The Best Revenge is Living Well

Fighting the Regime for Fun and Profit

The Ghost of Kiev

I remember seeing a study many years ago which broke down people’s life outlook by political affiliation. I’m probably not going to be able to find it now, because this was over a decade ago, so my source is going to be: “Trust Me, Bro”. But, I remember it distinctly because I thought the results were so interesting. Of survey respondents who identified as Democrat, or Left-Leaning, they overwhelmingly had a positive view of the direction the country was headed, but a negative view of the direction their personal life was headed. For Republican, or Right-Leaning folks, it was just the opposite: a negative view of the direction of the country, but a positive view of their own personal trajectory.

The different views on the direction of the country make perfect sense in that this was during the Obama era. I would be interested to see a similar study done today, my guess is that neither side would think the country was headed in the right direction, although for completely opposite reasons. But, what was interesting to me at the time was how a person’s view of the countries trajectory didn’t translate to their personal life. In a way, this makes sense, too. Leftism has always been the politics of the Loser coalition, so regardless of how many political wins they rack up, they will still, fundamentally, be losers. On the other hand, there has always been a strain of “libertarianism,” or “rugged individualism” on the American Right, which breeds an attitude of “Fuck you, I can take care of myself.” In other words, they believe that even if the world is going to shit, they will personally be fine.

But again, I wonder if this still holds true today. For Boomers, I’m sure that it does. If you fell ass-backward into a house for $50k in the ‘80s, and now its worth half a million, I’m sure you’re sitting pretty. You’ve subscribed to your “wine of the month” club, there is a snowballs chance in Hell of anyone cutting your Social Security, since you compose the largest voting bloc in America. You’re in a position to ride out the decline of the West in style. Which is infuriating in and of itself, since Boomers are primarily responsible for the decline of the West. But I digress.

It really felt like we were a part of something in the 70’s, you know?

However, it’s obvious that this is fundamentally not the case for the younger generation of Rightoids. Millennials are the first generation of Americans to have a lower standard of living than their parents. For Zoomers, it’s even worse. Home ownership rates are at record lows, the middle class is shrinking, and real wages have declined precipitously when adjusted for inflation. And corporate DEI initiatives are explicitly geared toward excluding young white males from the bottom rungs of the career ladder, meaning intergenerational decline is disproportionately affecting our guys.

The result is that there exists a lot of (justifiable) anger and resentment out there. And I’m not here to tell everybody to join hands and sing Kumbaya. Far from it. Rather, I want you to channel that aggression in a way that benefits you personally, and puts you in a position to be of service to the movement as a whole. It simply is the case that the best revenge is living well. As a case in point, I’ll tell you about how I channelled my rage during the Covid tyranny to become a job-stacking millionaire Chad.

Covid was not a good time in my life. Like most people with more than two brain cells to rub together, I was opposed to lockdowns, and very aware that they were essentially an act of economic sabotage in order to influence the 2020 elections. I was also opposed to vaccine mandates. I’ve never been particularly “anti-vaxx,” but I’m very disagreeable and contrarian, so I’m not going to do something just because the government is trying to make me. Maybe especially not if the government is trying to make me. So I made the decision early on that I was not getting “the jab.” Bodily autonomy is the last bastion of the Free Man, if you let the fuckers take that from you, you have nothing.

It feels like these days, people forget exactly how crazy it was in peak Covidiocy. There was a point where I legitimately was worried I would have to flee the country. I even downloaded a bootleg pdf of the vaccine paperwork, printed it out on cardstock, and forged medical documents in case I needed it to stay out of Australian-style concentration camps. Obviously, working in Tech, an industry completely overrun by Gay Race Communism, I had to worry about being able to earn a living as well.

This was particularly infuriating because the company I was working for at the time had been a pretty great gig. I was the first engineer they hired, and had been with them since they were a very early-stage startup. The attitude around the office had always been extremely chill, to put it mildly. But they had recently grown to a size where they were just starting to turn into corporate bugmen. They brought on an overweight “Latinx” HR manager, who was trying to cram unconscious bias training down our throats. And of course, when the vaccine stuff came out, she was the one insisting on a mandatory vaccine policy.

Fortunately for me, the company was remote-friendly so I was “allowed” to continue working remote without getting the jab, but I was definitely treated like a second-class citizen. It was also clear that they were grooming one of the Tech Leads to take over my position when they eventually got rid of me. This was being done ostensibly under the cover of “reducing Bus Factor,” but c’mon, I’m not an idiot. Other right-of-center employees were being purged at this same time, always under plausibly deniable circumstances. The final straw, however, was when I was disinvited from the Christmas party.

The Christmas Party was always lit.

I decided it was time to get a new job. Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of the Tech sector was still remote, so I was able to arbitrage cost of living differences by getting a job in a more expensive area for much higher pay. I was actually making more money as an individual contributor at my new job than I was as a Director at the previous company. That was when I thought to myself, fuck it, I’m not going to quit, I’m going to make them fire me. I also felt it prudent to stack as many federal reserve notes as possible, since I was concerned that it might become illegal for me to be gainfully employed in the US. Thus my foray into Job Stacking began.

