Month: July 2020

Don’t wait for new stuff to come out, and you wait until you buy it. No. You build it and make it! Create the future. Create what you desire to see manifested in the world.

For example, the point ain’t waiting for the new Apple product, Google product, or Tesla product to come out for you to lust over and you desire to buy it. The point is for you to stop, and think and say:

I will build the next Apple (I’m the next Steve Jobs). I will build my own car (start from scratch, a skeleton body and build up the car). I will design and create my own phone (open source, root an Android phone?

Thus the thought:

Either take all the tools (already existing in your disposal, no rumor mill stuff) and maximize it and yourself, or just go out and create what you desire to see manifested in the world.

Productivity — toward and for what ends and aims?

Either without weights, or with weights:

The basic gist:

Everyday, strive to improve (at least) .5%, or 1%, or whatever percentage. Even a tiny tiny tiny improvement everyday, compounded over a year is insane gains!

Simple ideas to get you going:

This seems very counter-intuitive, but the best time to start your own business and entrepreneurial endeavor is during uncertain times (like now!)

The best thing you can do for your mental and physiological health: quit the news. The best way to conquer fear and anxiety.

Practical thoughts:

Self confidence that goes deep into your core.

True wealth as health. As physiological “power overwhelming”. As deep self confidence. Freedom from anxiety, fear, and death.

Your power:

1. Your self confidence
2. Your focus
3. Your influence
4. Your impact
5. Your body and physical strength

Living biological organisms desire to exhibit, exert, and augment their power.

Upon thinking deeply — it isn’t anxiety, fear, or even fear of pain and death which holds us back. It is morality and ethics — notions of “guilt”, “shame”, and punishment. If you want to fly higher, you must become amoral.

Social science is not a critical and hard science like math or physics, but I see it more as an approach and aesthetic.

More bodybuilders should get into philosophy and more philosophers should get into bodybuilding.

Bodybuilding — the art of building your body. Increasing your muscle mass (skeletal muscle) while lowering (or keeping minimal) your bodyfat (adipose tissue).

The future rich and elite: muscular, lean (low bodyfat), and physically strong.

Can you make eye contact with others? Yes or no?

“Irreverence for your reverence. Why would I not have a watch like a Saudi Prince?” – JAY Z

Your name, your face, and your body is the brand. To make yourself more recognizable, influential, or impactful — focus on you.

The best marketing and self-branding tip I have for you:

Know this: your name (first and last name) is your ultimate brand.

If you want to be an owner and a master, you must own your platform and own yourself.

Don’t be a digital share-cropper, or an Insta-Slave.

The impetus behind arsbeta.com

All good things can only be built or created, not bought.

More turbo thoughts and ideas:

Wisdom and sagacity as the end goal of life; not money, power, prestige, etc.

No matter what your background or who you is, your opinion is valuable.

Or in other words:

If your opinion offends others, you’re probably doing something right.

Photography is everything.

Whatever you do, create, make, or say … make it substantive, deep, philosophical. The best way to market yourself, brand yourself, and build trust.

Photography not just for artistic reasons, but also for mental and physiological reasons:

Photography and physical fitness, and artistic fitness are inter-twined. For example, a photographer who is very physically fit, buff, swole, trained, and low boy fat percentage will have more energy, motivation, inspiration, and physiological power to actually go out and make new photos.

Thus, I propose:

‘Photography Fitness’ as a new artistic, aesthetic, physiological, and pragmatic approach to discovering more “inspiration” and “motivation” to photography.

I say this:

Put no faith in any living person. Why? Not all of their skeletons have been pulled out (yet).

For example, we saw Russell Simmons as a hero. Then we discover he was probably a rapist or sexual predator. Same goes with all those men implicated in the #metoo movement. Harvey Weinstein was seen as a good guy, but once the truth leaked, we found out who he really was. Same goes for Jeffrey Epstein (when he was still alive). Even lately I’ve been reading more about the deplorable acts of Bill Clinton and Hillary. Even bad stuff about Obama. Which means:

Trust no person until (after) they die.

