David Goggins is destroying the idea that everyone should get a star. This inspiring story of abuse converted into strength will motivate you but hopefully more than that it will show you that there is no excuse not to be better every day. 

I have overcome a lot in my life and most recently quitting caffeine and continuing to push my own mental and physical boundaries found this book at the perfect time. I got the audio book and strongly encourage you to do the same. In between the chapters David and the reader discuss what has happened, giving additional incites, stories, and also getting to hear the voice of the man that has done so many amazing things. 

David Goggins has come from low places to become a navy seal, a world record holder, and an ultra marathon runner along with many other accomplishments. Beyond all that lies his greatest accomplishment: mastering his own mind. This book gives 10 challenges as to how you too can become hard and start to do things that you may have talked yourself out of in the past. 

The first Challenge is to publicly state your bad hand. To write out where you came from and here is mine. 

​Rob Alexander
20 hrs
My Bad Hand:

• Born to an institutionalized mother with mental illness
• Immediately taken by the state and passed around - renamed for a few years
• Adopted by a suicidal mother and timid father with a mentally ill adopted brother who was very violent
• Parents gave me a lock on my door, sleeping pills and ear plugs to help with violent brother up all night
• Only white kid in my class for a few years and very fat - severely bullied
  
• As a teen began trading sleeping pills for cigarettes and alcohol to numb myself
• Became a full-blown alcoholic and chain smoker by the age of 17
• Lots of health problems - nearly died from metal poisoning from botched dental work along with other issues from addiction
• Massive amounts of anxiety depression
• Wife left and divorced me after 10 years of marriage during health issues

Life was always hard for me, isolating, and challenging to connect with others. I was a weak person.

Now:
11 years sober, fit, and confident.
I now write a weekly blog about health topics and addiction.
I am glad to have this book and to hear everyones success stories.
Stay Hard
#CantHurtMe
_______________________________________________
Update- Thanks for all the comments and encouragement. This group is filled with amazing people. I am more committed than ever to continue to push harder despite what others may say about it being "extreme". Fell free to friend request me or reach out. So glad to know there are others out there going hard as this path is not one many people walk.
Share your challenges and your victories!

So many people are over coming obsticles based on this "no excuses" mentality that the book portrays so strongly. After posting My Bad Hand on a facebook group based on the book, I got hundreds of likes and so many very encouraging comments....zero negativity. Here is the group link. If you get the book or audio version and are on FB I encourage you to join and see the amazing things people just like you and me are doing everyday. 

In my life I have often been called extreme and after reading this book I don't feel extreme or alone in my thirst for self-mastery. I have the motivation to do something everyday that I didn't want to do. For me this book was right after a long withdrawal from caffeine, the last of my chemical addictions (10 weeks today) But I have been pushed even harder. Keeping up with my running and lifting, cold showers, and intermittent fasting, stretches, breathing techniques and a number of other protocols that feed me in my self-mastery quest. But above all I am challenging the thinking that says "why more?". I already do a number of healthy things that a "normal" person would think are too much and not balanced enough. This book reminds me who I am when no one is watching and where I came from. 

I don't want to give away too many details from the book as I am hoping that you go and read or listen to it for yourself. 

There are so many fake people in the health and wellness world. I have been amazed at some of them using religion, steroids, a marketing machine, or any number of other tools to give the impression that they are someone you should listen to. This has turned me off of so many products, people, and programs. Finally a person like David Goggins shows up and says "I'm not special and neither are you". Push your self toward your passion. For me my journey of self-mastery involves my mind and body as I continue to learn about the the things that make me and everyone else tick and I hope to share more people like this with you....if I can find them. 

The limits of human potential are unknown. We have so much inside us that we don't have the energy to power or the knowledge to unlock. Play the slow game and learn or do one more thing every day. Seek out people that celebrate your victories instead of discouraging your process. They are rare but worth it. Quit your addictions to substances, thinking, and laziness. Set a high standard for yourself and others. This will make your life one of quality even though it may be lonely at times. The crowds typically won't do the hard things. If you find yourself doing what everyone else is doing then you have to go harder to be exceptional.

Self esteem is earned. 

