Epiphany

One of the main reasons that 30+ minutes of aerobic exercise daily is a tenet of the Church of Bike With Joe is EPIPHANIES.

I had an epiphany today while doing my aerobic exercise on the Peloton. I'm not gonna share it, because epiphanies are unique and subjective to the person having them.

Suffice to say, the jist of it was that you cannot find happiness in the pursuit of gold. The best you can hope for is an absence of unhappiness, which is not the same as happiness.

So get your arse out there and find happiness!

Fin.

A Happy Day

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this post finds you and brings you joy, insights, and/or action steps for defeating the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs).

It's a happy day. I don't know exactly why, but it is. I cannot put my finger on any underlying or causative factor. I have to work today, and although I love my work as a marriage and family therapist, it does not necessarily cause or correlate with happiness, in the truest sense of the word. It can often be satisfying and even joyful, but those emotions are not quite happiness, per se. I guess I am happy that I am in a career that aligns with my Values.

It's also not a particularly great weather day. It's a bit rainy and gray. Temperatures are above freezing, which I guess is good, but not quite in the thermodynamic comfort zone I prefer. For the weather to make me truly happy, it needs to be above 60 degrees Fahrenheit and mostly sunny. Those conditions are likely to be met TOMORROW, and so perhaps I am feeling anticipatory happiness? It's anyone's guess, but that's about as good of a guess as any other.

It's remotely possible that today will see the defeat and/or demise of one or more DFUs. I have no evidence for that, but if true...it would absolutely be a happy day. There is a retroactive happiness for future events that can sometimes be felt in the present (and past) due to quantum entanglement and tachyon particles. I'm not sure what the mathematical equation for that is, but as with most Laws of Nature, it is probably an exponential function of some kind, meaning the happiness generated increases exponentially the closer in time one is to the happiness-inducing singularity. If that's the case, then said singularity is probably going to happen soon, because the happiness vibes are quite intense.

Or maybe I'm just hypomanic today.

In any case, I hope your day is filled with happiness too (which would be another indicator of a universally experienced pending demise of DFUs).

Fin.

No Ordinary Tuesday

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, or action steps for defeating the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). As it turns out, reading this blog has been clinically proven to improve your physical, mental, and spiritual wellness.

It feels like a good day to me. Does it feel like a good day to you? I don't know why, but I feel like something very positive for the Cosmos will happen today. We'll see, I guess.

I'll be manifesting my usual amount of Dark Magic today. After seeing a couple of marriage and family therapy clients this morning, I will pound out a DM-generating Peloton workout directed at the demise of the high priority DFUs. As usual, I'll be generating a baseline level of DFU-defeating DM by adhering to a whole food, plant based way of eating AND abstaining from toxic social and mainstream media (SMSM).

That's a good segue into reminding you that consumption of SMSM is incredibly toxic to your mind, body, and soul. The lethal dose is about 10 minutes of exposure per day. If you simply have to consume SMSM, please limit your use to less than that! Remember that the easiest way to keep DFUs out of your life is to abstain from SMSM entirely, since that is the only access point into your life for nearly 99% of all DFUs.

Fin.

Great News

Hi Dear Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you joy, insight, and/or action steps for bringing about the demise of the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs). If not, then I hope you at least have a very good day.

I have some great news to share. I have received indications from the Cosmos that the DFUs are going to suffer a significant setback soon, probably within a week, and definitely within a fortnight. I just wanted you to know and perhaps this great news will float your proverbial boat today.

Take care!

Fin.

Weekender

Hi Dear Readers!

It's the weekend, and I hope this blog post finds you and brings you some joy, insight, or freedom.

I was thinking it might be fun to propose a weekly challenge each week and then challenge people to complete it. I don't have any challenge ideas right now at this moment, but it's only Saturday. So, I'll think on it and propose an idea tomorrow. Hopefully...

But if you have ideas, share in the COMMENTS.

Fin.

Bar Brawl

Hi Readers!

I hope this post finds you and brings you some JOY.

The last time I was in the Comments section of a social or mainstream media (SMSM) site, it reminded me of a brutal bench-clearing bar brawl. Everyone was just hurling verbal punches around. Nothing was accomplished. No growth was observed. And that's basically how SMSM is...one big useless brawl that just leaves everyone feeling exhausted and bruised. Boycott SMSM and save your mental, physical, and spiritual health.

In other news, today is my birthday. I am turning 19 years old...for the third time in my life.