Because once people die, then you often get to uncover their hidden self, or “behind the scenes” self, and then you can make a better judgement of who they truly were as a person. This is why we can study and generate Steve Jobs (all his skeletons are out of the closet), yet we still cannot gain a deeper understanding of JAY Z, KANYE, ELON MUSK, JEFF BEZOS, BILL GATES, etc.

“Pix or it didn’t happen”:

To me, shooting and making photos is the same as breathing. Do you gotta force yourself to breathe? No. Same with making photos.

Extreme selfishness leads to a more genuine form of altruism.

In other words:

Always prioritize yourself over others.

Why do we separate mental health with our physiological (bodily) health?

It looks like the way things are going … we ain’t gonna travel for a while. Which makes me wonder:

What would a travel-less future look like?

If you had the option of being the richest man in the world (with the worst health) or a poor man (with the best health in the world), which would you choose?

I would choose the second.

We humans are biological beings. Shouldn’t we prioritize our biological health and biological happiness?

In life and for things, strive to have the smallest thing possible given a certain purpose. As small as possible, but not any smaller (in the vein of Einstein).

Data and numbers are our new god.

It is official — the nerds (who feel the incessant need to quantify everything) have hijacked society. Time to take it back.

You don’t need to depend on others to grant you legitimacy. You stand on your own two feet; you grant yourself legitimacy.

Don’t blame; change.

I never blame nobody. Why not? It’s boring.

More fun to create and change things!

I don’t blame nobody for being who they are. Why? Most people are just products of the environment in which they were raised in. Nobody was asked to be born. Thus, can we blame anyone for becoming who they became?

When others start calling you crazy or insane, this is a good sign.

To succeed, you must sell yourself.

Create the change which you wish to see manifested in the real world.

Entrepreneurship as the art of risk-taking to create something interesting, unique, useful, or great for your own benefit and the benefit of all of mankind:

The best thinking is deep thinking. Also when talking to others, don’t beat around the bush. Ask deep questions. Better to talk deep and think deep and have others hate you than to think shallow and hate others like you.

The more I think about it … what we are lacking in today’s world: some sort of cohesive philosophy binding together our thoughts. I believe philosophy is king AND the future.

Yes you have free will. Yes you have agency over your life.

Knowing you got agency and control over your life … now what?

My thought:

If we think about American cultural hegemony over the planet, then certainly … being an ‘American’ is less about a nationality or place, but perhaps more of an attitude or code of living.

Perhaps the park is superior to the gym:

Why I don’t eat organic meats:

In praise of MUSE and beyond:

Photography as one of the best tools to become healthier — physically, physiologically, and mentally:

Working out for maximal physiological thriving:

A riff off the Spinoza quote. The gist:

Most people are simply products of their environment. Thus you cannot really “blame” anyone for anything.

So what does this mean from a practical perspective? My thought:

Rather than trying to “change” people, we should strive to understand them and see where they are coming from.

And once you understand them and their perspective, you can determine:

1. Should I befriend this person or not?
2. Shall I do as they do, or shall I NOT do as they do?
3. How do I agree or disagree with them?

You have the power to create and mould yourself.

If we assume mental health is physical health, then the more physical we can get, the better. Photography as a great solution.

Philosophical thoughts on mental health:

You cannot understand me if you don’t know where I’ve been, or what I have experienced:

What is blogging? It is writing 2.0. It is hyper-writing (augmented writing):

I consider myself (currently) the best and the greatest blogger of all-time. Some thoughts on how to get into a deep state of flow via blogging:

Create something new. Create new things.

My thought:

Being American goes BEYOND nationality and borders.

American is an attitude — open to all.

Pure bodyweight is good, and weights are also good. I still prefer with weights and dumbbells.

I’ve had my fair share of rotator cuff injuries from bench press, dumbbell press, shoulder press, etc. The best exercises I’ve discovered to strengthen my rotator cuff:

1. Face pulls
2. Shoulder dislocators (also known as ‘broomstick stretch’, or you can do it with a towel or some sort of band).

Don’t let anyone tyrannize their views upon you.

Rings — one of the most under-rated workouts: