A few months ago I read an article by Mike Cernovich (aka O.G. Instagod) titled “What’s Your Fatal Flaw.”

Read it here.

I wanted to share it with you because I think it is an incredible piece – one that has helped me out tremendously (literally changed my life) and one that I think can do the same for anyone else who reads it.

Spoiler: My fatal flaw has always been not truly understanding/utilizing the power of momentum and energy. This is crazy because it has governed so much of my life in every way you can imagine, even at the micro-level. When the good times are rolling, they are really rolling (right now). When times are “bad” (late 2015/early 2016), I can really find myself in a state of decay (especially mentally).

I also wanted to put my own spin on Cernovich’s article because I think I finally “get” change/improving your life for the better.

I can conceptualize HOW TO make real lasting change much better than when I first started out creating content- especially when it came to fitness motivation.

For example – If someone was truly struggling with the motivation to go the gym, I didn’t really know how to get it through their heads.

I would tell them to “just do it” and that would be the end of it. I would tell them to have the mind of warrior/heart of a champion/eye of the tiger/all the inspiring tid-bits I knew of.

But it didn’t really help if they just didn’t get it.

Life is a lot simpler for me these days and I see things clearly.

Mike makes a few points in his article. Here are a few of my own. Each step will put you on the path to truly reinventing yourself, in whatever way you want change.

1). You must realize that you are in fact programmed.

They say that the first step is the hardest and that very well might be true in this case as well.

One of the many ironies of the Social Media Age (decoded in my upcoming book Instagods) is that everybody inherently thinks that they are above programming.

I guess you can consider this as an offshoot of the social media induced narcissism that has come to plague this generation.

“I’m different.” No you actually ARE NOT.

“I’m not like all these other people.” Yes you actually ARE.

You say “lit”, listen to Migos, take the news at face value, and subconsciously worship the other side of the screen… Men and women across the world are programmed.

I truly am from the school of thought that FREEDOM in this day and age begins with acknowledging programming.

Once you acknowledge your programming and better yet, recognize that there are flaws in your programming – you can truly move forward and make real, lasting, tangible change in your life.

But you have to see the errors in your ways and admit that you’re not perfect.

“I have been going about it wrong this whole time.”

“I need to improve.”

That first step is a must.

2) Find the fatal flaw in your programming.

As Mike says in his original piece – you have a fatal flaw. You just do. We all do because no one is perfect.

The key is in finding it.

The difficulty lies with pinpointing it because:

It can be tangible habit (or lack of habit). In that case, it’s very possible that you have several fatal flaws.

It can also be something intangible such as an adopted mindset or just an inability to move forward in life.

Whatever it may be, I strongly recommend some time set aside for some deep inner reflection.

When you revisit your past, you will find that several themes (or even a singular theme) tends to pop up time and time again.

Your fatal flaw(s) are close by.

3) Integrate new programming.

Most people reach this point and start off great.

They throw out the pack of cigarettes.

They go to the gym and their meals are on point.

And they put a positive spin on things.

But that’s just the beginning… part of the re-programming process often entails early failure to “stick with it.”

I think this article helps a lot. You need to make your own personal success about someone/something beyond yourself.

We tend to get extra motivation when we become conscious of our own failures hurting others/letting those closest to us down.

4) Keep your head down and normalize.

Your flawed programming eventually became normalized. The same applies for the new programming. It too can become normalized.

This is another potential area for failure. People get impatient because they want to see life changing results RIGHT AWAY.

So they become obsessed with measuring results all the time.

And when they do not see big change in little time, every instance of tracking becomes a micro-let down.

The fire slowly stops burning and then eventually they stop.

Many people people like to use the 30 day rule. I prefer 6 months.

Give it 6 months of dedication to whatever programming you are trying to instill in your life.

Keep your head down. And relentlessly stick to your game plan. You do that and your life will likely change for the better Back to the Future style.

Even the slightest adjustment in programming can have life changing consequences for the better.

I hope this piece gave you some insight on how to truly reinvent yourself.

Make sure you check out Mike’s book Gorilla Mindset if you have not done so already.

P.S. – When you are on the path to reinventing yourself, I also believe that more change is ultimately better. Change everything if you must. Routines. Habits. People you associate with. Even a change of scenery can help… With that last one, I have noticed that people think moving someplace different is enough to completely change one’s life. It’s not. This is discussed at length in Instagods (section on modern-day escapism in the Social Media Age)