Day 17 - New Emperor (15 minutes)
I dreamt a lot, weird stuff still working on fears and trauma. I was surprised by the people I saw in my dreams, a blast from the past. I woke up pretty sore from work, I’m going to rest this weekend as much as possible and hopefully be back to full health on Monday. I haven’t coughed yet today, a good sign.
I believe that I’m doing better by letting go of control. I know what I need to do, I’ve just got to get it done. I’m feeling ready for it.
This is a big call to make, but I’m going to get in the best shape of my life over the coming months.
Making money - no habit tracking - no diet tracking - no F*cks given. Thanks Emperor - I both love you and hate you.
98.2kg
Day 18 - Rest
Normally I’d be wanting to take an early washout at this point in a subliminal cycle, but I must be more receptive to the new tech because there’s no desire to take a break. I’ll finish up the full 21 day cycle, then take the 5 day washout.
I truly, truly get that. I’ve avoided listening to previous versions of Emperor when I knew it’d highjack my fears and insecurities, keeping me focused on practical matters. It made me view some subliminals (at that time) like they were elaborate hideouts from emotional growth.
I’m on the New Emperor now since the new NSE, all bottled into the Emperor script, was changing some users of it quite drastically at a very deep level (I’m thinking @James here). And then someone who knows me and my norms advised me to use it. (Plus, I greatly desired some personal control over my life again. I did my first loop without telling anyone originally).
And like you pointed out in your writing, it’s hitting my weak spots too, those areas I don’t want anyone to know, which I keep quiet about.
But this feels different. It’s completely natural. I’m not faced with berating myself for not changing. It’s like I’m suddenly aware of WHY I’m hiding from it. And suddenly, most fears of it dissipate quickly. The transition to change seems easier than ever. Emperor moves quickly and swiftly, but this transition is highly directed by us individually vs. the sub constantly pushing us. 
I hear you. You were able to put into words what I have experienced. It’s a unique subliminal experience, the changes I am experiencing feel natural and many of my fears and anxieties are fading away. I’m not beating myself up over every ‘failure’, which could be something as insignificant as an awkward interaction with someone. If anything unusual happens during the day, I just think, oh well, and get on with it like nothing happened. I’m most interested to see if this mindset can pull off a diet and exercise routine that produces the results I want.
I’d like to say one draw back from New Emperor is that I don’t have any happy feelings and desire to socialise. But today, I have felt good and excited to talk to people. I was planning to run Chosen and Emperor together to round off those rough edges in respect to happiness and communication, but I’ll need to see how the rest of this cycle goes because I may have recently broke through an internal barrier that was effecting those two areas. If things continue to improve, I might even end up staying with Emperor solo.
I remember Chosen giving me that instant hope, and happiness was its byproduct. Chosen has amazing empowerment in it too. I’ve considered it numerous times.
For socializing, Stark opened me up quickly and very easily. I found myself waving at people, which is not usually my norm. I actually just allowed it to happen, and I really enjoyed it. I experienced something new almost every day with Stark due to the intellectual and social stimulation it brings.
I’m stacking Emperor with WB presently, and WB has that same fame and fun vibe. I look forward to seeing that bloom more in the future.
Good stuff, I’m kind of leaning towards using Chosen as a second sub if it gets the upgrade. I was interested in LBFH but I’ve gone off that idea for now. I’ve read lots of good things about Stark and WB. I need a social helping hand, although I’m not that bad while doing it, I am avoidant when possible which is the problem. Like for example, if a neighbour is outside, I’ll wait 5 minutes until they’re not before leaving home. I notice some of that is dissolving away though on this sub due to the IDGAF attitude.
Can relate. As an introvert, this was so me. It kind of got better over the years but I do remember feelings of anxiety and awkwardness in innocuous social interactions for no reason at all.
Yeah, it sucks. I think my issue relates to self-esteem and fear of being judged. If I’m on a bit of a confidence high when life’s going well, I feel less this way. But like most social anxiety related issues, I think the best way is to push yourself into the situation that is feared as a way to normalise it to the body and mind. But in saying that, sometimes I avoid because I don’t feel in the mood to deal with certain people.
Did you find any subs had a positive effect for you in relation to the avoidance?
I am kinda new here. Maybe LBFH? The stack I currently run is DRLD+QLSt1. As for avoidance, while it is a natural tendency for us introverts I think what helped me was improving my self-esteem and self-concept by being more successful. As men, society in general including ourselves, judge us based on how “successful” we are. Success has to be defined by you though, not by mental gymnastics but by listening to your soul instead of external validation. When you truly see yourself as a success in your personal goals then that’s what matters. The victories along the way however small make you more confident but not necessarily arrogant. When I was a broke college dropout loser I understood what losing face meant. It is called that because you literally can’t face anyone because of shame especially if you know that they know and you know that you have a lot of potential. My solution back then was to just disappear and be an escapist gamer. At some point, I consciously decided that I wanted to change my life and made a list of my options. Whatever you decide on, go all out. Be world-class. Don’t be average.
