The "D Loop" F**ked My Life Up >:(

Joey Rich

Jul 05, 2024

I'm going to introduce what I call "The D Loop."

And it Singlehandly F**Ked Up My Life.

I'm going to assume something here.

You have goals

You have people you want to take care of

You want to experience the richest life possible

But maybe…

You haven't reached your goals… yet.

You haven't provided for the people you wanted to… yet

And you haven't experienced your richest life possible… yet

Now, why is that?

Let me keep it real and tell you a personal story…

My Worst Version

I'd start the day by waking up and….

I immediately grabbed my phone like a cocaine addict excited for his drug that he couldn't refuse

A high-definition photo of an Asian man waking up in bed, looking at his phone with a zombie-like expression. He should have disheveled hair, a tired and lifeless look in his eyes, and be surrounded by a messy bed. The lighting should be dim, typical of early morning, with the phone screen casting a bluish glow on his face. The overall scene should convey a sense of mindless, habitual phone checking immediately upon waking. Ensure he has only two hands.

I'd open Gmail, then switch to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or whatever app I felt was necessary to get my cheap dose of dopamine.

Then I'd stay in bed longer than needed and go to the bathroom where…

I'd open Gmail, then switch to Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or whatever app I felt was necessary to get my cheap dose of dopamine.

A high-definition photo of an Asian man in the bathroom, looking at his phone with a zombie-like expression. He should have disheveled hair, a tired and lifeless look in his eyes, and be sitting on the toilet. The lighting should be typical of a bathroom with the phone screen casting a bluish glow on his face. The overall scene should convey a sense of mindless, habitual phone checking even in the bathroom.

Then I looked up at the time, and… hours went by

"Ahhhh shit, where'd the time go?"

Let me grab an energy drink or coffee to "wake up."

"I have to get to work and do something now."

A high-definition photo of an Asian man in a bathroom, looking stressed out and rushing. He should have a panicked expression on his face, with disheveled hair, and be in the process of hurriedly getting ready for work. The scene should include typical bathroom elements, with the man grabbing his toiletries or fixing his appearance in front of a mirror, conveying a sense of urgency and stress.

And while I'm working, I get notifications that this person needs this or my attention.

So, instead of finishing what I needed, I started working on other things.

And while I'm working on the other things…

PING PING PING notification on my phone

A high-definition photo of an Asian man sitting at a desk, looking stressed and overwhelmed while working. His phone and computer screen are filled with notifications and messages demanding his attention. He looks distracted and frustrated, trying to manage multiple tasks at once. The scene should include typical office elements like papers, a laptop, and a cluttered desk, conveying the sense of being pulled in many directions and unable to focus on finishing his primary task.

I take a look on my phone, and I see…

This person liked your post
- (Ahhhh, cheap dopamine)
This person requested to follow you
- (ahhh, I feel so cool and validated)
This is the BEST way to lose FAT WITHOUT doing any work
- (ahhh, what?! What is this about)
Then somebody wants to talk about the NBA and how Steph Curry is the best shooter ever (which is true - Shout out, Steph)

A high-definition photo of an Asian man looking at his phone with mixed expressions. In the first part, he looks at his phone with excitement from seeing a like on his post. In the second part, he feels cool and validated by a follow request notification. In the third part, he is intrigued and distracted by a notification about an intriguing offer. The scene should show the man in an office setting, reflecting his shifting emotions and distractions caused by the notifications, without any words or text on the image.

And then BOOM

The workday is over, and it's time to wind down and relax because this was a day with heavy stimuli on my brain.

It's time to turn on Netflix, smoke some weed, and wind down until I fall asleep.

And then the cycle repeats itself.

What I was Suffering From is what I call…

The "D" Loop

Specifically the Cheap Dopamine Distraction Loop

I was distracted

Point. Blank. Period.

I was distracted by social media.
I was distracted by my environment.
I was distracted by the people I surrounded myself with
I was distracted by newer, faster, shinier goals

(Note: Goals that weren't even mine)

And the worst one is this

I knew what I needed to do, but I wasn't doing what I know

And I believe it was because I was welcoming and allowing distraction with open arms like an idiot in my life

A high-definition photo of an Asian man eagerly embracing distractions, looking very happy and somewhat foolish while doing so. The man should be surrounded by multiple sources of distraction such as a phone, a TV, social media notifications, snacks, and other entertainment items. His expression should be overly joyful and excited, with a wide smile and bright eyes, conveying a sense of mindless pleasure and lack of awareness. The overall composition should highlight the absurdity of embracing distractions willingly.

A distracted morning turns into a distracted afternoon, which turns into a distracted evening, and so on, becoming a cycle of a distracted life.

Distraction → Distraction → Distraction = Distracted Life

This is DEATH by distraction

Resulting in:

Welcomed Chaos in my life
Poor use of time
Overstimulation and information overload in my brain
False sense of accomplish from cheap dopamine
Extreme cognitive dissonance

And there's 3 types of people in this world

A person who makes things happen
A person who watches things happen
A person who "wonders" what happened

Operating through a distracted life will result in person number 3

I wonder why I never hit my goals
I wonder why I'm stuck in the same place
I wonder why I don’t have the life I want

And it's simply because

I was distracted

So, let's talk about solutions because we're not here to dwell and "wonder" what happened to us in life.

We're here to make things happen.

We're here to make an active choice to solve the problems preventing us from hitting the richest life possible.

Your results are the product of either personal focus or personal distractions.

The Choice is yours.

A Distraction-Free Life:

Did you see how my routine welcomed distractions?

So, instead of giving you straight advice on what worked for me, I will provide you with questions to answer.

The reason is I believe advice is faulty and doesn't factor in your personal circumstances.

