Mike Cernovich

Interface is a new advice app from Scott Adams funded start-up WhenHub. When you have Interface installed, you can ask experts for advice, or you can have others pay you for your advice.

Because I think Interface has a lot of promise, and because Scott Adams has been unusually generous to the world, I’d like to see as many of you sign up as possible.

Each Q&A session is 15 minutes long, and that’s only going to cost you $25.

This isn’t going to last, because accepting any one-on-one clients hurts me, as it doesn’t allow me to scale.

If I spend one hour writing or podcasting, I’ll reach at least 10,000 people. The number is higher, and that’s how I actually think about using my time.

“I can reach 10,000+ people this hour, or I can do something else this hour…. ” My time is valued in terms of reach.

How to ask me a question on Interface.

1. Download the Interface app here. 

If you use that link, you get some free tokens, as do I.

I don’t know what the tokens are worth, as this is a new product.

Just putting it out there that you’ll get free tokens, and I will too.

Today starting at 3 p.m. PST I’ll be on Interface.

I’ll click the “Go Online” button.

You’ll find me, call me, and we can talk.

Again, go download Interface at this link, and we’ll talk soon!

Once the world became obsessed with Donald Trump, I did what it seems like few others who write about Trump have – I read his books, and this included The Art of the Deal. Although Art of the Deal was entertaining, like most books in the genre, it’s too vague to be applied to real life.

One section that stuck with me was “A Week in the Life.”

Trump kept a diary of his daily and weekly activities, and it blew me away how busy he stayed. It also shamed me. Why wasn’t I working harder?

I had good reasons for my time-management plan. Too many people have spazzy energy and lack focus. The problem most people have is doing too much, and not staying on task.

Most people are busy for the sake of being busy, and aren’t focused on 80/20 (Pareto moves).

I stayed on task, perhaps to a fault, and this slowed my growth. I needed to take a more Trump-like approach, and increase deal flow.

I focused on building up several properties at all once:

• Team took Facebook page to 400,000 likes,
• Produced feature-length film on free speech,
• Funded and produced second film,
• Held Gorilla Mindset seminars,
• Launched an events business,
• Supplement and Lifestyle company,
• Built a media presence,
• Etc.

My productivity increased, and that’s without a doubt because of Trump’s book.

The downside to A Week in the Life is chaos. 

A lot of people freak out by what’s happening in Trumpland, and I’m not here to change your mind on that. (Cernovich.com is apolitical and is about mindset, lifestyle, and winning at life.)

Chaos is part of a high deal flow lifestyle. For example, the first manufacturer for Gorilla Mind had to be fired. This set production back by 7 months.

When you have a lot of projects ongoing, you don’t always know every detail about what’s happening, and that can lead to some confusion, and is stressful for most people.

Most people in life want certainty. The irony is that certainty is another word for undiversified. Your one job or business is certain? It seems that way until you lose it. Life isn’t certain, and the way to mitigate uncertainty is to diversify your assets, income flows, and mindset.

Those who demand certainty find it frustrating to work with me. “I don’t know right now,” and “We will figure it out” are mantras I live by.

Where some see chaos, I see an OODA loop:

The OODA loop is the decision cycle of observe, orient, decide, and act, developed by military strategist and United States Air Force Colonel John Boyd. Boyd applied the concept to the combat operations process, often at the operational level during military campaigns. It is now also often applied to understand commercial operations and learning processes. The approach favors agility over raw power in dealing with human opponents in any endeavor.

Cernovich does not have any large billionaire backers, yet look at what we have accomplished. This is because we are agile, we move fast, we don’t have fixed plans, we respond to changing battlefield conditions.

To apply the OODA-loop in your own life you need to have the right mindset.

1. Observation. Sharpen your senses. Practice your skills of observation. Go for walks where you simply listen and watch. You will be amazed at what you see. Birds chirping. Couples feuding. Strange chalk marks in alleyways. Listen to your mind when you see something. Pay attention to the world around you.

