Ways I'm trying to improve myself

Discuss personal development, self-improvement and motivational psychology.
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shiryu400
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Posts: 54
Joined: April 1st, 2012, 1:58 pm

Ways I'm trying to improve myself

Post by shiryu400 »

Hey, everyone, I've been thinking of ways to improve myself before I finally go abroad. As I've said before, my plan is to go after I graduate with my master's degree next year. In the meantime, I've noticed that many voices of reason on here have recommended that we all try to improve ourselves even if you plan on going abroad (I will add that many people do this anyway without being told).

While it is true that women are not as picky outside of the anglosphere, it is still a good idea to be and look your best. So recently, I went to an orthodontist so I can correct my tooth alignment. Ever since I lost my baby teeth when a kid, I was told that I would need braces, and sure enough, my adult teeth were way too big for my relatively small jaw. So I've had crowding throughout my teens and 20s. But I ABHORRED the idea of having metal in my mouth. And I knew that it would be even more difficult to get American girls. I only wish I had known then that I wouldn't have much luck with AG anyway. But also my family was not doing too good financially and couldn't afford it (we had insurance but it didn't cover orthodontics).

By the time I had my first job, I realized that pay was INDEED shit if you didn't have any skills. My first few jobs had no benefits and so I still found myself unable to pay for braces. Then, in 2009, my wisdom teeth finally began to really come out and they started to make the crowding WORSE! So I had to get all 4 pulled out right away! I still didn't have insurance but was too old to be in my parents' insurance. So I had to pay $1400 out of pocket for the surgery.

The dentist recommended that I start orthodontics treatment (As if I didn't know, haha). I asked if I could do invisalign but she said my condition was too complicated and only traditional braces would do. I still couldn't bare to have the metal ones since I had heard so many horror stories about them. But I figured, even if I wanted to get them, I couldn't afford them until I got rid of the debt from the surgery.

So I paid off the debt a year later. And then I graduated from college and was unemployed for a while. Finally, I got a job at a bank and had all the benefits. Unfortunately, I still feared the metal braces and wished I could get invisalign. However, my previous dentist had convinced me that my case COULDN'T be handled by invisalign.

So I left my bank job after a year and found another job at a library that paid the same and I had more hours BUT had no benefits unless I worked full time. Fortunately, my boss liked my work and eventually promoted me to full time. And finally this summer of 2012, I looked until I found an orthodontist who said it was POSSIBLE for me to use invisalign. However, it would only work if I pulled out FOUR MORE teeth! f**k!

Luckily, the orthodontist recommended a surgeon who would give me a big discount. So I went to him and after the discount and the insurance coverage, I only paid $50 for the surgery. Finally, luck was on MY side! So after a couple days of recovery, I went back to the orthodontist who already had my aligners ready and I've been wearing them since yesterday (7/23/2012).

I will have to wear them for approximately 25-30 months, though I don't plan on it interrupting my exodus abroad since I only have to see the orthodontist every so often: they can even mail me the new aligners wherever I am!

The insurance covered about a quarter of the orthodontic treatment and I will pay the rest in installments (only $97 a month). The best thing is they're invisible and comfortable enough. They do fit snugly and I do feel some pressure but I'm SO glad I don't have to wear the metal!

Thanks for reading this long story. How have the rest of you been improving yourselves?
''Actually, with those dirty movies, I find like, they're good for about fifteen, twenty minutes. I'm really interested. And, then, uh, there's one point, that all of a sudden I'm bored. You know? I-... I just lose interest completely and I feel deeply ashamed.''

-Comedian Norm MacDonald


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xiongmao
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Post by xiongmao »

I went on a self improvement rampage after I dated my first Chinese girl, and realised I'd have to do something major if I wanted to land a hot girl and possibly live with her in Asia.

Try reading:

The Answer
Think and Grow Rich
The Mindbody Prescription

You WILL transform your life if you read all three, and will enter the elite club of the few of us who know these secrets.

Think and Grow Rich is a classic and it's the man's bible for accumulating wealth.
The Answer is a reworking of Think and Grow Rich for the digital age. It got me fired up enough to launch my second online business.
The Mindbody Prescription is controversial but it shows how you can overcome most illnesses using your brain alone. This book saved my career.

Read these and you'll realise that in your post you made a critical mistake. You talk about DEBT. You should be talking (and thinking) about MAKING MONEY.

Also not every country cares about teeth. Japanese women have the worst teeth I've ever seen. Yet it only adds to their charm :lol: .
I was Happier Abroad for a while but Covid killed that off.
Fed up with being foreveralone.jpg? Check out my comprehensive directory of dating sites.
Love Chinese girls? Read my complete guide to Chinese dating.
shiryu400
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Posts: 54
Joined: April 1st, 2012, 1:58 pm

Post by shiryu400 »

Thanks for the advice. I'll look those up. I'm definitely interested in making money! :lol:

I've also begun to work out more regularly now. In the past, i would only work out like twice a week at most but I'm trying to build a bit of muscle now.
''Actually, with those dirty movies, I find like, they're good for about fifteen, twenty minutes. I'm really interested. And, then, uh, there's one point, that all of a sudden I'm bored. You know? I-... I just lose interest completely and I feel deeply ashamed.''

