Jonas Ackermann

Endurance Athlete obsessed with Performance.
Challenging physiological limits & learning about what drives human behavior.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

In my teens, I was depressed, injured, and had no desire to live anymore.

Now I am 23, and I accept myself as a person. I have run several marathons, have a clear purpose to live for and work towards it.

Here’s what changed in the last 7+ years:
(My Story)

I always loved sports, but from the ages of 13 to 18, I suffered several injuries that forced me to stop doing what I loved.

Then my life got out of control, and I became addicted to:
- Porn
- Video games (I spent all my money on them as well)

I'd copy my way through school and played video games from 2 PM to 2 AM, slept for 4-5 hours, and went to school.

That went on for years.

I was never satisfied or happy with that, but I felt paralyzed and didn’t know how to change.

There was always this question in my mind:
“Is that it? Is there really nothing more to life?” And at that point, the answer was no.

I lost my desire to live - I hated myself.

I hit Rock Bottom

Three surgeries and a couple of years later, I was able to do sports again, and I started endurance running.

Exhausting myself during physical exercise has become a way to cope with the pain.

In 2021, I ran my first marathon, in 2022, I ran my first official marathon, and in 2023, I ran 50 km with no preparation completely by myself.

The feeling of accomplishment and being proud of oneself was unbelievable.

I quit playing video games because I’ve come to understand that there is real life as well.

Then I started my self-improvement journey. I started to:
- Exercise
- Read lots of books
- Listen to mindset podcasts
- Meditate and learn how to enjoy silence
- Write and understand why I think the way I think

I spent hours questioning myself, trying to understand why I am the way I am and what beliefs drive my day-to-day life.

This was a painful and long process, but it ultimately led to me understanding myself and accepting myself as well.

I learned how to take control over my brain.

In the book “The Power of Now,” there was a quote that resonated with me:

“The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive. To put it more accurately, it is not so much that you use your mind wrongly - you usually don’t use it at all. It uses you.”

Today, I am on a journey to inspire other people who:
- Feel lost in life
- Have a goal but no idea how to get there
- Struggle to take control over their mind and actions

Don’t get me wrong; I haven’t figured it all out, and it’s still a daily process and fight.

But I know how to take control and how to stop myself when I fall back into old behavior.

I hope this inspired you!

Leave a Comment or send a DM - I'd love to connect with you.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

"I'll do it tomorrow"

Why are we so sure that there always will be a tomorrow?

If you want to do something, do it now.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

A real friend:

Someone who listens to you when you're down.
They let you cry.

They don't try to "fix" you.
They don't tell you that they have it worse.

They encourage you to fix the problem yourself.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

If someone doesn't keep their word once, it's okey.

If they do it twice, you loose a bit of trust.

If they do it over and over again, you don't trust them.

Now, think about how often you break promises to yourself.
No wonder you don't trust yourself.

That's a problem.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

You need Confidence to work on your dream.

You build Confidence by working on you're dream.

The thing you're searching lies in the work you're avoiding.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

Discipline:

Doing the thing you don't want to do right now, but you're future self is thankful that you did them.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

Did an amazing workout?
- Keep it quiet.

Did an amazing investment?
- Keep it quiet.

Got a good grade?
- Keep it quiet.

Celebrate within.
Don't seek the approval of others.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

"I made myself smile, and I'm actually feeling better"

Think about that.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

How to test a Plan:

Imagine you followed the plan for 1 year.
But it turned out to be a disaster.

Take 5-10min to write a brief history of the disaster.

You'll find flaws within your plan.

Fix them.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

Be the living example of what you're talking about.

People want to learn from people who have what they want.

If you want to teach people to get fit - make sure you're in amazing shape.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

Why you need to control your emotions:

Negative emotions affect our brain more than we know.
It's like being lead by a stranger.

You end up doing things the "normal" you would never do.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

A quote that stuck with me recently:

Everyone is self-made.
Only the successful are willing to admit it.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

Why do we normalize hurting yourself?

You're normal if you drink.
You're normal if you eat a lot of sugar.
You're normal if you stay up late and neglect sleep.

I don't get it.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

I keep coming back to this:

No matter where you're in life, it's your actions that created the situation you're in.

If you don't like the situation, you need to change your actions.

It's simple.
But it's hard.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

@theadamsams That’s right.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

Be selfish with your health.

So that you can be selfless when others need you.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

@TheOvermanEthos Absolutely.

You only realize once you lose it.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

@EthanLagahid I like going to the sauna.

What about you?

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

@ItsKieranDrew Writing is intense thinking.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

@GadzhiIman You just have to outwork the competition.

[Jonas Ackermann @Jonasackerman00]

@ImranIsFit Life is definitely easier when you got those in order