Take care and stick it to The Man whenever possible!

Fin.

Positivity

Hi Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you some joy and positivity.

Have you noticed how much negativity is in the world right now? If so, it's probably because you are consuming social and mainstream media (SMSM), where (possibly quite fortuitously) most of the negativity in the world currently resides. Because, I'll be perfectly honest with you, the world is actually not as negative as the SMSM Algo (collectively) would have you believe. In many ways, the world is actually quite a positive place, if you know where to look [SOURCE] (or not look, as the case may be).

That's not to say there are not Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs) actively working on both increasing negativity in the world and convincing you that there is more negativity in the world than there actually is. The DFUs need you to believe that the world is dangerous, that this danger is perpetrated by "the other," and that only the SMSM Overlords (Corporate Media and its underwriting Corporate Advertisers) can save you from these dangerous and nefarious perps (whoever they are!). That's all entirely BS. But the more you consume SMSM, the more this BS pervades your mind and erodes your happiness and critical thinking abilities (also sometimes called Rabbit Holing, in the vernacular). 

I'm not sure why the DFUs collectively thought depositing most of the world's negativity in SMSM was a good idea. However, my guess is that once they realized how potently addictive SMSM was, it made sense to harness this addiction to draw as many victims as possible into SMSM (you may be old enough to remember how tobacco companies did the same thing in the 1950s and 1960s, using addiction to compel millions of people to buy their products and - in so doing - sign their own death warrants. SMSM is the death warrant of the 21st century, although this latter death is a much more insidious mental and spiritual decay that robs your soul of happiness, joy, and positivity - like the Dementors in Harry Potter films.

All is not lost, however. The Achilles Heel of the DFUs is that they have, in fact, put all (or most) of their diabolical eggs into one proverbial basket (or two baskets, if you arbitrarily separate social media from mainstream media...but no one actually does that anymore...they have "blended" into basically one and the same thing), and that basket(s) is SMSM. The reason I said above that this is possibly quite fortuitous is that this gives us an OUT from the negativity and soul-death purveyed by the DFUs. You have probably heard the term "safe space," often associated with the controversial term "woke." Because most of the world's negativity (by some estimates, 80%+ of it) is now housed within the SMSM domain, most of the physical and emotional space OUTSIDE of SMSM is effectively "safe" from negativity (the residual 20% of negativity not captured by SMSM comprises real world things like road rage, property taxes, douchebag bosses, divorce/breakups, narcissists, losing a loved one, chronic illnesses, TSA at the airport, and that kind of thing...which happen actually pretty rarely and infrequently in the real world outside of SMSM...and these real negatives are sometimes quite avoidable). 

The DFUs do not want you to dwell in this safe space outside of SMSM too much, because if you do, you will be immune to their persuasion (to fear/hate "the other" and buy products that the DFUs tell you will assuage your anxiety) and begin to obtain quite a lot of happiness and positivity. If you need any objective proof of this thesis, consider how "anti-woke" the DFUs are. They are constantly deriding "wokeness" as weakness and a threat to your life and to the world and to your kids and blah blah blah. In fact, wokeness is actually the safest cognitive and emotional space for most people, which is why the DFUs hate it so much. Not only that, but most of the rest of the world outside of SMSM is WOKE! 

The DFUs do have a plan in 2025 to begin a scorched earth invasion and cleansing of the woke domain outside of SMSM, in an effort to herd as many people as possible into what they describe as the "safe" space of SMSM, but that is their great deception. This attack on wokeness begins in earnest on 1/20/25, which is why I have urged and encouraged my readers to get woke and purge SMSM from their lives prior to that date, ideally at least three weeks prior to that date, which is the amount of time that Science has determined it takes to fully detoxify and detach from SMSM (it can be as little as two weeks for those who already follow the other two Tenets of the Church of Bike With Joe - daily aerobic exercise and a vegan diet).

You might be asking, "Why should I leave the SMSM domain and embrace the Woke domain, if the Woke domain will be the target of the DFUs unbridled and unyielding assault in 2025?" It's an excellent question. The only answer I have is that the Woke domain is on the right side of positivity, happiness, success, and other touchy feely things like that (aka, Salvation). Additionally, the Woke domain needs an Army of Resistance to the DFUs. And while owning that resistance is totally NOT mandatory or even your responsibility, forfeiting your eternal happiness and positivity in favor of negativity, fear, and hate is not an acceptable alternative for many. However, it is always your CHOICE. If you choose SMSM over the Woke domain, then you are choosing fear/hate/negativity/vitriol/turmoil over happiness/joy/love/positivity/peace. If SMSM has already decayed your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being, then all of the above will sound like conspiratorial nonsense to you. If so, I am very sorry, and also this blog post is not for you. My emotional labor is intended for those seeking positivity, happiness, joy, and those sorts of things. Not you? Totally fine.