After being bombarded by an add on facebook that I thought was embarrassingly bad put out by a Neuro Group selling a nootropic I thought. --They need to take more of their product. 
I posted some comment about no wanting to end up like the guy they had selected to rep their product. The funny thing is I ended up having a back and forth with them that I thought was funny. I made a Video having fun at the idea that you can get all kinds of brain benefits by thinking about the product. 
Out of this the Neuro Heckler Collective was born. This is a page that I hope will allow me to point out some of the things in alt health that I think are funny that people tend to not talk about because they don't notice or because it would be bad for business. Either way laughing is good for your health. 

But I was thinking about the Neuo Hacker Collective and why I took the time to respond so much which I rarely do on Facebook. Then I realized that its opportunity cost. You see the cost of doing or selling any one thing is the ability to do or sell anything else in that space and time. 

I don't for one second think that I know more about the brain than the panel of people on the board of the neuro hacker collective but I think that I have a different focus that leaves the sellers of chemicals either ignorant or consciously overlooking the truth for profit or some other reason. 

If you have followed my blogs hopefully you will see this but I'll review. 
There is you, your brain, your cells, your mitochondria, your electrons - now we are sub atomic.

The cells are powered by the mitochondria and in the mitochondria is the process of electron chain transfer. Lets make it simple, light (which tells us time while giving us charge) goes through steps to create ATP or chemical energy to power the cell. Chemistry or the substances in qualia are subject to the things that happen beneath them.  
My point is that for me my focus is on light, water , magnetism. Dealing with increasing my charge while communicating the right time to my body and brain. Nature has given substances to work with physics in this way like DHA and iodine. I could go on but through the entire process there is an almost endless list of brain boosting things that can be done that are in line with nature. The nootropic they are selling is not natural. I would much rather eat an oyster while engaging natural neuro genesis than get on that substance and my brain as its charge increases running on an optimal fuel source of light and fat will improve. I will get focus, memory and the other vague words that their pill creates. Do they not know this or like so many in health are they trying desperately to find a "hack" or a cheat pill.  
So spend the next 10 years in sun light, in nature eating high fish, high fat, working out and learning as much as you can about as much as you can. The problem with that pill like many others is that if it gives you a benefit you stay on it and if it doesn't you will have wasted your money but either way its unnatural chemistry. All drugs alter the brain. I could list out a number of different drugs that will make you feel great and increase your focus ect. the problem is if they are unnatural the mechanisms the body has to regulate  them are removed so you end up with an equal and opposite problem. A few more points I think the collective needs to be reminded of. 

Sometimes a better functioning brain just means you do irrational things optimally. There is a  necessity for wisdom and discernment. 

The cost of focusing on this product is the time and energy that could have been given to providing real brain solutions for people that are deeper than chemistry and share the truth of the mitochondria and light.  

Placebo is 30% if you are  financially invested its more. Which is why my empty pill joke is funny to me. 
Observation alters outcome

If you take money from something you are no longer able to view with unbiased reason.

It takes intelligent people to resist the temptation to take it, sell it and join in on the community that comes from these types of things. As a former bio hacker the logo, the "collective" and the brain boosting claims are appealing. The test is can a person see past the shiny and stay rational. Everything about the tech bio hacker world is great except that it doesn't work. Nature is the solution. She has been testing this stuff for millions of years so before you alter your brain with pills that cost you money stop  think critically and ask yourself 
-Am I looking for a quick fix because I don't want to make the sacrifices that are need for a better brain naturally? The same case can be made for steroids and muscles. They work but they come at a price and I am natural. There is just as much temptation to grow my brain enhanced as my muscles but I know that those things are quick fixes that nature frown upon. 
​
It is wisdom on intelligence that says that there are no cheats in this life. ​

​Plus lets not take things too seriously. Some of those ads were hilarious so thanks. 

The idea of a group of broke cartoon super villains wanting to take over the world altering peoples brains by convincing the world to buy their pills that alter there brains is pretty funny. 

It is important to note that I don't have any financial ties to Mushroom Wisdom. I am just so happy to have found a diamond in the ruff. A science based, no BS company with products I can feel. Below are the key facts that the company has put out. Looking to buy mushrooms. Ask these questions. The mycillium issue and the medium the mushrooms are grown on matter. Remember other companies claiming Ancient techniques are growing mushrooms on a medium that they can grind up to sell you the filler. 

