I’m going to be straight with you.
I have one rule.
Friendships must be based on mutuality. Give and take.
The day I wake up and find myself in a one-sided dynamic—
I drop you like a sack of potatoes.
Sorry, not sorry.
I don’t care who’s mad.
Extreme?
Call me biased if you must.
But I stand by this principle.
I’ve seen what happens too many times when connections become one-sided.
There’s a corrupting factor in one-sided dynamics.
This happens every time.
When one person carries the entire load…
The other loses respect.
The less they have to invest…
The less they value the other person.
That’s not the kind of connection I want.
Certainly not with my Permission to Be Powerful readers.
Here’s my vision for you:
Picture this —
Where you finally see the world around you for what it is.
Where you feel more sure of yourself than ever before.
You speak with authority.
Your voice commands attention.
People don’t mess with you.
They move out of your way.
They follow your lead.
They talk about you—
Because you’re the kind of person people talk about.
And most importantly—
You feel free.
Free in every sense of the word.
And I won’t help you get there by coddling you.
Of that, I’m sure.
I won’t enable weakness.
At the Zen Center, we do things differently.
Everyone pitches in.
During sesshin—several days of deep meditation—everyone has chores.
Other weekends, the community cleans the entire place.
On Sundays, we have breakfast, and someone always jumps to wash dishes.
Someone always steps up.
Someone needs a ride to the airport? I’m on it.
Why?
Because pitching in is good for you.
In Zen, nothing is as it seems.
Dish duty isn’t just dish duty. It’s an opportunity.
To become one with your sponge.
The water.
The pots and pans.
Your problems?
Worries?
Doubts?
They fade away—because that sink becomes your entire universe.
No hurrying up to get the job done as fast as possible.
No off to the next thing.
There’s no next.
We treat every aspect of the monastery with reverence.
Because true reverence requires integration.
So now I ask you…
Are you in? Or are you out?
I hate to put you on the spot, but I’m calling you out.
What are you going to do about it?
Don’t worry—I’ll wait…
But before you answer…
You must know something…
Talk is cheap.
I judge people by what they do—not what they say.
Saves me vast amounts of energy.
Actions don’t lie. Words do. Pro tip.
And you win, too.
Think about it.
Pay attention.
Listen closely…
Imagine…
What if one guy at the Center refused to pitch in?
While everyone’s mopping and sweeping, they’re on their iPhone, scrolling mindlessly.
Guess who isn’t going to get much out of the experience?
That guy.
Exactly.
As I evolve, I find myself in the company of people who are more me than I am myself.
More hardcore than me.
More focused than me.
More passionate than me.
They expose my lack of commitment.
They reveal my weakness.
My bullshit excuses have nowhere to hide.
They say you’re the average of your five closest friends.
These days, whether it’s running, dancing, or meditating—I surround myself with specialists.
Experts.
And I’ve noticed something…
Losers want shortcuts.
They buy the course but never open the book.
They start the business but quit after their first rejection.
They talk a big game but fold the second things get tough.
You know these people.
You might even love some of them.
But this doesn’t have to be you.
Let’s bring this back to what I was saying earlier…
I don’t do one-sided relationships anymore.
Not with friends.
Not in business.
Not in life.
Because it’s bad for both of us.
It robs me.
It drains me.
And it robs you of the value I bring.
Because the truth is…
These lessons only work if you believe in them.
And you can’t believe in something without investing in it.
I mean…
You can consume passively.
But you won’t get much out of it.
And I’d be failing you if I encouraged that.
So, before I say another word—
Today’s Investment Won’t Cost You Money
I’m asking for something even smaller.
I’m closing in on my first 100 subscribers to Permission to Be Powerful.
I’ve been delivering hard-hitting content every single day.
And right now, I could use your help.
100 is inevitable. You can either help make it happen or watch from the sidelines.
Please consider sharing one of my articles with a friend or two.
It costs you nothing.
And it means everything.
Thank you for your support.
I look forward to helping you step into your power.
If this post woke something up in you…
If you felt that gut-level shift...
Then you already know what to do.
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✅ Exclusive deep dives into fascinating ideas
✅ First access to my most powerful insights
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Let’s build something powerful together.
Your move,
Anton
Dancer, Writer, Buddhist.
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