Gorilla Mindset

If you want to put together a plan to get you where you want to go, this book asks some really good questions that will help guide you to the life you want.

Western civilization is teeming with men who've grown up with weak or, increasingly, absent fathers. Meanwhile, consumerism breeds ever greater atomization, destroying the very concept of friendship.A serious danger of this deepening isolation is that once-common knowledge and skills are no longer being handed down from one generation to the next. Nor are they shared among peers. The result is at least two generations of men who are helpless against the manipulations of media hucksters, corporate shills, government stooges, and false friends.The multitude who chase conspicuous consumption instead of spiritual fulfillment, passive entertainment instead of physical and intellectual challenge, and codependent exploitation instead of healthy, mutually beneficial relationships, raises the question of whether it's the endgame of some diabolical plan.The truth is that most of us--especially those we'd consider the most successful--have succumbed to a vicious mindset imposed by our would-be rulers in the media, the major political parties, and academia. Even worse, the breakdown of generational and peer-based support means that we're pretty much on our own.Or we were, until Mike Cernovich showed up.Mike has won success in fields as far-ranging as law, blogging, podcasting, and now indie publishing. His book Gorilla Mindset was the most successful nonfiction book launch of 2015.The secret of Mike's success is mindset--the mental filter that governs our engagement with, and understanding of, our environment.Most people's mindset is dictated by external forces and their own unregulated passions. It's vital to understand this fact. Marketing firms, politicians, professors, and celebrities sure do. They pull our heartstrings to bypass rational scrutiny and easily mold our opinions.In Gorilla Mindset, Mike offers simple, actionable methods of placing your emotions and mindset under your control. Like the Stoicism of old, his goal is to help others gain freedom from emotional slavery.What separates Gorilla Mindset from other advice books is the author's refreshing honesty and self-awareness.Sharp readers might observe that someone so familiar with emotional persuasion techniques could just as easily use them for his own selfish ends. Mike acknowledges this fact and explains his marketing approach with surprising transparency.Some use the power of persuasion to lock their audiences in mental chains. Mike offers the key to their shackles. Could he make more money by turning to the dark side? Absolutely, but he also knows that betraying his readers to get rich is merely another path to self-enslavement.Other self-help books claim to set out a comprehensive life plan that readers can't deviate from even one iota. Gorilla Mindset is far more realistic. Mike understands the differences between individuals and dismisses the fantasy of a one size fits all solution. He invites readers to try the techniques he suggests, adopt what works, and discard what doesn't.Neither does Mike claim that Gorilla Mindset is a magical panacea that works without the reader's agency. Instead, he clearly states that success requires commitment and accountability.More times than I can count, I've wished that a wise, experienced mentor had taken me aside and explained how the world really works.Reading Gorilla Mindset is the next best thing. From powerful techniques for improving one's mood, focus, and productivity; to advice on diet, exercise, and personal finance, the information Mike dispenses could help many young men avoid considerable frustration and financial hardship down the road.It certainly would've spared me a world of hurt. Luckily, it's never too late to learn.The most dramatic benefit I've gained from reading Gorilla Mindset is the ability to get up and get going at any time I want. Waking up on time may not seem like a big deal, but having lived with insomnia, wildly irregular sleep patterns, and chronic sleep deprivation since adolescence, regaining control of this basic biological function has been highly liberating.Of course, I've got a couple of gripes with the book. I could hardly call myself a unique individual if I didn't.First, I'll address the elephant in the room: price. I actually referenced Gorilla Mindset before in my post on eBook pricing. At $9.99, it's priced at the high end of indie books and approaches the paperback-equivalent prices charged by New York publishers.However, there's a method to Mike's madness. Pricing his book relatively high selects for serious readers and generates demand. His record-setting sales prove that this works.My only other noteworthy reservation is that the book occasionally flirts with relativism. But this isn't a deal-breaker, since a) instances of "My truth isn't necessarily your truth" clearly just mean "What works for me won't necessarily work for you", and b) Mike is careful to point out that the reader can take or leave any of his opinions. This isn't a philosophy text. It's a practical guide to emotional and bodily fitness.Overall, I found the book quite helpful.

