Review of Gorilla Mindset by Mike Cernovich

Now that I’m free of the shackles of my corporate job, I’m finally now getting around to improving my mind. This means that I’m now reading on a consistent basis. It’s not that I ever have hated reading – quite the contrary. I mean, I read at a rate of nearly 1,000 words a minute, so I can get through books pretty damn quickly. However, with the job of drudgery, trying to get a business off the ground, and you know – life – I haven’t read a book that wasn’t fiction in several years.

I’m ashamed to admit it.

It was time for a change of pace. Time to enrich myself with learning again. And training my most important tool – my mind.

The mind is our most powerful tool. It’s funny the way humans work though, because we’re all far more concerned with improving our physical appearance for vanity’s sake instead of concentrating our efforts on our most important tool – the mind.

Mike Cernovich of Danger and Play set out to change that with Gorilla Mindset.

GORILLA MINDSET – THE GOOD

Mike does a brilliant job of putting words to paper that will cause you to take action.

The amount of scientific research in Gorilla Mindset is absurd. Mike has dozens, if not hundreds, of sources cited, and includes several interviews with very well respected doctors in their various fields.

I’m not gonna lie, the first time I read Gorilla Mindset – I was a bit disengaged. But then I gave it another honest chance, thinking I just didn’t “get it” the first time around.

Then it hit me.

These concepts were things I’ve already been doing for the last TEN YEARS of my life. How do I know this? Because I had a ton of anxiety, social, and other issues. Many of the same things that Mike admits to in the opening chapters of the book.

I managed to teach myself much of what is covered in Gorilla Mindset. I had to. The alternative would have been a life of anxiety, stress, misery, depression, and hell – maybe even suicide (it crossed my mind a few times). But up until this point in my life, I wouldn’t have EVER thought of trying to explain this in writing.

And that’s what actually makes Gorilla Mindset great – because I’m extremely calm, focused, and overall level-headed – I see myself in every page of this book. I have a strong mindset, and have for quite a while now. I’m not saying this to toot my own horn – ask my family, friends, or anyone off this blog who has met me. They will attest to what I’m writing in this post.

Like I said though, I have never really made an attempt to articulate my own attitude, beliefs, and habits regarding mindset (hell, before Gorilla Mindset I would have just called it “attitude towards life”) here on This Is Trouble. I honestly don’t even know if I could.

But Mike has tackled this subject head-on.

And he’s done a fantastic job with an extremely difficult subject matter.

Mind over matter.

GORILLA MINDSET – THE BAD

So, there are definitely some typos. However, there are a lot of reviews on Amazon that claim that it makes the book nearly unreadable, and that’s simply not the truth. Perhaps Mike has cleaned it up in the electronic versions recently, but Gorilla Mindset is absolutely readable. The typos still shouldn’t be excused, but they truly don’t detract from the overall experience. And trust me, after reading all the reviews of how the typos were a complete travesty, I was really keeping my eyes out for them. The reality is this: Gorilla Mindset is guilty of many run-on, sometimes not-exactly-flowing sentences – but it’s partially due to trying to explain such a difficult and powerful tool (the mind) on something as simple as a piece of paper.

Also, in regards to the overall editorial quality of the book – there are points where it just doesn’t format nicely (I read it primarily on my iPad Air 2), but again – it doesn’t really detract from the overall experience. Amazon Kindle formatting is a fickle matter that truly does require genuine expertise.

As for some reviews that say it’s very similar to Mike’s writing at Danger and Play (which is all FREE, I should add), guess what – those reviews simply show that those people are CONSUMERS, not PRODUCERS. Changing this mindset is something Mike preaches throughout the book, and it’s funny that people go as far as to then complain that his book is similar to his online writing.

To that I say – no shit. You can’t fake writing style.

The funny thing is that they’re proving this whining proves his entire damn point. If you can seriously recite every words that Mike Cernovich has written on his blog and pinpoint it in Gorilla Mindset – guess what – you spend WAY too much time reading the life of another man and not doing enough to kick ass in your own life.

Shift your mindset.

It will pay off.

GORILLA MINDSET CONCLUSION

Honestly, if I had this book in my possession ten years ago, it would have been an absolute life changer. Rather than trying to forge my own path and making dozens of mistakes along the way, I would have had a clear and concise vision of how to change my mindset. How to become a gorilla. How to tackle life; how to be a MAN.

While I don’t regret my own path and what I took, reading Gorilla Mindset made me thankful for what I’ve been through, and made me realize I was quite fortunate to develop a healthy mindset early in life. Truthfully, Gorilla Mindset would have turned my life around even more quickly and effectively than I ever could have on my own.

Because of this, I can full heartedly recommend Gorilla Mindset for any man or woman looking to have a healthier and more fulfilling outlook on life. Anyone who wants to be the best person they can be.

Just remember, you must take action with the advice in this book. I have no doubt Mike would rather your read one chapter, burn it, and take action as opposed to reading the whole thing and doing nothing. For most, a mindset shift will be required to become true action takers versus information consumers. Many will not make it, but Gorilla Mindset gives you the tools, knowledge, and facts you need to do it right the FIRST time – and never look back.

So the only question now, is…

Are you ready to become a gorilla?