2. Orientation. This is the big one. It means always striving to improve yourself be it through reading new books, listening to podcasts, or learning new skills. To orient effectively you must train your mind to recognize patterns, understand history and psychology, and even know your enemy.

3. Decision making: this one just comes with time, and with mentorship. This is why training schools exist in the military, or practice for sports teams.

4. Action. You need to strengthen your body. Lift weights. Get in shape. Eat right. Practice breathing. Everything described in Gorilla Mindset. This way your body and your mind will be prepared once you decide to take action.

Be ready to take your lumps and losses.

Trump’s companies plead bankruptcy a few times, although how many times is subject to debate. While some see these bankruptcies as evidence poor business acumen, others seek the bankruptcies as what you’d expect to find on a successful businessperson’s balance sheet.

Here is a basic math problem:

You do three deals of equal value, that is, you invest $100,000 in three businesses.

Deal 1. You lose all of your money and the business files for bankruptcy.

Deal 2. You lose all of your money and the business files for bankruptcy.

Deal 3. You make a 10X return.

“This loser pled bankruptcy twice,” is one way to characterize what happened. Another interpretation is that you have a net profit of $800,000. Both interpretations are true, which is yet another reason that much of what you read is simultaneously true and false.

Human nature loathes a loss, and most can’t take the L and charge it to the game.

The Sunk Cost Fallacy. The Misconception: You make rational decisions based on the future value of objects, investments and experiences. The Truth: Your decisions are tainted by the emotional investments you accumulate, and the more you invest in something the harder it becomes to abandon it.

You have to know when to get out. When? (See the OODA loop, above.)

You’re also going to get a lot of hate from critics and losers when you take a loss.

Your mindset must be to take the long view, and realize your life isn’t fixed at any given point. Don’t let the haters and losers get to you, and don’t be seduced by the fans. Keep moving forward!

My favorite quotes from The Art of the Deal.

On responding to haters. “My people keep telling me I shouldn’t write letters like this to critics. The way I see it, critics get to say what they want to about my work, so why shouldn’t I be able to say what I want about theirs.”

On instincts. “One is to listen to your gut, no matter how good something sounds on paper. The second is that you’re generally better off sticking with what you know. And is the third is sometimes your best investments are the ones you didn’t make.”

On media. “Contrary to what a lot of people think, I don’t enjoy doing press. I’ve been asked the same questions a million times now, and I don’t particularly like talking about my personal life. Nonetheless, I understand that getting press can be very helpful in making deals, and I don’t mind talking about them.”

On self-promotion. “The most successful painters are often better salesman and promoters than they are artists.”

On negotiate. “My style of deal-making is quite simple and straightforward. I aim very high, and then I just keep pushing and pushing and pushing to get what I’m after. Sometimes I settle for less than I sought, but in most cases I still end up with what I want.”

The Art of Stress Management.

In all of the talks I’ve given, no one has asked me the one question they should ask.

Whether you love me or hate me, no one seems to wonder: How do you do it all?

Even if you assume I’m evil, don’t you wonder…How is he so good at being evil? (I’m actually a kind-hearted person, but assume I’m a villain. Maybe you could use my methods for your own purposes?)

There are many nights when Shauna says to me, “I can hear that your eyes are still open.”

I am under tremendous stress, and simply could not function at my level of productivity without all of the stuff I’ve written about for you:

• Binaural beats,
• Wim Hof Breathing,
• Good sleep (article forthcoming),
• Abundance posture poses,
• Gorilla Mindset Techniques.

It is also hard to play at my level without nootropics, which are over-the-counter supplements that can enhance focus.

I’ve tried them all, and recommended many over the years, including Neuro-1, alpha GPC, and many others.

It took me four years to find a formulation to fight my lifestyle, and that’s why launched Gorilla Mind.

When I wake up first thing in the morning, I take 3 capsules of Gorilla Mind and have some iced coffee (no sugar).

