>like the idea of being a well-informed intellectual capable

>>8478248
>how do I into willpower

Listen, man, people have been writing books on this since we've been writing books. If you can't just find it within you, see a psychiatrist.

Or settle for mediocrity, like the rest of us.

>>8478252
im apathetic to the point that that apathy prevents me from being concerned

it feels like one big quicksand that ill never free myself off while never being completely submerged either and i dont actually think this thread is gonna fix anything

hopefully it fixes things for some other Anon who hasnt placed both feet in the sand yet

you're a lazy fuck OP
first of all admit your fucking problem to yourself.
after you've done that
be constantly aware of when exactly you're being lazy, give yourself a slap in the face and go do what needs to be done
after a while you'll build a new habit of doing the things you want to do instantly

you acquired laziness as a quality of your character, but it doesn't define you, habituate yourself to become more active and you *will* become active.

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Try starting /very/ small OP. If you tell yourself you want to read all the classics, work out every day for the next 10 years, and critically study current events, it will be too much.

Just pick a book that sounds really cool to you and just read that. Only that, no plans past that, just for the pleasure of reading it. After you realize how laughably easy / comfortable it is, the second one is significantly easier, and just do that a few times in a row and you're golden.

Same with working out. Just lurk /fit/, read the sticky, and google Stronglift 5x5. Just tell yourself, 'I am going to try working out today'. The first week will be that, the second one will be easier, and then you eventually enjoy going for the physical challenge. Baby steps OP.

>>8478248
Sounds like you're depressed and still stuck in the stage where you're trying to fulfill some impossible ideal. What you want is a fantasy - or rather nightmare - that you can't wake up from. This is because you can't judge how little time you actually have on this earth. Young people rarely can.

Note that all of the things you want to be have to do with approval from others. The greatest clue to this is the multitude of different interests pursued. One is lucky if he or she finds a single thing that they like to do. And yet you have found four and possibly more? No, impossible. What you have found is something singular beneath all of these desires. Approval or acceptance from others. And you haven't even found this, but merely the thought of this.

How do you imagine people who build great bodies, develop great skills of critical thinking, or spend a lot of time practicing some artistic craft motivate themselves? All of these things are akin to learning a new language. Music is a language, painting is a language, even changing your routine so drastically as to have the willpower to choose what you eat and how you exercise is a language. And language is always best inculcated by culture.

Now we arrive at the answer: great people were always developed in cultures. It is not enough to learn spanish from a textbook. You must have that spanish reinforced every second of every day to learn the language. Even then, words are not enough to learn a language. A language is closely tied to cultural understanding as well. Immersion in reality with spanish speakers is necessary.

And yet, have you taken this necessary step to immerse yourself in the culture of that which you want to learn? Probably not. What you are trying to do is learn spanish from a textbook. To become healthier, you should associate with healthy people, find a gym partner, join an athletics club. To become a better reader and thinker, you should join a philosophy club. The immersion in culture goes hand in hand with the learning of any new language. In some ways, cultural history is best studied through language. And this is not a coincidence.

So why haven't you immersed yourself in the culture of anything that you want to do? What is this narcissism that seeks perfection and mastery in isolation? What is this delusion that you are an island? It is something to grow out of before it consumes you.

>>8478436

LEAVE THAT POOR DOG ALONE HE'S SUFFERED ENOUGH

>>8478489
Fuck, you might actually make him an hero with that one.

>>8478489
i read this in my aunties voice

>>8478489
>tfw learned French without immersion and can now read and communicate using it without any major difficulties
>German too
>English through the internet (lots of VoIP though)

>tfw started lifting and got ripped without anyone around me enouraging me etc (unless you count /fit/) Same goes for healthy eating.

And yeah, I pretty much just wanted to become better than others and have more options in life. Actually, the internet will suffice for just about anything you wrote there, though you'd need a gym membership (or join the home gym masterrace) for your body.

>>8478489
>This is because you can't judge how little time you actually have on this earth. Young people rarely can.

Correct. I haven't been able to realize how little time I have left. However,

>Note that all of the things you want to be have to do with approval from others.

Not necessarily. I don't seek approval, if anything, may seek admiration. All tasks mentioned are purely self-gratifying, art is the only one which requires an audience, as all others rely on how I view myself.

>So why haven't you immersed yourself in the culture of anything that you want to do? What is this narcissism that seeks perfection and mastery in isolation? What is this delusion that you are an island?

Because I want to be self reliant. I'm lenient to individuality, and while I may enjoy the company of small groups of like-minded individuals, I'd prefer a single instructor in whatever I'd like to improve. I don't enjoy classes because they're too fond of schedules, routines, and the pace isn't comfortable. Autodidacticism is possible as shown by >>8479956.

It's not whether or not I'm capable of doing so by myself, it's whether or not I want to do it.

>>8478554
did you even read the advice? anon wrote out a warning i should heed by encouraging me to improve while i still have the chance. it has nothing to do with belittlement.

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Read books about heroes and men overcoming the impossible as proof anyone is capable of anything.

You need motivation and you have to accept the idea of change.

All change hurts, but it is an innevitable part of life, it is necessary in order to continue life. Do not deny the innevitable. Accept life will treat you like shit as it treats everyone like shit.

Do not be a coward, only a coward does not accept their destiny. Find your purpose and die for it with honor.

You have to fight or die trying.

Accept the death. Do not deny the innevitable. So might as well go out with a bang.


Life is an art piece. It's beauty is found in the detail. It's greatness is found in the work put into it. Do not let your ancestors down. Do not be the end to your bloodline.

This is your purpose. Fight with honor.

>>8478275
>im apathetic to the point that that apathy prevents me from being concerned

Yeah well, being that "apathy" literally means "being unable to care", that would make sense.

>>8478489
Most intellectual pursuits are inherently solitary. If one wishes to learn Latin, Attic Greek, or Euclidian geometry, then you lean from a textbook in isolation. Immersing yourself in a culture that respects those pursuits will make easier, but you still need enough individual willpower to go through the work of learning these skills.

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Stop reading postmodernist cucks.

>>8478248
You need to accept that you can't do everything and do it well.

Pick one thing and focus on it for 6months to a year. Start with lifting and diet -- that is easy. Once you get that down it becomes a background auto-pilot habit and you can focus on something else. Reading is another one that is easy to start, and becomes an auto-pilot habit after a while.


>I know who I want to be, but I don't actually want to be that person. I just like the idea of being them.

The idea is always better than the reality because the reality of these ideals has baggage you never foresaw.

>>8481329
tipping my fedora so hard to this image
i didnt know stemlords had any creative faculties to speak of.

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>>8481329
>falling for the left-right meme
Stay cucked, senpai.