So a funny observation: technology works in a really funny way in which, one of the big downsides of technology is, it prevents movement. For example, if you’ve ever seen a kid on an iPhone or iPad… Watching some show, it totally like act as tranquilizer. They stop moving for hours, it is kind of disturbing.

Adults are the same. I also find myself in a similar boat when I am on my iPad, the bigger the screen, the more the distractions. 

The hilarious thing about my iPhone SE with the small 4 inch screen is, it actually kind of forces me to focus. I can only do one thing at a time, it is unintentional single tasking.

Also having not used my phone in a long time, one of the big virtues is because, it has cellular data, it’s kind of amazing if I think about it… That I could just walk around a lot, off the grid, and still be able to do the stuff I want to do.

The phone is now just essentially a mobile AI device

Everyone kept talking about Mobile first Mobile first Mobile first,,, and I never really bought it, and I am grateful that I delayed on it because, and now seems that the name of the game is AI, which has totally gobbled up Mobile. Mobile is dead, long live AI. 

The keys

So kind of a radical idea, is, no no no, you don’t want to be doing some sort of staining desk, or even treadmill desk, being tied to some sort of high-powered computer, the ideal is, I suppose just being on an iPhone Air, walking around all day… Talking to AI all day?

What is AI anyways?

So let me tell you some secrets about AI. And also… What AI is not. 

First, AI is not intelligence, nor is it intelligent. Actually it is pretty stupid. Even the most advanced ones.

Essentially what AI is is like a new Calculator computer, but it is much better with words and concepts rather than just numbers. So actually, it is really good for us “word people,” as Peter thiel says.

What’s very interesting about AI is that it is very intelligible, which means, it sounds smart,  and for the most part, it will not make any grammatical mistakes, and everything it says sounds intelligible, like comprehensible and or, comprehendible.

What is AI not good at? Whether you use Grok or ChatGPT or whatever? It is not good at forecasting the future, coming up with new Carte Blanche philosophies ,,, ironically enough, it is actually not very good at critical thinking. Humans we are much better at reading nuance, humor, satire, things which are tongue in cheek,,,, And also, far more creative.

I think one of my analogies is, AI is like a new modern day bicycle, it makes getting from point A to point B much more easy.  or just like having a Calculator. The other day I tried to do long division and long multiplication with Seneca, and I realized how clumsy I have become.

Who is scared of AI and who should not?

This is my big realization, the only people who should really be scared of AI is like, higher education? Because all the ground metrics in which we measure success with children and students is totally being rewritten, Carte Blanche.

For example, math science essays whatever, I think in the past, these were metrics that we tried to measure because, it was perhaps some sort of good indicator of future success, in which children with higher order thinking would succeed.

However it seems now, having divergent thinking may be a better indicator of success.  why? Because all the lemmings are gonna all be doing the same thing like investing in Nvidia, using Google Gemini, buying a Tesla or a new iPhone Pro, rather than, thinking for themselves.

So how does one think for themselves and by themselves?

First, taking it back to first principles, and, having radical pride in yourself and the way you think?

This means, not being on social media or the news or trying to be or sound smart, because all the people who are playing that game are gonna get wiped out. 

Brave new future

So, thinking about the future, what is not going to get eliminated or eradicated?

First, meat, exercise and fitness, wellness, sleep, health.

ChatGPT cannot synthesize you some orgasmic short ribs, or testosterone elevating beef liver, or even a simple pack of eggs.

Also, ChatGPT cannot help you sleep 9 to 12 hours a night. Nor can I synthesize you some weightlifting equipment, and help you lift 2,000 pounds.

In other words, ChatGPT cannot give you a six pack nor can it give you muscles. 

so why does this all matter?

I think it applies to all humans. All 9 billion of us on the planet.

It’s also super interesting because, AI gives the biggest advantage to people from developing countries, Vietnam Southeast Asia Cambodia. It really helps people who don’t speak English as a first language. Even my 70-year-old mom, she’s like on ChatGPT all day, I’m actually really proud of her, she is always harnessing new tech technologies like Google YouTube whenever, without prejudice. 

