Blog

For the past five weeks I have been doing the Wim Hof method, and I’ve never felt better.

If you’re not familiar with who Wim Hof, check out this excellent documentary:

The tl;dr version: Wim Hof is the Iceman. He can endure intense cold, prevent illness, and alter his physiology through a series of breathing techniques. Wim Hof’s claims have been tested in laboratory conditions and scientifically validated. He teaches his methods in a course called the Wim Hof Method.

If you want to try one of his breathing methods, check out this demonstration he gave on the Joe Rogan show:

I’m not going to give away any aspect of his method that hasn’t been made public, but I will talk about my experience.

Doing the Wim Hof course is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

The biggest surprise has been the massive shift in mood and energy. Doing Wim Hof makes you feel positive and energetic. In reviewing Scott Adams book, I said one of the most important things you can do is to focus on activities that energize you. Wim Hof gives you more energy. It doesn’t take long. As Wim says, “breath man, it’s free.”

The course itself is focuses on cold exposure, breathing exercises, and physical movements.

Cold Exposure

Prior to this course, I hadn’t been a fan of the cold. I even moved all the way to Texas to avoid the cold. (Okay, there were other reasons, but… it was a factor.) Part of my motivation was to confront the fear of the cold and make it my friend.

After doing Wim Hof, you will look forward to cold showers. The way Wim Hof eases you into cold exposure is so well thought-out even a warm weather person like myself can embrace the cold.  A couple weeks earlier during a freakishly cold day, I saw other Texans shivering while I stood comfortably.

Breathing Exercises

The breathing exercises make you feel light headed, serene, calm… It was nice, but I wasn’t sure how I’d use it till the other night, when I saw a YouTube video featuring a situation I was afraid of. It something you might actually do, shown from a real first person perspective. My heart started racing as if I was really experiencing it.

I noticed the fear, and decided to stay with it. I found as I meditated I could let go of the fear, but the moment I imagined the situation again, it was all back. Then I tried Wim Hof breathing. One round and it was totally dissolved. I realized if I found myself in a panic-inducing situation, I could use this to reset my nerves.

If you’re an artist struggling with stage fright, fear of failure, or any of the mental challenges creatives face, this method could help you. I just did the basic breathing shown in the Joe Rogan video above, and was able to clear fear. Try it next time you’re afraid and see if it doesn’t melt the fear away.

Physical Movements

Wim’s stretches are comparable to yoga. You’ll feel great after doing them. In particular, I’ve noticed increased spine strength. It feels like these stretches hit parts of the body weightlifting exercises don’t always reach. You don’t have to be a lifter or yogi to do these exercises – though it wouldn’t hurt.

Speaking of exercises – through all of these methods Wim says “feeling is understanding.” It’s a phrase sums up the right mindset for his methods. Much of what you experience during these exercises may be hard to describe, especially during the meditation. But you’ll know it when you feel it.

I’ve still got five more weeks to go. The next five are when we get into deep cold exposure like ice baths and holding your breath in the water. The course is a significant time commitment – an hour per day – but worth it. If you’re someone who wants to feel great in their body, this course is for you.

Sign-up for the Wim Hof Method here.

Read More: Joining the Vanguard: A Weekend of Survival Skills With Atomic Athlete

Film nerd moment: my favorite director Shinya Tsukamoto just got his early work re-released in HD.

The Tokyo Fist re-release is especially exciting. But first, let me explain…

Who Is Shinya Tsukamoto?

Shinya Tsukamoto is a Japanese cult director who works on his films as writer, director, producer, lead actor, cinematographer, editor, and art director, because he likes to have all the fun himself. He’s supported his independent productions by working as a major actor in Japanese cinema.

He has said his early work is about the relationship between the body and the city, and how we become disconnected from our bodies living in the city. For this reason, Tsukamotos films are a visceral experience. While other films draw you into your head, you feel Tsukamotos in your body.

If you’re interested in Tsukamoto, I highly recommend Tom Mes book Iron Man: The Cinema of Shinya Tsukamoto. It is one of the best books of film criticism I’ve ever read, and I reference it again every few years for inspiration.

The Films

My personal favorite of Tsukamoto’s films is Tokyo Fist.

