The future is photography.

Time for us to go HAM:

The source of all of our wisdom, strength and power is from our bodies and in our bodies. Therefore, building the ultimate body will yield you in building the ultimate mind, the ultimate soul, the ultimate thoughts, the ultimate spirit.

Deify your body

Your body is a temple, as our best friend Jesus says. Why don’t we respect it?

When have we been taught that our body is a vice?

Some theories;

First of all, the fallacious view of the immortal soul, which can exist without a body. The reason why this is such a dangerous thought is that rather than focusing on our current life, we plan for some sort of fantasy after life.

You’re the one:

Glorify your own body!

Pride in your own body — the new ultimate virtue?

“My body is perfect!”— has anyone ever said this?

I believe it for myself. I believe that my body is the most beautiful, the most supreme, the most perfect thing. My body is the most beautiful male body that I’ve personally seen.

Isn’t this supposed to be the goal of bodybuilding, to craft and build the perfect and ideal body for yourself?

Also, to be able to be self reliant on your own body which means that you judge your own body based on your own self and metrics, without needing the approval of others.

This is how bodybuilders are so fragile, because they rely on the judging and the metrics of a panel of random judges to write their physiques. And the hilarity is that these judges themselves don’t even work out. Isn’t this bizarre?

What is the best life? A life of adventure, challenge, risk, conquest, conquering, self testing, self expansion.

How do you want to look back at your life on your deathbed?

Probably one of the most interesting thought processes that I’ve gleaned from Jeff Bezos is the notion of the “regret minimization framework“. That when you’re looking back at your life, when you’re on your deathbed, at either 80 or 90 years old, how would you look back at your life?

Also, as Jeff Bezos said in his invent and wander book // book notes, typically a lot of our regrets in life are actually regrets of acts of omission, we regret what we did not do, we regret what we did not attempt, etc.

For example, typically things we regret is not having the courage to muster to talk to that one girl, the courage not to attempt to start that one business, or the regret of not speaking up for yourself or others when you witness an injustice.

For us weightlifters, I think the biggest regret we have is when we want to attempt to lift a certain weight, attempt a new personal record, for for some reason we checking out, and we only go halfway. I think in life, the only thing we should regret is our cowardice. In life, you must give it your all.

Some morning philosophy; what does it mean to become stronger?

The first thought is waking up in the morning and feeling your muscles bigger and fuller, expanding. For example, this morning after I woke up and put on my medium size T-shirt, I could feel my wings expanding. I could feel new muscles that I didn’t feel before.

The feeling that your T-shirt is getting tighter, and your T-shirt armpit area is starting to get too tight, because your muscles are getting bigger.

Also, sleep. You’re sleeping earlier, deeper, longer, and also waking up later. After my 640 pound rack pull, feeling my hips sore. This is a good sign.

Also, increased appetite for more flesh. Becoming more carnivorous. Carne means flesh.

Also, stronger sexual libido. Also, being more conservative with your semen. No need for porn. No “energy suicide”. No needing to rub it out.

What does it mean to see like an artist? It means to see the world as more beautiful, more full, more mysterious, more enigmatic.

See and think abstract

Focus on the details, obscuring things. To make your photos more mysterious and interesting, obscure more of the frame, obscure the face of your subject, etc.

Imprecise is good

Why is it that we are always seeking for precision in our photography in our artwork? This shouldn’t be the goal. Precision is boring. Precision is scientific, and lacks obscurity and fuzzy edges. True art has no fine lines, no hard edges, no clear definitions.

Randomness

Give randomness a chance. What does that mean? With any real artistic discoveries, or even scientific ones, I do not believe in 100% precision. For example, the invention of the microwave oven was an accident, x-rays were discovered via an accident, scotch tape, etc.

Kill your masters

With art, you must cut the umbilical cord, you must kill your masters metaphorically. There must be a certain point which you see yourself as above your master. For example, do you see yourself as superior to Henri Cartier-Bresson, to see yourself as superior to Picasso, etc.

One of the ways to create great images is that you need to inject some randomness into your shooting.

Dear friend, if you desire to embark on an insanely phenomenal photo and life experience, I cordially invite you to my totally new HADONG SOUTH KOREA ZEN PHOTOGRAPHY RETREAT (June 19-23rd, 2023) a weeklong creative photo experience from Monday to Friday this summer.

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What can you become?