I work for several hours before needing to eat or have a break.

Gorilla Mind contains a lot of familiar supplements like Tyrosine, which is a precursor to neurotransmitters and hormones. According to WebMd:

Research shows that taking tyrosine improves mental performance under stressful conditions These include cold-induced stress or noise-induced stress.

Memory. Research shows that taking tyrosine improves memory during stressful conditions. These include cold-induced stress or multi-tasking.

Improving alertness following the loss of sleep. Taking tyrosine helps people who have lost a night’s sleep stay alert for about 3 hours longer than they otherwise would. Also, early research shows that tyrosine improves memory and reasoning in people who are sleep-deprived.

If you’re on a tight budget, taking a caffeine tablet / shot of espresso with 1,000 to 3,000 milligrams tyrosine can be a major boost. (Gorilla Mind is a premium product and at the top of the market, so it won’t offend me if people don’t use it.)

During college I’d drink some espresso and take a bunch of tyrosine powder, which is cheap to buy online at Amazon or at most stores. Vinpocetine is also cheap and effective. I would stack some vinpocetine with Alpha-GPC, as the Alpha-GPC can make the effect last longer.

Gorilla Mind also contains Dimethylaminoethanol, which according to WebMd can improve exercise performance. I’ve found that, for me personally, it boosts the mind-muscle connection, and I have much better workouts when taking 3 caps of Gorilla Mind.

You can pick up Gorilla Mind here.

Or not.

These products aren’t for everyone. A lot of people don’t like supplements, and that’s totally cool.

Gorilla Mindset has nearly 1,000 reviews on the main Amazon page, and is suitable for all ages and genders.

Buy your copy today.

“Are you Mike Cernovich?!” Why yes, I am. And now I’m here to talk with you about fame.

You will never have a deep emotional connection with another person (with some exceptions).

When you’re famous, your secrets have currency. “Friends” will leak to the media for a quid-pro-quo or out of a Girardian / mimetic desire to hurt you.

(Rene Girard in a sentence: People don’t know what they want, so they’ll try destroying you to take what you have.)

Why do you think famous people only hang out with other famous people? If everyone in the room is famous, then everyone has a shared interest in secrecy.

But famous people rarely go deep even with other famous people, because you never know what might leave the room.

Human connection is the sine qua non of the human experience. When you lose the ability to connect through shared stories and mutual vulnerability, you lose what it means to be human. This is also why famous people often have breakdowns, failed relationships, and sometimes vanish to the wilderness.

Your biggest fans will become your biggest haters. 

The people you get to know today will feel betrayed tomorrow if you stop giving them adequate attention. It’s simply not human nature to say, “I got to know that person for a while, and then we all moved on. Good times!”

People will become emotionally attached to an idealized vision of you, and if you don’t answer their emails quickly enough, they’ll start to say, You’re too good for me now, huh?

One young man I spent hours helping years ago and helped avoid suicide still stalks me because he felt betrayed when I stopped answering his emails. (Hey, I saved the guy’s life. I don’t need to swap stories all day every day about nonsense.)

I thought it was nice to answer emails, but the replies kept coming, and how can I keep up? People take your inattention personally. Everyone thinks they are the center of the universe, and how dare you not drop everything you are doing to listen to their bullshit.

(I’m going to be a bunch of emails and texts from people asking if the above paragraphs are about them. That is how self-absorbed people are. They can’t read an article, empathize with me, and instead will make it about themselves.)

Your fans will think they own you.

Do you know what it’s like to have a job where a boss is always telling you what to do? Multiply that by millions, and you’ll understand what it’s like being famous. Everyone will tell you what you should be doing with your life, and they believe they have the right to order you around.

 

You won’t make as much money as you think.

Outside of A-list superstardom, fame converts poorly to dollars. To make money online, you want to build a niche.

Everyone loves to “mock” Gorilla Mindset, but it’s my seminars and coaching and consulting that keep the lights on.

