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How to Respect Yourself

Eric Kim selfie. Uji, Kyoto.

Eric Kim selfie. Uji, Kyoto.

How to respect yourself?
Well to start off, pay attention to your own health
Your mental and physical
Your visual and lyrical

What does that mean?
It means don’t quantify yourself
By the green (money) in your pockets
And open your heart to others; don’t lock it.

Happiness ain’t a box, you can’t unlock it
True joy is human flourishing; eudaimonia
You can be happy wherever you live, whether Romania or Estonia

People hating on you?
Rope a dope it like Jack Dempsey
And have faith in me, I’ll keep on rolling with ya

You get the picture?
Don’t let life break your foundation, even if life’s earthquakes are off the Richter.

—

To respect yourself
Have faith in you
Never ask anyone’s opinion of you
What do you care what they heard of you?
You should have knew, or known all the misconceptions of you
But the only important person to please is you.

Do you admire you? Do you like you? I’m sure you do. There’s nobody else who has been through the same shit as you.

So when the haters hate, tell them to just “shoo”— what works for you won’t work for them,
Not every single foot fits every single shoe.

So just stay true
To yourself
Who would have known
That you’re a king
And you reign your own throne?
You rule your own Rome

Don’t kill Remus like Romulus
Love your own brothers
You’re part of one another
He is you, and you is him.
When you win, so does he. Or she. Don’t think of “you” and “me” but “we”.

—

Anyways, I’m getting a little off-course.

To respect yourself, never let anyone talk down on you. If anyone tries to bully you, tell them to fuck off. You ain’t so tough, you wanna-be hot-shot.

To respect yourself, never doubt yourself. You’re capable of incredible things, so don’t just talk about your ideas. Do them in real life. Even though it’s hard to hustle, stay tied to your mast. You’re fucking top class.

And life is short. Don’t mope about; have a blast.

So what are you waiting for? Grab life by the horns, and make it yours.

BE STRONG,
ERIC


STOICISM

eric kim portrait by cindy

Become invincible:

  • How to Believe in Yourself
  • How to Steer Fear
  • How to Conquer Pessimism
  • How to Conquer Anxiety
  • How to Overcome Your Fear of People
  • How to Be Optimistic
  • Why I Don’t Take My Anger Seriously
  • HOW TO BECOME MORE POWERFUL
  • POSITIVITY.
  • HOW TO BECOME SUPERHUMAN
  • How to Give a Fuck Less
  • ALL IN.
  • Why I Cut My Dad Out of My Life.
  • Your iPhone Only Has 5% Battery Left.
  • How not to give a FUCK about your REPUTATION
  • WHAT IS A HUMAN?
  • HAPPINESS.
  • The Regret Minimization Framework in Photography and Life
  • How to Be a HERO
  • Conquer Your Fears by Making Fear Your Slave
  • Rule Circumstances; Don’t Let Your Circumstances Rule You
  • How to Love Yourself
  • How to Turn Shit into Gold
  • Your Parents Fuck You Up
  • Immortality
  • What Kills You Makes You Stronger
  • How to Be Patient
  • How to Conquer Anger
  • How to Bounce Back in Life
  • How to Overcome Resistance
  • Nothing Unlimited is Good; Nothing Good is Unlimited
  • You Have No Limits
  • Can 1’s and 0’s Hurt You?
  • The Envious Moment is Flying Now
  • Tomorrow We’ll Sail the Wide Seas Again
  • How to Forgive Others
  • Focus on Your Actions, Not the Results
  • Everything Will Be Alright
  • How to Be a Stoic Street Photographer
  • How to Be a Spartan Photographer
  • How to Overcome Your Fears in Life
  • How to Stop Worrying in Life
  • How to Use Photography as Self-Therapy
  • How to Free Your Soul From Disturbance
  • 3 Stoic Techniques that Can Help You Gain Tranquility
  • Can People Weaker than You Hurt You?
  • Does a Doctor Get Angry at a Crazy Patient?
  • Own Nothing

The Stoic Masters

eric kim photography black and white hanoi-0009910

Learn from the master stoics:

  • Seneca
  • Marcus Aurelius
  • Epictetus
  • Publilius Syrus
  • Heraclitus

See all philosophy >

HENRI SHOULDER STRAP

Film Leica MP x Henri Shoulder Strap (CREMA BROWN)

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Street Photography Starter Kit

street photography starter kit by ERIC KIM

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HENRI WRIST STRAP PRO

Henri wrist strap pro

For the pros >

Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship

My brand-new Udemy Course, "Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship" now live!

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Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Photography

eric kim ultimate beginners guide to mastering photography udemy

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ERIC KIM WORKSHOPS

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Unleash your creative potential:

2021:

  • April 10-11th, 2021: BOSTON / Discover Your Unique Voice in Photography Workshop [Register Intent Here]
  • May 1-2nd, 2021: CHICAGO / Street Photography Composition Masterclass [Register Intent Here]
  • May 22-22nd, 2021: NEW YORK CITY / STREET PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERCLASS by ERIC KIM [Register Intent Here]

Be notified of when new workshops are live here.


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