I didn’t actually end up getting fired, but I did quit about eight months later in order to pursue leveraging my new Job Stackin’ lifestyle into a legitimate consulting business. What’s funny is that, as a job stacker, I’m for sure making more money than the CEO of my old company. I mean, I’m sure he makes a lot, but I would be very surprised if he was paying himself more than 300k in salary. Sure, he has equity in the company, but that equity is basically toilet paper unless the company gets acquired or goes public, neither of which is likely to happen as it started falling apart shortly after I left.

Not that I’m narcissistic enough to believe it started falling apart because I left, mind you. The guy who took over for me was plenty capable, even if I consider him a bit of an Architecture Astronaut. But, they started taking on a bunch of debt during the Covid Tech bubble, and the new VC investors demanded they scale the business at an unsustainable rate. Just as I was eyeing the exit, their annual expenditures exceeded revenue for the first time in the history of the company. When the recent correction came, the mal-investments were exposed, and they had to lay a bunch of people off. I still see them on LinkedIn every now and then, desperately trying to pivot, but its clear they are on life support. Sad.

I also ran into the CEO the other day and he was fat. He had always been this strong-jawed, athletic Chad-type, so it was kind of crazy to see. He must be stress eating because his company is failing. Meanwhile, I’m arguably in the best shape of my life - certainly the best shape of my 30’s. I bought a squat rack during the lockdowns and got serious about compound lifts. I started doing cardio regularly, and eating healthy. I even quit drinking, except at the occasional social event.

Not gonna lie, it’s kinda for the ladies. Sorry intern.

I’m not telling you all this just to suck my own dick, by the way. The point that I’m making is that I turned a situation that many would consider a legitimate “victim” narrative (being persecuted for my medical choices), into the fuel which propelled me to greater victory. Whether it was forging medical documents, exploiting remote work, or focusing on my physical health, I was proactively taking the steps necessary to ensure the best outcome for myself. Some might even call this being a fucking Man.

But I must admit, I was positioned uniquely well to take advantage of the situation. I had skills that made it easy for me to acquire remote work. I already owned land so I was able to grow vegetables and start raising chickens. I had money to invest in a home gym. What if you are starting with nothing, literally at Zero? For a lot of Zoomers, and even many of the older guys out there, this is the reality. And it can be incredibly disheartening. There are lots of reasons in Current Year to be a Doomer, and it becomes basically impossible to summon the motivation to excel if you have bad mental health. So you need to get that squared away first and foremost.

“Mental health” sometimes comes off as left-coded, but it really shouldn’t. In fact, I would argue that while the Left may be more interested in talking about their mental health issues, even going as far as to take pride in them and compete with each other over who is more fucked up, it’s the Right which is more interested in fixing the mental health crises in America. And while studies consistently show Leftists have worse mental health, we need our guys as functional as possible for the trying times ahead.

We need YOU

So, as part of what will hopefully become an ongoing series on “leveling up,” I’m going to present three relatively easy things that you can start doing today to improve your mental health, and get yourself in the mindset to tackle greater challenges (like Job Stacking) down the line. All of these are things are free, and you can start right now.

Start Moving

Everyone knows that they need to be exercising, but one mistake that noobs make is they bite off more than they can chew, overtrain, and then either straight-up injure themselves, or get so broke-off that they give up. I recommend if you are really out of shape, that you just start with walking. Walk 30 minutes every day for 30 days. Just a 30 minute walk every day is enough to increase cardiovascular fitness (although if you’re trying to lose weight, you will eventually have to increase your activity level).

But it’s not even necessarily just about the physical benefits of walking. Walking provides mental health benefits as well. This is because, when you get the blood flowing in your circulatory system, it reduces cortisol in your HPA axis (the central nervous response system). Cortisol is the hormone responsible for stress, and reducing it will literally make you calmer and more relaxed. Walking also stimulates the production of endorphins (although not as much as running). Your body produces endorphins when it detects you are doing something strenuous, in order to help you “deal with” difficult situations. Endorphins have been shown to reduce symptoms of depression, and boost confidence levels.

It’s also important that you take your walks outside, rather than on a treadmill at the gym. You should have as much skin exposed as possible while you do this. Ideally walk around shirtless, but I guess you can wear a tank-top if you are self-conscious. This is because Vitamin D is produced in the skin when it’s exposed to UVB rays from the sun. Vitamin D is another nutrient that has been shown to regulate mood and reduce depression. In addition, Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to low testosterone levels. Testosterone is probably the single most important hormone to balance if you are a man, and deserves a whole article in and of itself, but if you have low-T, increasing exposure to the sun can help.

One thing I recommend is that you try to walk at the same time each day. This can be first thing in the morning, right after lunch, or whatever time works for you. This is important because making your walk part of your routine will turn it into a habit, which will make it much more likely that you will continue doing it. And you should continue doing it, even as you upgrade to more strenuous workouts. It’s nice to just get out into the fresh air and clear your head once in awhile.