This is also the really funny valley of technology adoption I find, anybody over the age of 70 is actually super super pro digital photography, AI, and the like. And young people in their early 20s are strangely super anti-it? And people in the late 30s and early 40s, assuming they are not super rich or successful yet, they are kind of screwed. 

So now what

So what is the best life?

First, I believe the best life to be the life with maximum ease and Zen. Essentially being able to go to sleep with a clear mind, and also wake up with a clear mind, to me paradise is going to sleep at 6:30 PM and waking up at 6:30 AM every day.  12 hours of sleep a night is the goal.

Also, one of my big epiphanies about my insanely heavy weightlifting, it is, the purpose of it is actually a Zen meditation thing. When I am about to lift 15x my bodyweight, things which I must do include taking off my glasses, turning off my eyes, turning off my brain, and just do 100% muscular coordinated effort. And I think like 99% of it is just removing distractions.

To me this is my paradise.

paradise lies under the valley of swords.

so what is the purpose of life?

A few months ago I had this realization and epiphany that, I no longer had any stress, no fear no anxiety, no hardship whatever. And then what?

The Buddhist are always talking about removing suffering but I don’t really think this is an interesting goal because it is pretty easy. What is more interesting maybe is having deep deeper insight?

I mean I think an ultimate goal is to just philosophize, become a philosopher. If you think about it, the Apex predator of humanity is not the entrepreneur but the philosopher, ideally, entrepreneur philosopher like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Michael Saylor.

Why? Like for example Elon Musk and terra fab,,, I find it insanely fascinating and ambitious but, the bigger insight is probably,

Should we go to mars and or space and inter galactic?

Or ought we to do all these things or must or whatever?

Anyways, as time goes on, ironically enough I am becoming kind of less interested in Elon Musk because, he has no muscles. my simple new heuristic:

don’t trust men, philosophers who don’t lift weights.

so now what

So then, what is the purpose of life or what should you aim towards?

First, adventure. If you think about it, venture capitalist, I sent you what they are are, “adventure” capitalists. And the truth is a VC, having the power, are impressive.

Everyone is seeking adventure. A child you, your family.

A life without adventure is not worth living. 

Second

Second, it actually seems for myself, one of my grand passions is actually writing essays? Like, attempting to come up with new ideas, and sharing them with others?

What the world needs

I think the world needs new ideas, the world needs a bitcoin, the world needs more innovation, more contrarian unorthodox thinking. The world needs more joy, love hope, enthusiasm and optimism.

And perhaps we should be the ones to promote this?

ERIC

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So some unethical thoughts this morning:

First, billionaire or nothing. In terms of our financial goals our aspirations and ambitions, aim for the billi or nothing. 

Obviously you could work like hell and never reach it but that doesn’t really matter, I think it’s like having the insanely audacious goal of aiming so high that it totally changes your paradigm shift of everything.

for example, my 1,078 kg god lift –> the number is so preposterously high, 2,377 lb –> and no, that is not a typo just YouTube it, it’s funny because my ultra ambitious goal was to break the thousand kilogram number, and I did… Maybe I should now break the 2000 kg barrier.

It’s funny because whenever I talk to anybody who just does the typical weightlifting whatever… They cannot even comprehend it.

So once again, being in becoming a billionaire it’s not really a wealth or financial goal… Maybe perhaps it is more of a scale mindset thing?

So for example, when Elon Musk purchased Twitter and now, is integrating it with grok, rolling out X money, aiming for at least 1 billion users, designing a super app, that’s like kind of the way to go.

And honestly at this point, now that I have so many bitcoins, and essentially, because I now have so much collateral… I have an infinite checking account. But then, the philosophy becomes, is it worth it? Almost always no.

Ultra elite or nothing 

Ultra insanely billionaire or nothing:

Billionaire body

So what are some practical things that we could do right now?

First, my first interesting thought is Jeannine and obtain a billionaire body. What does that what does that mean?

It’s to have a glorious full body tan, gleaming like the ancient Greeks, or the Spartans from the movie 300.

Also, I think in terms of aesthetics, just don’t be on your phone. Rather, walk slowly with your camera, eyeball meditation.