When I first saw Tokyo Fist, I had to track down an old copy on ebay that had the subtitles burned on to the image with spelling errors. It was the worst presentation possible, yet the film was so powerful, it managed to break through all of the limitations of it’s distributor.

After I saw it, I thought “if I ever become a famous filmmaker, I’m going to track down a print of this film and re-release it in HD.” Looks like someone beat me to it, and I couldn’t be happier.

If you’re interested in getting into his work, Bullet Ballet may be the most accessible.

Tetsuo: The Iron Man will be the weirdest film you’ve ever seen…

And A Snake of June is a strange exploration of sexuality.

Shinya Tsukamoto is one of the greatest directors in the world.  I’m glad his films are finally getting the release they deserve. Check them out.

Read more: Watch the 2016 Documentary Nominee Trailers

After releasing a short film that mentioned bug-out bags and emergency kits. I had a number of people ask me: what should I put in my bug-out bag?

I didn’t know how to answer them, until one cold night in Virgina the power went out during a snow storm. The temperature started dropping, and I realized it could be days before power came back on. Thankfully, it was only an hour, but it made me aware of the single most important question to ask yourself in prepping:

What are you preparing for?

When trying to figure out what you need, just ask yourself one question – what scenario are you preparing for? Go through that scenario in your mind and notice each item you see yourself using. Once you’ve got your list, run a drill and see what equipment  you actually use.

For a long time, my bag was built around power outages or natural disasters in Virginia. In Texas, extreme cold isn’t really a worry, so I keep different items in the house.

The bag in my car is built around the premise “what if my car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and my phone is dead?” It’s got a solar-powered charger, water, a poncho, thermal blankets, and a couple other goodies.

It’s also got everything I need to stay over a friends house. I travel frequently, and have had friends invite me to stay when I didn’t even have a change of clothes with me. Now, I just keep a bag with all that stuff in the back of my car. While this isn’t a survival tool, I’ve found myself in this situation enough that I’ve prepared for.

This is a survivalist way of thinking that you can apply to other areas. As you go through the day, just notice what you need, or wish you had. Over time, you’ll find you need less and less, because you’re prepared.

The Zombie Apocalypse

A lot of survival blogs write as if they are preparing for the zombie apocalypse. I don’t think the world is going to end anytime soon, but the zombie apocalypse does cover every possible scenario – viral outbreak, civil unrest, failure of basic services, etc. I get why people use it.

Prepping for the zombie apocalypse requires a greater investment of time and money. Because I don’t think that scenario is likely, my bag is not geared for it. I suspect many people focus on the zombie apocalypse, not because they think it will happen, but because they enjoy LARPing the end of the world.

Don’t let extreme survivalist attitudes turn you off from preparing for more likely scenarios – like a power outage or losing water in your building for a few days. Their lists of suggested items can be useful as a starting point, but if you test your scenario, you’ll know how much of that stuff you really need.

What should I put in MY bag?

Again, I have friends who are into survivalism way more then I am, but because I made a short film mentioning it, everyone asks me about it. At one point, I looked into starting a business making pre-made bug-out bags, because so many people were interested.

I ending up not doing that because I discovered 1) the economics of it didn’t work for me, but more importantly 2) what you put in the bag depends on your situation. The bag I’d use in Texas is not the same bag I’d use in Virginia. The bag I’d give to a friend with no survival training is not the same bag I’d give to an experienced outdoors-man.

As a rule of thumb – it’s better to have a few pieces of equipment you know how to use, then a bunch of gear you’ve never tested. Minimalism. Just go back to that question – what are you preparing for? – and then take only what you’ll use.

Once you’ve got your scenario, prepare for contingencies. What if you cut yourself? What if it’s raining? What if the emergency occurs at an unexpected hour?

Prepping as a life skill

This way of thinking can apply to other situations. Right now, I’m finishing editing a documentary film, and thinking through distribution scenarios. What if I have to self-distribute? What I can’t license the footage I want? What if someone doesn’t like the film’s message and comes after it? Same mindset, different problem.

Happy prepping.

Read More: How To Make Moving Easy Using Lifestyle Minimalism

As someone working on a documentary, I was curious what documentaries would be nominated this year. Below are the 2016 nominees for Best Documentary Feature:

Amy

Cartel Land

The Look of Silence

What Happened, Miss Simone?

Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom

Notice any similarities between all the films? Striking differences? Share your observations about the 2016 Oscar nominees with me on twitter.

Read More: How To Structure Documentary Openings

Every year during awards season, the Hollywood Reporter holds roundtable discussions with some of the film industries top professionals. If you’re interested in improving your craft, or understanding the process of successful filmmakers, these are worth a watch.

Full Director Roundtable

Full Writer Roundtable

Over the coming month, more roundtables will be released, including one with documentary filmmakers. You can watch the other THR roundtables on their website or YouTube.

Read More: Standout Films from the Austin Film Festival 2015

In 2015, I…

• Finished shooting all the interviews for a feature-length documentary
• Nearly finished the first edit of said-documentary
• Wrote a feature-length screenplay with my dad
• Wrote the first draft of a second screenplay with my dad
• Learned many new skills (some of which I haven’t written about yet)
• Helped fund a Zen center
• Edited several short videos
• Moved to cross country
• Trained hard at two great gyms
• Re-started this blog!

Plus, a couple other things I won’t share publicly.

All in all, it was a great year.

In 2016, there are more projects to do, and skills to learn then I know how I’ll accomplish. However, my primary intention is to finish the documentary. Expect a trailer in the coming year.

I’m always hesitant to talk about projects publicly. The film industry is full of people who talk big, but never finish. Rather then join them, I make it a rule only to speak when I have something to show.

A few people have seen work-in-progress sequences from the documentary. Feedback has been positive. I’ve set myself up to have and even better 2016, by just finishing what I’ve started.

Happy new year everyone.

Watch More: My Dad & The Drudge Report

I’ve moved cross country three times.

Each time it’s gotten easier.

When I talk about moving, people often say, “wow, that must be really stressful.”

Not really. At this point it’s an adventure. I’m excited about where I’m going, and the life I’ll have there.

It isn’t stressful is because I have a system.

I’ve been using this system since I graduated college, but only recently discovered a name for it – lifestyle minimalism.

What Is Minimalism

Minimalism is the idea that experiences are more important that stuff.

To practice minimalism simply ask the question of all your possessions – do I really need this?

Moving is the ideal time to begin practicing minimalism because you’re already going to have to go through your possession to pack them. Each item you keep comes with an cost in packing space and transportation.

Some minimalists actually downsize by packing for a pretend move, just to figure out what they don’t need.

To begin…

Sell As Much As Possible

If you know you’re going to move, get online and start selling anything you know you can’t buy there and don’t have a personal attachment to or real need for.

If you live in a college town, this is relatively easy. People are always moving and need of new stuff. Furniture, kitchen supplies, lamps, old clothes – easy to sell.

Just get it down to what you actually use.

Keyword: you. My physical life needs beyond food and shelter are books, clothes, computer/film stuff, and kitchen stuff. What you need may be different.

Books used to be the biggest item. I’ve got boxes and boxes of books. Dozens new each year. Since I switched to kindle, I’ve compressed that down to one item. If I was to move again, I could pack even less.

Be Honest About What You Need

You’ll also notice there’s a juicer in the back of my car. Is that an necessity? No, of course not. But I like having it.

You probably have a few items like that aren’t necessities, but you use regular. That’s okay. The point of doing this process is to get rid of things that aren’t serving you. If you’re using something regularly and it makes you happy, keep it.

The items you don’t need, you turn into something far more useful – cash.

That leads to the second part of this process:

Buy What You Need When You Get There

If you’ve done a good job selling, you can actually buy everything you need in your new location without losing much money – and even make money in some cases.

Rather then paying movers, renting a truck, and creating a headache, just sell your furniture and get what you need when you get there.

Now admittedly – I don’t have expensive tastes. I’m also a bachelor. Adjust this advice to your situation. But odds are, the question “do I really use this?” will reveal something you can let go of.

As a rule of thumb – if you haven’t used it in a year, you probably won’t. And yes – having too much stuff is a first-world high quality problem.

Minimalism to Vagabonding

I first heard about this idea of selling all you don’t need and buying what you need when you get there from the book Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts.

