Come hang on my Discord channel - discord.gg/mentalclarity - there are loads of interesting conversations happening on there on mental clarity, language learning & living more intentionally.

An absolutely beautiful video man. It's only this year where I feel much less driven by goals and much more by relationships.

I want to be honest with you because this video touched me deeply and made me reflect even more on what I kind-of already knew. I'm a productivity machine. I work full-time in a creative job, part-time i'm getting my Bachelor's, I wake up at 630 and meditate, workout, and read before starting work at 9. I have a youtube channel, i have online classes, i'm learning the guitar, i'm writing articles that are being published. Yet... I don't feel happy. I always feel like I need to do more. My boyfriend has a full time job and does a bit of consultancy on the side during the week, and on the weekends he sleeps until 10-11 am, spends time with me, and games with his friends. And he's so damn happy. I get upset about this and really triggered, and have for months, because I realise seeing how happy he is by doing so much less than me makes me realise how much of my worth is attached to productivity. He legit will game for like a whole day and it always upset me, but I've recently realised it upsets me because he's doing something that brings him so much joy while interacting with friends. I don't have that... everything that I do feels like a means to an end, to get better, to improve myself, to achieve more. I legit don't have a hobby that I do just for the fun of it (even the books I read are for 'personal development') This video really hit home. THANK YOU Nathaniel. Much love to you

This is literally the mindset I’m trying to achieve right now- life is not about “productivity” it’s about living and being in the moment.

I feel so disconnected with everyone, even though I’m seeing people everyday ( I’m a barista). I crave connection, true friendship, and to be understood. There’s definitely a giant hole in my life that no amount of self-help will fix. Focusing on bettering myself has definitely helped, but having meaningful relationships would mean so much more.

Self help content is basically a two edged sword. If you are really at low point in your life, self help book can definitely help and motivate you, but if you constantly read those kinds of books, it is literally a never ending cycle.

"You cannot find external solutions to internal problems." As someone working in the mental health field, I really appreciate you saying this. We are trained NOT to tell people how to solve their problems and live their lives. We help people as they figure that out for themselves. Life coaches, gurus, self help books always tried to prescribe a solution, but the real answer is one that you discover for yourself.

This is a masterpiece. The productivity culture makes us care so much about result, that we forget to enjoy the process. We forget that in the end experiences marks your life way more than money or completed to-do lists

It’s extremely interesting to observe how “self-improve” channels start to criticize and rethink everything that they have produced!

"i think success, is going through life with an open heart..." -Nathaniel Drew 2021 best quote of the year

The pursuit of self improvement is a constant affirmation that you're not good enough. It took me most of my life to realise that my obsession with self improvement books, videos and "gurus" was the reason I had been lacking confidence and self esteem.

I don't think you will ever read this but I just wanted to share that this video made me cry. I''m in a stage in life where I feel so lost and have no goals and feel so lonely. Just wanted to say thank you because its making me thing on how i am perceiving productivity and trying to live life and not just exist.

In my opinion the best first step of any self help journey is accepting yourself, flaws and everything. You might want to improve your life, but you're not broken and you don't need fixing.

"I absolutely want to get more out of life, but not in an optimized, calculated, ones and zeros sort of way. There is nothing productive about my entire existence because in a billion different scenarios, I always end up as a pile of dust"

I recently came across the idea that chasing productivity and always looking for the next achievement to check off your to do list is like playing the notes of a song without feeling the music. You can hit all the right notes but without putting in feeling, the music will still sound empty, like something is missing. The same happens with life.

"Don't let a mad world tell you that success is anything other than a successful present moment" - Eckhart Tolle

Self-help is not about fixing, it’s about unlocking. It’s the key to a door that’s closed for most of us. It honestly changed my life.

Nathaniel, in a world of fluffy feel good videos that try to offer temporary motivation or pretend they have the keys to life, your videos are always refreshingly transparent and authentic. Thanks for doing what you do.

is it just me or this year i don't feel like being productive, i just feel like doing nothing, just chill? even though my brain is still programmed to be productive and find my way back to being productive, deep down i just don't want that anymore.