​Mushroom Wisdom Key Facts
 
MW’s mushrooms are grown in a way that mirrors how they grow in nature. Some of MW’s mushrooms are grown in thatched huts designed to mirror the forest canopy, others are grown in a way where they periodically remove the cover to provide these mushrooms sunlight.  Three of the mushrooms are wildcrafted in their natural habitat.
MW utilizes the part of the mushroom that has been utilized for thousands of years in traditional medicine, which is the fruiting body, not the mycelium.
MW’s mushrooms are grown on their natural food source, WOOD, not grains. For example, MW grows their Poria on pine logs, then buries them in the ground, similar to how they grow in nature.
MW does NOT grow on rice or other grain, in a lab, or under artificial light.
The majority of MW’s mushrooms are grown in a pristine natural environment in the southern part of the Zhejiang Province, China, without any synthetic pesticides, synthetic herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers. This region is reputed to be the area where mushrooms were first cultivated.
The harvested mushrooms are rigorously tested in-house and by third parties to ensure identity, quality, and the highest levels of purity.
Final manufacturing takes place at a GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certified manufacturer in the US, where stringent laboratory tests are again performed to reconfirm purity.
A key point differentiating Mushroom Wisdom from its competitors is the fact that for over 25 years MW has supported and invested in research exploring new applications and constituents as well as efficacy.  (While some companies were spending their money on double packaging and marketing.)

First I'll say that Like my search for Lions Mane Blog posts this will continue as I learn more. Turmeric has gotten so popular that many companies have tried to find ways to set themselves apart and that makes sense but there are far too many types to look at them all. I am Starting with products I have tried. Truth be told I don't at this point know which one is best or I'm open to the idea that some are beneficial just in different ways than another. I have cut thee info below from the respective sites. Everything in italics is me. I have highlighted the important info that makes each one different.
Note- I have left off any critique of  companies that are not able to handle criticism. If you're not sure who I'm referring to just axe me about it.       
​On to the search.....

​Oregon’s Wild Harvest
The Benefits of Turmeric

• Antioxidant protection & liver support*
• Supports a healthy inflammation response*

Turmeric's antioxidant properties provide protective nutritional support to the cardiovascular system, joints and liver. Standardized Turmeric extract supplies enhanced levels of the principally active groups of constituents called curcuminoids. Scientific studies show that the addition of BioPerine℗ improves absorption and increased bioavailability of Curcumin.* 
Features

• Available in 60ct. or 120ct. Non-GMO vegetarian capsules
• Contains Certified Organic Turmeric rhizome
• Improved bioavailability with Black Pepper (BioPerine®)
• 100% Vegetarian
• Manufactured in the USA  

Tumeric Force– New Chapter
Amount per 1 Capsule  % Daily ValueTurmeric (rhizome) aqueous extract320mg•Organic Turmeric (rhizome) supercritical extract80mg•• Daily Value not established
Super critical extract is the question here? Didn’t see an explanation on the site.
​

Curamed – Terry Naturally – Curcumin Rhizome Extract (BCM-95)
(Curcuma longa) Rhizome Extract (BCM-95®) enhanced with turmeric essential oil and standardized for curcuminoid complex (curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin) supplying ≥ 215 mg of pure curcuminoids

• Enhanced absorption curcumin used in over 50 groundbreaking, published studies
• The ONLY PATENTED curcumin with turmeric essential oil containing turmerones

​Natural factors – Theracumin – Curcumin-
Size matters- This has to do with particle size for better absorption
Comparison conducted using leading brands of enhanced and regular forms of curcumin.
* Bioavailability comparison of curcumin from two published studies showing blood levels of curcumin over a 12-hour period normalized at the same dosage level.