-Comedian Norm MacDonald
PeterAndrewNolan
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Posts: 1729
Joined: April 21st, 2012, 3:25 am

Re: Ways I'm trying to improve myself

Post by PeterAndrewNolan »

shiryu400 wrote: How have the rest of you been improving yourselves?
I did the landmark curriculum for living in 95...best thing I ever did. Once you do that you will realise you do not need to "improve yourself".

I am perfect just the way I am...you can not improve on perfection.

http://www.landmarkeducation.com/
Feel free to check out my blog:Click ME!
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Winston
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Re: Ways I'm trying to improve myself

Post by Winston »

PeterAndrewNolan wrote:
shiryu400 wrote: How have the rest of you been improving yourselves?
I did the landmark curriculum for living in 95...best thing I ever did. Once you do that you will realise you do not need to "improve yourself".

I am perfect just the way I am...you can not improve on perfection.

http://www.landmarkeducation.com/
I was just at a laundromat a few days ago, and a guy I was talking to there recommended I check out the Landmark Forum. He said it helped him a lot. What is it about exactly? And what happens at their meetings? Is it just some New Age or pop psychology drivel?
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The_Adventurer
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Post by The_Adventurer »

I trained with a champion bodybuilder for months in Korea. I also follow works like those of Napoleon Hill.
“Booty is so strong that there are dudes willing to blow themselves up for the highly unlikely possibility of booty in another dimension." -- Joe Rogan
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xiongmao
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Post by xiongmao »

6 months in Bangkok and I did barely any sightseeing. But in the evenings I went out and talked to people, from crazy farangs to bar ladies. Chatting to people definitely improved my self confidence.

I also talked myself out of several potentially dangerous situations.

Plus 40+ dates this year have made it a lot easier to detect good ladies.
I was Happier Abroad for a while but Covid killed that off.
Fed up with being foreveralone.jpg? Check out my comprehensive directory of dating sites.
Love Chinese girls? Read my complete guide to Chinese dating.
tre
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Posts: 604
Joined: September 15th, 2013, 1:08 am
Location: USA

Re: Ways I'm trying to improve myself

Post by tre »

shiryu400 wrote:Hey, everyone, I've been thinking of ways to improve myself before I finally go abroad. As I've said before, my plan is to go after I graduate with my master's degree next year. In the meantime, I've noticed that many voices of reason on here have recommended that we all try to improve ourselves even if you plan on going abroad (I will add that many people do this anyway without being told).

While it is true that women are not as picky outside of the anglosphere, it is still a good idea to be and look your best. So recently, I went to an orthodontist so I can correct my tooth alignment. Ever since I lost my baby teeth when a kid, I was told that I would need braces, and sure enough, my adult teeth were way too big for my relatively small jaw. So I've had crowding throughout my teens and 20s. But I ABHORRED the idea of having metal in my mouth. And I knew that it would be even more difficult to get American girls. I only wish I had known then that I wouldn't have much luck with AG anyway. But also my family was not doing too good financially and couldn't afford it (we had insurance but it didn't cover orthodontics).

By the time I had my first job, I realized that pay was INDEED shit if you didn't have any skills. My first few jobs had no benefits and so I still found myself unable to pay for braces. Then, in 2009, my wisdom teeth finally began to really come out and they started to make the crowding WORSE! So I had to get all 4 pulled out right away! I still didn't have insurance but was too old to be in my parents' insurance. So I had to pay $1400 out of pocket for the surgery.

The dentist recommended that I start orthodontics treatment (As if I didn't know, haha). I asked if I could do invisalign but she said my condition was too complicated and only traditional braces would do. I still couldn't bare to have the metal ones since I had heard so many horror stories about them. But I figured, even if I wanted to get them, I couldn't afford them until I got rid of the debt from the surgery.

So I paid off the debt a year later. And then I graduated from college and was unemployed for a while. Finally, I got a job at a bank and had all the benefits. Unfortunately, I still feared the metal braces and wished I could get invisalign. However, my previous dentist had convinced me that my case COULDN'T be handled by invisalign.

So I left my bank job after a year and found another job at a library that paid the same and I had more hours BUT had no benefits unless I worked full time. Fortunately, my boss liked my work and eventually promoted me to full time. And finally this summer of 2012, I looked until I found an orthodontist who said it was POSSIBLE for me to use invisalign. However, it would only work if I pulled out FOUR MORE teeth! f**k!