The first impetus of this workshop is unlocking your true hidden potential. To give you a full stack visual training, in order to become the uber photographer artist creative.

This workshop will be both practical and philosophical. You will venture to one of the most epic places on planet earth, Hadong South Korea, in the beautiful and zen mountainside. There, you will have the zen opportunity to focus on your creativity and art.

The mountains

Why is it that all these philosophers always retreat to the mountains in order to think, philosophize, and make art? My theory is because of the higher elevation, it increases your red blood cell count, which actually increases your blood flow, which gives you a stronger visual creative stimulus.

During my month in HADONG South Korea, I achieved the highest levels of inspiration, motivation and creativity in regards to my photography, life, philosophy, and entrepreneurial thinking. I think it will have the same effect on you too.

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So where is Hadong South Korea?

You have probably never heard of Hadong South Korea. Neither have I. Also a lot of South Koreans don’t really know either.

Hadong South Korea is in the south of South Korea, about a 2 hour drive away from Busan, the second most populous port city in South Korea. Also for personal reference, Hadong South Korea is about a 5 hour drive away from Incheon international airport, ICN, the main airport of South Korea.

You can see Hadong in a Google map pin here.

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What will I gain?

This photography retreat is a unique opportunity for you to get away from the crazy hustle bustle of everyday life, endless emails, petty office politics, etc. The chance for you to mentally detox and the opportunity for you to focus on your own photographic creativity, and focus on thriving.

From this workshop you will gain:

1. How to become more creative
2. How to become more zen in your photography
3. How to find more inspiration and motivation in your photography
4. How to raise your visual acuity, and see like an artist.
5. Discovering a deeper purpose behind your photography, a deeper personal meaning.

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Your week of thriving

Your retreat will be a full-on weeklong experience, every day from Monday to Friday.

June 19-23rd, 2023 (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday)

The logistics is simple: book a flight to Incheon national Airport South Korea, ICN, And we will take care of the rest of the details.

And of course, a return flight from international airport back home, or, other one way flights if you want to explore the rest of Asia, which could include Japan, Vietnam, Bangkok Thailand, Phnom Penh Cambodia etc.

What dates should I block out?

Prioritize your artistic thriving. Some suggestions on how to schedule this for yourself:

1. If you are insanely busy and your schedule is limited, I just recommend spending a week in Korea, and flying back home immediately. Thus means fly out of your home airport June 17 or 18th, and then fly home June 24th, 2023 (the day after the workshop is over).
2. If you have more flexibility in your schedule, spending two weeks in South Korea is a good idea. You can spend a week for the workshop experience, and then spend either another week in Seoul, or go somewhere else in Asia. My friend Stan Hudecki just bought a one-way flight to Korea last time, and then did another one-way ticket to Bangkok Thailand, and then flew home directly from there. I would then recommend flying into Incheon national airport either June 17 or 18th, and then flying back home a week after the workshop is over.

Ultimately bespoke your schedule to what best fits you.

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How far can you thrive?

This experience will not only focus on your photography, but will also expose you to new sights, new smells, new ideas, new people, new cultures, a new language, and a new vision.

Korea is phenomenal

During the course of this workshop, you will try some of the most delicious food that Korean cuisine has to offer, learn local Korean cultural customs, learn Korean, as well as the local customs and schools of thought. Personally speaking, whenever I learn about a new culture or foreign culture, it always stimulates me creatively.

If you’re curious what Korea is really like, this workshop will afford you an authentic experience; the juxtaposition between the new and the old, the traditional and the modern, the Korean and the American. The full gamut and grandeur of Korea.

How do I know if this workshop is right for me?

I say this workshop will be perfect for you if you’re hungry for a new experience, hungry to travel, and experience and create something new.

I can personally guarantee you that this workshop will totally transform you. You will be inspired with new life, new motivation, new chutzpah to keep exploring.