What's distracting for me might not be distracting for you, and vice versa.

So, let's reflect because self-awareness is the first step towards self-improvement.

Self-awareness is accomplished through self-reflection

Fundamental Reflection Question:

What is the number 1 priority in my life?
- What does that specifically look like?
- Why is that important?

Knowing your number 1 priority is foundational because everything you're doing that isn't leading to hitting your number 1 priority is a waste of time.

Reflection Questions:

What are the BIGGEST distractions in my life?
- What SPECIFIC distractions?
How am I ALLOWING and WELCOMING these distractions?
What can I do to remove or mitigate distractions completely?
Action Step: Do what you just wrote right now

👇 Here are my answers as an example 👇

(Note: For your answers, you want to go deep. My example below is about 10%-20% of what I personally wrote down)

What is my number 1 priority in life?

Financial Freedom
1. What does that specifically look like?
  1. $100k/month+ in net income
  2. Working with partners, I enjoy working with
  3. Working with clients, I enjoy working with
  4. Working on my time and hours
  5. Ability to
    1. Do what I want
    2. When I want
    3. With whomever I want
  6. Standing on the shoulders of giants (mentorships)
  7. Learning foundational principles
  8. Mastering the basics of life
  9. etc
2. Why is that important?
  1. Because this is what will allow me to
    1. Become the best version of myself
    2. Learn from the best of the best
    3. Live a life of TRUE freedom
    4. Not live an average life
    5. Spoil my family and loved ones
    6. Buy my parents a house
    7. Retire my parents
    8. Travel the world
    9. Earn $1,200,000+ a year
    10. Invest in assets to grow my wealth
  2. etc

What are the BIGGEST distractions in my life?

Phone Usage & Social Media
1. Specifically
  1. Instagram & IG Reels
  2. Facebook
  3. Youtube & Youtube Shorts
  4. Email
  5. Chess
2. Current friend group
  1. Specifically
    1. You name the people that distract you here and aren't helping you reach your number 1 priority.
    2. I'm not going to name the people cause that's mean, lol
3. Toxic Relationships
  1. Specifically
    1. You name the people here, lol
    2. Anybody that drains your life energy
4. Entertainment
  1. Specifically
    1. Anime
    2. Warriors Basketball
    3. Youtube
    4. Netflix
    5. Hulu
5. Multiple goals
  1. Specifically
    1. Become the MVP of my Filipino basketball league
      1. This is a joke, but it was true at the time, and I did hit it, lol
    2. Achieve 10% body fat.
  2. Start (x, y, z) business
  3. Start (x, y, z) Investment

How am I ALLOWING and WELCOMING these distractions?

Phone Usage & Social Media
1. I have notifications turned on
2. I bring my phone everywhere with me
Friend Group
1. I say yes to all invitations
Toxic Relationships
1. I don't cut it off
Entertainment
1. I bring my phone everywhere with me where the entertainment is
Multiple Goals
1. I scroll on social media and get influenced

What can I do to remove or mitigate distractions completely?

Phone Usage & Social Media
1. Delete apps on my phone
2. Leave my phone outside my bedroom before I sleep
3. Have a phone-free morning
Friend Group
1. Start saying no to invitations
2. Stop hanging out with them
Toxic Relationships
1. Cut it off
Entertainment
1. Delete all apps on my phone
Multiple Goals
1. Sacrifice all goals that aren't my number 1 priority UNTIL I hit it

Action Step: Do all above

What happens when you sacrifice distractions for your goals?

You hit your goals :)

Point. Blank. Period.

Refer below to the goals I was able to accomplish

This is a screenshot of my first newsletter.

Now, was sacrificing my phone, friend group, toxic relationships, entertainment, and multiple goals difficult?

Yes.

Did I struggle?

Yes.

Did I experience setbacks?

Yes.

Did I have emotional breakdowns?

Yes.

But was it all worth it?

You fucking bet.

The goal of financial freedom was hit.

Remember this:

If you don't sacrifice distractions for your goals, then your goals become the sacrifice

What to do next:

First:

Do the reflection questions above to discover what are the biggest distractions preventing you from hitting your goals
Take action to eliminate or mitigate those distractions

Second:

Subscribe to this newsletter to get insights on how to live rich and to not miss out on any articles since those will come semi-frequently ;)

Connect with me on social media:

P.S. If you get value from this, all I ask is that you share it; that’s all :)

Thank you for reading the Live Rich Newsletter. This post is public, so feel free to share it.

Mindset Mary

Jul 6, 2024

Great post Joseph and let's face it, outside of the endless distractions from entertainment, self-development/podcasts/books/courses/programs etc. (although a more productive form of distraction over entertainment) has also become a distraction to many. I have fallen into this trap myself in the past whereby I feel like I just haven't consumed enough information to get started because I see how much is out there and how much I still don't know (biggest lie). This held me back when I was trying to figure things out on my own but when I got into circles that valued doing the thing rather than knowing the thing, everything changed! It's not to say that those things are distractions all the time but when we can't apply what we are learning or use what we are learning to remove the next constraint in our business, then perhaps it might not be the most effective use of our time, attention, energy etc. Please consider this comment as a "productive" dopamine hit for ya! ;)

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Live Rich Newsletter

The "D Loop" F**ked My Life Up >:(

My Worst Version

What I was Suffering From is what I call…

This is DEATH by distraction

A Distraction-Free Life:

👇 Here are my answers as an example 👇

What is my number 1 priority in life?

How am I ALLOWING and WELCOMING these distractions?

What can I do to remove or mitigate distractions completely?

Action Step: Do all above

What happens when you sacrifice distractions for your goals?

What to do next:

Connect with me on social media:

Discussion about this post