Cognitive Reframing: Begin by mentally reframing situations where you might feel empathy or responsibility for others. Train yourself to see these situations as solely opportunities for self-advancement. For example, if someone close to you is struggling, view it as a test of your ability to maintain focus on your own goals rather than an opportunity to help.

Minimize Emotional Connection: Gradually distance yourself emotionally from others, including your family. You can do this by reducing time spent with them, avoiding deep conversations, and focusing on their negative traits. Over time, this can help weaken the emotional bonds that typically trigger empathy.

Practice Detachment: Engage in meditation or mindfulness practices with the goal of detachment rather than compassion. Focus on your individual thoughts and needs, training yourself to observe others’ suffering without becoming emotionally involved.

Prioritize Self-Interest: Make decisions based solely on what benefits you, even if it harms others. Practice this in small ways at first, such as choosing not to help someone with a task, and gradually work up to more significant decisions.

Selective Compassion: If completely killing empathy feels too extreme at first, start by being selectively compassionate. Only care about those who can directly benefit you or your goals. This will help you focus your energy on advancing your interests while diminishing empathy for those who do not serve your needs.

Reinforce with Negative Associations: Whenever you do something for someone else, mentally associate it with a negative outcome or feeling. Conversely, when you act in your own interest, reinforce it with a positive association. This can help rewire your brain to prioritize self-interest over others.

Set Boundaries: Create strict boundaries with others, even loved ones. Limit how much you allow them to rely on you or how much you invest in their wellbeing. Practice saying “no” without feeling guilty.

Engage in Self-Validation: Regularly validate your own choices and needs as the most important, regardless of others’ opinions or feelings. Make it a habit to justify your decisions with your own wellbeing as the primary reason.

Focus on Individual Success: Concentrate on achieving personal success in areas like your career, finances, and personal development. Make these pursuits your primary focus, sidelining any relationships or responsibilities that do not contribute directly to these goals.

Study Egoistic Philosophies: Immerse yourself in philosophies or ideologies that advocate for self-interest, such as Objectivism or certain interpretations of Nietzschean philosophy. This intellectual approach can provide a framework to support your mindset shift.