Dear friend,

We need a bold, epic, and difficult challenge in life — in order to test our strength, will, tenacity, and endurance.

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1. We all have the will to power

This is my philosophy:

As humans, we are biological organisms that have a will to power — a will to growing bigger, stronger, a will to explore, a will to extend our influence, a will to expand, and a will to over-power (Nietzsche).

In order to grow stronger, we need an opportunity to test our strength. We need an opportunity to test our will-power, endurance, and ability.

Therefore, without a challenge in life or without difficulty to challenge our limits —we could never grow stronger.

2. We need to dictate our own challenges for ourselves

In all domains in life, we need a challenge.

At our jobs, my theory is that we hate and get bored of our jobs, not because of the job itself — but we aren’t being challenged in the right ways. For example, our jobs are just stressing us out and overwhelming us instead of challenging us in meaningful ways. We need challenges at our jobs which test and challenge our creative thinking and problem-solving abilities. We need to have the opportunity to manage and lead our own (small) teams. We need fewer emails and fewer dumb meetings — more smart challenges to face, and fix.

In our visual artistry, we need more challenging works of art to make and imagine. If photography is boring you — add more meaningful challenges to your photography. Advance your compositions by making your pictures more dynamic and simple. Perhaps instead of black and white, try color. Add layers and multiple subjects, not just single subjects.

If you’re a writer, don’t keep writing essays or compositions which bore you. Challenge yourself and your writing — by writing about topics which challenge your mind, or which challenge your writing style.

Never let others to force their style and challenges unto you — dictate your own challenges to and for yourself.

3. No challenge, no growth.

In working out and physical strengthening exercises — my suggestion is going to the gym solo, or to the park by yourself and make fun physical challenges for yourself. For example, I always try to increase the “1 rep maximum” for deadlifts at the gym. When I go to the park, I try to do more chin-ups or pullups than I have been able to do in the past. Or when I do yoga (by myself at home), I always do more challenging poses to test myself and challenge myself —for fun.

4. What is the right degree of challenge for you?

In video games and life – you need the right amount of challenge or difficulty, or life is boring.

The tricky part:

1. If the difficulty is too high or beyond your abilities, you will get stressed out, overwhelmed and not challenge yourself in a meaningful way, or reach your personal potential.
2. Yet, if the challenge or difficulty is too easy, you get bored and fall into apathy and “ennui”

Therefore, it is about finding the right difficulty, or the right degree or intensity of challenge for you.

My practical suggestion:

Try to challenge yourself 25% more than you think you’re capable of.

Failure doesn’t exist — only feedback. If you challenge yourself and don’t succeed — you haven’t “failed” in a way that will hurt or damage your ego. No, you’ve just got feedback — and will change your action or input accordingly.

5. Never stop challenging yourself

Are you hungry for a challenge in life.? I think you are.

And never forget: You’re 25% stronger than you think you are.

BE STRONG,
ERIC

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