In fact, I would make more money if I quit doing journalism and media stuff today. (Which, yes, leads one to ask what the f-ck I am doing with my time.)

People will set you up in honey pot operations.

If you’re a famous man, you think there must be some “perks” to fame. Remember that people who are attracted to you for your fame aren’t honorable people. Maybe someone is trying to frame you, or trap you, or is simply insane. Look at how many men are losing their livelihoods based on the flimsiest allegations. Ryan Lizza went from top dog at the New Yorker to nothing, based on stuff his ex-girlfriend said, which had nothing to do with his employment.

You can’t talk about being famous, because that’s a humblebrag and douchey.

No one will tell you the severe burdens of fame, because they are afraid of being attacked. Oh, you think you’re important now?!

The need to destroy is the animating force of humanity.

You can’t tell jokes. Your words will be taken literally. They will be taken out of context. Your satire will be treated as sincere.

Tomi Lahren joked that her dog was being noisy, and she “kicked” her five times. She told this on her Instagram, and as we all know, she adores that dog.

And you wouldn’t actually kick a dog on live TV, as the dog would yelp. (Someone is going to ask how would I know this, it must be because I kicked a dog!)

However that one joke got her called all sorts of names, and even PETA went after her.

You can’t make mistakes, as social media hate mobs will stalk you forever.

Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen used to share his insights freely with the world. Then one day he said something inaccurate, and sort of stupid. Rather than have people say, “Welcome to being human,” the mob scalped him. Now he lays low, which he should.

Four young Jewish women were no-platformed because their mom is controversial speaker and writer Pamela Geller.

For the rest of their lives, these Jewish women will have people who monitor their every move. When they book a venue, stalkers will start calling in death threats. And that’s not even because of what they said, this viciousness is because of whom their mom is!

I tell all of my famous friends to stay off social media. Don’t post anything except maybe inspirational quotes or links to your events.

The upside benefit is low, and the downside risk is your livelihood.

Fame re-wires your brain, and you’ll forever be “chasing the dragon.”

Because I never wanted fame, it hasn’t affected me. Friends and I joke about how silly it is, and people who meet me all say, “You don’t act like you’re famous!’

This is because fame didn’t hit me until a few years ago. My brain was fully developed. And since I never wanted fame, it’s “Meh” to me.

If you get famous when you’re younger, it’ll re-wire your brain. You’ll become addicted to fame. You’ll obsess over your image, Google and Twitter name search yourself obsessively, and it will feel like weeks of agony if people aren’t talking about you for a day.

Fame will become a drug, and like any junkie, you’ll do anything to chase the dragon of a high. This will lead to short-term impulsive decisions that will harm you for the rest of your life.

People will get angry at you for making a living.

I started a new company to help people develop an edge in life.

And you know what happened.

The same thing that happened when I wrote a book. People got angry, and let me know I was selling out.

HOW DARE YOU SELL ANYTHING?!

The reason people can read for free is because others buy books, attend seminars, and try out Gorilla Mind.

Rather than be grateful, most people get resentful.

Yes, most people get angry. At me. Someone who provides value for people, for free, simply for offering products and books that others may voluntarily buy.

Thankfully I tell those most people how I feel, which is that they need to Get The Eff Off My Website.

And thank you to the generous many who support me.

 

Why I Made Myself Famous

As a shy introvert, I remained anonymous for years. I then read a book by Frank Kern, and in this book, he explained that in America, people only respect you if you’re a celebrity.

Fame is influence, and America is heading in the wrong direction. In the UK, people go to prison for jokes. Germany is a police state. Pedophile gangs are allowed to roam freely. What will happen to America if I do nothing?

I made myself famous because that was the most effective way for me to serve my country in the current times.

The downsides are considerable.

But yesterday I was walking in Old Town San Diego and saw a great young man with his girlfriend. We had a nice chat, and these are common.

