactly does holistic mean?

It means as a whole. The entirety of the system(s).

It's when you focus on everything, all the interconnected parts mingling with each other.

Improving everything simultaneously is what it means to be on holistic self-improvement.

The thing is, if you're just starting off and looking to improve at one skill in specific - let's say your physique.

You can't max out your physique without also improving the other aspects of your life...

Such as your:

• Sleep
• Nutrition
• Relationships

"Relationships? How does that tie into getting a better physique?"

Hang out with the wrong people my friend, and there will be detrimental results to your health.

Look at this study for example.

Now I'm not the type of person to cite studies, but this statistic caught my eye in particular.

Is that convincing enough?

No?

The Gym Analogy

Imagine you were going to the gym and trained only arms, nothing else.

You trained arms every day, no rest days, just arms all the way.

What happens?

You become disproportionate, and as a matter of fact -- You'd probably have a better physique if you took some rest days.

At the gym, you have to train everything if you want a balanced and proportionate physique.

So why not apply the same aspect to our lives?

Why shouldn't we be attempting to improve all aspects of our life at once?

At this point, it's a fact that you can't fully improve one thing without improving everything else.

That's the reality of holistic improvement.

So enough with the fluff...

How To Start Holistically Improving?

Let's set the stage with a simple example.

Let's assume that you're quite young - 15, and have just started going to the gym after learning about self-improvement.

It's been a few months, and you're making great progress, you see your first set of abs -- SWEET!

But you notice that you're getting more tired lately, your eyes are drooping, and your starting to get a lot of acne.

You're confused, so you go on youtube (your recommendations are filled with Cole Hastings, Hamza, etc) and start diving deeper into your symptoms.

"What?!" You say as you learn that "if it fits your macros" isn't a good diet and 9 hours of sleep is optimal for your health.

You also learn that you're tired because you spend all your time chasing pleasure over purpose.

"4 hours of video games a day isn't so bad right...?"

Despite all that, since you're a rational young man, you've decided to dive deep into the rabbit hole and start implementing good habits.

You start dialing in your sleep.

You cut out all seed oils and start eating organic whole foods.

You dive into the business side of self-improvement.

You start tracking your weight progression.

Fast forward 10 months later...

You have high energy all the time.

Your face is clear.

You're starting a successful social media business.

You can bench 1.5x your body weight.

Holistic Self Improvement is working...

More or less, that was my story.

But how could you use it to your advantage?

How could you start improving yourself holistically, right now?

Here are some principles for you to follow:

• Start dialing in your sleep
• Track your workouts & progressively overload
• Develop your social skills
• Start an online business
• Explore the "diet" realm & find out which one works best for you

The thing is, I could tell you everything that you'd need to know at this point.

But there's a caveat...

You'd actually have to try and experiment for yourself.

That's because when you boil it down to the simplest details...

That's why you have to develop a holistic approach on this journey.

What works for others may not work for you and vice versa.

That's why you have to experiment.

You have to make mistakes, no matter what you think.

Don't write anything off.

Similarly, the process I described above of my transformation is not exactly the path you'll take to improve.

You're going to have an entirely different path, with different methods.

But the principles to improvement will always stay the same.

Holistic Self-Improvement is about nurturing every aspect of your life, be it your health, wealth, or relationships.

It's about being self-aware, having the diligence to acknowledge that your life may be not where you want it to be. And being conscious of that is the first step to holistic improvement.

Now you may be asking yourself...

"Will this actually work?"

Yes, yes it will.

Holistic Self-Improvement is based upon Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs.

Meaning that you'd have to have fulfilled your needs on the bottom levels to have the capacity to fulfill the needs on the upper levels (see on picture).

This is a common misunderstanding these days, especially when it comes to hustle culture.

They think that if they have all the money in the world (safety needs), then they'll feel happy about themselves (self-actualization).

But in reality, they'd have to focus FIRST on their physiological needs.

Then their safety needs, love needs, so on and so forth.

You have to work your way up on the path of improvement.

Realize that everything is linked together.

This is the the holistic path.

Holistic Self-Improvement is the answer my friend.

I hope you're willing to join me on the journey.

That's it for today.

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I hope you have a great rest of your week.

-Ethan

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