Dear friend,
This is gonna be a chance to explain why ERIC KIM is the way he is.
1. I get more shit done.
Numero uno: I have a big ego because it helps me get shit done.
In the past, I often fell victim to “paralysis by analysis”– I thought too much, instead of just doing it.
Now, I’ve built my ego to a point that I don’t think I can fail.
To me, this is empowering. If I cannot fail, I have more courage. I take more risks. I know I will never go broke, or homeless. So in my art, blogging, and photography, I can take all sorts of risk.
Question: have you ever prevented yourself from taking a risk, because fear of failure? If so, what is the worst that can truly happen? Write it down, and reflect and meditate on it.
Answer: I used to fear others calling me a loser, failure, or idiot. So I shut up. Now, I don’t care if people say mean things about me online. I just like to create shit and have fun with it.
If you ever fall victim to paralysis by analysis, share your thoughts on the ERIC KIM FORUM.
2. I don’t compromise
Modern society tells us to be humble, shut up, let’s all get along, and to compromise.
I have a radical idea: I think it is possible to live a life without compromise. Of course, you need to face the consequences.
Consequences of not compromising:
- People will call you an asshole, and might stop returning your emails or phone calls
- People will unfollow you from social media
- You might lose money, “respect” and other silly intangible things.
I do truly believe, to be a real artist you cannot compromise.
For example, if Steve Jobs compromised on his vision for the iPhone, we might have a device with 100 buttons (design by committee). This is why I believe you need to have an ego: “focus groups” never innovate. You just create a mish-mash of random shit bolted together, that has no clear focus, or clarity.
I’m a huge fan of Android, but almost all the devices suck, except the ones made by Google. Why? Fragmentation between hardware and software leads to poor user experiences.
You are a singular artist. You need to have your hardware (your physical body) and your software (mind) work in unison. You cannot compromise your body or mind as an artist.
If you compromise, you’ll never achieve personal greatness.
Reflection question: have you ever compromised in life? If so, how did it feel? Was it good or bad for you?
Answer: for me (Eric) I hate compromising. I’d rather “full ass” something than half-ass it. For example, I used to compromise watching movies with Cindy. We were both bored. Now, I either watch a movie with Cindy that I want to watch as well, or I won’t watch the movie.
For me, compromise doesn’t mean being an asshole. It just means finding a common ground which pleases both parties.
For me and Cindy, it ain’t me forcing Cindy to like what I like. It’s finding what we both independently like– like we both liked watching the movie Mad Max, The Lover (classic French-Colonial Vietnamese film), almost all Pixar film, all Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki films, and the show “Silicon Valley.”
3. No brakes on the 911
I dream of one day owning a Porsche 911, all black, hardtop, driving 300 miles per hour on the German Autobahn, with no brakes. (Jay-Z)
I want to speed through life with no brakes.
I like speed. I don’t like being “throttled”. There is nothing that pisses me off more than slow wifi.
For me, I have fun and a thrill from pushing myself beyond my limits.
For example, I started my deadlift at age 18 at 135 pounds. At age 29, I deadlifted 410 pounds (no belt) at a body weight of 145. The secret? Just add 2.5-5 pounds a week for 11 years.
Speed is obviously dangerous in real life. If I drive over the speed limit, I can die.
But in my mind, I don’t want anyone to slow down my brains wifi connection. This is why I like to think of my mind and this blog as a “STREAM”– like a stream of water, that never stops flowing. I cannot be held back. I will either need bigger pipes to control the gushing pressure of my water flow, or I will break through concrete.
This is why I like to publish a lot. If I don’t publish, I feel like I’m getting “blue balled” (like being sexually enticed, without any release).
And honestly, I think a lot of fear is what gets us “creative blue balls.” We make a lot of photos and art, but if we aren’t able to publish or share– we will get creatively constipated.
Sorry for getting a bit graphic and vulgar, but I think it gets the message across.
So essentially I have a big ego, because I want to overcome myself, push myself beyond my limits, and achieve more than I think I can.
Going back to the deadlift analogy, I never thought I could deadlift more than 200 pounds. Then 315 pounds. Then 405 pounds. Now I’m trying to break 500. And for you powerlifters out there, I’m very close to 1,000 pound club (combined deadlift, squat, and bench equaling 1,000 pounds).
So deadlifting and powerlifting has taught me:
You are more powerful than you think you are. And you have no limits.
If you put a limit on yourself, you will never grow to be your fullest potential.
And then what happens when you finally climb and conquer Mount Everest? What purpose do you have to live?
Easy: Find (or make) an even bigger mountain to summit.
Thanks to my mom for the hiking analogy, she taught me that hiking and backpacking is a personal exercise– to overcome your self-imposed mental and physical limits. At age 60+, she backpacked through Nepal in the blistering cold for 21 days. If my mom can do it, so can I, and you.
BE STRONG,
ERIC