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Our focus

1. First, the focus on your photography. How to conquer photographers block, to become a more productive and happier photographer, and learning how to make better photos. We will work on how to make more creative and dynamic compositions.
2. Second, for you to be pushed outside of your comfort zone, in order to evolve as a thinker and artist. This would be ideal for you if you were on a traveling roll before Covid hit. Now, one of the great opportunities of going to South Korea is that it is very easy on the Covid restrictions, and the testing. Also no more quarantine restrictions. This means, consider South Korea as a future site for you to travel to frequently, maybe South Korea could become your second home.
3. Third, to experience the food, culture, and the language and life. To experience the real South Korea. And to eat some of the most delicious Korean food— even I was surprised how good the food was in South Korea compared to the states. Also to learn a little bit more about the local customs and language, just imagine going back home after the workshop and being able to tell your friends and families how phenomenal of an experience you had.
4. Fourth, to become more creative. Creativity is our lifeblood. We will not focus only on photography, but painting, drawing, making videos and vlogs, and even thoughts on starting your own YouTube channel. Also, the opportunity for us to create our own entrepreneurial illuminati, sharing creative ideas, and other entrepreneurial ventures we may have.
5. Fifth, making new lifelong friends and memories. Let us consider, if you spend a whole week with fellow passionate like-minded creative people, how can you not become new best friends? Also, memories. We are our memories. Physical things come and go, but the memories remain.

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The vision for the workshop

This is my general vision for the workshop:

• (Day 0): Arrive to Incheon national airport on June 18th (Sunday), and spend the night in a hotel we will organize for you in Myeongdong, Seoul.
• Day 1 (Monday, June 19th): in the morning we will all meet at LIFE+WORK CAFE, a very cool and trendy store and coffee shop in the fashionable MYEONGDONG South Korea Seoul neighborhood. Day one will be focused on introductions and greetings, and general thoughts for the workshop. Then we will have a full day to shoot in MYEONGDONG, practice our street photography, and get some great food there. We will practice on dynamic street photography composition exercises, and how to become more courageous in street photography, how to get closer, how to ask for permission in Street portraits in Korean, etc. We will then have dinner together, and then spend the night at the same hotel in Myeongdong.
• Day 2: in the morning we will then take a shuttle, taxi, train or bus to HADONG South Korea, which is about a four hour transit away. Once we arrive at HADONG, we will break for lunch, and then I will introduce some Zen creativity assignments for you. We will then go into downtown HADONG, where there is a very fun and lively cultural downtown traditional area. We will shoot around there, and then we will have some great Korean traditional food in a dorm, party and have some nice drinks, and then retreat back to our Wabisabi Airbnb’s, where we will spend the night.
• Day 3: Awaken to the beauty of Hung South Korea, and we will enjoy our Zen surroundings. We will explore the local village, and focus on Zen minimal photography assignments. This will be a unique opportunity for you to meet some local villagers, and also breathe the beautiful mountain air. This day will also be focused on Zen creative assignments, which include drawing, painting, and how to think more artistically. We will then enjoy a very epic feast at my mom’s minimalist mountain house, where we shall continue to talk photography, creativity, and life.
• Day 4: For day four we will explore more of the greater area of HADONG, check out some of the traditional temples, architecture, and also experience the mountains. We will stop to break at some epic coffee shops, cafés, and once again, some incredible food. If you’re up for it, we will also do some light hiking, and to see some of the most sublime views that South Korea has to offer. And when the day is over, we will visit a local Korean restaurant, and continue the party.
• Day 5: The opportunity for us to digest some of our experiences from the workshop, and review our photos. I will talk about how to best pare down and edit your work, and how to select your best photos. I will demo practical ways that I cull my photos, and share my workflow thoughts and philosophies. Essentially how you could edit your photos quicker, more efficiently and more productively. we will then do a final presentation of our best work, and offer one another honest feedback and critique. Also the chance for you to pitch some of your creative ideas and entrepreneurial ideas, whether it be website design ideas, YouTube ideas, publishing ideas, etc. We will then have the final epic feast in HADONG, where we will cry our cries, and share our favorite memories from the workshop, what we learned, and what we will bring back home. Then we will all go back to our Airbnb‘s and spend the night.
• Day 6 (after the workshop). We will then arrange for your transit back to either Seoul or international airport, depending on what your travel plans are.

Note that this is my creative vision for the workshop. The real experience will be even fuller, richer, and more fascinating.

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I’m already getting excited!

The dates for the workshop is June 19 to June 23, 2023 (Monday to Friday). I suggest you take a good look at June of 2023, and see whether you could fit this workshop in your schedule:

1. January
2. February
3. March
4. April
5. May
6. June (June 19-23rd, 2023)

Something that I’ve always learned is that June creeps up pretty quickly, so the quicker you could talk to your spouse, your partner, or your employer or your boss, to takeoff time, the better.

Bring your partner, friend, family, or kid along!

