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Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

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Re: Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

#121

Post by stuxnet79 »

superasn wrote: post #6

I think sticking to things I start has contributed the most personal growth for me. I think for anything to have any effect on you, you have to stick with it for at least 6 months or more (though it definitely depends on each activity). In the last 2 years I have been able to lose 8kgs, increase my business, cure my chronic backache and become a lot happier using this one trick of sticking to things daily without fai…

How did you cure your chronic back ache? I'm having issues right now which I think are being caused by anxiety but I'm not exactly sure how to address them. I've started doing a lot of exercise though, perhaps that will be all I need.

Re: Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

#123

Post by milkytron »

I'd have to say my significant other. Before we met I was working at a car wash, selling weed, and barely passing my classes. She inspired me to be the best I can be and pushed me out of my comfort zone. Since we met, I got A's in every class afterwards, built an app that got me a job at a software company, and now I'm working a job a love at one of the best companies in the industry with a career I find satisfying.

I attribute a lot of my success to her, although I do know I put in a lot of the work. I just needed some guidance and motivation and she helped me find it.

Re: Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

#124

Post by uoaei »

thomasmarcelis wrote: post #67
uoaei wrote: post #47

Psychedelic mushrooms, specifically Psilocybe *. Losing that ego-based view of the world and realizing the interconnectedness of all things, and feeling that connection at the deepest levels of your psyche, does wonders for eliminating the adversarial individualism that I feel generates a lot of issues when enacted in all participants of society. Before, I had (and admittedly still have) some aspects of my self that,…

I find it weird people keep saying they lose the ego-based view of the world after taking psychedelics, it has had the complete opposite effecf on me. I know the experience is very personal but I have never read about experiences similar to mine. I become very ego-centric and just think about how I can get the most out of the world. I do think it has affected me positively overall. I find it easier to work through to…

Curious. If you don't mind answering on a public forum, what was the ratio of your dosage to bodyweight? For instance, my experiences were usually around the ratio 5e-5.

It is true that some people's egos "fight" the drug more than others. All the bad trips I've seen in others have been the result of a person's ego refusing to relinquish control over the body, and fighting to remain relevant to the host. They were driven to a maniacal series of "I want/I need" demands and their satisfaction, which is precisely what the ego thrives on. Below a certain level, the ego does not feel threatened but continues to act, as it did for you I guess. Above a certain level, the ego is forcefully dissolved but this may not always lead to a beneficial experience that feels safe.

Re: Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

#126

Post by Fabled »

danesparza wrote: post #37
stef25 wrote: post #30

Not 100% convinced about it, but I wanted to say: that I stopped smoking pot. Told myself well in advance that I'd quit 11 months in to my girlfriend's pregnancy (EDIT - obviously the residual effects are still there. I quit 8 months in to her pregnancy. This is what drugs do, kids.) Since then (now almost a year later) my ability to comprehend and concentrate on technical things has improved a lot. I've learn things…

First: props for stopping smoking pot. Next ... 11 months in to your girlfriends pregnancy? How does that work exactly (since full term is usually 9 months)?

Give him a break, he's still recovering ;)

Re: Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

#127

Post by a-priori »

uoaei wrote: post #124
thomasmarcelis wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it weird people keep saying they lose the ego-based view of the world after taking psychedelics, it has had the complete opposite effecf on me. I know the experience is very personal but I have never read about experiences similar to mine. I become very ego-centric and just think about how I can get the most out of the world. I do think it has affected me positively overall. I find it easier to work through to…

Curious. If you don't mind answering on a public forum, what was the ratio of your dosage to bodyweight? For instance, my experiences were usually around the ratio 5e-5. It is true that some people's egos "fight" the drug more than others. All the bad trips I've seen in others have been the result of a person's ego refusing to relinquish control over the body, and fighting to remain relevant to the host. They were dr…

I find it really interesting that psychedelic drug users frame their experiences in Freudian terms, using terms like 'ego' and its struggle against other entities within the mind.

Re: Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

#128

Post by Fabled »

Kiro wrote: post #8
superasn wrote: post #6

I think sticking to things I start has contributed the most personal growth for me. I think for anything to have any effect on you, you have to stick with it for at least 6 months or more (though it definitely depends on each activity). In the last 2 years I have been able to lose 8kgs, increase my business, cure my chronic backache and become a lot happier using this one trick of sticking to things daily without fai…

Reminds me of Jerry Seinfeld's method "Don't Break the Chain".

I don't think it's always best to stick to it blindly. You start shifting your perspective from "I want to achieve my goal" to "I don't want to break the chain" and if you falter once you feel weak and worthless, and quit completely altogether. You just have to constantly remind yourself why you are doing this, know that repetition is the key and it's OK to miss some days here and there.

Re: Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

#129

Post by EarthIsHome »

davidmr wrote: post #112
EarthIsHome wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What types of books have you read that you've found helped the most with your critical faculties and such? In this area, I feel I've learned the most from reading commentary in the New Yorker. For enjoyment, I've read: * Stories of Your Life and Others by Chiang * The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson * What The F by Bergen * Blindsight by Watts

Have you read any of the other Odyssey translations? I'm very curious Wilson's translation. I read the Fagles, Latimore, and Fitzgerald translations in college and did a few weeks of translation myself in our Greek class (I went to one of those hippy-dippy "Great Books" schools). I think I was in the minority, but I found the Fagles translation to be far and away the best. I definitely subscribe more to the school of…

I haven't read Fagles' translation or any others. I wouldn't have picked up the Odyssey if it weren't for reviews from others [0] and reading articles [1][2]. I really enjoy her translation, and I wish I could compare hers with others. As someone who knows very little about Greek mythology, I found her 70-page introduction in the Odyssey to be a great primer on what to expect in the epic. After her introduction, she has a shorter translator's note discussing some decisions she made in her translation. If I remember correctly, she does throw a little shade at other translators in the introduction or translator's note.

[0]: Comments from other HN readers, some who have read Fagles' translation: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15624881

[1]: A note from Wilson in the New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/a-translators-re...

[2]: NYT article: https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/11/02/magazine/the-first-wom...

Re: Ask HN: What influenced your personal growth the most?

#130

Post by Toast_25 »

uoaei wrote: post #68
datpuz wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not everyone* People with some personality and mood disorders can really be thrown off by psychedelic experiences. A lot of people really struggle to attain stability and control in their lives, and I'm not sure they are good candidates for people who should have their entire reality pulled out from under them.

As always, the key factors are set and setting, i.e., how you are feeling mentally in terms of your comfort zone and confidence that things will go well, and the environment in which you have the experience, especially the kinds of people you surround yourself with. Meaningful experiences can be had even on quite low doses so I encourage everyone to at least do some research in good faith. One good place to start is…

It's worth mentioning that if you have bipolar or schizophrenia do NOT trip. It will most likely trigger an episode.
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