Thomas Vigil

Intro open.substack.com/pub/vigilthoma… #fatherhood

@thesavasx That’s a great take. ❤️

I'm addicted to comfort. 2020: - Scrolling in bed - Avoiding responsibilities - Smoking to deal with anxiety 2026: - Financial security - Addiction-free body - Ubreakable healthy habits Find better comfort.

@lakerbo13065125 @anymanfitness How so?

@TheVigilLetter @anymanfitness Irrelevant.

I have eaten beef + rice for dinner 4-5 times per week for years on end. I never get tired of it. Eating the same meals over and over again is a physique hack. Find meals that hit "The Trifecta": - Healthy (they hit your calorie/protein goals) - Tasty (you enjoy them) - Repeatable (you never get tired of them) I always recommend this to clients. But sometimes they say "I don't know what to eat". When that happens, I give them a gift - a MASSIVE Recipe Guide - our Total Fat Loss Cookbook. It has over 80 recipes that clients have sent me over the years. There are breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks. It's all indexed. Nutrition. Instructions. Ingredients. I should probably sell it, but you can have it for free today if you want it (see the next tweet).

There is a degradation in our society. A masculine degradation. A focus on pleasure and comfort instead of strength, principles, focus and endurance. Instead of sculpting lives from marble, they are sculpted from sand.

@SahilBloom I do the same for my boys. I set up an email for each of them and I send them emails throughout the year when wisdom strikes me. My hope is that, in the end, it’s something they can connect with in case fate ends my life earlier than I hope for.

Today is my son's 4th birthday. Last year, I started a practice of writing him a letter each year on his birthday. He can't read them (yet), but my hope is that they serve as something of a compass for his journey once he can. Here is my open letter to my son on his 4th birthday... To my dearest son Roman, Today, I want to tell you three stories about your life. The first story is about struggle. You don't know this, but your mother and I weren't sure we would be able to have you. We struggled, for two years, to bring you into this world. It was a quiet, lonely, painful period. It came at a time in my life when I really wasn't sure what the path looked like. By early 2021, I had made the decision to leave my investing job so that we could move back east to live closer to our families. I figured I'd be able to get a new job in the industry closer to home. But after a string of rejections and failed interviews, I woke up one morning with a terrible feeling of dread. I'd made a mistake. I'd taken the leap from a good path, but now, I saw nothing but emptiness before me. Between my career, our move, and our failed attempts to bring a new life into the world, there was so much uncertainty. Just a complete lack of clarity. In the darkness of that moment, I remembered a lesson from an old baseball coach. When you'd find yourself in a tough spot in a game, he'd always call out a simple saying: “You’re one pitch away!” So, I focused on the next pitch. I kept waking up. Showing up. Doing something. The wall broke through. Clarity came shining through. We made the move to the east coast. I defined a new path. And most importantly, two weeks after getting into our new home, we found out that your Mama was pregnant with you, our son. When I reflect on those dark months, I'm grateful for them. Because they taught me that the most meaningful things in life exist on the other side of some painful struggle. That's precisely what makes them so meaningful in the end. You know what you had to endure to bring them to life. In our case, quite literally. Don't shy away from the struggle. Don't try to avoid it. Lean into it. The struggle of the dark amplifies the joy of the light. The second story is about success. Most of my life, I measured success the way the world told me to. Money. Achievement. Status. Fancy things. Whatever. It was a default definition that was never my own, but I chased it nonetheless. All the while convincing myself that my fulfillment, my feeling of enoughness was on the other side of some thing. I'd get those things and wonder why I never felt successful. It all came together during a single moment on my book tour. My Dad, your grandfather, sat in the front row at all of the events. At one event, he was asked how he felt seeing me up on stage. His response: "I'm proud that he's becoming the man he wants to be." The power in those words stopped me in my tracks. Not the man that he wants me to be, but the man that I want to be. This was the moment I learned a truth: Real success isn't being the person someone else thinks you should be. Real success is becoming the person you want to be. That path is yours. It won't always be well lit. But you won't walk it alone. My father believed in me before I believed in myself. That belief silently gave me permission to become the person I wanted to be. It's the greatest gift I have ever received—and one I promise I'll pass down to you. There's an old African proverb I love: "Walk like you have 4,000 ancestors behind you." Stand tall, Roman. You have an army at your back. The last story is about love. For the first 31 years of my life, I didn't really know what that word meant. I thought I did. I mean, I loved people. First, my parents and my sister, then my best friends, and eventually, my wife. And I felt loved by them. But the day you were born, I realized how little I really understood about that word. It was like the love I knew was a black and white movie from the past. And suddenly, an explosion of color entered the frame. Rich. Deep. Textured. Something so pure. So vibrant. So, different. Holding you for the first time, I had a profound sensation: I spent the first 31 years of my life trying to find the meaning of all of this. And now, it was staring right back at me. But my story about love isn't about me or my love for you (which you will never have to question). My story about love is about your mother, or Mama to you, who loves you more than anyone else in the entire world. I first noticed it in the hospital after you were born. The way she would adjust you ever so gently to make sure you were comfortable. I've seen it every single day of your life since. It takes many forms. As patience. As energy. As touch. As selflessness. It's almost imperceptible at times. Abundantly clear at others. But always, always there. It was her love for you that taught me about love. What it really means. What it really looks like. In some ways, it gave me permission to give and receive love with that same depth. So, without you, I would never have known real love. There is nothing like a mother's love. It's a love you may never understand, but one you have a duty to respect. There may come a time when I'm not here. If that ever happens, I need you to take care of your Mama. I need you to cherish her, just as she cherishes you. If you keep her close to your heart, you'll always be ok. I'll close with a confession: I spent most of my 20s thinking I didn’t want kids. I thought it was a distraction. Well, last month, I was tucking you into bed when you looked at me, with zero hesitation, and said, “Dada, you’re my hero.” I'm not exaggerating when I say it was the best moment of my life. One I'll think about until my dying day. Not the books. Not the businesses. Not the investments. That. I'm glad my definition of success changed. This version is so much better. I love you, Roman. Happy Birthday. Your Dada

