• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • START HERE
    • BOOKS
  • WORKSHOPS
  • HAPTIC SHOP

ERIC KIM

BLOG

  • ARS BETA
  • WHY?

SUPREME EFFORT OF WILL.

Urban landscape

Why don’t we give enough credence and credit to ourselves, and our own will-power?


We are soft

Hercules crushing Antaeus, the giant.

To me, you can separate almost all people into two categories:

Hard or soft.

  • Hard individuals: have been tempered by difficulty, suffering, and danger in the past. Yet, they have been tempered by the fire. Like Vulcan with his golden-hot hammer, the heat, the force is required to make indestructible arms.
  • Soft individuals: have been pampered by their parents. No discipline given. Never taught consequences, parents have given them hand-outs, and never had to hustle hard or work for anything in their lives.

Willpower over nurture

ghost phantom

This is my personal hierarchy:

Nature->Nurture->Willpower

This means,

  1. Nature: We cannot change our nature (our DNA, etc).
  2. Nurture: How we were raised. We cannot really control how our parents raised us, or what our upbringing was.
  3. Willpower: This is where we have 100% power– you treat your nature and nurture like play-dough; like a child, you can mould this however you decide!

How to Gain Willpower

I truly believe that enough willpower can move matter, change matter, and change-impact the world.

How do we gain more willpower? Simple ideas:

  1. Drink more black coffee (no cream, sugar)
  2. Fast more during the day (no eating breakfast or lunch– fast until dinner or sunset)
  3. Powerlifting (deadlift, squat, heavy dumbbell press. Workouts which push your personal ‘1 rep max’)
  4. Listen to music that empowers you, stimulates your muscles, and motivates you to move and dance!
  5. Ruthlessly eliminate distractions, in order to focus your will-power. Noise-Canceling headphones, separating yourself from distracting folks, not letting technology or media distract you.

Do we even have ‘free will’?

Google Pixel 3, with Vista black and white filter. Processed in Google Photos

Yes we have free will. If you didn’t believe in free will, why live?

If you believe that you have free will, then you will realize the truth:

With any supreme effort of your own personal willpower, you can achieve, do, create, or achieve anything.

GO HARD!
ERIC


Philosophy by KIM

Dictate your meaning and purpose in your life with ZEN OF ERIC:


Philosophical Essays

  • How to Become more Idealistic
  • Thrivival 101
  • Create Yourself
  • Non-Small
  • Inspiration
  • How to Live a Heroic Life: Dare the Heights!
  • Human Augmentation
  • Prune
  • Happiness: Do What You Want to Do (And Don’t Do What You Don’t Want to Do)
  • Avoid Vain (Empty) Pursuits in Life
  • Modern Slavery
  • Kill the Leeches
  • Wisdom Augmentation
  • Why We Need Friction in Life
  • Straight Line Philosophy
  • What’s Your End-Game in Life?
  • Create Your Own Happiness Today
  • Desire Both Pain and Pleasure in Life
  • Try the Impossible
  • SELF-RESPECT
  • Anti-Social Extrovert
  • Never Blame Anybody But Yourself
  • Human Flourishing
  • Simpler, Not Better.
  • How to be Free
  • Embrace the Extremes
  • Cultivate Your Own Culture
  • COURAGE.
  • Thrivival
  • Inner Power
  • How to Live a Purposeful Life
  • My Definition of Happiness
  • Why Change is Good
  • Why Work?
  • How to Live the Happiest Possible Life
  • The Two-Pronged Approach to Maximize Joy in Your Life
  • You Always Have Another Option!
  • INFINITISM
  • Never Stop!
  • What is Your Self-Directed Purpose in Life?
  • Live Today Like it Were Your Last
  • Do You Photograph to Live, or Live to Photograph?
  • ARTIST-PHILOSOPHER
  • Live Life to the Fullest!
  • In Praise of Selfishness
  • Why You Must Be a YAY-SAYER to Succeed in Entrepreneurship and Life
  • Why I Love Walking
  • Live Life Like a Video Game!
  • Simple Luxuries in Life
  • Treat Your Life Like a Fun Experiment!
  • Only Prove it to Yourself
  • You Don’t Always Need to Feel Joyful to Live a Fulfilling and Meaningful Life
  • Life is Too Short to Be Bored!
  • Money Cannot Destroy Boredom
  • How to Find Inspiration in Life
  • Why You Must Ignore Haters to Succeed and Win in Life
  • An Active Life is a Happy Life
  • My Simple Joys in Life
  • Never Stop Striving
  • How to Motivate Yourself in Life
  • How to Be Optimistic in Life
  • How to Dictate Your Purpose in Life
  • In Praise of a Dynamic Life
  • PURPOSE.
  • How to Enjoy Life
  • Photography Therapy
  • How to Conquer Regret
  • Take Your Play Very Seriously.
  • How to Prosper
  • Memento Vivere
  • Destroy in Order to CREATE
  • Trust Your Body More Than Your Mind
  • Make Photos to Make Meaning in Your Life
  • Seek Knowledge, Not Information
  • The Purpose of Human Life
  • How to Overcome Impedence
  • Why I Love Death
  • How to Be Centered in the Eternal Now
  • How to Be Happy
  • Why Do You Care What Others Think of You?
  • Why I’m Happy
  • Why?
  • Why I’m So Prolific
  • How to Reduce LAG in Life