“If you’re coming from self improvement to a place of wanting to fix yourself. It’s ultimately going to leave you feeling more empty, unsatisfied, and unhappy. You cannot find solutions to internal conflict that’s happening from within you. “

The logic of constant improvement and productivity is entrepreneurial and if it is applied in personal life you become alienated.

one of the reasons for loving your content is because you are a scientist in the field of Emotional work...you really opened me up to the ideas of experimenting my life away rather than just focusing on results...you opened my eyes to really understand the importance of experiences Thank you Nathaniel for not being so rigid...love this piece to pieces

This was great Nathaniel 🙏🙏🙏 can’t wait to share more of our trip

I recently learned a phrase that came to mind a lot throughout Nathaniel’s video, “the subtle aggression of self-help.” The self-help industry is predicated on people feeling like there is something “wrong” with us, that we are not enough just as we are. It’s so hard not to fall into this trap, so I love the message here of coming to accept what is essentially beyond our control.

"lead a rich life through experiences and relationships and not money and possessions" That hit me deep.

" I want to live a rich life in term of meaningful experiences and relationships." This is what I actually need.

The bald haircut is dope

What I find to distinguish you and other youtubers that have similar content is that you use yourself as a reference point and update yourself in front of us, viewers and I value this.

Nate’s eyes are even prettier with his new haircut

I think this was one of your best pieces, dude. That’s a beautiful statement, and it hit me really hard in the face in a moment where I felt I was losing sight of what the hell we are doing here, in this world. My true thanks, man. And the haircut is looking so slick hahah

Why is Jason Statham on Nathaniel's channel and talks about self help ?

"one of the best ways to help yourself is to help someone else" - Uncle Iroh

I have been thinking deep into my burnt out. The big pressure in life is expectation. Expectation from your bosses, your family and even to myself. Happy life can be only achieve if I can eliminate all these expectations. Going this self improvement is not eliminate expectation but you added another expectations. That why it is call expectation to improve.

I came to realize that some of the most enjoyable moments in life are those that aren't planned. Someone randomly showing up at your door, an unexpected act of kindness from a stranger, seeing a unique bird while going for a sudden walk, etc. Btw, love the haircut :-)

This was exactly what I needed to hear...this past year I've been finding joy in the small moments, to not use work as an escape, to not numb myself from some of the dark emotions I've felt. Our time here is s limited..we must actively create a life we value.

exactly what i want to focuse on in life, surrounding myself with good people, doing things and living in places that bring me joy, having an open heart and mind thank you so much for this

I think people needed to really hear this at this time. “Trust but verify” and always ask questions. We are our greatest teachers. Naturally. No need to rush or put pressure on the process. Remarkable video. Thank you!

I honestly feel like productivity is a phase in my life that I just want to be efficient and do things with a clear mind and understanding of what I am doing. It's not much more to me. If you ask me, I'd spend my free time in nature, traveling or take time indoors. Productivity to me is an understanding of what I should do whenever I need to do it rather than doing things for the sake of doing more things because that cycle will never end and you'll get burnt out. Now that i experienced being productive, I actively know what I can do when I need to do it.

This message resonated with me so much - recently my new mantra has been, "My value as a person is immutable. It does not depend on my accomplishments." It's time for me to stop trying to "fix" myself. Thanks for the video!

This is the second video I’ve watched on the deception of self help. I just left the new age spiritual movement, where the “gurus” always “know what’s best”. When I began new age, I was in an extremely vulnerable and dark place. The mindsets caused me to develop OCD, severe depression and anxiety and even some psychotic tendencies. I just got rid of all my new age and self help books. Divine timing at its finest! Thank you for your work!