An insanely unique part of this workshop is that if you have a friend, partner, or somebody who you feel like will gain much from this workshop, if you attend this workshop, you could bring somebody second, your partner for free. This is the ultimate BOGO, buy one get one free.

Also, if you have any young kids, or children, feel free to bring them along! My son Seneca will be there, and I’m sure that my mom can help take care of your kid(s).

Your Investment

Experiences never die.

This workshop is going to be very expensive, at $16,500 USD. However, the early-bird discount tuition for this workshop will only be 9998 USD. This cost will include everything, besides your flight. Your tuition for the workshop will include all local transport and transit, your hotel and Airbnb accommodations, your food and drink, etc.

And if after the workshop, you’re not 100% satisfied with the workshop experience, I will refund you your full cost after expenses. This is the ultimate skin in the game.

Also note that your tuition for the workshop means that you could include a friend or your partner for free!

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Questions?

If you got any questions about VISA, vaccinations and COVID, contact my workshops manager Lea Chung (Lea.s.chung@gmail.com). As an upside, she’s also my mom! She is your personal on-the-ground personnel for this insanely epic experience.

For the most part, getting an electronic VISA is very easy to get into South Korea. Currently the only thing you must do is get a COVID-19 test, which you can get at the airport (this cost is covered by me for you).

Also, you do NOT need to quarantine before or after entering South Korea (super nice)!

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Things to do before the workshop

1. Get a Korea Electronic VISA Here >
2. Get a “Q code” before entering South Korea

The current up to date information for travel to South Korea

Also, see the current CDC guidelines for South Korea here.

The upside also is that proof of a negative COVID-19 test is NOT required before flying into South Korea.

Also, you are NOT required to have a COVID-19 vaccine before entering Korea. This means you can still travel to South Korea if you are unvaccinated against COVID-19.

Personally I’m fully vaccinated with all my boosters and encourage you to do so as well!

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Secure Your Future

To make logistics and planning easier, securing your spot for this workshop will include a first deposit, and then a final deposit a month before the workshop.

The first earlybird deposit for this workshop will be March 23, 2023 (4999 USD):

The second and final deposit for this workshop (4999 USD) will be a month per to the workshop May 23, 2023:

With questions in regards to deposits, or other payment options, please email my workshops manager Lea Chung at Lea.s.chung@gmail.com

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Questions?

If you have any further questions about the workshop, please shoot email to my mom Lea Chung at Lea.s.chung@gmail.com for on the ground information regarding travel to South Korea and the workshop experience.

You only shoot once

You got nothing to lose, everything to gain.

Be bold brazen and adventurous in 2023. What new evolutions await you?

ERIC

My three pillars of happiness:

1. Challenge
2. Risk
3. Danger

If you want to be happier, or get more out of life, figure out how to further leverage these three things in your favor.

1. Challenge

You require a monster of a challenge, somethings so insanely high and epic, that the chance of not succeeding is high.

2. Risk

Like Jeff Bezos said, if you already know with 100% certainty that is going to work, it is not an experiment. In order to innovate, there actually needs to be a very high chance of failure.

3. Danger

Danger, the chance that something can go wrong. I think there are intelligent ways to leverage danger to your favor. For example, at the gym, attempting to lift or hold an insanely high weight, and the small chance that something might go wrong. Yet, the best way to leverage danger is to do dangerous things, but have double safety enabled.

For example, if you were attempting an insanely heavy squat, squat walk, or even squat hold, the intelligent thing is to both have safety pins enabled, and to have a spotter.

Currently speaking, we live in an era and time of hyper abundance. I call it “insane abundance.” That is, the amount of abundance we have is astonishing.

For example, consider how we have the most abundance of all resources, energy and supplies known to man.

Some practical examples; I am so insanely grateful for the Costco business Center, for being my meat plug, in terms of beef ribs and beef brisket. I will never run out of meat. The reason why am so infinitely grateful for this is that it is my theory that the more highly nutritious beef I consume, the more myoglobin, the closer the meat is to the bone, for example like beef ribs, the stronger and more powerful I become. For example, when I was in South Korea, before simply too expensive, I had to settle with pork instead. While I do love pork ribs and pork belly, beef ribs and beef belly is superior.

