I’d never heard of Mike Cernovich until last fall. But he’d been around for awhile. His site (one among many, actually) has funny and insightful posts stretching back years. When I was going through a rough time recently, I went back and really dug deep into his work. You can learn a lot from the guy, and he’s done a lot of interesting things. I can honestly say that he’s motivated me a lot personally, and you can see the various testimonials on his site. Like anything else, you take what you can use and add it into your own life and experience. There is no one-size-fits all answer for living, but Mike definitely has a lot of knowledge to drop.

Tomorrow, his new book Gorilla Mindset is coming out on Kindle. The print and audiobook versions will follow within the next couple weeks. In anticipation of that, I wanted to do a short interview so we could discuss that, as well as a few other general questions. I hope everyone enjoys it! I’ll have a review of the book up soon here on the site.

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Ralph: You’re about to put out a book, and you have years worth of high-quality posts on your various sites. What got you into writing? Was it your own discovery, or did someone point you in this direction?

Cernovich: I’ve always had a big mouth, even as a kid, and it’d get me into trouble. I would also get banned from various forums or warned by moderators to “change my tone.” I’d get these warnings even though my posts would get a lot of vote ups.

So I started my own sites where I can write whatever I wanted to. No one can censor me. It seemed to have worked out.

Ralph: Your work has helped me greatly in the past. So, I can only assume that lots of others have sent you cool stories about how you’ve changed their lives. What’s the one that has meant the most to you? Or if there isn’t just one, what is it about your writing that gives you the most satisfaction?

Cernovich: I’ve had a few write in to say they were suicidal before finding my work. That’s hard to top as far as a “I’m doing good things” sort of feeling.

Ralph: Looking at modern society, what is the most pressing problem we have right now, and how will it hinder us going into the future?

Cernovich: In the U.S. the biggest problem is globalization/outsourcing and the destruction of the middle class. Upward mobility is becoming a myth in the U.S. Student loan debt is also a major issue that may have implications similar to the mortgage meltdown of 2008/2009.

The rise of radical Islam is the greatest threat to global stability.

In a way, the most pressing problem is liberals! Think about it. I (and you and others) have been called a misogynist.

Compare my worldview with that of Islam. Islam is homophobic and misogynistic. Islam would laugh at my views for being soft.

https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/614391963651956736

Yet if I call out Islam, what’s that make me? A bad person!

Literally. If I called out Islam for being homophobic (gays are hanged in many Muslim countries), then I’m the bigot.

(I’ve just offended liberals and Muslims, which is probably bad for business. Told you I had a big mouth.)Mike-Cernovich-podcast

Ralph: Lots of people get discouraged by the haters. What’s the best way to handle negativity from outsiders, and even from friends and family? Should you use it as motivation, or just ignore it altogether?

Cernovich: At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself, “Who am I living for?”

Are you living for your family, society, teachers, preachers, and authority figures? Or are you living for yourself and those who actually love you and want what is best for you?

If you let haters get inside your head and prevent you from writing what you want to write, then who are you living for? That is not a rhetorical question. You are living for the haters!

In real life most don’t deal with the type of hate we experience online, but we constantly have people telling us what we do is weird, stupid, wrong, or whatever.

When in doubt, ask who you are living for. Are you going to live the life you dream of or are you going to live the life haters and toxic people want you to live?

Ralph: What was the hardest thing about getting Gorilla Mindset completed, and do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Cernovich: At Danger & Play I write whatever I want to write. It’s sort of random, which is why it attracts a diverse audience. But a book must be topical. Every concept must tie together and be based around a single theme. It’s hard to overstate how challenging writing Gorilla Mindset was. I had to use the very same techniques in Gorilla Mindset to keep from freaking out.

My advice to authors is the same boring advice everyone gives. Write every day. Eventually everything will come together.

Danger-and-Play-Lifting-The-Weight-Room

Ralph: Explain Gorilla Mindset a little for those who don’t already know what it is. How can the knowledge contained within benefit those who are willing to put it into practice?

Cernovich: Gorilla Mindset is a book about how to control your thoughts and emotions. It starts from the proposition that how you feel and what you think are choices you make in the present moment.

If you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, you can passively accept your mood, or you can change it. That’s a choice.

Most of us simply do not choose to accept personal responsibility for our thoughts and emotions. If we feel angry, we are mean to people. If we feel happy, we have a good time.

No one ever taught us how to change our emotions or thinking patterns. Hence why we passively accept thoughts and emotions we should actively reject.

Gorilla Mindset is an entire framework for taking control of your thoughts and emotions. There’s a chapter on self-talk, which is important. We tend to beat ourselves up inside of our heads by using negative speaking patterns. That must change.

There’s also a subject on how to change your mood and how to get into the present moment and be more mindful. Some health and fitness topics are covered as well, and even experienced guys will learn a tip or two.

The chapters of Gorilla Mindset talk about visualization, specifically how can you visualize the life you want to live.

Gorilla Mindset will thus give you control over what you think and how you feel, which is ultimately what leads to a life of health, wealth, and happiness.

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As I said at the top, Gorilla Mindset comes out tomorrow. Check it out. I’ll put up my personal review very soon.