It's simple: dont waste your life doing things you force yourself to do. Most things you do should be things you enjoy and embrace and shouldn't be a chore

*"Work for a cause, not for an applause. Live life to express, not to impress."* Love from a small KZfaqr 💙

It is crazy how you always come up with videos that express how my mind is working through things at the exact same time. Back in the day when I used to devour your videos about productivity, I was so hung up on that. But now, I'm in a phase of my life when I'm prioritizing other things like relationships and I'm asking myself what really matters and there you are, posting a video about the exact same thing. It feels like you and I are going through the same thought pattern at the same time. Mindblown 🤯 What is this sorcery? xD

I instantly felt judgy about the title when I first saw this video come up. It wasn't until I saw it for the 3rd time that I gave in and finally clicked on it to see what you had to say. SO insight and so true.. I never felt fully satisfied just by crossing off meditation, journaling, exercise, or anything work-related on my to-do list even after months of creating this as a morning routine - knowing I was neglecting something internally. Loved how you beautifully explained what the back of my head was trying to tell me... Right now I'm focused on my experiences and relationships with those most important to me

I never really saw you as a productivity guru. Your tagline "In search of mental clarity" is what drew me to this channel, because it resonated with my personal ideology. The importance you give to your relationships and how you value the little things in life truly come through in your videos. Great video as always!

Honestly, lately I’ve been so emotionally tired, tired of putting myself down cause “I dont do enough for my future”, my parents are kind of shocked of how I treat myself. But I am only 21 and I would like to allow myself to be more carefree, happier and even dumber, for many years I tried to be responsible and adult, but it made me exhausted in my early twenties. I want to be happy right now. I want to take the steps slowly and calmly I’m not my work, it’s just part of who I am, and I am wonderful and complete.

I think you’re growing up so well. The way you show us your purposes is really genuine and inspiring, please consider talking more about how to chase goals without getting stucked in productivity, that would be so handy for any of us! Sending huge support 🤌🍾🖤😎

‘you cannot find external solutions to internal problems’ - this really resonated with me. Such a beautifully crafted video. It really opened my eyes to the importance of experiences and not simply the result itself. If you’re reading this I hope you have an amazing day

This has basically been the biggest lesson I’ve learnt in the past year- I used to take so much pride in being a self-improvement junkie but the message it kept sending myself was that I was never enough. Now I balance self-improvement with self-love/acceptance and focus much more on the present than thinking about the future me/dream me 🙏🏽

There's a south korean guy, Byung-Chul Han, that talks about it. For him, every era has its own epidemic, and now it's the psichological disease era. He says that the excess of positivity and the idea that everything is reachable is the cause of it, we can see that in slogans like "Yes, we can!" or "Just do it!". The effect of that is a endless search for work more, do more, make more, and the consequences are people always being tired. Excuse my english, haven't practice in a while

I love how honest you are in your videos and share true reflections about life and your thoughts in general. It’s SO refreshing in this day and age. Love your channel.

sounds like you spend a long time "fixing" yourself when you were never broken. amazing to hear your journey. I like to figure myself out before I try to fix anything about myself. still went down a similar rabbit hole tho. but different experiences and realisations.

Your new definition is the reason why I watch your videos, they inspire me to LIVE. And be alive emotionally and physically while I do it, but it also inspires me to be everything I want to be.

The person who has lived the most is not the one with the most years but the one with the richest experiences. - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

At 9:18, when you said "Success to me is going through life with an open heart", I thought how easy it was for you to come up with the definition of such a broad word with simplicity and for a moment I was so sad that I couldn't entirely put my definition into words. But I tried to just blabber and wing it with random words and I legit cried and got goosebumps.

Thank you for putting this so eloquently. The message really sunk in. Essentially, I feel like there's always more that we can do or be, but when are we going to truly live?

You know who enjoy life and do things without the pressure of meeting a goal but for the pure joy of just doing it or by curiosity? Kids. Kids are the real life coach we should observe.

I can relate to this so much! For the first time ever I felt like the thought of being productive, and making sure I always create something, is breaking me. I wasn't in the right headspace to be creative and that is fine sometimes to accept. At that point, I decided to stop pushing myself and doing nothing but whatever I find interesting even if it means not being "productive".

This is such an important video! Thank you for talking about this side of self-improvement. Been there, done that, and burned out, because my life was nothing else but goals. Goals without further meaning.... Enjoy life! The most important take out of this video is for sure: 'When is it enough?'

Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this topic. I am someone who has obsessed with self help and wanting to fix myself that I feel like a self help burn out which is feeling burnt out by the mass information that I seek as well as social media. I have decided to step away from self help and astrology and just explore life and be curious.