America is great because literally anything you want is easily accessible, and the cheapest in terms of price globally. For example, it is very interesting that Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis cars are actually cheaper in America than they are in Korea. Why? The South Korea government imposes a high driving tax on Korean citizens, because the nation is so small. The South Korean government wants to discourage driving. Whereas in America, almost every single automobile is sold cheaper here than elsewhere.

I’m also really grateful for the gyms here, and just how cheap and easily accessible they are. For example, the local gym I just go to, my only cost maybe 20 or 30 bucks a month. Insanely cheap, with all the way to need to play around. Compare this with other countries where finding a gym is quite hard, especially a gym that is well equipped with power racks, for squat and deadlift etc.

Third, Amazon. Amazon prime is so insanely useful and helpful, even when I was in Japan, having to procure an SD card was both annoying and very expensive. I’m so happy that if I want to order an SD card or micro SD card, I know I could get it on Amazon so cheap and quickly, with the lowest price. For me I like this notion of “fair pricing“, whenever I buy something on Amazon, I know that I’m not getting upcharged somewhere.

Fourth, I think we should be more grateful for the Internet. Why? It is truly the greatest invention known to man thus far. Consider how the Internet has augmented our ability to do anything and everything. I am so grateful for digital photography, and the Internet, because it helped me become a self-employed entrepreneur, and help me make a living from my passion. My mom always reminds me — “Eric, you are so lucky to have been born in the air or the Internet. If it wasn’t for the Internet, there is no way you could’ve turned your passion into a living.”

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What should you do with all of this insane abundance?

I think the best thing to do with insane abundance is share your abundance with others. That is, through your ideas thoughts, books resources, etc. Open source, abundance.

Knowing that the pie is not fixed. That when you help others, and the more generous you are with others, the more it actually end up helping you as well in the long run. That uplifting somebody else doesn’t tear you down. On the contrary, it is superadditive, everybody wins even more.

Invent and Wander

Lessons I’ve Learned from Jeff Bezos Invent and Wander Book

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How to thrive during the wintertime

Make your own happiness.

Maximal sunlight exposure during the day. Just get a really expensive down jacket, and spend the maximum time outside. For example, maybe buying a good Canada goose jacket is a better investment than buying a new iPhone Pro.

The Internet is key

One thing I learned from the Jeff Bezos invent and wander book was the notion that the Internet is free distribution. I really think that more people should start blogging. A simple heuristic, just stop uploading stuff to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter for a month. Just post it all into your own blog instead. Treat your blog like it’s on Twitter, it’s on Instagram, it’s on Facebook.

bluehost.com and install WordPress.org

Thinking 10 years out +

Another good thought from Jeff, just think yourself, what will not change 10 years from now?

For myself, I know that 10 years from now people will still want to travel, people will still want to find inspiration and motivation, and people will still find it difficult to find photo motivation.

Or even thinking 30 years out, I predict that 30 years from now, bitcoin and cryptocurrency will become more valuable, more useful, more easy to use. Also, certainly 30 years from now, we will probably use our phones more than less.

Will we still be using phones 30 years from now? I believe so. Why? It is the easiest concept, something that fits in your pocket, and you carry around with you everywhere you go. I predict 30 years from now, the next generation of kids will be not as interested in getting a debit card or a credit card, they will just use some sort of digital wallet they could just tap from their phone.

Will college really be useful 30 years from now?

Honestly at this point, college and university is more of a luxury for the rich. For example, if you’re a rich mainland Chinese person, or even a rich mainland Korean person, you will want to brag to your friends that your kid went to school at Harvard, or some other fancy Ivy League school.

My personal prediction is that 30 years from now, people will still be attending college and university, but not really certain why. For example, apparently you can make $15 an hour just working at McDonald’s, or even $20 an hour working at in and out burger. Assuming you work a 40 hour work week, a salary at $20 an hour is $40,000 a year, the same entry-level job that I got when I graduated from UCLA as an undergraduate. So the question, why will people want to go to college in the future? Either your first generation, and you just want to earn the stripes for your family, or your parents will pressure you, because it is a prestige thing.

Health and fitness will matter even more into the future

According to the CDC, about 42% of Americans are obese. Then a simple thought:

10 years from now, will that number go up or down?

Certainly it will go up. I’m almost 100% certain. Why? The prevalence of food delivery services, and also, more and more sugar or fake sugar additives being stuffed into our food.