Longvita – curcumin (nordic) – Solid Lipid Curcumin Particle –
Curcumin is a natural antioxidant derived from the root of the turmeric plant (Curcuma longa) that provides unique antioxidant support.* Each 2-gummy serving contains 200 mg Longvida® Optimized Curcumin, which is 285 times better absorbed‡ than other forms of curcumin thanks to patented Solid Lipid Curcumin Particle (SLCP™) technology. Sweetened with xylitol, vegetarian Curcumin Gummies have a great, natural mango taste with zero sugar.
I break my fast with this product. Tastes amazing and I like the idea of the adsorption type 
​

​Meriva – curcumin (Jarrow) PhosphatidylcholineComplex
Curcumin protects DNA against damage by free radicals and reactive oxygen species.* Meriva®, a phytosome form of curcumin, is a patent-pending ingredient consisting of curcumin extract bound to phosphatidylcholine for increased absorption and bioavailability. Clinical studies show that it promotes joint health and flexibility.*

CuraWin  - Vibrant health –
Turmeric 46x and Maximized Turmeric (OmniActive Health Technologies, Inc.) is a novel water-soluble curcumin formulation containing turmeric extract 20-28%, a hydrophilic carrier 63-75%, cellulosic derivatives 20-40% and natural antioxidants 1-3%. CurcuWIN™’s UltraSOL™ technology increases the solubility of standard curcumin by dispersing a highly purified powder *with min 95% curcuminoids+ in a water-soluble carrier along with other encapsulating agents. Antioxidants are used to prevent degradation of curcumin. CurcuWIN™ has been specifically developed to overcome the current shortcomings of curcumin formulations, its low bioavailability.

Turmeric forte – Standard process – Bound to fenugreek
MediHerb® Turmeric Forte is a formulation of Turmeric rhizome and Fenugreek seed extracts to enhance absorption and improve bioavailability*+ of curcuminoids, the active constituents of Turmeric. Turmeric rhizome provides turmeric curcuminoids, including curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin. This product is standardized to total curcuminoids and to curcumin, to ensure optimal strength and quality.

Ok that was a lot. I like the idea of the Longvida but it will be interesting to see what I can find as the search continues. If you have any info on Turmeric products and why you like them or think one is the best please let me know. Contact

And then Goliath crushed David 

If you value a thing it is important to have internal critique in order to maintain a high standard of quality and integrity. When people can't point out the problems with a company or product that company can sell all kinds of deception to the public. 

If you can't find one negative comment on the internet about the biggest companies then one has to wonder what type power those companies have to remove critique. 

What is worse a wolf or a wolf in sheeps clothing?....both are bad. 

If you haven't checked out My Search For Lions Mane 1 or 2 you should 
Here we go. 
First Here is my first harvest of Lions mane that I grew

Pretty awesome and very easy a few sprays of mist a day and they tasted great.  
​

If you've been following the battle for the best Lions mane supplement then you know so far in last place with the highest number of ingredients and the worst product.

such good marketing so little actual truth...making the supplement industry look ridiculous. 
1525 mg of lions mane ....Blend. 
​Too bad we have no idea how much actual lions mane is in this product and definitely how much of the fruiting body might be all micillium since this is grown on substances that are not the natural medium for growth. 3 pills - that's a lot of ingredients. I can't find anything positive about their products. All marketing. Prove me wrong. 

Only take lions mane that is the fruiting body and not the micillium  no matter how many times its fermented...since that doesn't matter. 

The we have my winner so far 
Mushroom wisdom, whole fruiting body 1100 mg, only other ingredient is some citric acid. I asked why and it's to assist with the fast dissolving process. This product is legit and I feel it. 
Last time I introduced their patented product

This product has serious science behind it and is great but has differnt effects than the normal lions mane and as much as I like it if I had to pick (since I don't have the health issues that this assists with) I would pick the normal lions mane. 

I like Gaia as a brand ....unfortunately with this product there are some short comings.
250 mg blend of 3 mushrooms...and other blends. I like the idea of rosemary and some of the other ingredients but in a single capsule this is a tiny amount of lions mane. Still better than ancient because they exclusively use the fruiting body but still. Mushroom wisdom has 4 tablets that have some weight to them. This single capsule isn't condensed in that way and I have no idea how much actual lions mane but at 250mg with that many ingredients this a unfortunately a fail. 
Not the worst but far from the best. I would rather take one of the 4 tablets of mushroom wisdom lions mane and have the bottle last 4x as long than take this product. 