💯- except for fathers with young children I’ve accepted that the one thing I need to be more flexible on is the 8 hours of sleep. I love getting 8 hours, but with my demanding job, it’s simply not realistic to set that as the bar. Flexibility in the protocols we follow I think is critical for well being and mental health. But, simply eating Whole Foods, limiting sugar/processed foods (added sugar should be viewed as a treat, not a constant), and working out a few days a week + movement (walking) 7 days a week has allowed me to maintain low body fat, muscle (and even growth) and overall stability.

I know people who are in great shape by simply doing: · Staying hydrated · Walking every day · 3 workouts a week · Eating whole foods · Sleeping 8 hours a night They avoid overcomplication and focus on consistency.

@Jason Jason, you’re giving ONE away? Come on man. Step that up a bit for the people! 😂

I loved this espresso machine so much that I invested over $1m in the company... and I'm giving one away to my followers here! (link in reply tweet)!

@anymanfitness Says a lot more about the state of citizens in the U.S. than it does about the top quartile of folks who are meeting what should be a bare minimum standard. Yikes.

If you're over 40 and you don't have a visible gut, congratulations. You are in the top 75% as far as health goes. If you can do 10 push ups with proper form, you're in the top 90%. If you can do 5 pull ups with proper form, make that 99%. The bar has never been lower.

I love the mindset, great share. But I will say, I’ll never get less than 5 hours of sleep just to get a workout in. There are huge diminishing returns on a workout if you are sacrificing less than 5 hours of sleep to get it in. And when I say 5 hours, that is like the exception to the strict rule of no less than 6.5 and ideally 7 to be fully functional and sharp and capable of working at a high level. The emotional regulation component is huge and sleep is a leading indicator.

