Go Program Yourself!

There’s a moment in the February 17 episode of Dear Grandchildren: A Tracker’s Tale, titled Go Program Yourself!, where Michael Douglas stands in a town meeting, clutching a shoebox full of endangered plants—and realizes no one is listening. It’s a turning point. Not just in his story, but in the deeper story of how we begin to reclaim agency in a world that often feels indifferent.

Rather than sink into frustration, Michael channels that moment into the foundation of Maine Primitive. This episode is a masterclass in what it means to live with intention. With quiet clarity, he guides us through a daily practice of self-check-in that feels more like a wilderness skill than a morning routine. Attitude, shelter, water, fire, and food—these five core elements become lenses to assess not just survival, but thriving.

This isn’t about pushing harder or hustling smarter. It’s about tuning into the natural rhythms of your own body and mind—acknowledging when you’re depleted, tracking your emotional weather, and building a personalized “action list” that respects both your goals and your energy cycles. It’s a bushcraft approach to self-awareness.

Michael encourages us to journal—not just as a habit, but as a tool of transformation. By recording patterns, honoring our circadian rhythms, and planning action from a place of clarity, we begin to “program ourselves” with intention rather than reaction.

What unfolds is a deeply grounded system of self-reliance, rooted in awareness and empowered by nature’s logic. It's primitive skills turned inward—survival skills for the spirit.

Go Program Yourself! isn’t just advice. It’s a reorientation. A way of coming back to yourself, so you can meet the world with presence, clarity, and care.

Listen to the full episode and begin crafting a daily rhythm rooted in awareness and choice.