Anyway, my time is up. I need to go make and eat some breakfast. Then I will see some marriage and family therapy clients today, followed by some exercise.

Fin.

New Year Miracle

Hi Readers!

I hope this blog post finds you and brings you some joy and positivity.

For those of you that took me up on my social and mainstream media (SMSM) fasting challenge, how is it going? Leave a Comment below this post and let us know. I'm not going to lie, SMSM is insidious in its creepiness. By that I mean that despite my diligent adherence to the challenge (or perhaps because of it?), I am really noticing all the ubiquitous ways in which the SMSM Algo (collectively) finds avenues to creep into my daily life. It's literally creepy. Are you finding this also? It's something you don't really notice when you are deep into the SMSM addiction. It's only when you try to detoxify from the negativity and grievance of SMSM that you become aware of its ubiquity.

The Algo and it's many-tentacled search engine optimizers are, I'm sure, actively disenfranchising my blog and its posts about disenfranchising SMSM. SMSM (collectively) thrives on people's blind addiction to it, and anything that exposes the way it "brain hacks" is anathema to its mandate. In all honesty, the main thing this blog has going for it is that the Algo probably dismisses this blog as trivially unimportant and benign. In many ways, that's a good thing. It allows this blog to fly under the proverbial radar, so to speak. I'm not looking for a mass audience for my proposed rebellion and boycott against SMSM. Rather, I am looking for a relevant and interested target audience, which is likely a very small audience - probably just a handful of people. I honestly have no way of knowing how many people this blog has found, much less saved from the destructive clutches of SMSM. Maybe more than I think. But also maybe none.

I am sure many people have dismissed my warnings about the destructiveness of SMSM to mind, body, and soul (mental, physical and spiritual well-being) as hyperbolic. I pity those people. But I cannot devote too much mental energy too them, as there is no return on investment (ROI) of my emotional labor there. It's a "lead a horse to water" kind of fool's errand, if you'll forgive the mixing of metaphors. The naysayers are - proverbially and literally - "lost souls." My focus is on those who are willing to entertain my hypotheses and put them to the test - by actively abstaining from SMSM for at least three weeks and seeing for themselves what a positive benefit SMSM disenfranchisement has on their well-being in all domains of life.

It's the New Year, and time is running short for folks to get on board with the social and mainstream media (SMSM) fasting challenge. While I am hoping for a New Year Miracle (and both Cosmic and Karmic Forces are hard at work on this), the Diabolical Forces in the Universe (DFUs) are also literally Hell bent on complete and total domination and destruction of the Collective Soul of Humanity. Some of this terminology I am using may sound religious, but that is largely for theatrical effect. My position on this matter is most definitely secular and informed by evidence-based Science. The DFUs hate Science, and that's one of the reasons that you see so much anti-Science and anti-intellectual rhetoric and messaging in the SMSM domains. Facts and critical thinking abilities are heavily discouraged by the SMSM Algo (collectively). It's by design that spending one's time connected to SMSM corrodes the ability to reason and think critically. Go to any Comments section of a SMSM site and you'll see that its filled with reactionary EMOTIONAL content, not reasoned RATIONAL content. That's why most conversations on SMSM quickly descend into anger and vitriol and character attacks, while never really addressing the facts of the case.

Anyway, I have to go get ready for work. I am seeing a handful of marriage and family therapy clients today. And before I go do that, I need to feed the dogs and let them out. My healthy substitute activity instead of SMSM today is reading. I'm almost done with The Handmaid's Tale novel - which has become almost non-fiction in these troubled times we are in.

I hope you find happiness and positivity today.

Fin!

No One Knows

Hi Readers.

Happy Monday! I hope this blog post finds you and brings you some joy and/or positivity.

I don't really have much to write this morning, other than to say I conquered the weekend leading up to today. I followed the Tenets. I did a bunch of meal prep for the week, including making roasted red potatoes, falafel patties, curry sauce (the curry will get made today, if all goes to plan), and I think a couple other things. I more or less adhered to my calorie quota, even though the scale was all over the place ("trust in the process" - not the scale!). I had band practice with Stefan (GUPPY EFFECT Duo).

