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If You Know Your WHY, You Can Discover any HOW
What do you desire to do or achieve in your life, and how bad do you want it? And how hard are you willing to work to achieve it?
The hustler spirit
A wise idea from my buddy Nietzsche— the idea that if we know what our purpose or why is in life, we can discover any “how”. This means,
If anything is important enough to you in life, you will naturally hustle hard enough to achieve that!
Natural hustle
In life, I think the primary question we should ask is,
How bad do I want it?
You should use your own naturalistic filter to determine this. You shouldn’t ever need to “force” yourself to do anything. You’re either passionate and enthusiastic about something or not.
A simple concept in life:
Don’t do anything you’re not passionate about in life.
In modern society, we have enough specialized labor for you not do what you don’t want to do. For example if you hate doing finances, you can always find someone else to do it for you.
Don’t do what you’re not passionate about.
I encourage you to only focus on doing what you’re passionate about. For example, my passion lies at the intersection of photography, blogging, philosophy, art, travel, culture, technology, physiology, and entrepreneurship. I dive deep into all these subjects, not out of some “duty” or send of “obligation”.
I study and research these things because I am naturally curious and passionate about learning more about these things. I don’t need to “force” myself to work on these things, yet I naturally pursue these interests 12 hours a day.
We are not cattle
Heraclitus once said, “All animals are driven by blows [cattle prods]”. For (dumb) animals, we train them by inflicting physical punishment upon them, or we prod them to move by whipping them (consider how jockeys whip their horses to run faster).
The problem is in modern society, we are getting trained like cattle. Our school teachers and parents give us the metaphysical prod of guilt, shame, and a sense of “duty”.
You ain’t a cow. Don’t let others prod you into doing what is “best for yourself”. Only you know what is best for yourself. Ignore ‘advice’ from other people; only listen to yourself, and obey your own needs and desires.
What is the fire of Entrepreneurship?
I think it is ultimately desire which drives our entrepreneurial spirit.
For example, when I was 15 years old, I really wanted a car. To me, a car was a symbol of freedom — I wanted to drive myself around, and do things according to my own schedule.
Thus, I started to learn how to hustle. I picked up some jobs tutoring kids, and started a business where I built custom computers (ordered parts on newegg.com) and then sold them for around a $100 profit. I collected all my shekels, and bought my first car– a 1991 Sentra XE (5-speed), for $1200 USD. It was probably one of my proudest moments of my life– the car was mine, and I worked damn hard for it.
Even when I was working full-time at my old office job (age 22), I had this insane burning desire to NOT work a corporate job. I wanted to be self-employed so bad, that I pursued this blog and street photography 110%. I hustled so fucking hard, because I wanted freedom so fucking bad.
Thus this is a principle I believe:
Hustle can only derive from desire.
Why is desire seen as a bad thing?
Yet the confusing thing is this:
In modern society, we are told that having desires is bad.
A lot of Christian and Buddhist-Zen morality tells us this:
All desire is bad, because it leads to dissatisfaction. When you don’t have what you desire, you are depressed. When you obtain what you desire, you want more (thus you will continue to be depressed).
Thus the solution seems to be:
“Do nothing, desire nothing, and you will never feel depressed.”
I think this is wrong.
Desire is good.
Desire is the stimulus to our life. A life without desire is a life not worth living.
Now, everyone desires different things. From a moralistic or ethical perspective, I don’t think there are any ultimate “good” or “bad” desires. All desires are either authentic (you truly desire it) or inauthentic (you have been suckered or tricked by others to think you want it).
Desire isn’t just desiring to buy stuff. Desire is having a desire to create, to mould, too transform, and to erect. For myself, I think the best desire is creative– the desire to CREATE and make stuff (whether photos, videos, films, poems, books, etc).
What do you desire in life?
Thus as a simple idea, ask yourself:
What do I desire in life?
Specifically.
What do I desire to do, become, or create in life?
For myself, I have discovered that ultimately, all material things are kind of “meh”. I inherited a fancy Rolex Oyster Perpetual Datejust from my grandfather from circa 1950’s, and it is beautiful. Yet, it hasn’t changed my life in any meaningful way.
It was always my dream to obtain a Leica M9, and when I did– it was great for about a month or two. Then soon it became “whatever” like all the other cameras I’ve owned in the past. I really wanted a 13” MacBook Pro Touch Bar (Space Grey), and once I got it, I just got used to it, and I don’t really appreciate it anymore (although having said that, it has aided me in being more productive).
The same can be said with phones, cars, clothes, homes, etc. We will eventually get bored and used to all material things.
The best way to avoid boredom
But what don’t we get bored of? Activity! We never get bored of doing things, or making things.
For example, there are some types of photography that I get bored of, but I will never get bored of the act of making photos, or the general art-concept of photography.
Conclusion
To conclude, some takeaways:
- Be truly honest with yourself: “What do I desire in my life, and how bad do I want it?” And if you really want it bad, how hard are you willing to work to achieve or obtain it?