Great video! For me personally self improvement has made life feel like a game because you’re always thinking about how you could spend your days differently, but it can make you think too much to the point you forget to live in the moment and focus on all the negatives, and forget the positives in your life. I think the aim is to just live sometimes and aim to be authentic too, because self improvement can sometimes feel artificial and fake if you try too hard.

"A curiosity about life, a desire to learn new things, but also a fear that I'm not amounting to enough." Man, you summarized my life crisis rn

i love how you edit your videos! the music, the camera angles, your voiceovers... i literally found out about you a couple hours ago and i've been binge watching your videos since. besides love the content!! it is very high quality and i don't say this to make you happy out of nowhere or anything. i really do think it is amazing! keep going man you're doing a marvelous job! to be honest i haven't watched videos that i enjoyed this time for a very long time. i can happily say that you gained a long-term subscriber!

Honestly, and I say honestly, this is your best video I've seen so far, not to make a classific, but from my perspective, it was the biggest reflection video I've seen so far from KZfaq, at least that I remember. Thanks.

I think we are all continually evolving and changing. Looking for ideas and inspirations as we grow older is a way to avoid being set in a way, it allows for open-mindedness. As a natural process, this helps, but if we get obsessed or overwhelmed, it becomes unhealthy. Thanks for bringing up the topic in this beautiful video. ✨

*"Everything in life is easier when you don't concern yourself with what other people are doing."* The chances of you seeing this comment is pretty low, but if you did, *I hope you have an amazing day.* 🖤

This is just what I needed right when I needed it. I've been spiraling, trying to gain total control. This has caused me to close off to everything that I can't control.

Thanks Nathaniel! I have un subscribed from a lot of youtubers because of that never ending life improvement "tips" rabbit hole. Productivity is an idealised addiction. Addiction will never fulfill the emptiness of the heart, it's only a short relief from looking in ourselves. I'm still subscribed to your channel Great journey

I just started re-reading Herman Hesses' Siddharta, and I feel he was talking about this in a broader sense about 100 years ago. It's this constant search for more (productivity, spirituality, enlightenment, money, knowledge, stuff) that's keeping us from living life. Thanks for this message and point of view, definitely worth sharing with the world.

"What's hidden underneath is your intrinsic value as a little piece of the universe." is the most accurate and wholesome thing I heard about life in years. Thanks!

Yes!! Being so focused on my happiness was actually detrimental to my mental health because I believed I needed to work hard to always be happy when that IS NOT realistic. Humans experience a myriad of emotions, happiness can come and go. Having high standards of myself for being "well" quickly turned into not being content whenever I was not overly happy.

So glad Thomas cut his hair lol also your reaction to the mountain goats was adorable

Through all of this all I kept thinking is "wow you're so brave" and then I cried a little but that's a whole other thing (rough week).

Honestly, you look great like this! But I wanna comment on the VALUE I get from all of your vídeos. It's just beautiful to see how you "squeeze the juice out of life" so humanly. It's never a waste of time to watch your vídeos or read your newsletters. It's always a lesson. It's therapy! Muito, muito obrigado! Lots of love from Brazil!

Everything in this video is so coherent and cohesively put together, but my god, the footage is absolutely stunning, wow

Hi, Nathaniel! I'm watching your videos and following your journey in life for quite some time now, but I've never felt like stopping and commenting to any of your videos. The reason why I'm doing that today is because this video really got me thinking. I feel sometimes that I'm almost eaten up by this "productivity worm" which is such a tricker: at times it makes you feel like you've achieved so much, and other times, it takes you down and let's you feel horrible about yourself. I love, love, love the light you brought about on this subject and I am so looking forward to your new discoveries. Alongside you, I'm on my own journey of self discovery, trying to understand myself and to live my life to the fullest, trying to be the best version of myself, without beating myself down. The warning you gave, that "more productivity doesn't mean more happiness" is so true, and I realised I've fallen into that trap. Thank you for everything that you're doing! And keep going, you're not alone! Wish all the best! Ana from Romania

As I sit here and watch this I am genuinely tearing up. As of yesterday I am going through another moment of intense anxiety (panic attacks etc.), and this was a beautiful reminder of how wonderful life is. Perfect video watched at the perfect moment of time. Thanks Nathaniel!