Maybe I'll write more later. Have a great day.

Fin.

Good Things Are Happening

Hi Readers.

Happy Sunday! In today's news, good things are happening. You may have noticed by now that this blog is all about the positive vibes and how to maximize them in your life for peace, happiness, and mental/physical/spiritual well-being. You also may have noticed that the external world at large is getting way more toxic, divisive, vitriolic, negative, and frankly exhausting with each passing day. This blog - and the Church of Bike With Joe - is intended to counteract that doom-y and gloomy narrative. Many people tell me they feel hopeless about the direction of the external world at large and powerless to do anything about it. I'm here to tell you that you have a lot more agency, autonomy, and control over your positivity and happiness than you think. But, that being said, it requires taking action (wishful DOING vs wishful THINKING).

Most people don't have the time or resources to take any big and impactful action on the negativity that plagues the external world. And that can make people feel hopeless, helpless, and want to passively give up. But just because you cannot control the external (outside) world does not mean you cannot control your inner world, and bring peace, happiness, and positivity to that. I have spent the past 56 (almost 57) years exploring this problem and searching for a potent evidence-based solution to it. Despite a lot of trial and error, I finally did. And, as it turns out, the solution is much simpler than anyone (even me!) anticipated. In short, the solution is three-fold:

1. Exercise aerobically for at least 30 minutes every day (ideally) or on more days of the week than not (if there are obstacles to daily aerobic exercise).

2. Follow a whole food (80%), plant-based (100%) diet.

3. Disenfranchise toxicity (including toxic people) from your life.

The nice thing about these three actionable things is that anyone can do them. Aerobic exercise is any activity that increases your heart rate, and that will be different for different people, but anyone can increase their heart rate, regardless of fitness or skill level. Eating a plant-based diet is easier than it has ever been in recorded human history (that's only a little bit hyperbolic...). Even if one cannot access whole foods, because of socioeconomic barriers, 80% of the American diet is already plant-based. All you have to do is cut the 20% of food that isn't plant-based and eat more of what is. Humans can get all the nutrients they need from a plant-based diet and many peer-reviewed scientific studies show that it's a healthier way of eating [SOURCE]. Lastly, disenfranchising toxicity involves setting boundaries and taking action to safeguard your inner world from it. The biggest and most destructive source of toxicity in today's external world is social and mainstream media (SMSM). So, you can actually cut 80% of the toxicity out of your life RIGHT NOW by quitting all SMSM [SOURCE]. The remaining 20% of toxicity in the world usually comes from harmful substances and people in your immediate environment. It's easier to eliminate harmful substances (drugs, alcohol, nicotine, toxic chemicals, guns, etc.) from your life than it is to eliminate harmful people, especially if you live with a narcissist or sociopath. You may have to settle for a little bit of toxicity leaking into your inner world if you cannot disenfranchise all these people from your life. But don't focus on the obstacles! Focus on what you can control (removing 80% of SMSM and toxic substances from your life immediately). You'll find that once you start taking care of yourself and your inner world, the toxic people will tend to wander off and leave you alone on their own. Trust me on this...I have tested it! Toxic people thrive on your passivity and acquiescence and lack of boundaries. Once you actively take control of your inner world, these people lose interest and seek out easier targets. That being said, if anyone needs some additional support on this, contact me. I'm a licensed family therapist with some pretty amazing coaching skills in this department.

Many people reading the above are going to say (for a variety of reasons), "NO WAY!" and continue on with their status quo, allowing negativity and toxicity to continue to plague their inner world. That's OK! This is not about OTHER people; it's about YOU. Do you want to take control and agency for your life? Then I encourage you to think about trying this out.

The nice thing about this three-fold solution to the problems of negativity and toxicity in the world is that it's TESTABLE. Here at Bike With Joe HQ, we are all about the SCIENCE and making decisions based on evidence. You can test this solution yourself: Follow the three Tenets above for 30 days. Assess how your inner world has improved at the end of the 30 days. Boom. That's it. If you're not convinced after testing them that these three Tenets hold the key to bringing peace, happiness, and positivity to your inner world, totally fine...go back to your status quo. However, I guarantee you will be a convert once you test it out.

Have a great day!

Fin.