- Don’t let others super-impose their morals and ethics unto you. Don’t let others tell you what you “should” do in your life, and how you can “improve” your life. Only you can dictate what is best for you.
- There are no ‘bad’ or ‘good’ desires. All desires are subjective; just make sure you aren’t getting suckered into wanting to buy something that you don’t really want.
- Activity is always more fun than ownership. Once you buy anything, it loses its appeal. Activity– doing stuff never gets boring. Thus, it seems to make sense to focus your life on action; writing, photographing, doing things and making things!
LIVE ON!
ERIC
Photography Entrepreneurship 101
‘Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Photography Entrepreneurship’: Create Your Own Future >Entrepreneurship Mindset
- How to Conquer Haters
- How to Accumulate Capital
- Why Be Different?
- How to Master Marketing in Photography
- Don’t Play it Safe
- Why Blog?
- How to Be a More Productive Photographer
- How to Hustle
- True Productivity
- What Can Only You Do?
- Love Risk
- What is Success?
- Fill a Vacuum
- Think Big
- What is Your Dream in Life?
- 8 Blogging Productivity Tips
- Why Be Normal?
- How Much Suffering Are You Willing to Endure to Achieve Your Dreams?
Photography Entrepreneurship 101
- Don’t Sit Still!
- Bitcoin for Photographers
- Don’t Be Timid
- Why Start Your Own Photography Blog?
- Fill a Void
- 1,000 True Followers: How to Build Your Own Niche in Photography
- Photography Entrepreneurship 101: Why You Must Start Your Own Email Newsletter
- TURBO CREATION: Why a Maxed-Out MacBook Laptop is the Best Investment You Can Make for Photography Entrepreneurship
Life and Productivity Hacks
- My Ultimate Productivity and Life Hacks
- Life/Productivity Hack: Write (Type on a phone) While Walking on a Dynamic Treadmill
- ERIC KIM Life, Creativity, and Productivity Hacks
How to Make a Living from Your Passion
- Digital Nomad Photographer
- Build Your Own Instagram!
- How to Be More Ambitious
- Do It Your Way
- How to Measure Your Progress as a Photography Entrepreneur + Come Up With New Ideas
- How to Make a Living From Your Passion in Photography
Put a Dent in the Universe.
- Fear Disguised as Reason
- Distraction is the Enemy
- Innovate for the Sake of Innovating!
- Reality is Malleable!
- Stoic Entrepreneurship
- Against Self-Preservation
- The Purpose of Life is to Make New Stuff!
How to Succeed as an Entrepreneur
- You Have No Limits.
- Calculated Risk-Taking
- Invest in Yourself
- The Secret of Happiness: Shoot for the Moon!
- Moonshot Thinking
- Why We Should all Be Photography Entrepreneurs
- Memento Mori Entrepreneurship
- Why it is Better to Beg For Forgiveness than Ask For Permission
- How to Become a Digital Nomad
- Why You Must Own Your Own Platform
- First Principle Thinking for Photography Entrepreneurs
- How I Became a Digital Nomad
- Better to Beg For Forgiveness than Ask For Permission!
- Spurn Pleasing Others!
- Create Your Own Niche
- How to Gain More Exposure For Your Photography
- Intense Focus
- How to Conquer Your Fears as an Entrepreneur
- Define Yourself
- Let Dissatisfaction Drive You Forward!
- It Doesn’t Matter if Someone Else Has Done it Before!
- How to Succeed as a Photography Entrepreneur: Be Extremely Resourceful
- Open Source Business Model in Photography Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship 101: Growth and Innovation Over Self-Preservation
- How to Create Value as a Photography Entrepreneur
- Why Become a Photography Entrepreneur?
- Why You Must Ignore Nay-Sayers to Succeed in Entrepreneurship, Business, and Life
The Modern Photographer: Tips, Strategies, and Tactics to Thrive as a Visual Artist in the Digital Age
Marketing, Branding, Entrepreneurship Principles For Success MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER is your new philosophical and practical primer to succeed as a modern photographer in today’s digital world.Business Mental Models
- How to Succeed as a Photography Entrepreneur: Be Extremely Resourceful
- Open Source Business Model in Photography Entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship 101: Growth and Innovation Over Self-Preservation
How to Monetize Your Photography
- Photography Entrepreneurship 101: INFLUENCE
- Should I Monetize My Passion for Photography?
- 10 Practical Photography Monetization Strategies: Pricing, Google SEO, & Entrepreneurship
- How to Make Money From Street Photography
Why Become a Photography Entrepreneur?
Take control of your own photographic destiny:THE MODERN PHOTOGRAPHER
- CREATIVE CAPITALISM
- How to Monetize Your Photography
- 5 Practical Photography Career Tips and Advice
- 10x Thinking
- How to Hustle as a Photographer
- How to Become Your Own Master Marketer
- The ‘T’ Technique of Success
- Go Ahead and Sell Out
- What is Your Unique Voice?
