{"id":71411,"date":"2017-11-30T05:10:13","date_gmt":"2017-11-30T13:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=71411"},"modified":"2017-11-30T05:13:41","modified_gmt":"2017-11-30T13:13:41","slug":"buy-yourself-experiences-not-stuff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/11\/30\/buy-yourself-experiences-not-stuff\/","title":{"rendered":"Buy Yourself Experiences, Not Stuff"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cindy
Cindy and red scarf. Berlin, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A life lesson I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve learned: the best \u00e2\u20ac\u0153bang for your buck\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in terms of happiness, joy, novelty, and excitement in life is purchased through EXPERIENCES, not stuff.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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ERIC KIM EXPERIENCES ><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Amsterdam
Amsterdam sunset, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To be clear, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think that just having experiences for the sake of experiences will find you the ultimate sense of joy, purpose, and passion in life. But, I do think that experiences help you in many ways:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Exploration of other cultures (cultivated open-mindedness, and exposure to new ideas, which can be integrated into your everyday living)<\/li>\n
  2. Less fear of the foreign and unknown \u00e2\u20ac\u201d makes you less xenophobic, and have more \u00e2\u20ac\u0153xenophilia\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d love towards strangers and the foreign. I know that after I experiences being in Beirut<\/a>, Lebanon and going to Dubai<\/a>, my attitude towards the Middle East changed from being a culture of fear and the unknown, to realizing that Arabic people are some of the kindest, most generous individuals.<\/li>\n
  3. Experiences stay with you<\/strong>: I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t remember any of the stuff that I bought in the past that has brought me continual joy or memories. But, I still do remember the nice dinners I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve had with Cindy, our travels to Kyoto and Uji, the nice experiences we had going camping with our family, traveling with our family in Portugal and Japan, and nice experiences at coffee shops and teaching workshops and meeting new students.<\/li>\n
  4. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m on my deathbed, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be more grateful for my array of interesting experiences in life<\/strong>, rather than trying to take my Lamborghini with me after I die.<\/li>\n
  5. Experiences help you grow and become stronger as a person: All of my positive and negative experiences in life have helped me become who I am. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m grateful for it all. From the shitty childhood I had (at least in terms of finances), to all the hate I got trying to make it in the photography world. My negative experiences made me stronger, gave me a sense of drive and hustle, and helped me find more gratitude in the simple pleasures in life.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Traveling<\/h2>\n
    \"ERIC
    ERIC KIM abstract selfie, Amsterdam 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Probably 80% of my money goes towards travel and living abroad with Cindy. The last year and a half after we got married<\/a>, we have been in:<\/p>\n