Just as you read! A year ago, I decided to leave my family, my job, and my surroundings to start from scratch. I was living in Galicia, and that’s where I discovered the nofap community. I abstained for 500 days during my first streak. The energy felt impeccable. I got two jobs, played on two soccer teams (11-a-side and futsal), and even learned to swim on my own. I left my parents’ house to live alone. I also started a relationship and took on a less-than-honest job. I felt energetically on top of the world. But this energy began to take its toll; I wasn’t transmuting it from my true self, and on day 500, after my girlfriend left me (because of the dishonest job) and I moved into a friend’s house, I let my seed escape. In the following days, I became interested in Gnosis and went to a center (Samael Aun Weor), but after a few months of attending the theoretical classes, I decided to quit during the second phase (practical initiation).

Even so, I kept a couple of good workouts. Since then, I haven’t been able to maintain a 90-day streak in a year and a half. I felt empty, without any real purpose. My contract wasn’t renewed at my job (delivery driver for a laundromat), and I quit my other job. Shortly after, talking to a friend, he told me about the Christian church, and I started reading the Bible and felt that the truth was there. During that year and a half, my energy felt good at times but also unstable. The slightest slip would easily bring me down. Naturally, I would recharge from time to time and then shut down again for a while. Later, I received an offer to start working in a gaming and sports betting arcade. I spent nine months there, working with the public, attending to and serving gambling addicts. Something completely new in my life. In the ninth month, I got 15 days of vacation and decided to go far away. I drove to Barcelona. Alone. Before starting the trip, I had already moved back in with my parents because my friend, with whom I shared a room, had gone to the Netherlands, and I found myself caught up in the same old routine.

So, during that time living back with my parents, I realized I needed to leave Galicia for a few days to recharge and decide what to do. I got in my car and headed to Barcelona. I only had 300 euros (I even ended up gambling at work and lost 700 euros) and hadn’t even looked into where I was going to stay. Once I arrived in Barcelona and explored the city, I went to the beach parking lot (Prat de Llobregat) to literally live and sleep in my car. I needed to be alone, relaxed, and without any contact with anything or anyone. I was completely lost inside. I needed to clear my head and understand what was happening to me. Obviously, I wasn’t being myself. I was trying to please my family and those around me, and that was extinguishing my true spark. On the seventh day in Barcelona, ​​I realized I couldn’t go back to Galicia. Fifteen days weren’t enough time to get myself together. I knew I wasn’t going to heal in Galicia. This was more about starting an adventure with myself and discovering myself in a new place. I was 28 years old and had been studying NoFap 2. During my final phase in Galicia, I made a considerable change: I became interested in reading, I left behind toxic friendships and parties, drugs, and utterly destructive environments. I even quit my soccer team mid-season due to constant injuries and a lack of connection with the rest of the team.

My emotional problem was obvious, and I had to do something about it. I started reading so much that I devoured 15 books. I had never read before. I started going to libraries, and there I operated on a different energetic level. It was my base camp for boosting my energy. The books that affected me the most were:

Power vs. Force (David R. Hawkins)

The Way of the Superior Man (David Deida).

The 5 AM Club (Robin Sharma)

Rational Male (Rollo Tomassi)

The 48 Laws of Power (Robert Greene)

The Art and Science of Semen Retention (Pablo Zamit)

And many more. Reading became my new hobby, my new path to self-healing. But there were two books I haven’t mentioned that came into my life at the perfect time: You Can’t Hurt Me and Never Finish (David Goggins). These two books, which I read just before my trip to Barcelona, ​​were what truly motivated me to change. They were the turning point in my transformation. On my seventh day in Barcelona, ​​I was still sleeping in my car, eating supermarket food, and training at the pull-up bar. I was showering on the beach (December). I decided to call my boss. I told her I wasn’t coming back. I said I’d gotten a job in Barcelona and couldn’t let this opportunity slip away. Of course, it was a lie; I hadn’t gotten anything, but I was certain I wasn’t going back to Galicia. Then I called my parents and explained the situation. I wasn’t going back home. Imagine their reaction. They didn’t understand. Without a home or money, what was I going to do there? I understood their reaction, but this wasn’t about financial stability or security. It was an emotional problem that needed to be resolved. I felt incredibly relieved because with just two phone calls, I had gained immense freedom.