And last point about walking, like any of these habits, don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day. It’s not about being perfect, it’s about improving over time. If you skip a day, just get back out there the following day. If you do this for 30 days, you will notice a difference. I’m not saying you will become a hyper-motivated gigachad just by walking for a month, but you will notice a difference.

Clean Your Room

Pre-Benzo Peterson was right all along, Bucko!

Turns out cleaning your room is not just a way to rescue your dead father from the underworld. Having a messy living space can have a severely negative effect on your mental health. Your visual cortex interprets large amounts of clutter as an overwhelming amount of “unfinished tasks,” which triggers a stress response in your brain. There are many studies linking cluttered or messy living environments to negative emotions like tension, irritability, and depression. In addition, clutter makes it more difficult for you to focus, because your brain is subconsciously trying to process all the unimportant crap stacked up around you.

Fortunately, the solution is fairly straightforward: just clean your room. Although, to be fair, this can sometimes feel daunting, especially if you are out of practice. Similar to exercise, don’t bite off more than you can chew. Time-box your cleaning routine (let’s say 20 minutes) and tackle the highest priority areas first. If you’re staying with someone, that makes it easy: just start with your personal living space. If you have your own place, congratulations, you’re not really starting from Zero, but pick the room you spend the most time in. Maybe that’s your bedroom, maybe it’s the kitchen. Hopefully it’s not the bathroom, or you may have a condition.

The act of cleaning itself is therapeutic as well. Performing simple, repetitive work has a soothing affect on the human psyche. It’s also a relatively easy win, a way to get a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction which can boost your emotional state and give you a sense of control over your environment. In fact, as I’m writing this, I’m realizing that I’ve let my office get a little bit out of control myself. So, I’m going to take a break to eat my own dog food a bit by tidying up in here.

In my defense, that plate and those cans were all from today.

Get Sufficient Sleep

Your brain needs sleep to function correctly. Your brain processes informations and creates new neural pathways during REM sleep. If you are getting insufficient sleep, you are much more likely to feel disorganized, irritable, anxious, and even depressed. These emotions also create a negative feedback loop, and stress and anxiety then lead to even worse sleep, which then contributes to an even worse mood, and so on. So making sure you are getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night is important.

Sleep is also important for testosterone production (seeing a theme here?). Studies have found that as little as one week of 5 hours of sleep a night decreased participants T-levels by 10%-15%. This is because your body uses sleep to recharge, which includes testosterone production.

To be honest, this one has always been the hardest for me. I’ve always struggled with insomnia. In fact, I’m probably the first person in history to actually sleep better after having a baby, as I’m so exhausted by the end of the day that I just zonk out. But, because I’ve always had trouble sleeping, I’ve also tried a bunch of different things to try and fix it, some of which I’ve found to work better than others. To keep it simple to start with, I suggest setting a specific bedtime, and sticking to it.

Of course, there is nothing more frustrating than lying in bed, trying to force yourself to sleep at a certain time, but not being able to. So, consider it more of an “aspirational bedtime,” rather than a hard requirement. Then, and here’s the key, an hour before this time each night, stop looking at screens. This means no phones, no computer, no video games. The reason for this is that screens emit a form of electromagnetic radiation called “Blue Light,” which screws with your circadian rhythm. Your brain associates high levels of Blue Light with sunrise, and subsequently exposure to Blue Light suppresses melatonin production and elevates heart rate, making it difficult to fall asleep. I’ve noticed this personally, on nights when I play DND online with the boys, I always sleep like shit because I am looking at my computer screen right up until bedtime.

So, what do you do in that hour before bed, while you’re not looking at screens? Well, you could read a fucking book. Or you could listen to a podcast, if you must. But don’t fall into the trap of doomscrolling Spotify, trying to find something to listen to, because next thing you know you’ve been staring at a screen for 20 minutes (ask me how I know this). Just pick something, put it on, and turn your screen off.

If your aspirational bedtime comes and you find yourself unable to sleep, don’t just lie there frustrated. Do something calming and relaxing (like reading) until you fall asleep. Don’t stress about not being able to sleep, as that will increase cortisol levels and make it even more difficult. That’s why we are calling it the “aspirational” bedtime, it’s no big deal if you don’t fall asleep right away. In fact, you probably won’t, at least not at first. So, don’t stress about it, just stay away from screens and get some reading done.

So that’s it. Take a 30 minute walk everyday, spend at least 20 minutes tidying up your living quarters, set a consistent bedtime, and stop looking at screens an hour before bed. Obviously, this isn’t going to change your life in and of itself, but you might be surprised at how much better you feel if you do this consistently. Anyway, please share this post with anyone you think would benefit from it’s message. I’ve been thinking of writing more “advice” type content, so let me know in the comments if you like this kind of thing. I may get into fitness, career advice, and even wade into the dreaded (gasp!) dating question!

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