{"id":34469,"date":"2017-07-04T09:00:53","date_gmt":"2017-07-04T16:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=34469"},"modified":"2016-11-28T19:20:01","modified_gmt":"2016-11-29T03:20:01","slug":"what-do-you-want-out-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/07\/04\/what-do-you-want-out-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do You Want Out of Life?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"eric-kim-street-photography-color-chroma-19\"<\/p>\n

Dear friend,<\/p>\n

What do you want out of life?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What is your purpose for living?<\/p>\n

What really puts your heart on fire? When do you feel the most enthusiastic? When do you feel the more alive? When do you feel the most useful, purposeful, and helpful?<\/p>\n

What do you want out of life?<\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Happiness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be a distraction<\/h2>\n

\"eric-kim-street-photography-color-portrait-hands-new-orleans-10\"<\/p>\n

I think the first biggest mistake we make in life is focusing on being \u00e2\u20ac\u0153happy.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

To be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153happy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is to have dopamine and seratonin flowing into your brain\u00e2\u20ac\u201d hormones and chemicals that put you in an elated mood. We often feel these \u00e2\u20ac\u0153feel good\u00e2\u20ac\u009d hormones in our brain when we make money, when we have sex, when we take drugs, drive in a fast car, or play video games.<\/p>\n

\"1-contact-nola-1\" \"1-contact-nola-2\"<\/p>\n

But this feeling of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pleasure\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is a fleeting sensation. It fades. We get used to it. Psychologists call this \u00e2\u20ac\u0153hedonic adaptation\u00e2\u20ac\u009d \u00e2\u20ac\u201d we get used to a new lifestyle, new fancy food, new fancy gadgets, and pleasures. But we always want more, and are never satisfied.<\/p>\n

What we want to do is to do meaningful<\/em> and purposeful<\/em> work in life \u00e2\u20ac\u201d not to just seek \u00e2\u20ac\u0153happiness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153pleasure.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

What is meaningful?<\/h2>\n

\"0-eric-kim-street-photography-sweat-downtown-la\"<\/p>\n

To do work that is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153meaningful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d means to put the needs of others above your own. To do \u00e2\u20ac\u0153purposeful\u00e2\u20ac\u009d work means to do work that has a greater purpose \u00e2\u20ac\u201d to help empower others, and humanity as a whole.<\/p>\n

Of course you need to fulfill your own basic needs before going off and empowering others. You need to feed yourself, pay your rent, and pay your living expenses.<\/p>\n

\"1-la-sweat-contact-v2\"<\/p>\n

But is the purpose of life to travel the world, see exotic things, make nice photos, and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153culture\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and educate yourself for the sake of it? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think so.<\/p>\n

Traveling, learning, and building your mind is beneficial when your ultimate aim is to teach others. To share this information with others\u00e2\u20ac\u201d to empower others.<\/p>\n

Ask yourself \u00e2\u20ac\u0153why\u00e2\u20ac\u009d three times<\/h2>\n

\"0-eric-kim-street-photography-downtown-la-eye\"<\/p>\n

Most of us live miserable lives. We are stuck in jobs we hate, we do work we aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t passionate about, and we think that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153happiness\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in life is to travel the world, pursue what we love, and to make an impact in the world.<\/p>\n

My suggestion to finding what your purpose in life is to ask yourself the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153why\u00e2\u20ac\u009d question 3 times.<\/p>\n

\"downtown-la-eye-contact-sheet\"<\/p>\n

For example, ask yourself, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Why<\/em> do I want to travel the world?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n