To Become A Genius

[JustTom]

Hello dear internet stranger, I'm Tom and I will be documenting my journey to become a genius here. I will be leaving out details as to preserver at least a little bit of online privacy, but I'll try to update the thread with the gist of what's happening throughout the days. Maybe weekly, maybe every three days, however I feel like is appropriate. So the intro:

What is a genius

From Wikipedia: "There is no scientifically precise definition of genius, and the question of whether the notion itself has any real meaning has long been a subject of debate, although psychologists are converging on a definition that emphasizes creativity and eminent achievement."

So pretty much this. When I see a work of a person I admire I think to myself "woah that guy/girl is a genius, I want to be like him". This happens quite often to me. Be it a musician, a scientist, an entrepreneur, doesn't matter. Something made with passion, direction towards improving our world, creativity, innovation and lots of hours of hard work always moves me. 

The Rant

Being very young myself and clearly seeing the infinite space of opportunities the modern world and the human body provides, I want to contribute as well. Not because I should, not because people will applaud me and definitely not because of money. I want to improve our society, help mankind, because deep down I feel like that's what I am. That's my authentic self, it is my way of thinking that differentiates me greatly from my peers. I can't explain it logically. It's just what I feel I am. I feel genuinely happy when I'm on this path. Just like when the lego pieces click together to form the desired shape. It just feels right for me.

I truly believe we live in an amazing time in our history and it is very likely that due to near-future technological advances, the human race will be able to skyrocket it's development and 'evolve' to another level. I want to help make sure it happens sooner rather than later and with a little bit of luck, maybe my generation will not have to die of natural causes and will live to see humans go through a revolution like never before.

When Elon Musk was young he asked himself: What areas will have the most important effect on the future of humanity? He came up with 5 things: the internet, sustainable energy, AI, genetics and making us a multi-planetary species. I would also personally add nano-technology research to the list(and maybe remove the internet because that one is pretty much a done deal at this point).

So he started out with the internet, co-founded paypal, sold it and then moved onto sustainable energy and making us a multi-planetary species with SpaceX and Tesla. And he is pretty much on the verge of nailing those two down within a couple years as well. Easy. It just took talent, tons of courage and most importantly - extreme dedication and ability to work literally 100% of the time. When I say work I don't really mean something unpleasant, he works on his life dreams with passion therefore he doesn't really consider it work. Just like many other geniuses we've heard about. So this is where I want to get. Out of those 5 I take AI because I am currently studying computer science anyway, but also because I personally think it will be the most dangerous OR most beneficial one.

I want to develop a sharp mind. Right now it's not too shabby, but far from what it can be. I have an image in my head of a person that I want to become and I know I can become. The brilliance, courage and entrepreneurship of Elon Musk, sharpness, awareness and social intelligence of Eddie Morra from the movie Limitless and the focus on the inner self and self-actualization of Leo Gura. 

I believe I can bring massive value to the world if I implement the right strategy and take massive action. Which is what this thread should help me with. I'll be honest, in my last three weeks I fell into one of my deepest depression periods, doing nothing but watching reruns of tv shows and reading reddit. Classic. RIght now though, I've dig myself up a bit and I'm ready to go hard. It's time to grow the fuck up.

The Plan

Essential daily stuff that needs to be done:

• Wake up at 7:30
• Morning Routine - right after waking up, consists of morning stuff + 30mins of meditation
• Quick workout - 2 out of 6 basic own-weight exercises
• 16 pomodoros of solid work(30min segments)
• Bedtime at midnight - read or meditate for 30mins

Right now the solid work will consist of only studying(which for me is mostly programming), later in the semester research(neural networks) and after semester I will be laying out my business plan and working on that too. Moreover, I want to become more aware in all situations in life. While commuting, eating, resting, exercising, working etc. I think simply remembering and realizing it does the job for now. Feeling what's happening inside me, or thinking as if I'm another person looking at myself, that's just a way I like to visualize.

These goals are the minimum though. Optimally I want to put in a lot more solid work pomodoros if I want to reach world-class level. Because that's what I'm aiming towards now. I didn't used to. I had several of my own limiting factors such as living in a country with a horrendous educational system and poor opportunities for work. Also I used to be focused a lot on music, which I am now decided to put aside. I know I have huge talent for performing as well as composing, but I find other areas to be more important and fulfilling. 

I will be employing a number of tactics in order to stay on track. Firstly, website blockers to keep me away from procrastination. I have my own comprehensive list of places to ban and never return to. All useless monkey chatter that doesn't help me rest or relax, but rather increases brain fog and makes me want to crave instant gratification. Secondly, the motto that Tony Robbins talks about quite a lot - motion creates emotion. When I feel like shit, it is usually enough to do some movement, to bring some positive energy. "You can't think yourself into the right action, but you can act yourself into the right thinking" - Leo. Daily meditations will also help me raise my awareness of my own mind and help alleviate the need for things that don't make make me happy but pretend to do so.

Thirdly, remembering. Along my efforts to stay more aware, I will be trying to remember what I'm saying here, where I want to get, what I want to achieve. It's not that hard, any time I read another article from r/futurology I get goosebumps of excitement. Sometimes there is this fog that engulfs my mind, I can't see anything and all I want to do is not think, this is when I have to recall what I'm about.

And lastly, not being alone. I find that whenever I'm with people I am much more aware and 'free'. In seamless control. I don't have to talk to anybody, but just by being in the same room with somebody while I'm working helps me for some reason. It's like I actually act out what I think, I let my authentic self drive me, instead of the monkey inside that just wants to cope out.

If I fail, I will post an update here and recuperate. Wish me luck.

Edited August 27, 2016 by JustTom

[JustTom]

Weekly Update:

Overall, I did improve, but it's hard for me to call it a success. Most days I did accomplish the minimum goals, EXCEPT meditation. I don't know what it is for me, but I can't get myself to it. I subconsciously don't find it very important, I feel like I don't have much time, so I better start working right now. But in fact, it's more beneficial for me to meditate anyway. Even for practical purpose of discipline. It makes me more focused, it eliminates monkey chatter from my head(at least for a while). Also, I am a bit afraid of falling asleep if I meditate in the morning. But nevertheless, I still should. 

So for this week, I will try to make this my number one goal. Meditate every day no matter what happens. Even if I woke up at noon and everything was going to shit, just do that one thing. 

Furthermore, I need to go to bed without my phone or PC on. I tend to watch videos or listen to music while falling asleep. Obvious thing to get rid of as it not only makes the sleep worse, it also makes it 10 times harder for me to wake up in the morning, I don't know why but if I just read a book for a while instead of watching a video in bed, it makes me fresh in the morning. 

I still got two projects that need to be done in two weeks. I can make it, but time is running out a little bit. Will keep my focus on these two: meditate no matter what and go to bed with a book instead of a screen.