The biggest thing that's kept me fit at almost 43 (on 0 TRT, peptides etc) is the MINDSET OF NO ZEROES! Today I met a dear friend & his wife for breakfast & had a ton of dad & work responsibilities. I would have had to wake up at 4am to get to the gym & my son woke me up at 230am :) I used to skip these days & because I skipped the gym EAT WORSE. Consistency over everything! NO ZEROES. I ripped off 12 sets of eccentric pull-ups this being my last.... it was sloppy I know I was cooked :) Few sets of abs in between. I'll do a couple walking client calls & eat sensibly & that's WINNING! Most of us dads aren't trying to be pro athletes we just want to: •Look good. •Have more energy. •Less chance of disease. •More testosterone & confidence. •Our wives to want to initiate s3x with us. Don't put up zeroes & you'll get it!! Have the best day! 💪🤝

@chloedavis225 What do you believe its future potential is? I too believe it has potential, but it does seem to, intrinsically, depend upon fiat collapse, which is a very dramatic position to take. It’s what’s prevented me from allocating more than 6-8% of my portfolio.

Bitcoin's future potential far outweighs its current price fluctuations 😉

@livewithnoregrt My gratitudes. There’s always something to brighten your day with a simple moment of gratitude.

a day doesn't pass without you saying?

@livewithnoregrt Yes. And I’ve caught myself judging myself for it recently. But then I judge myself for judging myself. Let the stream of consciousness flow my friend. It’s all just leaves on a stream. IYKYK. If you don’t. Read here thewellnesssociety.org/act-therapy-te…

do you talk to yourself? be honest

@Jason @joerogan @TomCruise But Jason FDA approved medicine is safe! The govt told me so. How could you dare question it?

SSRIs are dangerous and their efficacy is questionable Exercise, diet, sleep, meditation and socialization/community are well established solutions for depression or the blues. Mock @joerogan, @TomCruise or me for pointing this out, but this is the established truth Go research it. Be very careful with these drugs, as joe points out, they are known to make people suicidal and their efficacy is unknown. And they are brutally hard to get off of x.com/overton_news/s…

@micheal_ws18 72 hours. Can’t imagine how people do it for longer. Very challenging and rewarding only in the sense that you (1) enjoy the first meal as though you’ve arrived in the land of milk and honey and (2) believe (superficially perhaps) that you’ve achieved something.

Have you ever gone a whole day without eating? Be honest….

Hah! I thought the question was “underrated” so I said “Air squats for sure” but had to correct myself! Invert. Always invert. I’d say - bicep curls or flat bench bench press, (on the former, assuming you’re building arm strength elsewhere, and on the latter, assuming you are doing pushups).

What’s the most overrated exercise on the planet?

About Time. Live each day with the perspective of knowing that everything is ephemeral and fleeting, and there are ALWAYS moments of the day that you can choose to make peace with the chaos of life around you and become unstuck from the constant mental loop of thinking about what is next. Be still, for a moment. Breathe. We’re alive. That’s something.

Which movie changed your outlook on life forever?

Gratitudes first. Always. I don’t find affirmations to be as tangible, but I do believe in the importance of affirmations as well, depending on the season of life you’re currently in. Whereas gratitudes seem to have an endlessly rewarding positive feedback loop that enriches the soul.

Be honest: Do you start your day with affirmations?

@livewithnoregrt The way alcohol makes me feel.

what are you starting to dislike more and more the older you get?

@etoddslaughter @dividendology 12.5% - that easy eh? Sign me up.

@dividendology 2M @ 12.5% interest would be 250K per year. Can I retire earning 250K per year, Yes. So can I create a dividend growth portfolio that pays a blended yield of 12.5%. Yes.

Do you think you could retire forever on $2,000,000?

What we think, we become. - Buddha. Expressed by others in different ways throughout history. Each day we wake up and make decisions about where we allocate our time and what we spend our time thinking about and doing. These behaviors, these patterns and habits, make us who we are. Bad thoughts and bad habits translate into BEING a discontent, maligned, suffering individual.

What phrase/sentence changed your life forever?