eric kim red face looking up hanoi

Dear friend, a key to success in entrepreneurship and life: Don’t wait for permission before you take risks and try something epic in life!

Learn how to fulfill your dreams in photography entrepreneurship in my new course, “Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship“.

The problem in entrepreneurship and life is that we are afraid. We are afraid of failing, we are afraid of being judged negatively, we are afraid of going “against the grain”, we are afraid of breaking social norms, and we are afraid of being “hated on” or ostracized by others.

To be honest, this isn’t your fault. It is human nature. By human nature, we are ‘risk averse’ — meaning, the fear of getting punished/losing/dying is 2x (or more) powerful than the feeling of pleasure we get from being rewarded. In other words, losing $100 at the Casino is twice as painful as winning $100 at the Casino.

Therefore in life, we fall victim to the ‘status quo bias’– we prefer to stick to the status quo (what is tested and “safe”, predictable, and “un-scary”). Then what happens is that in life, we prefer the “safe” option. We don’t like taking risks, and doing anything that hasn’t been done before.

What is an entrepreneur?

To me, an entrepreneur is an individual who is willing to make a risk to (ultimately) benefit society and the human race.

Etymology (history) of the word ‘entrepreneur’:
– The word entrepreneur is from the French (as a lot of English is), and comes from the old French word, “entreprendre” which means to begin something, or undertake.
– Therefore it makes sense to me to see an entrepreneur as an individual who attempts something, tries something new, and (of course) must take a risk in order to attempt something.

Money is a means, not the ultimate end!

Of course, an entrepreneur must make money. An entrepreneur cannot make a living without earning money and profits. However it is my belief that the purpose of making money isn’t to become the richest person in the world. The purpose is actually to use money as a tool to achieve higher goals in life.

For example, Elon Musk‘s goal isn’t to become the richest human on planet Earth. No — he wants to earn money through his companies (SpaceX, Tesla, etc) in order to build rockets to colonize space/Mars. Money is a tool of achieving our dreams in life. Money itself isn’t the goal.

Therefore if you have enough guts to attempt crazy things or the impossible; I bow down to you, and give you a hat-tip for your courage, brazenness, and the fact that you’re actually attempting to pursue your dreams in life. Whether you succeed or not isn’t as important to me– what is more important is your work ethic, your drive, and your hustle.

Therefore, if you’re willing to take risks in life, and do crazy or “unreasonable” things in life, you are an entrepreneur.

Be the change which you wish to see in the world

If you’re attempting something epic and grand in life, you don’t require the permission from anyone. You only need permission from yourself. And that is something you can control 100%.

Realize that if you try to do something epic in your life, you’re going to piss people off. Consider all the great things that people like Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa, and countless other individuals in history have attempted. They had such a passionate belief in their ideals, that they all risked their lives to realize their dreams of advancing humanity for the better.

Do you have the hunger, appetite, or desire to become the change which you wish to see in the world? If so, I encourage you to enroll in my new brand-new online course, “Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship” now live on Udemy. In the course you will learn how to pursue your dreams and passion in life, how you can successfully make a living from your passion in photography, and how you can empower yourself to take more risks, to stay productive, and dodge all the nay-sayers and “haters”.

BE BOLD,
ERIC