Masters of Philosophy »

  • Seneca
  • Marcus Aurelius
  • Publilius Syrus

Personal Philosophy »

  • You Are the Light of the World
  • Your Soul is a Diamond in the Rough
  • Why Live?

Stoicism »

  • How to Be a Stoic Street Photographer
  • How to Use Photography as Self-Therapy
  • How to Free Your Soul From Disturbance

Zen Philosophy »

  • How to Be a Zen Street Photographer
  • Zen in the Art of Street Photography
  • How to Find Tranquility in Your Photography

Life Lessons »

  • How to Conquer Your Fears in Life
  • Conquer Yourself
  • How to Focus

Learn more: Start Here >

ERIC KIM NEWSLETTER

Get free motivation >

JOIN ARS: The Anti-Social Media for Photographers

Ars black logo

The future of photography feedback: ARSBETA.COM

WHY APP?

zen of ERIC KIM why app icon

Never stop asking why?

HAPTIC INDUSTRIESHaptic industries

Creative tools to empower you >

Primary Sidebar

Cart

PHOTO WALLET HAS ARRIVED.

PHOTO WALLET ORANGE BORDER

 

The perfect wallet for you >

HENRI NECK STRAP MARK III

Available in PHANTOM BLACK >

MUSE by KIM

MUSE by KIM

Your new muse >

#RICOHMAFIA

ERIC KIM wrist strap mark ii

JUST SHOOT IT!


HENRI SHOULDER STRAP

Film Leica MP x Henri Shoulder Strap (CREMA BROWN)

Supreme >


Street Photography Starter Kit

street photography starter kit by ERIC KIM

Master street photography >

 

 

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!

Seize your destiny >


Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Photography

eric kim ultimate beginners guide to mastering photography udemy

Master photography >

STREET NOTES

The original and true STREET NOTES >


FILM NOTES

Take it back to the old school >

CREATIVE EVERY DAY

Create every day >


STREET HUNT

Never stop hunting >


PHOTO JOURNAL

Photo Journal Print Edition

Discover more personal meaning in your photography >

HAPTIC MAG

Read our HAPTIC MAGAZINE: Issue 1 “Our Story” >

HAPTIC makes creative tools to empower visual artists. From educational tools, art platforms, to camera equipment, HAPTIC is driven by a spirit of experimentation and creative collaboration. We are a majority women led, family operated industry, and have great pride in everything we make.

See the HAPTIC SHOP > (We ship worldwide from California)

See all our products on Amazon >


HAPTIC

HAPTIC MISSION: We believe in disrupting the production market for photography, art, and creative tools. We are transparent about the labor practices behind HAPTIC because we are proud and love everything we make. We support honest and beautiful work with respectful wages to our artists, artisans, and collaborators.

We are not anonymous. Our products are a story. HAPTIC products are printed, prepared, shipped from California with creative collaborators from Saigon.

Read more about our values and collaborations with artists and artisans >

See all products in HAPTIC SHOP >

HAPTIC INDUSTRIES on AMAZON >

OPEN-SOURCE