Luckily, the orthodontist recommended a surgeon who would give me a big discount. So I went to him and after the discount and the insurance coverage, I only paid $50 for the surgery. Finally, luck was on MY side! So after a couple days of recovery, I went back to the orthodontist who already had my aligners ready and I've been wearing them since yesterday (7/23/2012).

I will have to wear them for approximately 25-30 months, though I don't plan on it interrupting my exodus abroad since I only have to see the orthodontist every so often: they can even mail me the new aligners wherever I am!

The insurance covered about a quarter of the orthodontic treatment and I will pay the rest in installments (only $97 a month). The best thing is they're invisible and comfortable enough. They do fit snugly and I do feel some pressure but I'm SO glad I don't have to wear the metal!

Thanks for reading this long story. How have the rest of you been improving yourselves?
Congrats on doing something that, most importantly, makes you feel better about yourself. I think that acknowledging weaknesses where they are present is important to self-progression. Too many here complain about things, but don't do much to better their situation. Many leave the West as losers only to remain losers abroad. You are doing what needs to be done in order to increase your chances of success and I applaud you for it. If you can be adaptable in any environment, you will never be completely miserable...anywhere.
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JohnOldman
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Posts: 2
Joined: August 31st, 2015, 3:42 am
Location: San Diego

Re: Ways I'm trying to improve myself

Post by JohnOldman »

In addition to the household chores and work every day I devote some time for self-improvement)
you ask what I'm doing?
I read books and watch interesting films
+ SPORT SPORT SPORT
But the last time I have some problems with professional skills
Turns out that fast typing skills are necessary not only for communication in social networks, recently took a job at a publishing office, boss is extremely demanding, do not have any time. The Internet helps me. I began to read interesting articles
“how to improve the typing speed”, here are some of them
http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/faster-keyboard-typing/
http://www.ratatype.com/learn/
Now working on it, noticeable a little progress ^^))
check my results here http://www.ratatype.com/typing-test/
Hero
Experienced Poster
Posts: 1710
Joined: July 3rd, 2008, 1:19 pm

Re: Ways I'm trying to improve myself

Post by Hero »

I also got braces, when I was 33 years old. Now my smile looks great :) In addition, I got an M.S. in Statistics so that I could get a better-paying job, and now my salary is approaching 6 figures. Finally, I took up long-distance running. Not only did I lose a lot of weight, but now I have a shelf full of medals and trophies. Next thing I want to do is get into weight lifting.
PeterAndrewNolan
Experienced Poster
Posts: 1729
Joined: April 21st, 2012, 3:25 am

Re:

Post by PeterAndrewNolan »

shiryu400 wrote:Thanks for the advice. I'll look those up. I'm definitely interested in making money! :lol:

I've also begun to work out more regularly now. In the past, i would only work out like twice a week at most but I'm trying to build a bit of muscle now.
The #1 thing I recommend men do is the Landmark Forum.


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http://www.manbook.biz/2015/05/03/what- ... it-a-scam/
http://www.manbook.biz/2015/05/03/landm ... knowledge/


I also recommend men get in to internet marketing now so that they secure their future income.
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PeterAndrewNolan
Experienced Poster
Posts: 1729
Joined: April 21st, 2012, 3:25 am

Re: Ways I'm trying to improve myself

Post by PeterAndrewNolan »

Winston wrote:
PeterAndrewNolan wrote:
shiryu400 wrote: How have the rest of you been improving yourselves?
I did the landmark curriculum for living in 95...best thing I ever did. Once you do that you will realise you do not need to "improve yourself".

I am perfect just the way I am...you can not improve on perfection.

http://www.landmarkeducation.com/
I was just at a laundromat a few days ago, and a guy I was talking to there recommended I check out the Landmark Forum. He said it helped him a lot. What is it about exactly? And what happens at their meetings? Is it just some New Age or pop psychology drivel?
Hey Winston,
I did not realise this post was so old when I answered it just now.

Did I ever get back to you on LF?

It is the best thing I ever did. I just put up 4 links about it that you can go through. There is nothing like it....if you want to know more than is in the videos I would be happy to skype you. With your "women problems" LF would be a big opportunity for you to have a massive breakthrough in that area.
Feel free to check out my blog:Click ME!
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xiongmao
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Re: Ways I'm trying to improve myself

Post by xiongmao »

Damn. I've manned up so much in the last couple of years. Well it has worked because now I have a very well paid job in London's financial centre. I go out for lunch amongst Europe's most alpha males and supermodel looking office ladies. Life is sweet.

All it takes is confidence. In my last job interview, I ended up interviewing THEM.
I was Happier Abroad for a while but Covid killed that off.
Fed up with being foreveralone.jpg? Check out my comprehensive directory of dating sites.
Love Chinese girls? Read my complete guide to Chinese dating.
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