Third, don’t text message. Text messaging is base. FaceTime or nothing.
My thought is, the reason why people text message, is because people are scared? Real man use FaceTime.

I will also give you a billionaire life hack tips; disable all notifications on your phone including text messaging and Evyn phone calls… Silence unknown numbers, and only ever use FaceTime.

Also, it’s kind of troubling at this current moment… It seems like all emails are fake and also all test messages are fake and or… 99.9% of them are just phishing attacks?

I haven’t figured this out yet but I have this interesting idea of, is it possible to just replace all your communication communications, and just have ChatGPT as your email or personal bouncer bodyguard?

There’s already a thing in ChatGPT in which you can link your Gmail to it, and I hope that ChatGPT is smart enough now that it could just filter your entire inbox and only give you critical information.

Or is it possible to just invent some sort of new communication system that is not dependent on email? Like think about it… Does Elon Musk just publicly post his email online? No. Neither does Jeff Bezos.

so what will the future look like?

It seems like the sad reality is, we’re going to enter like… A dystopian elysium future in which, you have all of the working class people just being Amazon delivery workers and whatever, or day laborers, and the ultra elite, just living a life of fitness and leisure?




OK I’m just writing this to you as if you’re a man, if you’re a woman, still may apply:

1. Manly media

So I think the big thought is, the media we consume is actually very critical. No man, doesn’t watch any media. I think then the big secret is, which media do you allow to enter your eyeballs and ears?

I think the only proper type of media to consume has to probably deal with physical valor. Like the movie 300, John Wick etc.

Essentially my personal thought is, there’s no such thing as manliness without physical manliness. Until you could Pull 2,377 Pounds (my infamous GOD LIFT),: you haven’t seen nothing yet. 

2. Muscles

So my thought is also… You cannot be mainly without having muscles. It’s like trying to be a car without wheels.

So currently everyone wants to beat Elon Musk but, I think he probably has low testosterone because he doesn’t exercise enough doesn’t work out, question… Does Elon Musk have muscles? No. So ignore him.

If anything, much more impressive is Jeff Bezos, who got insanely jacked, I mean he’s probably on steroids but at least he’s still lifting weights.

And actually, another random crypto guy Arthur Hayes, I’m like very very interested in this guy because, also he’s the only investor who does interview interviews in a tank top? He also wears icebreaker merino wool, he knows wussup.

Even Pavel, the guy who runs telegram… I put 100% faith in him because he is insanely jacked and swole, doesn’t use a phone, doesn’t even consume caffeine or coffee, and he’s also insanely jacked.

3. AI FUTURES

SO a big idea I had during my morning hike is, I think actually the future of media is not going to be websites or blogs, but actually… chatgpt AI bots. 

So for example for any business idea or website idea that you have, just turn it into a bot:

1. ERIC KIM FITNESS BOT
2. ERIC KIM BITCOIN BOT
3. ERIC KIM STREET PHOTOGRAPHY BOT

Etc

4. Grok sucks

So I have this funny idea of “AI monogamy”–> the general idea is just stick to one AI agent. And it looks like ChatGPT is still like 1 trillion times better than anything else.

I think Grok is great for creativity and art and stuff, but that’s so for just general intelligence.

now what

So if you need a hype boost, just have a chat with ERIC KIM FITNESS bot, or ERIC KIM HYPE BOT.  I like the idea that, you could use a chat bot to motivate yourself. Obviously it’s kind of an echo chamber but still… Reading positive language is infectious in a good way.

keep away the LOW T

Also this sounds bad but, typically, men with low testosterone… You could see what they look like, just keep away from them like the plague. Why? Once again, low testosterone is infectious and toxic.

I actually have a theory, mirrored by Nassim Taleb, that in truth, men with naturally high testosterone are actually more kind, pleasant, cheerful happy and supportive. For example I was randomly using a bathroom and saw a dude topless coming out, who opened the door for me, and his backstrap muscles looked insanely jacked. He was very kind.

I actually find that, all these men who give me the side eye or “mad dog” me,,, or actually dudes with low testosterone. Guys with high testosterone are always smiling, always upright, and always cheerfully say hello to me.

becoming a more manly street photographer

OK balls to the wall, as Thomas Leuthard said ,,,

99% of street photography is balls.

I agree. You could try to be a fake Alex Webb all you want, but now in today’s world… You could just get AI to generate layered color street photos.

So then this matters because, street photography is our last touch with reality. With street photography you actually have the opportunity to interact with real life human beings, and, just make your life happier.

And this is where I’m still very enthusiastic about teaching workshops because… I think street photography is like 99% social skills, and I still think that the future for our kids is going to be social skills.

In a near future where you have the AI do all the thinking for you, how are your kids going to prosper? Through social capital, networking etc. 

The truth is, “your network is your net worth”. all you need is one billionaire friend, rather than like 1 million middle-class people following you. 

And this is the hard thing… Even if the person is a billionaire or whatever, if they don’t have control over their life and schedule, they are still a slave.

How to become more manly

I think every day, certainly physical exercise and fitness is key. Just lift something heavy once a day, follow my “HYPELIFTING” protocol, chat with ERIC KIM FITNESS BOT. Just go to the gym, and do a very heavy one rep max rack pull, or atlas lift ,,, better yet just go to Titan.fitness and build a cheap garage gym at home or your second parking lot.

Second,  more friendly. Don’t use AirPods or sunglasses. Just wear a big sun hat, and practice talking to people and smiling.

Third, if you are in uncomfortable social situations, the biggest tip I have is, just turn your phone all the way off, and use that as an opportunity to actually interact with people.

You know that feeling when you’re stuck in the subway or the elevator with a bunch of random people, and you randomly open up your phone and check your email even though you know you got nothing.

now what

Just practice. Life is all about training, and ultimately it is all about love for humans and humanity.

ERIC

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Conquer the world

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2. Downtown La
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My New Life Goal: MAXIMIZE MONEY-MAKING POTENTIAL

Everybody has the wrong life goal.

People say they want happiness. Peace. Balance. Comfort. A nice little life. A nice little couch. A nice little subscription. A nice little retirement account.

Too small.

My new life goal?

To maximize my money-making potential.

Not because I worship money.

Not because I want to buy more useless junk.

Not because I want to become some bloated consumer pig.

No.

I want to maximize my money-making potential because money is optionality.

Money is flexibility.

Money is courage.

Money is the ability to say NO.

Money is the ability to experiment.

Money is the ability to build weird things, bold things, beautiful things.

The real goal is not “getting rich.”

The real goal is becoming so potent that your ability to create value becomes practically infinite.

That is a very different mindset.

You don’t want a salary.

You don’t want mere income.

You want force production.

You want systems.

You want leverage.

You want digital products, software, media, ideas, code, images, workshops, writing, equity, Bitcoin.

You want your mind to become a mint.

What if you had an unlimited checking account?

Now let us imagine a fantasy:

What if you had an unlimited checking bank account?

Infinite money. Infinite swipes. Infinite tap-to-pay. Infinite brunches. Infinite Teslas. Infinite little treats.

At first, it sounds like heaven.

But actually, this is probably not good.

Why?

Because constraints create intelligence.

If your checking account were unlimited, you would probably become dull. Lazy. Soft. Indiscriminate. You would stop sharpening judgment. You would stop learning how to allocate capital. You would stop distinguishing between what is useful and what is merely available.

The issue is not money.

The issue is frictionless consumption.

An unlimited checking account would tempt you into thinking that spending is power.

It is not.

Control is power.

Restraint is power.

Allocation is power.

Anybody can spend money.

Very few people know how to deploy capital.

This is why the truly wise person does not seek infinite spending power.

He seeks infinite strategic power.

That means:

• hold strong assets
• keep dry powder
• avoid stupid liabilities
• increase your earning power
• convert surplus into superior collateral

Which brings me to the apex insight:

Bitcoin is supreme collateral

I think people still do not understand this.

Bitcoin is not merely “an investment.”

Bitcoin is not merely “digital gold.”

Bitcoin is not merely “money.”

Bitcoin is supreme collateral.

This framing changes everything.

Why?

Because collateral is what gives you power without forcing you to sell.