Another thought, 10 years from now, are Americans going to be spending more time inside their cars or less? Hopefully if you could spend time working from home, you will drive less. However the trend that I personally see is that more and more people are buying more and more cars, and the population of America keeps going up. That means more cars in the road, there’s only so much you could extend or expand the 405 or the 5 freeway. That means more more traffic, more and more people being stuck inside a car.

Also, with social media we are becoming more and more image-conscious. More and more people want to look fit and sexy. Also they will want clothes that accentuate their fitness and sexiness. Therefore it is a good future for Lululemon, Athleta and other fitness related clothing brands.

Even though I am famous for photography in (Street Photography, diet health and fitness is something I am very passionate about. Why? Once being a fat kid, I know how much it sucks being teased for being fat. And then it became my quest to decode the secret of how to get buff, and how to lose fat. I think I’ve discovered some things, which include intermittent fasting, which means no breakfast or lunch only dinner, and adopting a high red meat beef rib carnivore diet. And lots of kimchi (no sugar added, be careful and read the label).

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Photo Abundance

Personally speaking, I love the idea that we live in a time of insane abundance, not just for all resources, but also creatively and photographically.

For example, the greatness of digital. How with digital, you essentially are unlimited. No limits in terms of how many photos you can shoot, store, etc.

Also, with the internet– free unlimited distribution.

Once again — let us consider, isn’t the ultimate epicness being able to create … infinitely, with no limits?

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Can you make a billion photos before you die?

Then the thought–

Can you shoot a billion photos before you die at age 120?

How I plan on living to be 120 years old >

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Photo Thriving

Next– let us consider, that we don’t just want to thrive photographically, but also in life:

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How to Thrive in Life

Life thriving is what I am interested in. Beyond survival; thrivival.

A better definition of happiness

First of all, I like the idea that happiness is not what we are interested in, but thriving. What does it mean to thrive? It means to flourish, to blossom, to grow, and to bear much fruit.

In ancient Greek, eudaimonia was the more precise notion of “happiness“. Eudaimonia means soul thriving, or soul flourishing. Your inner daemon (demon, soul spirit), or your inner spirit thriving. Not some sort of base happiness which is afforded to us through eating McDonald’s hamburgers and other base things .

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What is the purpose of eudaimonia?

If your soul flourishes, so does everything else. If your soul flourishes, you could empower and uplift everyone around you. It is my personal thought that society is not zero sum, which means, we can all thrive together. That thriving is not only restricted to the select few, but is afforded to all, regardless of background, ethnicity, nationality, your socioeconomic status, your bank account, etc.

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What do you need to thrive?

For me, the minimum viable tools necessary include a refurbished MacBook Air with an M series processors, a RICOH GR III or IIIX, even a Ricoh GR II would suffice, and a Wi-Fi connection.

What do you not need? You don’t need a phone, you don’t need a car, you don’t need to own a home, etc.

How to move the world

As long as you have a Wi-Fi connection, you can move the world! The more and more I think about it, the ultimate Archimedes lever for us solo entrepreneurs is the Internet. With the Internet, you can publish online for free, and essentially have unlimited free distribution.

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Own the domain

Bluehost.com and install wordpress.org

What is the difference between a website and blog?

A blog is just a dynamic website which gets updated frequently. That means, imagine your own blog as your own social media. A simple thought:

Anything you would otherwise share or publish to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, snapchat etc — just share it to your own blog and publish it on your own blog instead!

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Physical and physiological thriving

Not enough to thrive ‘creatively’, but physically, physiologically.

Some thoughts:

1. SQUAT HOLD — I have an interesting theory that for squat, you don’t actually need to ‘squat’ down. Instead, just unpack the weight and hold it!
2. HYPELIFTING: Get your adrenaline up!
3. MEAT: The philosophy of meat eating. Meat thoughts— becoming more of a carnivore will make us stronger.

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Become a fully realized photographer

To become a fully realized photographer is to break out of all the categories. No glass ceiling. No limits on the black card.

Digital is the way. Why? Film is not the way.

Also, JPEG is the way, not raw. Raw is too cumbersome and slow. Shooting RAW is like driving an old Toyota Camry, shooting JPEG is like driving the new Tesla model S plaid.

Also in terms of photo size or resolution, small JPEG seems to suffice. I’ve experimented with extra small JPEG, which almost seems too small. Small JPEG, around 3000 pixels wide hits the sweet spot, not too big not too small.

