Over the past year, I reconnected with a childhood friend. He is the middle child of 16 children, and he is what you would call a "natural". A local in the area he grew up in, he can walk into almost any store and see someone he knows that works there. He is the strongest, most shredded person I know, and his family and siblings are all very good, spiritual people.

I learned a lot so far hanging around him, his family, and friends, he has been training me in the gym, I'm in the best shredded shape of my life, and I am absorbing the outgoing, social aspect of outcome independence - an energy that seemingly rubs off of him. Last night me, him, and a girl from the friend group snuck into a pool, skinny dipped and took some exctasy. It was a very fun time. He would tell outlandish stories of things I thought he was lying about - mixing drugs in moderation (heroin, meth, etc), handling keys of drugs, and so much crazy things you wouldn't expect to hear from him. The girl was laughing and going back and forth the whole time. Was this textbook loud monkey game, where what you talk about doesn't matter, but how you say it?

All of our friends are in shape, and very handsome/beautiful. These aren't drug addicts or people with character defects. It's almost like they all read "The Slight Edge" and live it line by line. It amazes me how these people are like a treasure chest of character, so good with everything they do.

My friend can pull 10s and spin plates all day and has the confidence to do so. Do you believe this skill to be born into, or worked for and earned? I am trying to get deep here, and internalize all of the things I see and pick up on in hanging out with them. Had such a wild and fun weekend with everyone. I hope this post makes some sort of sense to you reading it, sometimes I feel like an outsider looking in, where I want to be who I'm looking at, maxed out on social skills, fitness, motivation and vision.

Sometimes I feel like I missed out on opportunities to learn and grow as a kid. Unfortunately, I feel like I have been in monk mode for the past 6 months. Monk mode meaning I've almost put off practicing game completely. I have focused on school and the gym every single day - I'm in the best shape of my life and I just got accepted to my dream university with a scholarship. I'm reading books again, and doing better in life than ever. I believe that consistency is key, you have to snowball small wins into larger and larger wins, and that is applicable to all aspects of life. My taste in women has shifted largely due to an increase in self confidence - and my friend told me that too.

I want to practice once again entering, being in, and maintaining a flow state - outcome independent. What has helped me the most with this is yoga and meditation - managing emotional intelligence. Unfortunately, this friend group I have been talking about lives all within 300 miles of each other, and come together only about once or twice every other month. It has been difficult meeting like-minded people and maintaining a close friend group when you move so much. I listen to a lot of Owen Cook and Real Social Dynamics, where he states that if you are focused on growth, it will scare other people away because of their mindset and where they are in life - so it's best to keep quiet about your journey and spiritual growth. Meeting more friends has been a challenge, I have met a lot of people that are all over the spectrum but no one that I really enjoy hanging with, mainly because they want to stay where they are in life. I've outgrown so many negative energies. Any advice on how to meet, engage and do an inventory of character of more potential friends?