This is where the real change truly began. I knew I couldn’t go back to any of my destructive habits in Barcelona. Training, reading, and reflecting became my daily routine. In the library (on the 10th), I came across a book:

Marathon for Beginners

I desperately needed structure and purpose, and I saw in this book a huge challenge. Me, running 42km? It was absurd. I’d always been a footballer, and one of the least stamina-oriented. Even so, the approach seemed perfectly logical. Run three days a week: the first day a short run, the second a medium run, and the third a long run. I took it very seriously; it was all I had. On the 25th, I found a job, and on the 49th, a room. I joined a gym around the 15th for better hygiene and to improve my training. I bought a gas stove to cook and vary my meals. It was complete madness. Stick around until the end because this isn’t the end of it. Finding a room was like a ray of light; finally, I could have some order. After 49 days sleeping in the car, eating whatever I could find, and working as a delivery driver, a room was essential. I spent three months in that room. It was a complete disaster. I shared an apartment with a Moroccan woman, her son (rude and absolutely devilish), and a Colombian man. Cleanliness was nonexistent there. None whatsoever.

The apartment was literally disgusting. Luckily, the Colombian moved to another apartment and invited me to go with him. Once settled, I shared with a Nicaraguan family (father, wife, young son, and the Colombian man). Imagine what that was like. And they loved to party. It was the last thing I needed there, but I adapted. From being comfortable in Galicia (too comfortable, in fact) to having to share an apartment with complete strangers. I only lasted three months in the new apartment because I received the offer I’d been waiting for: to live alone. A coworker offered me his loft, which belonged to his son. Finally, I could live on my own. I had to pay more money each month, but I knew I’d have peace of mind. I immediately accepted the offer and moved there. But I didn’t want to rush things. The Barcelona Marathon arrived (March 16, 2025), and I managed to complete it after four months of training. I ran nonstop for 3 hours and 57 minutes. I crossed the finish line completely exhausted, but I achieved something I’d never even considered. By the way, I ran in a swimsuit and literally burned my legs. After this achievement and the confidence I’d gained, I decided to face my biggest fear: I signed up for an adult swimming course.

Why? Because it was my greatest fear. I was terrified of water because of a bad experience I had as a child, and I was never able to learn to swim. It was time. I had the confidence from the marathon, and the next level required going deeper: eliminating my biggest fear at its root. This was in month five. By month two, I was already swimming on my own. Incredible. I felt an incredibly powerful force unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. I was eliminating a lot of fears and blocks in just a few months. Those 500 days of abstinence had given me enough courage to face several of my problems. But the new streaks didn’t even last 90 days. And it showed. I had moments of magic, but also bad days. It was obvious. A lot of stress all of a sudden. I needed to release some tension, and what better ally than masturbation? But it comes at a cost. Even so, I felt strong. Now comes the magic.

After 11 months working as a delivery driver, I was due for a vacation. Hmm… 30-45 days off? (I worked for a temp agency). What could I do with so many days off? Then I remembered a conversation with a friend in December (two months after moving to Barcelona). At that time, I was given three consecutive days off work right around Christmas. Then I understood that I should take advantage of them and decided to visit my family in Galicia, but I didn’t know how to get there. I thought about going by car, but it was too crazy for such a short trip (2400 km round trip). So I decided to fly. But my friend jokingly said to me that day:

« I don’t know, bro, why don’t you come by bike? hahaha »

What a son of a bitch. That joke materialized nine months later. Yes, time wasn’t a problem. Neither was my physical condition. I had bought a bike on December 30, 2025 (45 days after arriving in Barcelona) to commute to work every day. That bike was stolen. I bought another one the next day (yes, it was hilarious going out and not seeing my bike and immediately going to Decathlon for another one). At that moment, I breathed a sigh of relief and realized it wasn’t the right time to buy it. I decided to accept the loss and go home by train. But the next day was the perfect time to finance a Triban RC 120. It had much better gearing than my stolen Triban RC100. The theft happened in the seventh month. With my physical fitness, my newfound mental strength, and the absolute courage to embark on this 1200+ km cycling journey, what more could I need? Barcelona-Galicia was the ultimate adventure. I gained a lot of confidence learning to swim. I knew there was gold there. But I needed more, and this was perfect. Even crazier. With a very small budget, I started buying what I needed for the adventure. I couldn’t afford accommodation because I was broke. I had to make the most of what I had. I bought:

Bicycle rack

Panniers

Tent

Puncture repair kit

Cycling gear

New lights

Wigger tires (38mm gravel)

And I asked my family to send me some things they had there to save on expenses. I swear. Everything I did felt so natural. Everything was just falling into place: the challenges, the strength, the attitude… People didn’t understand how my mind worked like that. But I stayed calm and confident. Nothing stopped me. I was the crazy one among the normal ones and a simple novice disciple of God wanting to correct traumas and fears. Then I launched myself into the ultimate adventure. I’ll go into more detail about this part later.

