ERIC KIM

The Art of Becoming Yourself

Dear friend,

A thought:

Employ every moment to the maximum in becoming you.

What does that mean? Let me explain:

Abstract geometry

The art of becoming yourself is this:

  1. You shouldn’t desire to be anyone else but yourself.
  2. You don’t need to “improve” yourself– this implies that there is something defective with you.
  3. Live everyday as if you would live this 24 hours for eternity (Nietzsche’s concept of the “Eternal Recurrence”)

Let me lay out these ideas more practically:

1. Why envy anyone else?

The first rule:

Never desire to be anyone else but yourself.

This means never envy anyone else. Never be jealous of anyone else.

Why would you desire to be anyone else but yourself?

Instead, consider the fact that there are probably millions of people who are envious of you, jealous of you, and desire to be you.

Others might have more money than you, but they have less freedom than you. Others might be more famous than you, but they cannot leave their home without being mobbed by the paparazzi (imagine losing the joy of going on a walk with your family without getting harassed).

2. There is nothing defective with you

You don’t need to be “improved”. Sure, you can seek to gain more knowledge, wisdom, and to create more ambitious art– but you as an individual have nothing to “fix” about yourself.

You were born with a unique DNA. Your life experiences are unique. The secret to life is maximizing your own strengths, and ignoring what others call your “weaknesses”.

3. What if you had to live today on loop, forever?

Imagine this thought experiment:

You wake up in the morning, and the devil tells you, “This 24 hours of today will be put on loop for the next 100,000+ years”.

Would this be your hell, or your heaven?

Nietzsche’s idea here is the “Eternal Recurrence”; live your life if today would recur (repeat) for eternity.

Thus as a practical idea:

Try to arrange everyday to maximize the fullest potential of life in every day!

This is why I think becoming an entrepreneur or becoming self-employed is essential for freedom. Most people I know wouldn’t waste 8 hours a day on their job (if they had a choice/option).

Make the best of today. Extract your personal maximum during every moment of the day. Don’t stress, don’t feel dismay. Feel eternal optimism, and know that new horizons await you my friend!

BE BRAZEN,
ERIC