{"id":124287,"date":"2019-01-03T15:25:30","date_gmt":"2019-01-03T23:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=124287"},"modified":"2019-01-03T15:26:09","modified_gmt":"2019-01-03T23:26:09","slug":"how-to-push-yourself-beyond-the-limit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2019\/01\/03\/how-to-push-yourself-beyond-the-limit\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Push Yourself Beyond the Limit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You got no limits, the only person stopping you is you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

PUSH YOU TO THE LIMIT.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Push you to the limit,
Stay lit with it, legit(imize) yourself in your own eyes
No need to front, or put on fake disguises<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How hard can you go, how far can you go without breaking?
Are you risk taking, or complacent?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Be bold, brave, and cold. The world is your own oyster, make your own pearls!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where does the notion of “limit” come from? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In physics, I don’t think there are ultimate limits. Whenever scientists have said there was a “limit”, we just hadn’t invented the technologies (yet), or nobody achieved it (yet). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, before Eddie Hall deadlifted 500 kilograms (~1,200 pounds), people said it was “impossible”. Why? It is hard for most (basic) people to realize that just because something hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean it is impossible! We can say things are insanely difficult, and will take extreme ingenuity and effort, but never “impossible”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why I like weight lifting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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To me, weight lifting is the closest thing we have to being a physisict without having a degree. When we attempt to lift (heavy) weights, we are dealing with reality. And there is a lot more objective truth with weight lifting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example with a deadlift, ain’t no cheating physics or reality. If you have 400 pounds of weight attached to a barbell, the only question is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you physically lift this weight off the ground or not? <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

To be frank, I don’t think it matters if you use straps, belts, or other strange equipment to lift the weight. If you can successfully lift the weight off the ground and get the barbell to your waist level, you’ve won!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Self-belief<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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This is the hard thing to put into words:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re attempting a new \u00e2\u20ac\u01531 rep max\u00e2\u20ac\u009d PR (personal record) in weight lifting, you must legitimately already KNOW you can lift it. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For example today I was at the gym, doing squats. Last week I squatted 295. Today, I just added the two 2.5 pound weights on each side (total 300 pounds), and before you attempt the lift, it is 99% mental. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You stare at the weight, and you must hype yourself up. You stare at the weight, and you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t \u00e2\u20ac\u0153think\u00e2\u20ac\u009d you can lift the weight, you know<\/em> you can lift it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Red<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Then when you attempt the lift, it is all a matter of putting in 110% of your effort. I blast my headphones, focus my mind, take a few deep breaths, do a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153power grunt\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, and then put the pedal to the metal. If I fail, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t really care too much; I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m more interested in this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I attempted this lift, was I able to focus 100%? Or was I distracted?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I am only ever frustrated with myself if I weren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t able to focus and concentrate. However if I focused 100%, yet my body wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t strong enough, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t beat myself up. I just pat myself on the back, do a few chin-ups, hit the sauna, then drive home. And the next time I go to the gym, I will try again and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153bounce back\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A little insanity is healthy <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The more I think about it, the most essential prerequisite of entrepreneurship<\/a> is mindset. If you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have insane self-confidenc in yourself, you will fail. You need to allow yourself to indulge yourself in your own ego, and you must allow yourself to be labeled as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153insane\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where does my ego come from?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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For myself personally, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve always had a big ego since I was a kid (thanks to my mom, who never doubted me, or tried to \u00e2\u20ac\u0153tame\u00e2\u20ac\u009d me). I was always a bit of a wild child and a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153free spirit\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (like my mom) as a kid. I was raised \u00e2\u20ac\u0153free range\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d when I was 11 years old, I would walk with my friends probably 2-3 hours a day, and I would just show up back at home whenever. I had no curfew, which is pretty incredible if you think about it (my most fruitful years from 11 to 12 years old). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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But as I got older, my ego started to get attacked by others \u00e2\u20ac\u201d fellow classmates, teachers who tried to tame me, and societal values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I cannot be controlled <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Now as an adult, who tries to tame me? Random anonymous internet commentators, insecure folks who feel threatened by me, and societal values parroted by all these people around me (family, strangers, acquaintances). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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If you want to push your personal limits, here are some practical ideas: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Never compare yourself with others<\/strong>: Of course there will always be someone richer than you, more famous than you, and stronger than you. It doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter \u00e2\u20ac\u201d just compete against yourself, and focus on your own life to push your own personal limits to the zenith. <\/li>
  2. Find heroes you admire<\/b>\u00e2\u20ac\u201d fellow \u00e2\u20ac\u0153insane\u00e2\u20ac\u009d people. My personal heroes include Howard Hughes, Kanye West, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Gandhi. Whenever you have ideas or ideals which are different from the herd, you will be labeled as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153insane\u00e2\u20ac\u009d or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153crazy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Embrace it. <\/li>
  3. Disregard self-preservation<\/b>: A lot of petty people try to hold back your limits, by telling you to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153rational\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, or to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153safe\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. If you want to truly push your limits, or make phenomenal innovations, you need to disregard your own safety and self-preservation! For example in chasing my 500 pound deadlift, I met a random guy who tried to discourage me \u00e2\u20ac\u201d saying I would hurt myself. When you are chasing more epic heights, and pushing your own limits, of course it will be fucking hard. But if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re passionate enough, why do you care what the downsides might be?<\/li>
  4. Set the bar insanely high<\/b>: Better to have an insanely bold goal and fail half-way, than to meet a mediocre goal fully. For example, better to shoot for the moon and land on a cloud, than to stay at earth level and succeed (credit, Kanye West). <\/li>
  5. 10x thinking<\/b>: Of course you cannot deadlift 10,000 pounds, and it will be very difficult to turn your $40,000 dollar a year income into $400,000 goal overnight. Thus having to think how to push your limits by 10x, you must think differently \u00e2\u20ac\u201d you must create a totally revolutionary different methodology, to attain your goals. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    You got no limits!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    ERIC<\/p>\n\n\n\n