The test is how good does it look like on your 11 inch iPad Pro. Even shooting small JPEG on the Ricoh GR3X, 3000 pixels wide resolution, looks insanely great on the iPad Pro.

Also some thing I realize that in America, Wi-Fi and 5G speeds are still insanely slow. The more your resolution, you will still be capped out in terms of both speeds to your own website blog, etc. Even when it comes to video, 720 P is better than even 1080 P or 4K. Why? Once again in America, our Wi-Fi and Internet sucks. Even if you have the worlds fastest Internet connection, like let’s say in South Korea, the time for YouTube to process 4K videos or even 5K videos is too slow. Not only do you want to upload your videos quickly, you also want them to process quickly. 720P is the way.

Share your abundance with others

Teach photography. You could just teach it to your kid, your partner, your nieces and nephews, your mom, etc. Or you could even volunteer at the local community center and offered to teach photography for free.

Share your abundance on your own website and blog. Make it open, open source open access and easy to download, share, remix, etc. You’re rich enough.

Share your resources with others. Ironically enough, when we share gifts or money with others, it actually brings us more joy than if we spend it on ourselves.

The ultimate thing to share is your time and your soul. This is 1000 million times more important than money, as money is infinite, but your hours in a day and energy are limited.

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Become more abundant

Become a more abundant photographer, thinker, and creative. Embark on an epic ERIC KIM EXPERIENCE in 2023:

1. March 25, 2023: BOSTON CONQUER YOUR FEARS IN STREET PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
2. April 15, 2023: BERKELEY INSANE INNOVATION WORKSHOP
3. June 19-23rd, 2023: HADONG SOUTH KOREAN ZEN PHOTO RETREAT // Register intent here.

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More abundant thoughts

1. Ironically enough, at least in America, meat is cheaper than vegetables, fruit, vegetarian/vegan stuff. Apparently there are lots of undernourished families in America, I would say that the most ethical thing would be for the CDC, or any other American organizations to promote more meat eating. That is, it seems that the best bang for the buck in terms of meat is pork ribs. And, it should be promoted that you should cook it without any barbecue sauce, or other sauces which contain insane amounts of sugar in a toast corn syrup. You could just rub it down with old bay seasoning, and call it a day. If the family is Halal, then beef ribs. I also think it would be a good idea if the American government could help poor families by giving them a free Costco membership, or even a free Amazon prime membership.
2. Black and white is infinite, it still amazes me how many gradations of black and white I can see and perceive. Especially on the Ricoh GR 3X, on my iPad Pro, and small JPEG, the detail blows me away. For the high contrast black and white in camera processing for the RICOH GR digital camera, put the contrast, and sharpness to max.
3. Just think to yourself, if in your life, you didn’t desire to own a home, you didn’t desire to own a car, or even desire to own a phone, how much could this unleash you?

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Don’t get the iPhone Pro

Honestly, the new iPhone Pro is lame. If you need a new iPhone, just get the cheapest iPhone SE instead. Real men have iPhone SE’s, only poor people own iPhone Pros. And if you’re really really rich, you don’t even own a phone. Because if you own a phone, there’s somebody else out there who owns you.

What now?

1. Start publishing more blog posts to your own blog, and also, start uploading more videos to YouTube, and share the YouTube videos to your own blog. Don’t monetize your videos, your purpose of sharing videos and blogs to YouTube is simply a fun thing. Treat vlogging as a fun hobby, and the way to philosophically flush out your thoughts, rather than making money. Because truth be told, even if you get 100 million views on a single video, you might only earn $8000 USD on it with ads. This is not much.
2. Hit the gym. I don’t think it’s necessary to go to the gym every single day, but it is a great luxury. If in fact, do you want to live the richest and most luxurious life, going to the gym every single day, whenever you want, is the ultimate flex. Literally and metaphorically. ERIC KIM FITNESS

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ERIC

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Real rich people just use an iPhone SE, or an iPhone mini instead.

Truly rich people can live off the grid without even owning a phone.

One of the phrases which I hate is the notion of “content creator”, or creating “content”. Why? To refer to what you create as “content” is based and degrading. For example, whenever people refer to things as “content“, I imagine the pink sludge coming out of the industrial toothpaste container which makes McDonald’s chicken nuggets.

What should we refer to the things we create as?

Perhaps we should just call it our art, artwork, our creative work, or our creations. Maybe even better to call it “stuff”, for example, Cindy’s tag line is, “I just like to make stuff.”