My “fan base” (I hate using that word) includes the best people this country and world have to offer. People everywhere smile and thank me.

Knowing great people love me, and that together we are making the world a better place, offsets the considerable downsides of my fame.

And I view my role as a Founding Father (or Mother). They risked their lives for freedom. I am fighting and risking my life for a cause greater than myself, and the downsides of fame are simply a cost of being a patriot.

Unless you want your life to be upended, do not seek fame.

And if you do become famous, know the risks.

 

P.S. If you like my writing, you’ll love Gorilla Mindset, and the Gorilla Mind line of products.

Since I was 19 or 20, I started taking nootropics, or what losers call “brain pills.” I’ve always wanted an edge in life, and always pushed my body and mind beyond real or perceived limits.

This is why everyone in Los Angeles says they will write a book and make a film, and never do. Where as I:

• Wrote and published a book that sold over 80,000 copies (and is still selling well) and won awards.
• Produced a film on free speech, and am in post-production on a second feature-length film.
• Broke some of the biggest stories of the year, including the John Conyers story.
• Became recognized worldwide, from nothing, no network, no big donors, just sheer force of will.
• Made some huge mistakes, got my butt kicked badly in life, and got up and kept moving.

I also manage to have a family life, cover breaking news in an entertaining way, face off the most aggressive journalists in the game and….You get the point.

Now ask what the haters have done…

Ask yourself what people who hate on “brain pills” get done.

I’ve tried nearly every nootropic formulation, and 4 years ago began working on my own formulation. Each batch had problems, and we never could nail down the right combination of ingredients. I shelved the idea of having my own product, moved to Vietnam with my wife, and wrote Gorilla Mindset.

Yet the nootropic idea lingered. It was an unsolved challenge in my life, and once we returned to the U.S., I began working on a product line in earnest.

Around a year ago, my business partner and I nailed it. The formulation was on. It was better than anything I had ever taken. We ordered samples, lab tested them (the results were outstanding), and then ordered our first batch of 10,000 bottles.

I was excited not only because this was a product I believed in, but because also this was a new business.

We were excited for launch, and then something horrible happened. The company we ordered from started giving us problems (to put it mildly). We had to find a new company.

But that’s neither here nor there, as far as YOU are concerned.

New readers might not know this, but I’ve been around for 15 years, writing in various forms. Credibility is everything. As Warren Buffett said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”

A lot of people hate me for various jokes and satirical articles and even for my sincere views about world affairs, but you’ll notice that no one has ever accused me of not being honest.

I let you know right away that I am marketing to you.

There isn’t any fine print. (Also, “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”)

I always resented having people be sneaky about selling me a product, or people are vague.

If you have a great product, don’t play games, don’t hide, man up or woman up and make your pitch.

I WANT you and everyone you know to buy and read Gorilla Mindset. Buy extra copies to donate to schools and libraries. I am shameless about this, because it’s a great book. (And I assume, if you like what you read, you want me to be able to keep working and providing you value.)

Gorilla Mindset has over 2,000 ratings in reviews across Audible and Amazon. I’m proud of Gorilla Mindset, which again, doesn’t matter to YOU.

(One tip for those of you who sell products. Don’t tell people how excited you are. Make the sale about the buyer. What excites them? Or, do as I say, not as I do…)

If you don’t want me to earn a living as a writer, then you’re a toxic person, and I don’t want you reading me. That doesn’t mean everyone who reads me has to every buy anything, and in fact, no one should ever feel obligated to ever buy anything. But if you begrudge someone for working and making a living, you’re simply not the kind of person I want around me.

Imagine I went to your place of work and said, “What kind of LOSER is trying to get paid for working?!” That’s exactly what it sounds like when someone gets upset about me saying, “Here’s what I’m selling, and want you to buy.”

Gorilla Mind is an incredible product, and there are two formulations – Rush and Smooth.

Rush is what I would have taken during my “bro years.” It’s an intense experience. At my current stage in life, it’s “too powerful” for me.

