I remember taking AP statistics in high school, and learning about the notion of the “outlier”. That when you had a certain date of that, and there was a certain data point which was not according to the chart or the graft, you could just low-key erase it or ignore it.
Yet, society, the world, everything can only grow and thrive on the outliers.
For example, you cannot change society in the world by having a bunch of the same same South Korean students, all doing the same thing. You need the radical Elon Musk, the radical Kanye West, the radical Steve Jobs.
The reason why America is the center of innovation is our culture of cultivating, breeding, and also glorifying the outlier. For example, even in South Korea, not how all of the famous K-pop groups are all groups. There is not one really really spectacular individual K-pop star. If you think about BTS, it is a conglomerate of random pretty looking boys, Even black pink is about the group.
However in America, let’s consider the success of an individual Jay Z, an individual Eminem, a Snoop Dogg, etc.
You are not basic
The easiest way I think about this is this:
Don’t be basic.
What does it mean to be basic? It means to be like everybody else. To be medium, mediocre, etc.
For example, what does it mean to be mediocre? To drive a Honda accord or Toyota Camry, to seek to buy a house, to seek a nice job, to seek “stability“, etc.
What does it mean to be an outlier? To distain the norm, and also to distain what is popular.
For example, extreme and true differentiation is thinking of yourself and knowing yourself as vastly different, a new species of human. Certainly genetically we are about 99.9% similar to everybody else, but we have the audacity and the chutzpah to breed ourselves into something new.
Optimize yourself to be an outlier
Do you seek to be understood, or, do you seek to become more of an enigma?
Some ideas:
- Hate and distain when you see other people who look like you, or when you look like other people. Even in terms of fashion, the best strategy is to choose clothes or wear clothes which no one else has. Or to wear the clothes in such a style or a way that differentiates you.
- No car. Cars are for suckers. Better to be a Tyler Durden from FIGHT CLUB with no car, then another same same person, who all drove the same car. Like Jay Z said, I can’t tell who is who, “we all wear the same watch.” it doesn’t matter if you’re rich enough to wear a Richard Millie watch, or an 8P, everyone has one. The same thing goes with Lamborghinis, everyone has one. What is the best way to differentiate yourself and be an outlier is through what you decide to not on, or to disown.
- Don’t talk like other people; you have extreme pride in your own language, your own lingua. Better to know ancient Greek then to speak like the millennials.
Why be an outlier?
A simple question; why be an outlier?
First of all, you probably are. This means that recognize that every single human being is different. Also each of us should glorify him or herself on being unique.
Second, our desire to move and change the world.
Self-reliance
What does it mean to be self reliant? Simply put, your ego, self-esteem, and your power is within yourself. You are not a slave to the opinions of others. For example, if you are reliant on peer review for anything, you are not free.
For example, if you have some philosophical thoughts, know that you do not require peer review, or an editor to review, critique, or acknowledge your ideas. The philosopher thinks first principles, and is not dependent on any external authority besides him or herself. The philosopher doesn’t need to base his or her theories on statistics, the opinions of others, etc. The philosopher bases their thoughts based on what they believe in.
Do things in a different way
For example, my hypelifting or ZENLIFTING notion.
Don’t just do things the same as others. Think carte blanche, and do things differently.
For example, when it comes to squat, no need to squat all the way to the floor. Instead, just being able to unrack the weight a little bit is enough. Even trying to go “parallel” or “below parallel”— is this truly necessary?
Cross pollinating new concepts
For example, my passion for Zen, and being able to cross pollinate it to other notions. For example, zen capitalism, zen photography, zen street photography, the Zen of hypelifting, or zenlifting.
Refuse to be constrained within narrow and reductive category. Instead, know that instead, a better goal is to extend all of your different passions and interests into wide ranging areas.
For example, am I the first to have figured out that the stronger I become at the gym, the stronger I become as a writer, thinker, photographer, entrepreneur, and thinker?
Pride in being an outlier
You must have pride in being an outlier, and it seems that a noble goal is to strive to become more of an outlier. To refuse to have the same desires as others, and the same language and notions of others.
Lie outside
Outlier —
- Out
- Lier
To be out. To be outside of the basic simple categories.
Where everyone else is… get really far away from them. Go beyond, think beyond, become beyond.
Create yourself as an outlier
It seems that in today’s consumers capitalist world, the way that people seek differentiation is through consumerism. By having a different car, different clothes, even other superficial things like listening to different types of music, movies, etc. This type of differentiation is superficial at best. Nay, not even superficial.
What you must do instead is become more of an outlier through your actions. Through your words, your ideas, to become more wolflike, and less sheeplike.
Just think to yourself: what would a wolf do?
Would a wolf eat kale and quinoa? No. The wolf would consume liver, heart, intestines, and other organ meat high in cholesterol. Would the wolf consume sugar, “vegetables?” No.
Also, is the wolf meek, and yielding no? The wolf is lean, mean, hard, stoic, and aggressive when it needs to be.