10x Thinking

10X Abstract by ERIC KIM

In today’s world, you must meaningfully differentiate yourself from your competition by taking yourself to the next level — pushing yourself 10x more than you think you’re capable of.

Zero to one

Steve Jobs: My hero / Credit: Zero to One Book by Peter Thiel

My theory derived from serial entrepreneur Peter Thiel:

Meaningfully differentiate yourself and show/prove your value by being 10x better than anyone else, or exist in a category of your own.

My personal suggestion is this:

Push yourself 10x harder than you think you’re capable of.

Or, elevate your personal thinking, or your personal conception of your limits by 10x more.

Reality is made by you

For example, imagine how much money you’re capable of earning in a “realistic” sense. Then, imagine yourself earning 10x that amount of money. To think 10x or “moonshot thinking” is to realize you have no limits — man was once believed to think it would be impossible to land on the moon. But in reality, our hubris and our insanely “crazy” view and belief in ourselves has helped us achieve the impossible.

As a practical suggestion, remove the word “impossible” from your vocabulary. You can say “difficult”, but never “impossible”.

What is really “impossible”?

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“Impossible” is only bound by physics concepts. There are certain “impossible” things in the physical sense — but very few “impossible” things to achieve in the mental, or conceptual sense.

So, friend, how can you elevate yourself 10x beyond what you think you’re capable of?

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Dodge the nay-sayers

Man looking down, low angle. Toronto, 2015

To be honest, you should be more afraid of “nay sayers” than people who support you.

For example, one negative person who tells you why you cannot succeed, or why you’re not being “realistic” is going to cancel out the effect of 10 people who actually support you.

My friend Kathy calls these negative nay-sayers as “crabs”— they are all stuck in a bucket, and trying to get out. But in trying to get out, they all pull one another down.

Who are the crabs in your life?

For me, it was my father. I cut my dad out of my life, and my mental health has been 100x better.

Another analogy: it is better to remove negative things from your diet, than add “healthy” foods to your diet.

For you to truly thrive and reach the moon, cut out the leeches, nay sayers, and cancers from your life. Be ruthless.

BE BOLD,
ERIC