Upholding The Ideal

Written By Jack Ge

Setting ideals, stacking bricks, and taking photos. Enjoy. (From TSS #93)

[EDITOR’S NOTE:]

This piece was originally published on my free weekly email newsletter, 'Thinking Hard’. Every sunday, I post ‘The Sunday Stack’ (or TSS), and this one was TSS #93.

You can read the original piece here.

Enjoy.

INTRO: This piece is pretty intense. Another crazy reminder-to-self. Life has been insane lately, filled with excitement and nervousness and new things. Beautiful things and beautiful people in my life. Wow. Hope you get something out of this newsletter.

THE DAILY MUSING

1 — Set The Standard:

‘Set the Standard. Hold the Standard.

One More Day.’

I read these words every morning as part of my routine.

They pop up on my phone automatically.

I stare at them, repeating them in my head for an uncomfortably long time.

Hold the standard, Jack.

They all need you.

—

This idea has filled my mind for a while, but I’m finally starting to build real momentum around it.

And the concept is so simple:

I just had to give myself an IDEAL to live up to.

—

I want to present the best version of myself to the world, to the people around me. Particularly the ones I love and respect.

I don’t mean an idyllic self-image crafted from deceptive manipulation, nor one determined by someone else’s criteria.

Both cases suck.

Instead, I want to put forth the best version of myself in my eyes.

I want to present a version of Jack that I would genuinely love to become in 10 years time.

Something daunting and achievable. The type of character that isn’t perfect and requires mountains of work to cultivate, but CAN be real.

Let’s call him ‘Jack 2.0’.

He’s still me, but the future version of me — a man who has gone through many more challenges and emerged as a better man.

He’s dangerous and gentle, confident and humble, disciplined and flexible. Passionate yet calm. Powerful yet kind.

A leader, lover, student, artist, fighter, writer, father, philosopher — all at once.

A beautiful paradox.

That’s the man I want to become. That’s the ideal.

I KNOW it’s possible.

And I want to show people THAT version of me.

I can’t set the standard with words alone. I’ll need repeated actions witnessed by others to create the external reference point.

I’ll basically have to act like Jack 2.0 every time I interact with anyone.

Then, I’ll need to match that effort myself, even when no one is watching.

‘You are what you do in the dark.’

—

[IN SUMMARY — HERE’S THE PLAN:]

I want to establish an aspirational image of ‘Jack 2.0’ through my outward behaviours SO THAT I must uphold such standards in my personal life.

Paint the Ideal in PUBLIC so that I must live up to them in PRIVATE.

This is hard, but this might just work for someone like me.

2 — Pretending Is Good Enough:

And yes, if I present myself as if I’m ‘Jack 2.0’ right now, it would technically be a ‘lie’.

I’m obviously not that man. At least, not yet.

But ACTING as though I’m that person WILL eventually make me that person — even if I don’t feel like him at the moment.

—

It’s Aristotle’s age-old point about Habituation.

If I keep repeating the requisite actions and positive behaviours, I simply will acquire the desired attributes.

If I keep PRETENDING to be courageous — doing things even though I’m scared — I will BECOME more courageous.

If I keep ACTING as if I’m honest — telling the truth even when I’d rather run away from the consequences — I will have BECOME more honest.

You can’t really fake that.

Then, at what point does the Act become Reality?

Fortunately, it doesn’t fucking matter.

There is absolutely no difference if the outcomes have improved.

Acta Non Verba — ’Deeds, Not Words’.

If my actual actions changed, then I HAVE made progress, regardless of what my mind thinks.

So it doesn’t matter if I’m ‘pretending’ at the moment — especially if I’m ‘pretending sincerely.’

That’s what will make me into a better man anyway.

3 — The ‘Peak State’ Self:

This sensation of ‘sincerely pretending’ also reminds me of getting a ‘pump’ at the gym.

[Hear me out. Chris Williamson and Alex Hormozi talked about this one, and it’s good.]

As your muscles get filled with blood during a tough workout, you often look noticeably better than you do when you’re resting.

This is you at your best (and when all the influencers take their crazy gym pics).

So is this really an accurate representation of yourself?

Kind of.

It’s still YOU, just a temporary facet of you.

It’s a momentary glimpse of what you COULD look like (in your default resting state) if you continued doing the exact behaviour that gave you this boost (ie. training hard).

For a short while, you could see a vision of the summit even as you continued the climb.

And it feels incredible.

And it makes you want to do the thing MORE.

Because you’ve seen where it can take you.

You’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s fucking glorious.

—

In a way, this is your ‘Peak State’ Self.

Creatives experience something similar when they enter a total Flow State; their incredible work sometimes looks foreign to them after it’s done.

My best artworks were not made by ‘normal Jack’, they were crafted by ‘Peak State Jack’ possessed by sheer flow and creative inspiration.

I don’t know how he paints those images or writes those paragraphs. I barely even recognise him, but he is still ME.

That realisation is bizarre and fascinating.

‘Wait, I could create something like THIS?

I didn’t even know that was possible…’

—

This creates a strange but MAJORLY positive feedback loop.

The ‘pump effect’ and ‘flow state creations’ are both beautiful built-in Reward Mechanisms for their respective crafts.

Doing the thing creates a ‘gratifying preview’, which incentives us to do the same thing even more.

And I think the same happens when I ‘sincerely pretend’ to be Jack 2.0.

In those moments, I can see the results and positive outcomes that this path gives me.

The world responds to me better. I respond to myself better.

In those moments, I can envision a life of honour and love and self-respect — if I just keep going down this course, that’s who I’ll be.

These glimpses of the Peak State Self remind me why I’m doing this, and they show me that this is the right path for me.