Vagabonding describes the art of traveling the world with little more then a backpack. I’m not sure I’ll ever be down to a single bag (though friends of mine are, by choice), but every move I make, I pack less.

The point of the minimalist philosophy isn’t the amount of possessions you have. It’s to live a life free of clutter and with only on what adds value to your life.

This philosophy can extend to other areas of life. For documentary work, I have all my gear down to one bag. That means, when I have a shoot, I don’t have to think, “do I have it all?” I grab my backpack and go.

If you get nothing else from this, just know that moving doesn’t have to be a headache. It can an adventure. Just let go of everything that isn’t serving you.

Read More: Kevin Bortolin’s Zen Stories & Teaching

After Scott Adams linked my blog and said some very nice things, I figured it was time I read his book How to Fail at Everything and Still Win Big: The Kind of Story of My Life.

Scott’s book speaks from personal experience. The advice he gives is clear, actionable, and told through humorous and inspiring stories.

Since the test of any book on self-development is the change it inspires, I’d like to highlight the two concepts from the book – one which I was following, and one which illuminated something new.

Always Be Learning New Skills

In his book, Scott Adam’s suggests that every new skill you learn doubles your chance of success. You don’t even have to be great at each skill.

By his own admission, Scott is not the world’s best artist, writer, or comedian – but the combination of those skills lead to Dilbert. Add business skills, and a knowledge of persuasion and hypnosis, and it’s easy to see why Scott Adam’s has reached the level he has.

This lesson was affirming for me, because I have spent a lot of time pursing special interests that seem like they have nothing to do with my career, yet are now applying to my work. One has become a feature length documentary currently in post-production, and another is becoming a screenplay.

In Scott’s view, no activity is a failure as long as your gain new skills from it, and build the systems that will eventually lead to success.

Energy is the Metric to Measure By

Biggest new lesson I got from Scott Adam’s book is make choices that maximize your person energy.

A mental light-bulb went off when I read:

The main reason I blog is because it energizes me. I could rationalize my blogging by telling you it increases traffic on Dilbert.com by 10 percent or that it keeps my mind sharp or that I think the world is a better place when there are more ideas in it. But the main truth is that blogging charges me up. It gets me going. I don’t need another reason.

This is the reason I blog as well. It’s the reason we do most things. Making art gives us energy.

Reading this, I realized there were activities I’d been postponing because I didn’t consider them “real work” or didn’t think they would pay off. In avoiding doing them, I was actually draining my energy AND not getting them done.

Now, I indulge that voice that calls me to do something just because it energizes me to follow it. Ironically, it’s these pursuits that have lead to the biggest gains.

To maximize your energy, Scott suggests establishing healthy habits – diet and exercise – that rely on systems, not willpower.

This personal energy metric offers a new perspective on how to approach the day – everything from batch-prepping meals, to exploring new hobbies and skills.

Curing the Incurable & Affirmations

In addition to the above advice, Scott Adams shares very personal stories about how he nearly lost his drawing hand, and his voice.

I won’t spoil how Scott overcame two “incurable” career-ending medical conditions, but between that and the chapter on affirmations, I’ve got new inspiration for a few “impossible” intentions of my own.

Highlighted in my copy is:

The pattern I noticed is that the affirmations only worked when I had 100 percent unambiguous desire for success.

I’ve got at least one such affirmation I’m working with. Wish me luck.

Saying Thank You

One last piece of social advice from Scott Adam’s book – say thank you. Thank you goes a long way.

So, as I sit here eating a some vegetarian food cooked two day’s earlier to ensure I have healthy habits, writing a blog post that gives me energy, with work open in another window that will teach me new skills, it’s worth saying – thank you Scott, for writing a great book that’s already inspiring positive changes.

If you could see yourself as someone interested in having healthy habits, learning new skills, and doing activities that bring you energy, this book belongs on your shelf.

P.S. After you finish Scott Adam’s book, check out his Persuasion Reading List, to discover how to communicate what you’ve learned. I’ve met at least one author on that list. They’re the real deal. Worth reading.

–

You can get How to Fail at Everything and Still Win Big: The Kind of Story of My Life by Scott Adams on Amazon here.

–

Read More: Joining the Vanguard: A Weekend of Survival Skills with Atomic Athlete