OVERCLOCK YOURSELF.

Dear friend,

I remember when I was a kid– really into modding computers. There was this concept of ‘over-clocking’– you would push your computer processor to run faster than the ‘stable’ specifications. For example, if I bought an AMD processor that ran 2ghz, I could go into the BIOS and push it to 2.2 ghz, or if you got better cooling equipment in your computer (additional fans, better heatsink, cooling, etc) — you could actually push this processor even further to 2.5ghz or more!


Why do I like this concept of overclocking?

Well — ultimately, all the knowledge I learn — I want to benefit myself (and others) in some practical sense.

So this concept of overclocking is good for us as humans.

It means this:

Push yourself BEYOND what you are actually capable of — to get you to the next level.

What is the downside of over-clocking?”

The downside of overclocking your computer is this:

  1. By overclocking your computer-CPU, your computer runs hotter.
  2. When your computer runs hotter, it is less stable, and more likely to crash.
  3. It isn’t fun to have your computer to crash when you’re typing a school paper, or when you are in the middle of a Counter-Strike game, or playing Starcraft.

But this was all the ‘hacker’ ethos I grew up with. And why did I have this hacker ethos? Simple — I was poor! My rich friends didn’t need to overclock their computers, because they had their parents just buy them good equipment. Whereas because I had little money, I had to hustle hard myself, in order to build my own computer. I did this the same with my car (1991 Sentra SE-R, with the 2.0L SR20DE engine). I first got into self-modification, modding, and hacking because of my lack of resources. But as time went on, I took PRIDE in building my own shit; rather than just buying it.


Practical ideas on overclocking yourself

Anyways, some simple ideas of how we can overclock ourselves in life:

  1. When powerlifting at the gym, always push your boundaries. A simple idea is whenever you are doing deadlift or squats, add 5lbs every week, or add 2.5 pounds every workout. Or if you do bodyweight exercises, try to add an additional 2-3 repeitions to your maximum amount of repetitions. By pushing your body to the extreme, your body will over-compensate! For example the other day I tried a new maximum deadlift attempt, and only got it up 50%. But it was exhilerating to push my body to the extreme. And the next workout, I will just backtrack a little bit, and then steadily work the weight up again.
  2. When you are shooting street photography, overclock yourself. Try to take more extreme compositional attempts– more layers, more complexity, or more extreme minimalism. Or try to photograph 25% closer than you’re used to. Or perhaps photograph more things which scare you — face your fear head-on!
  3. With your intellect– recognize that you are smarter than you think you are. So push yourself– over-clock your mind. Read literature, science, physics, mathematics which are “out of your league”. This is the only way you will grow your mind. For example, I studied sociology because I see myself as an “asian bad at math.” But now, I am like, “Fuck it. I am going to study whatever interests me, even though I might not have a natural aptitude for it.” For example, I have been self-teaching myself AI, algorithms, computer science, math, physics, rocket science, etc– just for fun! I’m also self-teaching myself Italian, Latin, and Greek — just for fun.
  4. Perhaps when it comes to courting romantic partners, go for people “out of your league”. Perhaps approach people who you think are 25% “too hot” for you. You might fail; but you might succeed!

Conclusion

eric kim selfie phone

My basic idea is simple:

Push yourself beyond your limits, and you will grow stronger, smarter, and wiser.

GO HARD!
ERIC