That jacket you're wearing during the sponsored section is really cool! Any chance you could share where you got it?

Amazing video. I can relate so much with this. It's funny too just objectively people who work on themselves think they're not enough but they're literally ahead of most people so it doesn't make sense

"I'm here to share the joy of life. An adventure as a human." So very blessed that you're here sharing all that, Drew. I recently had what for me a big setback in life. Feel like I lost everything I had. Recovering from that, ever so slowly, I discovered the beauty of life, of humanity. Of how their imperfection is so... so fascinating. I grow to love both, despite all the ugly side they have. And seeing how much you can appreciate about all that, just make my love for both grow even more. Thank you for sharing this. May you be free always, and be happy always, in life, as a human. Peace.

" There is nothing productive about my entire existence, because in a billion different scenarios of how my life pans out, i always end up as a pile of dust ! " I never knew i needed to hear that !

Self improvement is so backwards with many people. So much of it has become about adding rituals, routines and exercises that eat up your time daily. But it should be about decluttering your head and removing things that don't serve you so you can make the best of your time.

9:30, that hug- I want in!! Thanks for another great video and I love your updated definition of succes!

I have been off all social media forever but to know I might find people who are deep enough into self reflection and introspection, I have to do it. Your sit down mini podcast with your mom brought me to tears auto playing on the tv today. Thank you for being your authentic self and what you said about having your heart open is exactly what I’ve always felt but couldn’t make it that concise and beautiful. I’ve had so many ego deaths and the rock bottoms you can’t crawl out of because of what your mom described. It was so beautiful/painful to hear the same experience I’ve had. And I’ve cut too much out of my life with self improvement as the reason. It’s good to have a blank slate I love having nothing but being thrown into absolute hell after having survived each part of my life that I assumed was the valley. Idk how to explain without being like “the vids coming up in this order omg u saved my life”, since you never think you’ll be the one left needing saving and all that work is nowhere to be seen. Your moms view on needing duress and as I’ve let myself test my stoicism HARD, i worry constantly I’m not making the correct moves but everything I did because others wanted me to be that led me into this darkest place: but I’ve been so mf proud of myself for just hanging on, yeah I lose myself back in an emotionally terrorizing environment but I know all that I’ve accomplished and i didn’t let it stop me from believing in them with open arms and an open heart. That type of accomplishment is something I never imagined anyone on earth would be stating as their life’s purpose. This has brought me so much solace. Thank you for keeping your 💜 open and for a magical auto play that is going to be my little companion while I break free since I know the painful truth now and when im 50 I won’t regret giving my entire childhood but like I then escaped to dry land and needed to be experiencing the stagnant trauma that I knew my life was created to undo, so beautiful. BRB gonna cry then join the discord and become a social person again hopefully bc I’m ready to give up my disdain for the internet when sometimes your tribe might be through the wire 😌

Finally someone talks about this madness. Lifecoaches and gurus grow like mushrooms nowadays... Thank you for your insight on this matter Nathaniel

I cannot express how important listening to this was to my productivity obsessed brain

So needed this..... I am trapped in the productivity wheel. It is true I just want to go on with my day without tracking how closer this could get me to the goal. At times when I am trying to relax, I just feel like I should be doing something, and then I feel guilty because I am not. Always trying to be better at judging every action but not enjoying life. But is good to find ppl that feel like me, Thanks for the video.

“...trying to fill a hole that is eating away at us from the inside out.” I felt that

The ‘Self-Help’ is like those late night infomercials, in the ‘morning’ you realized you have spent your precious resources on something you didn’t need. In our desire to make a new and improved version of ourselves, we have ignored, even laughed in the face of how amazing our everyday lives and experiences really are, not seeing what is right in front of us, not allowing these experiences to mold us naturally, like how water constantly flowing over the rock changes its shape, the rock is just there. Like everything, enjoy in moderation, or you will miss the best parts of your life, all the while you are busy searching for it. Like talks with mom.