- Why You Must Self-Promote Yourself
- What is Your Unique Angle as a Photographer?
- Photography Content Marketing 101
- Why You Must Become Your Own Publisher
- The Art of Cross-Pollination in Photography
Photography Entrepreneurship Articles
- Why You Shouldn’t Trust Your Pictures to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Flickr
- How to Make Money From Your Photography
- Photography SEO and Blogging: How to Become Number One on Google
- Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation
- Now is the Best Time to Be a Photographer
- PRODUCERISM
- What Is The Value of a Picture?
- Your Photographic Labor is Not Free
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS 101
- Chapter 1. How to Make a Photography Blog
- Chapter 2. How to Price Yourself
- Chapter 3. How to Find Your Market
- Chapter 4. Why Teach Workshops?
- Chapter 5. How to Build Trust
- Chapter 6. How to Market Yourself
- Chapter 7: Why Should Someone Attend Your Workshop?
KEYS TO SUCCESS
- Why You Must Be a “Personality” in Order to Succeed
- THRIVE OR DIE.
- Impatience is a Virtue
- Create Your Own Category
- HOW TO DREAM BIG.
- Will Not or Cannot?
- Why Not?
- How to Think BIG
- How to Stay Ahead of the Curve
- How to Invest in Yourself
- The Two Camera Rule
- MEANINGFUL DIFFERENTIATION
- Advice For College Students
- How to Thrive in Uncertain Times
- CANNIBALIZE YOURSELF.
- DO AND GROW RICH
- Does Fear of Punishment Hold You Back?
- HOW TO GET MORE FOLLOWERS
- How to Innovate
- How to Build Your Own Empire
- YOU ARE ENTITLED TO HARD WORK.
- PICK YOURSELF.
- OWN YOUR PLATFORM
- 10 KEYS TO SUCCESS
Table of Contents
Learn how to make a living from your passion:- Preface. BRAVE NEW WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY
- Chapter 1. How to Create Value
- Chapter 2. ZEN CAPITALISM
- Chapter 3. Scarcity
- Chapter 4. How to Brand Yourself
- Chapter 5. How to Build a True Following
- Chapter 6. The Blueprint to Success in Photography
- Chapter 7. HOW TO BE BOLD
- Chapter 8. How to Sell Out
- Chapter 9. GO AGAINST THE GRAIN
- Chapter 10. EXTREME ABUNDANCE
- Chapter 11. Photography Experience Economy
- Chapter 12. Why You Should Make Money for Your Photography
- Chapter 13. How to Become a Famous Photographer
Photography Business 101
How to Make Money with Photography
- How to Charge More Money in Your Photography
- Why You Should Not Pursue Photography as Career
- Can Photography Make You Rich?
- How I Earn $200,000+ a Year From Photography
- How to earn $10,000 a month as a photographer
- Why you must be an expensive photographer
Photography Marketing 101
- Why Have More Followers?
- Why You Should Do Photography Work For Free
- How I Became an Internet Famous Photographer
- Photography Blogging Ideas
- Why You Should Promote Your Own Name
- How to Build a Following
- How to Stand Out as a Photographer.
- HOW TO GO VIRAL AS A PHOTOGRAPHER.
- How to Master Marketing
- How to Sell Yourself
How to Hustle.
- Entrepreneurial Advice to My 18 Year Old Self
- How to Become Insanely Productive.
- 5 Lessons From Hesiod on Hustling
Entrepreneurial Principles
- It is Better to Beg For Forgiveness Than Ask For Permission
- The Free Way to Become Rich
- JUST DO IT.
- 7 Steps: How to Make a Living From Your Passion
- How to Do What You Love for a Living
- How to Create an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
- How to Fail Big
- How to Invest in Yourself
- How to Be Bold in Photography and Life
- Mission: Cover Your Rent and Food
- 1,000 True Fans
- The “10x Principle”: The Only Difference Between “Success” and “Failure”
- Make More Value Not Money
- We Live in a Photo Utopia
How to be a Full-time Photographer
- How to Make a Living From Photography
- The 3 Principles of Making Money With Photography
- Advice for Aspiring Full-Time Photographers
- Don’t Go Into Debt For Your Photography
- How to Brand Yourself as a Photographer
- Trust: The Most Important Thing You Need to Succeed as a Photographer
Photography Blogging
- How to become rich from photography blogging
- How to Make a Living with Blogging
- 50 Blogging Tips For Beginners
- How to Start Your Own Photography Blog
- A Photographer’s Guide to SEO, Blogging, and Social Media
How to Teach Photography
- How to Become a Photography Teacher
- How to Teach a Street Photography Class
- Why I Teach Street Photography Workshops
Social Media
- Why I Deleted My Instagram
- The Social Media Blackbook for Photographers
- Why Do You Need More Likes or Followers?
- Instagram is Going to Be the Next Facebook
- Don’t Trust “Free” Photography Social Networks