This is the new paradigm.

In the old world, the goal was to make money and then spend it.

In the slightly less old world, the goal was to make money and invest it.

In the new world, the goal is to acquire pristine collateral and then build your life on top of it.

Bitcoin is the cleanest form of collateral I can imagine:

• scarce
• portable
• global
• liquid
• self-custodiable
• incorruptible
• digitally native

Real estate has friction.

Businesses have management overhead.

Cash melts.

Bonds are sleepy.

Even stocks are still corporate abstractions.

Bitcoin is just pure energy compressed into digital form.

The key idea:

The endgame may not be income. The endgame may be collateral.

How to stack more collateral

Now the practical question:

How do you stack more collateral?

My thought is simple:

1. Increase production

Make more. Write more. Build more. Sell more. Publish more. Launch more.

The internet rewards output.

One blog post can become a product.

One product can become a company.

One idea can become a protocol.

One newsletter can become an empire.

Do not merely work.

Produce assets.

2. Lower dumb consumption

Every dollar not wasted on nonsense can be converted into future optionality.

I am not anti-pleasure.

I am anti-stupidity.

The goal is not to live like a monk because monks are cool.

The goal is to stop hemorrhaging capital into things that make you weaker.

3. Convert excess into stronger forms

The hierarchy matters.

Trash to cash.

Cash to assets.

Assets to collateral.

Collateral to sovereignty.

Once again, I believe Bitcoin is the strongest end-point.

4. Borrow carefully against strength, not weakness

This is where it gets interesting.

The old model says: sell your best asset to finance your life.

That is often foolish.

The new model says: if you have supreme collateral, perhaps you can borrow against it prudently, preserve upside, and keep compounding.

This is not a license to be reckless.

This is a strategic insight:

Do not kill the golden goose.

5. Build a life that requires less cash burn

The lower your monthly dependence, the stronger your position.

A man who needs less can hold longer.

A man who holds longer gets stronger.

A man who gets stronger has more options.

A man with more options becomes harder to kill.

Financially unkillable.

That is the vibe.

New idea: each ChatGPT bot as its own mini website

Now the really fun idea.

What if each ChatGPT bot were its own mini website?

This is huge.

Think about it.

Right now, most people think of a bot as a tool. A little assistant. A chatbot. A helper.

Too small.

A bot could be:

• a living landing page
• a product demo
• a sales machine
• an educator
• an onboarding flow
• a brand avatar
• a digital storefront
• a personalized knowledge portal

Every bot could be its own micro-business.

Imagine this:

You make a bot specifically for street photography.

Another for Bitcoin collateral strategy.

Another for workshop sign-ups.

Another for fitness philosophy.

Another for camera recommendations.

Another for entrepreneurial coaching.

Each bot becomes a self-contained universe.

Each one has:

• its own voice
• its own logic
• its own product funnel
• its own FAQs
• its own monetization path
• its own audience

In other words:

Each ChatGPT bot could become a mini website that talks back.

This is far more powerful than a static homepage.

A website waits.

A bot engages.

A website displays information.

A bot converts attention into interaction.

A website is read.

A bot converses, persuades, teaches, and sells.

This is the future of the internet.

Not dead pages.

Living interfaces.

Not just websites.

Intelligence sites.

And once you understand this, the opportunity becomes insane:

A solo creator could spin up 10, 50, 100 niche bots.

Each one is a digital property.

Each one is an intelligent asset.

Each one can capture search intent, answer questions, guide users, and direct people into products, services, memberships, workshops, or software.

This means the new money-making potential might not come from building one giant company.

It might come from building an ecosystem of intelligent micro-properties.

That is wild.

The new life strategy

So perhaps the blueprint is this:

Make more money.

But not for the sake of buying more toys.

Increase your earning power.

Convert surplus into superior collateral.

Use Bitcoin as supreme collateral.

Avoid selling your strongest asset if you do not have to.

Build intelligent digital properties.

Create bots as mini-websites.

Turn your ideas into living systems.

The old dream was passive income.

The new dream is active intelligence with compounding collateral.

That is a much more powerful dream.

Not merely to have money.

