In this day and age, attention is a precious resource we all have. The problem is, we waste it on things that don't really matter. When we don't practice vigilance over what we let into our minds, we end up like mindless drones. For this reason, you need to be selective about your mental inputs.

Too many people allow just anything into their brains. They don't veto anything to ensure only helpful information comes in.

This is the fate of all male feminists you see or hear about. They believe they'll get laid by helping the women's cause, without realizing they're being manipulated.

Being manipulated by the wrong information can lead to horrible consequences. Here are two effective ways to be selective with your mental input.

1. Know what you want

I've said this before, I'll say it again. KNOW WHAT YOU WANT. There is no easier way to know what should be coming into your mind than knowing what topics you want to know about. 

So, how does one learn what they want? There are two steps you can follow.

First, examine what you don't want in as many scenarios as you can think up.

Knowing what you don't want covers more ground than knowing what you do want. Elimination works much faster at slimming down options compared to realization.

The scenarios you pick are up to you. This could include dating, school, finances, fitness, social life, the area you live in, hobbies, and so much more.

I realized how powerful this is one day when the news was on in the background. My parents were listening to it, and I realized that the news is just filled with pointless negativity.

From that point forward, I've been filtering out anything that may be news related.

The second step, get specific about what you do want.

It's not enough to know what you want. You need to get some specific details down. The more precise and clear an image you can produce, the better.

Pull out a piece of paper, write the scenario at the top of the page, and start writing down the details you want.

For example, if you chose dating as the scenario, write down all the details of what kind of girl you'd want, what kind of dates you'd take them on, and what kind of relationship you'd have.

By combining these two steps, your mind will learn very quickly what it should be watching out for and what it should ignore.

2. Embrace your own opinions

More often than not, we let the opinions of others influence us more than our own. This isn't good. When we live life in accordance with what others want, life becomes miserable and chaotic. It's for this reason that we must learn to value our opinions over the opinions of others.

This is your life to live, nobody can tell you otherwise. Despite this, so many people willingly make themselves slaves.

While work and celebrities rank high up there, the biggest culprit for this is validation. 

People these days so badly crave external validation. They want to be recognized and praised by others without causing public distress.

They fear being ostracized more than wanting to be authentic. And with so many people thinking like this, it's no wonder that we live in a world filled with sheep.

As long as you are a slave to public opinion, you'll be a slave to forces beyond your control. When you're a slave to these forces, they can plant whatever kind of seeds into your mind.

This is why people on the left wing of politics are so entrenched in their ideologies. They were indoctrinated at a young age, and those seeds grew and sprouted.

The main thing that causes this craving for validation is something referred to as the spotlight effect.

Many people think that others care super deeply about their lives. In reality, nobody gives a shit and everybody is focused on themselves.

Once you realize this, you'll be able to break free from the stranglehold of public opinion.

Can't please everybody

It's inevitable that you'll step on some toes here and there. But here's the beauty: not everybody needs to agree with you.

It's your mind, so you get to pick what comes in and what goes out. Only you get to control that, nobody else.

If people can't hate you, then people can't love you either. It's high time people realize this and stop caring so much for the input of others.

- Karl