Most of my friends are dead.

That's a sick starting line for a post, but it's also true. Through shit habits and fate itself, I found myself living at the homeless shelter downtown. My life was in the toilet, and I had zero hope. I vividly remember wanting to kill myself so badly but being too cowardly. Eventually, I decided to just give up on everything and live in my car, and once I ran out of gas, I ended up downtown, living in a room with seven other smelly dudes.

Marijuana was really my substance of choice before becoming homeless. I did partake in coke and the general party life, but weed was my true escape. It made me numb in the best possible way. That stupid voice in my head that was always telling me I was fucking up? After a hit of the vape pen, it went away.

Little did I know, but I needed to listen to that little annoying voice. It was calling me.

One night at the homeless shelter, I tried Fentanyl for basically the first time and ended up overdosing. I remember seeing a light shining in my face and having a giant tube down my throat. I was more or less resuscitated on the bathroom floor of the shelter.

I'd love to say that was my bottom, but it wasn't. I kept going for a few months after that until I realized rock bottom does not fucking exist. Hell truly is a bottomless pit, and I was dragging everyone I knew into it with me.

I ended up attending a rehab for the homeless demographic, and the guy running the program instilled in me a simple habit:

Write down five things you are grateful for and five things you want to do that day.

You don't need to do the five things, but you do need to write them down (hint: make "write a list" one of the things).

THIS SYSTEM IS GENIUS.

Writing down gratitudes and a list of shit to do is a system that enables other systems. Once you get in the habit of writing things down, suddenly, you’re able to track and plan more. I know that sounds stupidly obvious, but if you want to meditate every day, just add it to the list you're already writing every day.

Over the last seven years since I left the streets, I’ve built a collection of powerful systems to keep my life on track, but I honestly think it all stemmed from this one habit.

Five gratitudes (don't be selfish). Five things to do (re-align your dopamine system).

How am I doing now?

Good, man.

• I got sober (crack is fucking amazing btw and almost impossible to quit).
• I attended a meditation retreat (try this).
• I built a career as a software developer.
• I got engaged to a turbo normie who doesn’t party or do drugs.
• I bought a home.
• I started a business.

But it literally all started with that one system: Five gratitudes and five things to do.