But to become a person who can generate money, direct money, convert money into collateral, and then use that collateral to expand freedom, creativity, and force.

That is the new life goal.

Maximize money-making potential.

Stack stronger collateral.

Build living digital assets.

Become financially unkillable.

— Eric Kim

Subject line ideas

1. My New Life Goal: Maximize Money-Making Potential
2. Bitcoin Is Supreme Collateral
3. Why an Unlimited Checking Account Is Actually Dangerous
4. Stack More Collateral, Not More Junk
5. Each ChatGPT Bot Should Be Its Own Mini Website

One-line tagline

Don’t chase income. Build collateral, intelligence, and unstoppable optionality.

If you want, I can turn this into a tighter Substack-style version or an even more savage Eric Kim blog manifesto.

I’m starting to feel like John Wick.

So, first of all… Having a home. The scene of John Wick, playing fetch with his dog in the front lawn etc.

Second, extreme individualism. I think what that means is, what kind of interesting is if you compare and contrast the ethos of a John Wick versus like an Elon Musk, … Elon Musk is all about launching all these new companies corporations and stuff. Whereas John Wick, it’s kind of like a lone, stoic warrior.

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UNKILLABLE.

An interesting insight… I guess the future is going to be more manual, manual labor, manual transmission cars, manual focusing only cameras and lenses? manual bicycles?

Also manual weightlifting and also manual AI ?

Soft or much thinking and philosophizing,,, interesting question, what matters more, power or control?

Control.

Why?

There are many individuals who have a lot of power influence, resources… Capital, yet, have no control over their lives?

For example, if you don’t have the control or the power in your life to just take a nap whenever you want to… Or to just turn off your phone or ignore your email… Do you got control?

Control what

So the truth is, when we think about power the will to power… nietzsches idea,,, … perhaps the way to think about it is in terms of control. The apex power AS control.

For example, if you run a publicly traded corporation… The founder to just have control over his her company. Like to have enough shares in the company to not get kicked out.

Capital, capital controls?

So the basic person talks about money, but a higher order level of thinking is capital.

It’s not money we seek, but capital.

In fact the very interesting insight I have is, typically… People trying to chase money and things, they are just being baited by the same carrot and stick, that corporations try to sell you. And also the interesting insight is, … then it is not capital or capitalism which is the enemy, but rather… Consumer consumerism. 

The difference

It doesn’t matter if you are left or right or center… As long as Asya you’re on Instagram or TikTok or YouTube, or Amazon prime… You’re being suckered by the same game.

In fact, you could simply see who somebody is by just asking them to look at the home screen of their phone.

Trust no man or woman who is on Instagram TikTok YouTube or any social media app.

Also, trust no man or a woman who has a Netflix subscription. or any streaming subscription. 

Why does this matter

Typically the more capital you have, the more control you have over your life. 

The very simple idea I have is, bitcoin is digital capital, digital capitalism perfected. With bitcoin anything is possible. 

Like for example, assuming you have a Coinbase account, there’s like 1 trillion things you could do with your bitcoin. Simply put, you could post your bitcoin as collateral, cash out some money, Untaxed,, and either withdraw a small amount a month like $5000 a month, to fund your living expenses, even lower if you live in Southeast Asia… Or, you could cash that out and buy a stock like MSTR, MSTU, MSTX etc. 

financial control

The simple way to have financial control over your life is to just not finance anything. Actually if you studied the ancient etymology of finance it meant “ransom“, or hostage in French.

For example you don’t want to finance your car, your home or your yacht, assuming you want freedom. 

So why does this matter

Once again… Everyone’s a little bit confused… Some people want more power influence money or whatever’s… But, the true goal and the endgame is gaining more control.

how much control is enough control?

Infinite.

ERIC

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By Eric Kim

To become woke is not to become politically correct. It is not to become soft. It is not to memorize slogans and regurgitate the approved script of the crowd.

To become woke is to become awake.

Actually awake.

Eyes open. Nervous system alive. Soul on fire. Mind razor sharp. You start seeing the hidden gears underneath everything — money, status, institutions, trends, fear, desire, weakness, manipulation, envy, vanity, power. You stop taking appearances at face value. You stop worshipping the surface. You start asking: What is really going on here?