Smooth offers intense focus with zero jitters.

The biggest difference between Rush and Smooth is that Smooth contains theacrine, which has caffeine like effects without the caffeine jitters.

The preference for Rush and Smooth is individual. Some people love rush, others don’t. I have taken both, and prefer Smooth.

How I personally use Gorilla Mind Smooth.

I wake up and do my morning routine.

Then I take 3 capsules with a large iced coffee. (I don’t eat breakfast, and my first meal is around 1 or 2 p.m.)

On days off, that’s it. On days when I go to the gym, I take another 3 capsules 30-60 minutes before lifting.

I only sell products I personally use.

If you’ve been around for years, you’ve seen me recommend a ton of products that work, even though no one has sponsored those recommendations.

We will be expanding the Gorilla Mind line of products.

We also recently launched Gorilla Dream, which is a phenomenal sleep aid.

 

These products are among the best on the market.

They are what I personally use, and while most of my friends and family aren’t “nootropic people,” they’ve all been thrilled with Gorilla Dream.

Not everyone wants to be as focused and intense as I am (sometimes even I wish to be less intense), but everyone needs a good night’s sleep.

Check out our products.

Or don’t.

The choice is entirely up to you.

• Go to the Gorilla Mind store today.

“You’re going to to be given a trespassing ticket,” the security officer told me, so I answered, “I’m not leaving. Call the police.”

Why did a woman put her dog in an overhead bin on a United flight? Because she was told to. She complied. We live in a police state. Do what you are told. Even ostensible acts of rebellion, like a school walk-out, are mandated by school administrators. Teachers force students to be used as political props. We call this “the resistance.”

Back to telling some thieves to call the police on me…

I was at a world-famous resort with my wife and sister. My wife purchased a beer from a beer tent, and I grabbed a glass of red Zinfandel for myself and my sister. We were sitting around when two security agents came over, demanding to see my wife and sister’s identifications.

My sister showed hers, and that satisfied them. My wife showed them her Global Entry card, which according to the security officer was an “invalid” ID. He then said we would have to leave, and I told him he had better give us a refund. “No, you won’t be given a refund.”

At this point in the story, what do most people do? They put their dog in the overhead bin. They do what they are told. That’s not what I did.

“This is racial profiling, and I am filing a civil rights complaint. Bring a lawyer out immediately, as this is a civil rights issue.” The guard was taken aback, and called a higher level of security.

Soon we have a huddle of five security guards. I explained to them that if a Global Entry card isn’t valid ID, that was their fault for selling my wife a beer, and that this was nonsense. I had a receipt proving my wife purchased her beer on premises. They screwed up, not us.

They told me I passed alcohol to my wife, and I told them to pull up security footage. “We don’t have cameras out here, sir.” Yes, they told me repeatedly they did not have security cameras on the premises. They lied to my face.

While this is happening, I couldn’t help but imagine that it was a petty dispute. Why did these security people hassle us? And I also wondered what people who aren’t me do in these situations? Do you really need to have a law degree, litigation experience, and an ability to handle conflict well in order to have a normal day at the park?

The higher level guard said I was trespassing. I told him I bought a ticket, and unless a refund was given to me, they were committing theft. I would not leave. “Call the police on me.”

At this point they aren’t sure what to do. What do you do with a guy who tells you to call the police on him? When I pulled out my smart phone and asked him to repeat what he just told me on camera, suddenly he didn’t want to talk so tough.

Now what happened? They made a mistake. Rather than accept responsibility for it, they wanted to hassle my family, lie to me, and try to intimidate me.

They lied about me passing wine to my wife, they lied about not having security cameras, they lied about having sold a beer to my wife. These are all verifiable lies.

Big businesses and big governments are used to making people roll over for them. We are conditioned to obey. Hollywood, Wall Street, the Media, and Government all demand compliance. Submit or die.

No, I won’t put my dog in the overhead bin, and neither should you.