Even as I pretend, I am becoming.

And that is enough for now.

4 — The Forcing Function of Integrity:

Establishing a public-facing ‘Ideal Self’ becomes a powerful accountability mechanism, particularly when one of my main principles is Integrity.

In that case, this becomes a ‘Forcing Function.’

If I value Integrity so much, then I MUST stick to my values ESPECIALLY when no one is watching.

Otherwise, I’d just be ‘conveniently honest’ — someone who only does the right thing when it’s easy or socially rewarded, yet proclaims that he’s a ‘good person’.

That’s fucked.

That is the opposite of Integrity, of ‘having a backbone’.

That’s not how Jack 2.0 would want to live.

So, as part of my dedication to Integrity, I MUST live like I say I do.

—

At least, I have to be brutally honest in my pursuit of that ideal.

By definition, there will always be a discrepancy between the reality and the ideal.

But, most importantly, I don’t want that gap to be caused by intentional lies and cutting corners.

That kind of life fucking SUCKED. I’ve been there for too long.

So I want to chase my standard for real.

—

This is almost like a ‘backstop’, a designated boundary landmark that stops you from going off-course (heard this one from Goggins).

If you accidentally get too close to your backstop, you’re supposed to immediately re-evaluate your direction and get back on track.

For me, this ‘aspirational outward persona’ will become my PERSONAL backstop.

If I stray too far from my PUBLIC image of ‘Jack 2.0’ in my PRIVATE life, then I’ll know it’s time to stop whatever I’m doing and course-correct.

5 — Use What You Have:

I’ve long realised that I valued the opinions of others, even if I don’t like it.

I just didn’t want people to see me as a weak hypocrite, a liar, a coward.

Most of all, I hated the sensation of KNOWING that I lied.

No one else knew, but I KNEW.

I hate knowing that I was far less than I pretended to be, that I did all the things I said I wouldn’t. I hated getting away with it too.

Yet I used to live in those lies every single day.

—

Then why not use that impulse to fuel POSITIVE action instead?

Why not use my immense hunger for Honesty — my desire to no longer NEED lies anymore— to drive me toward my Ideals?

Turn that Frustration into Motion.

Make the tiny better choices every day.

Choose Jack 2.0 every time.

Remove the need to hide.

You don’t need to run away anymore.

—

So that’s what I’ll do.

I’ll do the Respectable Thing — now, even if it sucks.

I’ll be the better man — here, even if I’m scared, even if I don’t have what it takes.

I’ll set those standards, those ideals, and hold to them as best as I can.

Not tomorrow, but today.

—

See you next week.

I love you all.

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THE WEEKLY HAUL

  • ‘One Small Step’ In Either Direction

    • ‘You can lose yourself one small compromise at a time. You can transform yourself one small win at a time.’ — James Clear.

    • This directly relates to the Musing above. I need this reminder constantly. The tiny things are what compromise our integrity or build us up. Just hold the standard, even if it doesn’t seem important right now.

      • ‘Brick by brick.’ That’s all it is, Jack. Don’t forget.



  • Not Wrecking Things

    • ‘Maybe I didn’t accomplish anything today. But I also didn’t WRECK anything — and that’s a victory.’

      • Heard this idea from Dwayne on his recent Modern Wisdom conversation. Another crucial reminder for me and many others.

      • Sometimes progress is harder (what Chris Williamson calls ‘Jupiter Days’, where everything just feels heavier). On those days, congratulate yourself for holding down the fort and not letting everything crumble away. Damage control. That itself is a win, even if it doesn’t seem like one.

        • No matter how small it seems, you saved your fucking day.

        • Personal Note — I want to hold a blend of strictness and self-compassion in this next chapter. To have incredibly high standards, but also be okay with just ‘holding the line’ for the day.

THE LIFE BOOST

  • Attend Free PhotoWalk Events

    • Just a quick one today. This mainly applies to photographers and models, but it can be interesting for anyone.

    • Various groups/companies host ‘Photowalks’ in major cities, many of which are free. These photowalks are basically semi-planned photoshoots, sometimes with a theme, where a bunch of people get together to take photos, chat, and make art.

      • It’s a great social experience, you can create business and personal connections, learn new techniques, and also get some incredible shots.

    • I just attended one this week hosted by the awesome people at Sigma Australia (@sigmaphotoaustralia). They do events like this every 1-2 months, completely free, with prizes as well.

      • Good opportunity to network and create!

THE CURRENT STACK

Interesting Content:

Books:

  • Words Of Radiance (The Stormlight Archive #2) — Brandon Sanderson (Fiction, Epic Fantasy)

    • Stormlight #5 is literally coming out in a week, so I’m revisitng the older books again.

    • These characters always make me want to be a better man. No other fictional media has ever done that to such an extent.

      • Thank you Sanderson. I’ll never forget this journey you created.

Music:

  • Ritual — The Devil Wears Prada

  • Chemical — The Devil Wears Prada

    • These two songs are among my recent favourites. Incredible. Lyrics hit so good, and the intensity is just perfect.

  • I LIKE — Tory Lanez

    • Sexy recommendation. Thanks.

  • Mood — SiR, Zacari

  • Make A Movie — Twista, Chris Brown

    • I don’t want to like this, but I love it.




Another incredible week.

I can’t believe how life is turning out for me right now.

New things happening in so many ways.

Wow. I have to truly LIVE in this moment, appreciate it, seize it.

What a time to be alive.

—

4 weeks and 2 days remaining.

30 days.

Keep going strong.

See you next time.

-Jack.

Jack Ge
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You Never Regret 'Doing The Thing' | TSS #76