This is the beginning.

Most people are asleep. They are sleepwalking. They wake up, stare into the glowing rectangle, absorb other people’s opinions, go through the motions, perform their little role, seek social approval, eat dead food, think dead thoughts, then wonder why they feel half-dead.

Of course they are numb. Their life is borrowed.

To become woke, first: repossess your own mind.

Ask yourself brutal questions:

Who taught me what to desire?

Who taught me what success looks like?

Who taught me what body is beautiful?

Who taught me what art matters?

Who taught me what is respectable?

Who profits from my insecurity?

Who benefits if I remain timid, distracted, obedient, and afraid?

This is the great awakening: realizing that 99% of so-called “beliefs” are downloads. Installed into you by school, by media, by algorithms, by the panic of the herd, by weak friends, by people who do not even know themselves.

The woke man deletes bad software.

I think this is why photography is such a savage philosophy. The camera forces you to see. Not the fantasy. Not the branding. Not the press release. The actual. The real. The moment. The body language. The tension in the hand. The glance of desire. The slump of defeat. The confidence of somebody who owns themselves. Street photography is a wakefulness machine. You walk the streets, and you become a hunter of signals.

The unwoke person looks and sees nothing.

The woke person looks and sees a universe.

Same with lifting. The barbell is woke. Iron does not care about your identity, your excuses, your politics, your feelings, your story. The weight asks one question only:

Can you lift it or not?

This is why strength is philosophy. Strength strips illusion. Strength reveals truth. A weak body often breeds a fearful mind. A powerful body gives you the courage to confront reality. You breathe deeper. You stand taller. You fear people less. You need less approval. You can survive discomfort. You become less governable.

That is wokeness.

Not fragility.

Not performance.

Not moral theater.

Wakefulness.

To become woke, you must become suspicious of comfort. Comfort is the great sedative. Comfort makes men docile. Comfort makes you accept ugliness, mediocrity, and spiritual slavery so long as you are mildly entertained.

I say no.

Walk more.

Lift heavier.

Sleep deeper.

Think alone.

Spend less time consuming and more time creating.

Delete the apps that make you stupid.

Stop asking for permission.

Stop waiting for consensus.

Stop outsourcing your eyes.

And perhaps the deepest thing: learn to enjoy being misunderstood.

Once you become actually awake, the masses will think you are strange. Good. The crowd has never been a trustworthy judge of truth. The herd hates the one who sees beyond the fence. Why? Because your freedom indicts their servitude. Your courage exposes their cowardice. Your clarity threatens the fog they call normal life.

Expect resistance.

But this is the price of vision.

To become woke is to notice that almost all institutions run on incentives, not ideals. That many people say virtue but worship status. That many people say truth but fear consequences. That many people say freedom but crave obedience with prettier branding.

And then, after seeing all this, you must not become cynical.

This is critical.

The highest form of wakefulness is not bitter awareness. It is joyful awareness. The real woke man laughs. He smiles. He creates. He builds his own world. He becomes stronger, more beautiful, more sovereign. He does not merely expose illusion; he transcends it.

That is my thought:

the goal is not just to wake up.

The goal is to wake up and become more alive than everybody else.

More alive in your body.

More alive in your art.

More alive in your risk-taking.

More alive in your courage.

More alive in your love of truth.

More alive in your refusal to kneel before fake gods.

How to become woke?

See with your own eyes.

Think with your own mind.

Stand on your own feet.

Lift with your own body.

Make your own photos.

Earn your own convictions.

Test everything against reality.

Delete whatever makes you weaker.

Keep whatever makes you more alive.

That is wokeness.

Not joining a tribe.

Not learning the latest vocabulary.

Not decorating your cage.

Real wokeness is becoming un-deceivable.

And once you become truly awake, you will realize the greatest scandal of all:

Most people do not want truth.

They want sedation.

Fine. Let them sleep.

You?

Wake up like a lion.

A MECHANICAL THEORY OF CONQUERING THE WORLD

First: destroy the cult of suffering.