For directly addressing it, practice makes perfect. Good vibe, good energy + a simple greeting or nod to acknowledge them. Just fake it till you make it. I think it’s all in the head. We associate negative emotions with social interactions. When we realize that and accrue positive experiences instead, our reference points will be better and we will naturally engage more.
I really agree with @Niten_Ichi-ryu about feeling good about yourself in some avenue of life.
I got into substitute teaching right after college since I cared about kids, I’d taken a lot of teaching classes in college, and those little successes made me want to do more.
I ended up loving it, and I did it for 10 years. This was way before I used subs, but I’d go grocery shopping and kids would see me and treat me like a celebrity in front of their parents. It was quite a confidence boost.
I’m still an introvert. I just found I get energized when I’m with a smaller group, and it taxes me in large gatherings. That’s pretty common too.
Regarding feeling confident now, stick with New Emperor until you find a need to explore another sub. I’m finding the NSE to be totally transforming my viewpoints on just about everything, so I’m sticking with Emperor myself.
I didn’t mention Stark in my last post, but I found it to evaporate social anxiety pretty quickly. Very quickly, in my case.
The difference between Emperor and Stark?
Emperor builds up the inner you, letting you see your own power and potential in any environment. You’ll focus on achieving both goals you’ve known about, plus goals that suddenly pop up during your day. And you won’t really seek or desire other people’s assistance if you know you can do it.
Stark’s power is a mix of idea discovery and social flourishing, and adjusting to this social “game” is still something I have to explore myself more. Stark’s greatest power, that I’ve experienced, is opening up social connections. It’s like its focus is on selling yourself, and I found myself doing it without much prior thought, if any at all.
People would call out to me from far away, and initially, it felt strange. I wondered “why would they do that? Don’t they know I’m really low-key?” However, I’d light up around them, again without any forethought. Stark enables this. It empowers this. I wasn’t even uncomfortable with it. No, I actually enjoyed it 
Stark’s been one of the easiest and most memorable subs I’ve ever used.
Plus, Stark was fun. I don’t usually focus on this myself, but Stark helped me enjoy myself more
For the socially conservative like myself, Stark was an “easy button” solution. It holds a place in my heart 
Thanks man, I agree with what you wrote. You make good points.
Yeah, I’ll definitely stick with New Emperor. It has been a little choppy but it’s having good effects.
I do better in small groups too. Larger gatherings are just exhausting for me. I used to work in nightclubs for a few years when I was younger and that was the worst. Now I mostly work alone outdoors or sometimes with a small group and I’m pretty happy.
You’re tempting me with Stark, the way to describe it. Would it work stacked with Emperor? I never considered the sub because I don’t really like the ironman archetype. I’m not a big fan of cockiness, I too am pretty low-key.
Day 19 - New Emperor (15 minutes)
I restarted working out. I’m still feeling a little tired from being sick but the cough is almost gone. That one liked to linger on.
I also started reading at night to avoid using my phone so much. I need to cut back on phone usage, especially at work and before going to sleep.
People who have significant experience with both separately have found benefits from stacking them, but SC has officially suggested running one or the other. I think it’s because they use different avenues to succeed in the big picture, and it may take time to see and appreciate your own God-given strengths and talents to do so.
I know they’re going to update Stark soon, and I can only guess what differences may be included. I’ll keep my eyes peeled.
Ok, good to know. I thought that sub combination might clash a bit. I’ll keep Stark in mind though, it could be something to consider sometime next year.
Day 20 - Rest
I was crazy tired after work yesterday, and am still tired today. I was having a lot of dreams too, weird ones at that. I’m still surprised I’ve been able to finish a 21 day listening cycle. One more loop tomorrow and then a washout.
Really tired after work again today, this covid sucks. I’m trying to enjoy the feeling though, yeah I’m tired AF but at least I can relax and rest peacefully. Got to somehow find the silver lining.
I’ve been sweating profusely too, hopefully it’s a sign I’m getting better and not dying. I’m seriously considering another go at the keto diet for the steady energy and because I sweat noticeably less on the diet. At least it seemed that way when I did the diet a few months back, and now would be a good test being the beginning of summer.
I feel like Emperor is still doing its thing. The tiredness I’m experiencing does make me look forward to a washout. A loop in the morning then 5 days off, but I might go longer. I’d like to be back to full strength and energies so I can get the most out of the next subliminal cycle.