(Review via www.MasculineBooks.com)When the Table of Contents for Gorilla Mindset was first released, I was a bit disappointed. Everything was Mindset, Mindset, Mindset. I felt that the book was going to be too much fluff, and not enough substance—it was quite the opposite.Although the first few chapters on subjects like self-talk and framing we’re a bit harder to grasp, as the book went on everything began to come together.Then it hit me: Everything is Mindset!This is why Mike employed chapter titles such as:Mindset is a Body: Health & FitnessMindset is PostureThe Money MindsetHow you perceive your ‘Health, Wealth, and Freedom’ is all derived from your mindset towards these things. And the proper mindset to have towards these subjects is the ‘Gorilla Mindset’, one of unapologetic masculinity, discipline, and hard work.Why This Book is DifferentAs you may know, I loathe generic self-help books. The writing is hackneyed fluff, and does nothing for the reader.Gorilla Mindset, however, is not a self-help book. It’s a “How-To” book, as the book’s description states. For example, you’ll learn how to use self-talk to become more aware of the present moment:Checking in will help you be more aware of your emotions and will make even challenging or mundane challenges more fulfilling and meaningful.”Although the concept of self-talk is a bit ‘weird’ as Mike points out, it’s essentially a way of stopping any emotional momentum from taking full steam. Instead of succumbing to a fit of rage, you can engage in self-talk to take back control of the situation.How I feel is a choice I make in the present moment.” Do not passively accept whatever emotional state happens to affect your body.Perhaps the most important aspect of this book are the exercises listed after each chapter. My favorite exercise was visualizing the perfect day. This really put things in perspective for me, so that I know exactly what to focus on and what to discard.The Mind-Body ConnectionWhat virtually all traditional self-help books ignore is the importance of the body, and how it is tied in with the mind. Mike makes a point to note this, and discusses how closely intertwined the two are. For example, if your diet is terrible and you never exercise, there’s no way you’re going to feel positive and energetic day in and day out.I also loved the chapter on posture. Although I was familiar with it from some Danger&Play articles on the subject, this was a good refresher of the exercises. In fact, I started implementing them in my morning routine, throughout my work day, and I even rigged a standing desk so I don’t have to sit all the time (I used a wicker basket trash can on a desk, ha!).How to Read This BookI love it when I get an amazing book and just can’t put in down. Gorilla Mindset was one of those books, however, I had to force myself to put it down.Why?This is a workbook, not a lecture.Treat it as such.I started out reading just one chapter at a time. I’d read the entire chapter, go back a few pages and re-read the ‘Practice’ and then do the exercise if I found it relevant. Later on I dropped this and just read several chapters each sitting. However, to get the most out of this book take it slow.In fact, in a few weeks I plan on going back and reading it again: Slowly, really digesting the material and putting things into practice.Final ThoughtsThere is a lot more content that is covered in Gorilla Mindset, but focusing on it too much takes away from the fact that you actually need to put in work through the exercises. Whether you’ve never heard of Danger&Play or have been reading it for years, you should absolutely read this book, as it will put what you’ve read over the years into perspective.

Don’t buy this book, it’s utter rubbish. You can read it in about an hour, it’s like the rambling thoughts of a 14 year old. Full of ridiculous mindfulness techniques like “I am reading a book, I am sitting down reading this book” or “I’m listening to a podcast by the author of this book” honestly absolute garbage, don’t waste your money.

I have recently red `The road to Jonestown`by Jeff Guinn - it surely without doubt deserves 5 stars. However, surely `Gorilla mindset`is no where near such level as Jeff Guinn exhiibited in his work. What about 4 stars? I am very hesiitant about it. The book is filled with some good advice. However it lacks some depth (explanation, immesrsion etc). Sometimes I felt that it was rushed and some pages written only to just fill the space. No need for that. I have red some stories 10% in length in comparison to this one which were fantastic, full of depth, etc.

Should have done more research before buying this. There's some interesting points about putting one's achievements in perspective to more appreciate them but there's nothing of great substance you couldn't get from a quick Google search in my opinion.

I am a male in their late fourties and whilst there are techniques within the Gorilla Mindset text I was already aware of and had learnt to deploy by myself. I still found it extremely useful and have and will learn from it.

Cogent, concise and pragmatic tools for self improvement. Mike is divisive but his passion is apparent and he pushes a better way of living. It's elegant and focused in execution and useful to anyone interested in models of excellence.