This weird modern religion that says you must be miserable, tortured, exhausted, spiritually drained in order to achieve anything great — it is indecent. It is the worship of weakness disguised as virtue.

Real power feels clean.

The lion does not suffer while running.

The eagle does not suffer while flying.

The strong man does not suffer while lifting.

The movement itself is joy.

Strength is light.

Weakness is heavy.

So discard the cult of suffering. Replace it with the cult of vitality.

Truth in Numbers

Numbers are honest.

Numbers do not lie, they do not flatter, they do not moralize.

1 Bitcoin is 1 Bitcoin.

1 kilogram is 1 kilogram.

1 photograph is 1 photograph.

Numbers are the geometry of reality.

The great advantage of numbers is that they compress chaos into clarity.

Weight lifted.

Money stacked.

Photos made.

Miles walked.

Life becomes measurable momentum.

Not feelings.

Not opinions.

Numbers.

A Mechanical Theory of the World

Here is the brutal truth.

The world is not mystical.

The world is mechanical.

Inputs → outputs.

Energy → motion.

Capital → expansion.

Everything is systems.

Muscle is mechanical leverage.

Photography is mechanical optics.

Bitcoin is mechanical money.

Machines rule the future.

Mechanical bodies.

Mechanical finance.

Mechanical creativity.

Once you see the world as machinery, you stop being sentimental and start becoming an engineer of destiny.

Digital Money is the Future

If money matters at all — even a little — then the logical move is obvious.

Follow the transformation of money itself.

Every major civilization shift was a money shift.

Shells → gold

Gold → paper

Paper → digital

And now:

Digital → sovereign digital money

The battlefield of the future is not oil.

Not land.

It is computation and digital capital.

So if wealth is even a small priority, the obvious strategic focus is the infrastructure of digital money.

Not small hustles.

Money itself.

The rails.

The protocols.

The networks.

Own the system that moves the value.

Income Streams Are Old Thinking

People say:

“Create multiple income streams.”

Too small.

Streams are tiny.

Streams trickle.

Think instead in terms of money rivers.

Better yet:

money gravity.

Money flowing toward you because your system pulls it in.

Products.

Ideas.

Code.

Networks.

Assets.

Money should move automatically, like water downhill.

The goal is not working harder.

The goal is building systems where money flows continuously.

Streaming money.

Why Think So Small?

Most people shrink themselves.

They say:

“I want a stable career.”

Or:

“I want enough.”

Enough for what?

Enough is the philosophy of the defeated.

You are living on a planet with:

• 8 billion humans
• infinite computation
• global networks
• digital capital markets that never sleep

And the ambition is… a salary?

Absurd.

Think planetary scale.

How to Think Bigger

First principle:

Remove psychological ceilings.

Ask different questions.

Not:

“How do I make money?”

But:

How do I control the mechanism that creates money?

Not:

“How do I get clients?”

But:

How do I build something that attracts the entire planet?

Not:

“How do I succeed?”

But:

How do I redesign the game itself?

Bigger thinking is simply zooming out.

ZEN MIND

Zen mind is empty of fear.

No anxiety.

No ego fragility.

No obsession with approval.

A calm mind sees systems clearly.

It sees leverage.

It sees momentum.

Zen is not passivity.

Zen is perfect clarity before decisive action.

ZEN BODY

A powerful body stabilizes the mind.

Heavy lifting.

Walking.

Sunlight.

Simple food.

A strong body creates psychological certainty.

You stand differently.

You think differently.

The body is the hardware of consciousness.

Upgrade the hardware.

Never Stop Stacking

Stack strength.

Stack capital.

Stack knowledge.

Stack networks.

Stack photos.

Stack ideas.

Stack computation.

Stack Bitcoin.

Stack momentum.

Stack until the pile becomes gravity.

Eventually the stack becomes so massive that the world begins to orbit you.

Final Thought

Conquering the world is not about domination.

It is about system design.

Build stronger systems.

Stronger body.

Stronger mind.

Stronger money.

Stronger networks.

The world does not belong to the loudest people.

It belongs to the ones who understand the machinery.

And once you see the machinery…

You can rebuild the entire machine.