Most people celebrate and encourage self-destruction
Only a few out of every 100 people actively work on themselves—physically, mentally, and spiritually—to become better for themselves and those around them.
Meanwhile, the vast majority are doing the exact opposite: destroying their bodies, minds, and souls. Most people drink alcohol regularly, consume mind-numbing content online, play video games excessively, use drugs, and engage in other self-destructive behaviors.
It’s so deeply ingrained in our culture that no one really questions it anymore. Of course, this depends on where you live, but in most countries—especially in the West—these behaviors are seen as completely normal.
The most shocking part? The opposite of self-destruction is often looked down upon.
People will give you weird looks when you choose to eat healthy and work out instead of eating garbage and wasting time being drunk. They’ll actively try to pull you back onto the path of self-destruction—because that’s the path they’re on.
Weird, isn’t it? And I hate it.
Personal Story
I’m someone who takes everything to the extreme. I used to party and drink excessively, and now I work out and live healthily to the extreme.
Not only that, but I also work on my business obsessively, sometimes to the point of neglecting my friends. I know this might sound unhealthy—and in some ways, it is—but I’ve gained some powerful insights from these experiences that I want to share with you.
We all get used to a certain way of living if we do it long enough. It becomes our norm. If you drink every weekend, it starts feeling normal, simply because you’ve conditioned yourself to it.
But when you quit and do the total opposite, you gain a new perspective. You begin to see things from an elevated point of view, allowing you to understand what’s really going on.
Being on both extremes has given me that perspective. And with that, comes some powerful insights. Here they are:
Insight 1: People Are Insanely Closed-Minded
After a long period of fasting from my friends, I decided to meet up with them again to catch up. Immediately, I noticed they had critiques about my way of doing things.
I won’t go into every detail of the conversations, but the core message was this: striving to be the best, working hard, and being ambitious is pointless.
Obviously, I couldn’t agree with that mindset. I tried to keep a balanced perspective and hear them out, giving both the positives and negatives of different viewpoints. But they weren’t having it.
It bothered me at first, but then I realized something important:
Most people are incredibly closed-minded. Their way of living—whether good or bad—rarely changes.
There’s a saying: “If a person is an asshole, they’ll stay an asshole.” That’s my version of it, but you get the point.
This applies to everything—from not believing in themselves to being addicted to substances and convincing themselves that it’s normal. The real issue isn’t just their close-mindedness—it’s that they will try to force their narrow perspective onto you.
For example, if you decide to quit drinking to get in top-tier shape, the people you used to drink with will ridicule you. They’ll say you’re “missing out” on fun. Some may even try to pressure you into drinking, just like what happened to me.
But here’s the thing—they’ll never experience the satisfaction of having a Greek god-like physique because their mindset won’t allow them to. It will never even occur to them.
People will force their way of thinking on you. And most of the time, they do it subconsciously because they don’t like seeing you level up.
Insight 2: Pleasure is Prioritized Over Improvement
When it comes to leveling up in life, it requires an insane level of discipline. That’s why most people don’t even attempt it.
Instead, they prioritize pleasure.
There are way more people who drink alcohol every weekend than people who work out twice a week. There are way more people who waste time rewatching the same TV shows rather than learning a new skill.
Why? Because short-term pleasure is easier than long-term progress.
Both instant pleasure and long-term improvement trigger dopamine in the brain, but they come at different costs:
- Quick pleasure (drinking, drugs, porn, junk food) is easy but leads to self-destruction.
- Long-term pleasure (fitness, business, skill mastery) takes time but leads to self-growth.
Everything in life has a price. Long-term pleasure requires effort and discipline, while short-term pleasure results in physical, mental, and spiritual decay.
Here’s a perfect example:
On the same day I reconnected with my friends, one of them—a guy who is significantly overweight—told us he had started his weight-loss journey. Everyone was happy for him and encouraged him.
But then there was Dirk. Let’s call him that for now.
Dirk was especially supportive—overly excited, even. But here’s the kicker: he was more excited that our friend had started drinking with us than about his weight loss.
It was contradicting. “Yeah man, I’m so happy you’re losing weight! Here, have a beer.”
I’m not blaming Dirk—he’s a good guy. But as I said before, most people are so closed-minded that they don’t even realize it.
Insight 3: Progress is Halted—Forever
Birds of a feather flock together.
In the Netherlands, we say: “Soort zoekt soort”—which translates to “like seeks like.”
When you combine the two previous insights—that most people are closed-minded and prioritize pleasure over improvement—you get one clear outcome:
No progress. Or worse—regression.
And the scariest part? Most people fall into this category.
- Most people are close-minded.
- Most people chase short-term pleasure.
As we age, our physical, mental, and spiritual health declines naturally. But instead of fighting it, most people accelerate the process by making worse choices year after year.
It baffles me.
And listen—I’m not saying you should live like a monk and dedicate your entire life to self-improvement. That’s not the point.
What I’m saying is that most people don’t even try to improve.
There’s so much we can work on—not just for ourselves but for the people around us. We can be kinder, more disciplined, more self-reflective, more in control of our habits.
Instead, most people choose the opposite: negativity, narrow-mindedness, and self-destruction.
That’s the raw reality.
Takeaway: Being an Anomaly is Easy
Now, enough negativity. What does all of this mean for you?
It’s simple: If you’re improving in even one area of your life, you’re already an anomaly.
You might think, “I don’t need to be an anomaly. I just want to be like everyone else.”
Let me tell you this: Being an anomaly opens doors you can’t even imagine.
Extraordinary people live extraordinary lives.
And you don’t even have to do much. If you hit the gym twice a week for six months, you’re already ahead of most people.
Most people are stagnating. Most people don’t take life seriously.
So start. Start with fitness.
Your body is the vessel and the raw proof of improvement.
The rest will follow.