Chasing pleasure is the enemy of success.

In this week's letter, I’m gonna talk about how chasing pleasure is making it virtually impossible to become successful.

We live in a world where whatever we want is at our fingertips.

Hungry? Ubereats

Horny? PornHub.

Loney? Social media.

Social media companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year to maximise the release of dopamine in our brains. 

Dopamine is the feel-good hormone that tells our brain to keep doing X activity because it’s pleasurable - that’s why we’re so hooked on IG, TikTok, Snapchat etc.

They want us addicted, dependent and obsessed with their platform. 

Why? 

The more time we spend scrolling, the more money these companies make from advertisers trying to sell us shit. 

But they optimise for one goal in particular…

They want us to feel good being on the platform. 

The better we feel (dopamine), the more we’ll want to come back and indulge for hours on end.

One of the many ways they do this is by having algorithms that adapt to what we like.

For example, if I spend a little too long drooling over that OnlyFans baddie, the algorithm will start showing similar content on my feed.

The more content I see, the more I scroll.

The more I scroll, the more addicted I become.

It’s a vicious downward spiral. 

The curse of instant pleasure.

Being highly addicted to these platforms rewires our brains to crave instant gratification.

Instant gratification is the desire to satisfy our needs or cravings immediately.

Feeling down? Open up TikTok and watch a 10-second motivational Andrew Tate video to get you going again.

On the surface, it seems harmless, but the more we consume these super short clips, It becomes almost impossible for us to focus on anything for longer than 5 minutes. 

It’s because if we don’t get a dopamine hit right away, we see it as a non-pleasurable activity and avoid it at all costs.

We only want to do things that instantly make us feel good such as porn, fast food, video games etc.

How does this impact success?

I’m not talking about the type of success that goes faster than it came, like Lil Xan. 

I’m talking about real, lasting success.

Like, Warren Buffen, Jeff Bezos and Dr Dre.

This type of success takes years of repetitive, mundane and focused work.

But social media rewires our brains to do the complete opposite. 

Seconds instead of years.

New instead of repetitive.

Stimulating instead of mundane. 

Distraction instead of focus.

If we’re gonna stand a chance at eliminating the need for instant gratification (and all the shit that comes with it), we must implement a simple, reliable strategy that helps us achieve success.

How?

I call it the Do Nothing Else Strategy. 

It was inspired by Jerry Seinfeld's writing technique.

I use this strategy to write every day (that’s how this newsletter was written teehee)

This strategy isn’t limited to writing, though. It can be used for any task that moves you closer to the life you want to build. 

Here’s how I use this strategy.

1 ) Pick a time and place. 

Knowing when and where I’m meant to be each day takes all the confusion out of everything. 

Ex: Every day at 4:30pm I will write at my desk for 90mins. 

2 ) Block out all distractions. 

Distraction is the opposite of focus. If you eliminate distraction, you’ll have focus.

I use Cold-Turkey Blocker to block everything except Google Docs on my computer and browser.

3 ) Set a timer 

Once I’ve blocked all distractions, I set my countdown timer for 90mins. 

4 ) Work…or don’t.

Once I’m all set, I start my writing session.

1 of 2 things happen. 

I either write for 90mins, or I sit there bored af (which usually makes me write lol)

Boredom makes anything fun.

I don’t have to work, but I can’t do anything else but write or sit there for 90mins. 

It’s as simple as that. 

Although social media companies are doing everything they can to keep us hooked on instant gratification, it doesn’t mean we can’t fight back. 

By implementing the Do Nothing Else Strategy, you can slowly reverse the desire for instant gratification,

Making it easier to work toward meaningful goals that lead to lasting success. 

Remember, no one is coming to save you.

It’s all up to you.

Good luck lads.

Nate.