“That man of loneliness and mystery,

Scarce seen to smile, and seldom heard to sigh”

– Lord Byron, The Corsair

One of my more mundane hobbies is to aimlessly surf Wikipedia. Today I stumbled on a post about the Byronic hero. Initially assuming it was a straight-to-VHS 1980’s science fiction comedy film, I was eager to read on.* As it turned out, the article had nothing to do with Hollywood or movies. The Bryonic hero, conceived by none other than Lord Bryon himself, is an archetypical character who is:

• A lone wolf
• Charismatic
• Usually dark and brooding
• Passionate towards his ideals
• Intelligent
• Uncompromising
• Often emotionally distant from those around him

If you have some down time this weekend, I’d highly suggest reading up on both the Bryonic hero and its creator. They’re both quite interesting to study.

* I thought it would be about a bumbling guy name Bryan who got turned into a cyborg. He’d then go fight crime.

“I wonder if 2013-era omegas are happier than 1913-era. Porn, gaming, welfare, DVD, 4chan. Probably best time in history to be at the bottom.”

– Nick Krauser

You aren’t bad with women because “feminism ruined the dating market.”

“Scheming liberals” aren’t the reason you’re broke.

Being out of shape isn’t the result of “poor genetics.”

“Lack of knowledge” isn’t why you stagnate. It’s 2013. All the world’s knowledge can be accessed on your phone, while you sit on the toilet.

Your problems cold all be corrected. You simply need to put in an effort.

Back when I got into self-development I never questioned anything. When any guy I wanted to be like spoke I listened. I didn’t complain. I didn’t try and argue with him. I just did what he said. Within six months I was a whole new person.

Whenever I write a new post I like to imagine that I’m writing specifically to one guy. That somewhere in the world there’s a dude sitting in his basement with a pad of paper, jotting down notes. I hope we meet some day. When we do I know he’ll be better than me. His ambition will have taken him far beyond anyplace I could have.

For every driven man, there’s a dozen who live vicariously through others. Like the lazy stoner who spends all day Tweeting motivational quotes, they don’t actually do anything. They read because it gives them a temporary sense of accomplishment. Not because they’ll put it into practice.

I love reading yet I’ll be the first to admit that books aren’t a magic cure-all. Consuming ever piece of motivational and educational literature won’t do anything on it’s own. You’d be better off reading and implementing one mediocre book than hording advice without acting on it.

The tools are there. Pick them up and get to work.

“If you’re going to try, go all the way.”

– Charles Bukowski

I receive enough questions about blogging to warrant a post about it. The following is my advice to anyone interested in crafting a successful website:

• Write yourself as yourself.

Pretending to be someone else isn’t impressive. Creating some faux playboy/billionaire/athlete story won’t amaze anyone anyway. If you actually are some fat neckbeard in real life, write about it. It’d be far more interesting to read than whatever fictional story you may be tempted to concoct.

• Don’t be negative.

I was going to write “no one likes a whiner,” but it’s not true. Losers like a whiner. People who have something to lose aren’t going to find themselves attracted to a doomsday profit. Unless you want to surround yourself with the slugs of society, don’t start a blog based in negativity.

• Don’t expect to get rich.

I’ve never seen a blogger who was only in it “for the money” last more than three months. If you want to make money, start a business. If you want to blog, writing needs to be your passion.

• Write for an hour every day.

Buy a small notebook and carry it everywhere you go. Scribble down anything interesting you experience throughout the day. When you get home, dedicate an hour to elaborating on at least one of those events. You’d be surprised at how many posts I’ve built off random thoughts that popped into my mind.

• Listen to as few “experts” as possible.

Don’t over expose yourself to information from professional bloggers. I wouldn’t even recommend reading any of their advice until after your first month of blogging. After that, I’d suggest picking up a copy of Confessions of an Online Hustler, it’s one of the few good books on the subject.

If you have any questions or additional suggestions, feel free to post a comment. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.