If you haven't read My Search For Lions Mane 
It will give some context 

I want all the benefits that lions mane mushroom delivers but mushrooms are tough to figure out. In my last mushroom post I showed why I am confused, form, sources, extractions. It's an unregulated industry so supplements are tricky. 

I had been taking a lions mane product for several months. No benefit, no effect. It was a product with both fruiting body and mycelium along with what looks like 1000 other filler ingredients in a proprietary blend so no way to know what's in it. 
As a review...thumbs down.   ​

The day after I did the last post I took action. I ordered a lion mane grow kit which arrived yesterday and it's super cool. I'll do a part 3 to show how they are coming along. 

I also ordered dried lions mane to eat. Wow, fry these things up in coconut oil and some sea salt ant they are amazingly good. I crave them. They are like healthy fat sponges. I'm going to keep eating them. It will be interesting to compare them to the fresh one's from my grow kit. 

So heres the tricky thing about mushrooms (and i'm no expert) when the mycelium (basically the roots) of the mushroom grow into whatever they grow on (like a tree in nature) at some point there is no separation between the tree and the mushroom. 
I'm not saying the mycelium don't have any health benefits but here is my thought. 
some supplement companies grow mushrooms on rice or other substances that are not what the mushroom grows on in nature. They then grind up the mycelium (mushroom roots) with the rice it was grown on fill a capsule 90% with this and add 10% of the fruiting body. You think your getting more but really your wasting your money. Far too common. 
-side note the fruiting body is the part we would call the mushroom itself. An example is my dried mushrooms. That is the fruiting body. 
If the dried mushrooms came with the root pack mycelium (which you can see in my grow kit) I wouldn't eat it. Historically that part of the lions mane wasn't eaten. 
People ask me why I'm not talking host defense because Paul Stamets is awesome. He is but I wanted a fruit body only supplement and sorry host defense isn't.

So here we go - I wanted a lions mane supplement grown on it's natural substance, with only the fruiting body.  
After the last post I started taking this product and it is legit! 
Granted I do all kinds of healthy things but I was doing them on the other product and no benefit. 
This product is a nootropic for sure. My brain has been clicking high speed but not like a stimulant. Very productive....I love this product. I was amazed. '
I wanted to know why it worked so well. 

The good people at Mushroom Wisdom sent me tons of true scientific articles and studies along with a book on lions mane. The info on this is amazing and I believe it based on the results I've had but guess what, they answered my questions and they have a patented product that I'm going to start taking today. It's next level lions mane and I can'r wait.  

Amyloban - fat soluble, must be the fruit body and alcohol extracted.

I don't know what's gonna happen. I might do the next post telepathically if this stuff gets any better. I'll let you know.  

Mushrooms are amazing! They are fantastically complex creatures. Not plants something else, the closest thing I can think of to aliens. I think that human evolution has been influenced by mushrooms and play a role in our health. 

Anything worth having is worth searching for. Lions mane has powerful brain benefits and it is one of the few things I want to take the rest of my life so it's worth doing some homework on it. 

But now I'm searching for Lion's Mane. This is no easy task. You see the supplement industry is tricky, it is unregulated. Some capsules have the mycelium, simply explained thats the root part of the mushroom. You see if mushrooms are grown on a medium like rice after they are grown it is tough to say where the mushroom starts and the medium ends so you can powder the entire thing. My question with this is if I were to go looking for mushrooms in nature, which I've never done  but I imagine that I wouldn't take the mycelium to eat. I would take what's called the fruiting body. This is the part of the mushroom that you would typically think of, the part that grows. 
So mycelium products may be mostly rice or what ever medium, good for business bad for me. 

Then there are extracts- some claim this form is superior. Also not what I would do in nature but who knows.

Then there is single, double and however many times fermented mushrooms. Is fermentation good? Sometimes but not always sometimes it enhances a substance other times it allows manufacturer to put a buzz word on the label that increases sales. I don't know for sure but in the case of mushrooms I don't think I'm concerned with fermentation.

Then there are raw mushrooms as far as I know raw was a buzz word a few years back that has lost some of it's power but still has some pull. I have heard a mushroom expert say always cook mushrooms. This makes sense so that rules out the raw stuff.