Let’s go back to the beginning: Day 30 in Barcelona. My change in mindset was quite evident. I truly wanted to change, and my habits reflected that. To the point of starting to write a book. A book about the trap of the matrix, about how everything is programmed to create weak men, and the dangers of addiction and technology. It’s very comprehensive. I’m still finishing it. In it, I also talk about the bike trip in more depth and my story in general.

I completed the trip in exactly 15 days. With two days completely stranded because my bike broke down. The part took two days to arrive. It was an absolute adventure. But I don’t want to stop there. Seven days after arriving in Galicia, with 1200 kilometers in my legs, I wanted to do something different. I was used to doing 80-100 km a day with a lot of weight. But this time I wanted to manage 250 kilometers in 24 hours. And that’s what I set out to do. Carballo-Lugo, Lugo-Carballo. 250 kilometers. I was teetering on the edge of madness, but my body was begging me to do this. David Goggins’ books had really sunk in. I managed to complete it in 21 hours. I got home at 3 a.m., but I still had 7 kilometers to go. Exhausted and fed up with cycling, I headed into the woods to complete the remaining 7. I got home and had the best shower of my life. I was under the hot water for about 15 minutes. But… now what?

As the days went by, I was getting overwhelmed. Nothing had changed in a year there. I saw little progress in the people and immediately dismissed the option of staying. I hesitated for a few moments because the idea of ​​going back home was becoming irresistible. But… in 11 months in Barcelona, ​​I managed to:

Complete a marathon

Learn to swim

Cycl 1250 kilómetros

And best of all: I put myself in a very uncomfortable situation and managed to make progress in overcoming my traumas. Nobody can take that away from me. I feel this last thing I just said is very much a part of me. I’m aware of what I did, the strength and courage it took to pull this off, and this was partly, very partly, thanks to quitting pornography and masturbation. If I had to put a percentage on it, it would be 80%. A very high number to let slip away. I spoke with close friends and family, and they all told me to go back, that it was time to save money, and that the experience in Barcelona had run its course. Why go back to being uncomfortable, alone, and so far from my family? They were right. Financially, I was worse off than ever. I didn’t even have 100 euros in the bank. This is very real, even to this day. But what I’m experiencing is so necessary for me that money becomes secondary. I prefer to rebuild myself from the very bottom than to have 5,000-10,000 euros saved in the bank.

For most people, I should go back home. But deep down, I felt that Galicia was in the past and my future was in Barcelona. I spent 20 days there and decided to go back to Barcelona. This time by bus. I bought a bike carrier and packed some extra clothes. Once I arrived at my loft in Barcelona (I’d been living there for four months), the landlord immediately told me that his son wanted to move back home and wanted his room, but that he would honor the one-year lease he’d verbally promised me. But, in the end, the room was his. His father had rented it to me because they were in a bad financial situation. I realized this over the months. I didn’t get along well with the son. I think he sensed a threatening energy from me and maybe he got a little scared. Sometimes controlling this energy isn’t easy because it feels so intense. He’s 24 and practices Jiu-Jitsu. He’s very fit. Even so, it was clear we were at very different stages of life. The energy between us was very different. That same night I reflected and realized it wasn’t the place for me anymore. The next day I told him I’d already found another room and that I was leaving in five days. Another lie! I didn’t get anywhere. But I knew it was better to go back to the car for a few days. It’s no trouble going back down there. I didn’t think about it much. The energy in that place felt very heavy, and I preferred to keep things calm.

In short:

Semen retention

DOES put you to work for yourself

DOES give you extra energy and focus

DOES make it worthwhile

But, know that all the crap you’ve blocked out with porn and other destructive habits will come back to the surface. And that’s a good thing. It’s time to face it. As of today, I’ve been retaining for about 25 days, but with an energy I’ve never felt before. It’s more powerful than at its peak during my 500-day streak, and with fewer clean days. We need to extend this mindset as long as possible because it brings lessons and challenges into your life that help you grow and mature.

Thanks for reading this story!