By a “fixed state of who we are” I am talking about people who develop a belief that something about them is central to their sense of being. It can be anything- a belief that they’re naturally smart/brave/healthy/fat/stupid/etc etc.
This colors their every interactions and viewpoint of the world. At best it helps them navigate the world and gives them the ability to interact confidently with it; at worst it warps their perception and blinds them to reality.
The worst things happen when a person’s fixed state of who they are does not align with their daily actions or activities. This is frighteningly common imo. For example, the person who thinks they’re a healthy person because they’re eating a vegetarian diet, completely ignoring the fact that eating high carb and high fat foods that are not nutrient dense is not what a vegetarian diet is supposed to be. Or a person who thinks too highly of themselves to work a ‘low’ job, completely ignoring that their living situation does not reflect their sense of themselves.
The reason I say it’s the worst thing you can do for yourself is that I think it’s self-limiting and stops you from actually being able to communicate effectively with others and recognize issues that you should correct or address.
As for how I came to this conclusion- I saw many people in my personal life who have a fixed state of who they are (or who they should be) crash and burn when this fixed state kept smashing head first into reality. It horribly hurt themselves and the people around them and they were completely oblivious to this. Some of them went to the grave never recognizing this, leaving a lasting familial legacy that affects people to this day.
Those who did recognize and applied the appropriate course correction flourished and are living happy, fulfilling lives.
We all have our fixed state of who are Anna. It is very important to mind control yourself into having the mental wherewithal to have the humility to listen to others earnestly and honestly when they tell you that maybe that fixed state is harming you and the people around you.
I think this segues neatly into-
Regarding training and nutrition- Young lady, people been giving you advice on what to do with this for years. Maybe T3hPwnisher will be nice enough to rehash some of them.
If you’re asking for exact guidelines of what to eat and when to eat… Eh, experiment and see what works to hit your goal. This is where ‘letting go’ plays in. Accept that some of the experiments won’t work and give you less than desired results. But it is a good thing you did said experiment, because it gave you experience.
Regarding academics- If you feel that there’s issues then go talk to your professors. That’s why they’re there.