A veces lo único que necesito es ver uno de tus videos para recordar lo que verdaderamente importa en la vida ❤️✨🙌🏼

Awww, OMG, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS THISS AND I LOVE YOU SOO MUCH BROTHER !! THIS IS SOO GORGEOUS AND CAPTIVATING !! Thank you soo much for this beautiful reminder !! I LOVE YOUR CONTENT SOO MUCH !! I’M EXTREMELY GRATEFUL YO HAVE YOU IN MY LIFE !! You’ve helped me soo much in my self development and and growth journey !! Your videos make me reflect, observe, introspect and learn soo many beautiful things about myself and life !! SENDING YOU LOADS OF LOVEEE, BLESSINGS, POSITIVE ENERGY AND BIGG HUGSS !! MAY GOD BLESS YOU SOO ABUNDANTLY !! YOU’RE SUCH A BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING ABD LOVELY SOUL MAN !! ❤️❤️❤️❤️🥺✨

Just discover the channel recently with this video. It's very calm the way the video is put together, which is really rare to see nowadays. The thing I've never understand in self improvement space is the way most people in this community diabolized certain way to live life. For example, i'm someone that loves video games since i was very young, i know that too much video game is bad, i totally understand it, but even if i play a reasonable amount of time per day, why would it make me label as a "bad person" ? The more i chase productivity, the less i do un ironically.

"Is your intrinsic value as a little piece of the universe" ...it went right to my heart. Poetry

As a psychology student I have to thank you for this video, self improvement can for sure help you to get better, but it's not the way to go if you focus on only productivity or healing yourself... Yes think about that is literally an Industry.

First of all, I just watched this at work with subtitles but I feel like this family was Albanian, I could tell by the way they are treating you, what they are wearing, the goats and the nature. I’ll have to confirm this later haha.. But most importantly, I feel you!!! I know what you mean… You know, a few years ago I had so many dreams and I felt like I’m gonna do something really big someday. When I went to study in Spain for the second time, I was all alone and the love for my boyfriend made me understand this: There’s no other success that I’d like to achieve rather than love. I came to understand that LOVE is the the only success I should fight for, love for myself and for the people that surround me. I understood that I didn’t want to have the fame and be running all day doing things that will not let me have time to spend with people. I don’t remember really well what helped me to come to this conclusion but here I am… wanting to do things that I know won’t take my whole time from my family. As an empath I create really strong connections with people and It’s always been one of my main points in life. Now I know that even if I achieve everything I dreamt for I won’t take anything with me when I die besides memories and a full heart. I’ve realized that this means living to the fullest, to have truly lived a good and beautiful life. Since I haven’t had a very good childhood, now my main goal is to have a happy family and maybe just write a book… after I know I have truly lived, no matter the years. There are so many unhappy people out there for different reasons... but I don't want to be one of them. I hope this video helps everyone reflect on the life they're living! Much love!

I truly appreciate this alternative look at productivity, Nathaniel! I have tried and failed at many productivity methods over the years (most recently the concept of calendar blocking), which in the end made me feel even worse. Delving into one's curiosity and deepening relationships sounds like a much more fulfilling life than expanding your bank account and completing your to-do lists. While watching your adorable footage of the interactions with the little girl in the video, I thought to myself "Nathaniel and his crew could have missed this experience if they were so hyper-focused on their schedule for the day". I'm a new subscriber...thank you so much again!

Really love what you said about instrinsic value in living, instead of having to constantly perform or produce output to be meaningful!

''You cannot find external solutions to internal problems.'' Thank you, Nathaniel for this absolutely beautiful video. ♥

Wow brother...so much insight and self-awareness here. You've inspired me yet again. Hope to see you somewhere along the journey!

Amazing Video! Awesome message... nice one Nathanial. Thank you. As someone involved in this industry I couldn't agree more with this idea of "exploiting the already desperate". There is a line of ethics when it comes to marketing self-help programs that I see too many people crossing. I've seen a channel promoting the idea that "If you don't buy my solution you will never be entirely cured of anxiety". It's so wrong to put that idea into the mind of a person who suffers from anxiety. So thank you for sharing this and all your insights over these years. We need more people like you on the internet. Strength to you brother.