Organic Lions mane, I think organic is good but also know it's tough to produce things like mushrooms in fashion to get an organic certification. Wild harvested mushrooms would be good if they were legit. 

USA or Foreign? Some companies push american mushrooms as much better quality as some cheap imports are just that, cheap and not clean. However, Mushrooms have been much more popular and established in Asia for a very long time so there may be some prime product that is seasoned being imported, I think this depends. 

Buying dried mushrooms on line, this could be a good option to get them like a food but of course who know what kind of quality they are. 

Growing my own- this is something I plan on doing. I want to have a reliable supplement pill powder or tincture but I plan on growing my own from a grow kit. I'll order this now and who knows in a few weeks I may be able do a fun post of me eating my lions mane.

Heres a breakdown on where I'm at so far.

This is what I've been taking. It has a mycelium and fruit blend but of coarse who knows if the cheep stuff is the base and the good stuff is sprinkled on top. 
It says fermented on the front then has a ton of proprietary blend stuff in with it. If you've paid attention to this site you know that I think proprietary blends are the biggest scam in the supplement industry so that's that. The added blends say fermented and the mushroom part does not so once agin who knows. 

I'm excited to try some other options

We'll see how my quest goes. I'm going to try some other options too. I really believe that if I can get my hands on some quality lions mane it will be very worth it from a brain perspective. I work in the industry and I'm having a hard time sorting it all out and figuring out what's real and what is hype so i can only imagine what other go through. It's confusing on purpose. the industry is unregulated so most people just read the front of the bottle. Other reject all supplements. I'm trying to find the balance but it's no easy task. 

​Stay healthy my friends 

I knew Iodine is important. I have been taking kelp for a while and even an iodine drop here and there. I recently have stumbled into so much info about the importance of these trace substances that we aren't getting (Boron, Lithium ect) 
I was taking micro grams it looks like I should be taking Mili grams. This substance is so important for brain function, thyroid but also detoxification and much more. 
I'll let you look up iodine benefits as I don't want this blog to be more personal about what I am learning/trying and less about the actual info. Like a list of things to consider and a log to track and see what I've started when. 

I am excited to see what types of taking the product above with 12.5mg of iodine to see what definite I get. Especially with my history of metal toxicity. On the My Supps you will see a list of things I think everyone should consider and iodine is on the list but consider a mg dose and make sure that the product you try has iodide with the iodine. Of coarse see food and sea weeds are great ways to get you iodine as well. 

I have never been a fan of essential oils, this is for a few reasons. I am very sensitive to the smells and don't really react to them well because the smells are too intense for me most of the time. Some of the more subtle scents I don't mind.

One big issue I have with them is that MLM's seem to have made them popular. I can't stand mlm's and could write a book about them. I will resist the urge to make this all about why mlm's are scams but I will say that mlm's do best in unregulated industries that have a sensory product with no measurable effect.....oils....snake oils. From a business perspective you will never find an mlm selling computers or bikes or well anything that doesn't play on emotions and is not tangible that's why mlm's tend to gravitate towards health and beauty. ​

I consider essential substances things the body can't make or store but are needed to survive. Minerals and certain vitamins are essential and must be consumed to stay alive. No "essential oils" are actually essential. The only people who think essential oils cure every illness in they way they are so often marketed are the ones selling them. They smell nice and I get that but lets not take a nice smell and pretend like it cures everything under the sun. I'm not saying that they have no health benefit but I am saying that their benefits are extremely exaggerated by the people selling them and the country has fallen for it. 

If I where to make a section of supplements and it said oils (which I have done) I include things like fish oil, mct's, flax oil. "Essential oils" are things that mix with oils and are not oils themselves.

So from my perspective the phrase essential oils is just marketing and if they were called "unnecessary smells" they may not sell as well. Please don't consume them and yeah some aren't bad bad others are and no matter what they shouldn't be something we just consume all the time.  

Once again I'm not saying they have no value I just can't stand fakeness and miss information. For example to many people are smelling oils all day long for stress and not taking magnesium....an actually essential substance that no mlm can make money on.