I Have An Idea … Blink, It’s Gone Forever

I was sitting with a group of friends a while back, enjoying appetizers and a drink as we talked. The place was full and fairly loud, so instead of sharing with the whole group, we each turned and talked one on one with our neighbors. I didn’t know the woman on my right all that well, so we started talking a little about what we do, what we enjoy – you know, the little “chit chat” stuff you talk about when you’re getting to know someone.

I told her about everything I do: photography, writing, books, coaching.

Then I turned the tables and asked her about her life. She has a husband, son in high school, and a job she “hates”, but it pays the bills. Then she opened up about her dreams. She said she’s spent a lot of time dealing with a family situation with her son, and she would love to turn her knowledge into a business. She dreams of writing a book and coaching other families going through similar situations. I saw the look in her eyes. And heard the passion in her voice.

“What’s holding you back?” I asked.

“I just don’t have the time or energy to do it” she answered. “Maybe someday.”

Her story is common. In fact I bet if I asked most people on the street, they would all have a similar story. There is something deep inside that if you put all other things aside, that one thing would be something they would love spending their time doing all day every day.

Let’s look at photographers.

I hear every day from people that would love to turn photography into a career. But something holds them back. It might be family. It might be commitments. It might be a job. It might be money.

Really it could be anything at all.

But in the end, its just a priority. Everything else wins. Photography loses.

“I have to keep my job so I can pay the mortgage” you might say. So you spend more time working for ‘the boss’ and less time pursuing your love of photography. Your priority is the house. Not the photography. Because if it was photography, you would get rid of the mortgage, downsize to a smaller, less expensive place for awhile, and make photography your priority. We did it –

Dig Deeper: If You Don’t Change Today, When Will You?

A couple of years back, I read a story about an old man and a jar of marbles. You may have read it too – if not, I found a copy of it here.

And yes, I have my very own jar of marbles on my shelves at home. I keep it there as a reminder.

My jar of marbles helped me make my decision to sell my home and pursue my love of travel.

My jar of marbles helps me create everything I do within my life.

And my jar of marbles was also there to help me recreate one of my long-term sites, Vision Of Success, to help guide people into What’s Next.

I don’t cross over my sites very much – every site I create is stand alone, and I like people to follow a site because that is the content they are really interested in. Yet today I’m releasing my Vision Of Success site again and I’m excited about it. I’ve written a brand new Kindle book Laptops and Beaches that I used to guide us into our current lifestyle, and wanted to share it with those of you that see photography as more than a career, but also a lifestyle that can allow you to do anything you choose.

So this is my one plug. If you are designing or redesigning your current lifestyle, and need a little motivation along the way, Laptops and Beaches may be the perfect guide for you.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Whatever your idea is, remember, its an important one. Its not something you should put aside and wait for another time to put it into action.

You only have 3900 Saturdays in your lifetime. And because you’re reading this, I know you’ve already used up a good portion of them. Those Saturdays are gone, but you have a whole slew of Saturdays left to go.

If you have an idea, put it into action today.

The Photographers Guide To Getting Things Done On The iPad

When I originally got the iPad a year ago, I knew I would love it. Yet I really had no idea how much use I would find in the apps available, and how I can take it anywhere and get things done.

I’ve given you tips on apps to use to work on your photographs, but with an iPad, its so much more.

Yesterday, I spent the day sitting in doctors’ offices with my mom. And with hours of time on my hands, I started using a variety of apps on my iPad, and started thinking about how easy it is to take your business everywhere.

Here are some apps

OverDrive

If you are a regular follower, you know I live at the library – I literally couldn’t afford my book habit if I didn’t rely on the library too. Now I don’t even have to make a weekly stop at the library – I simply open up the library on my iPad. With OverDrive, you have access to your library account from your iPad, and can browse through your local library’s ebook list. If it’s available, download it and start reading. If its “checked out”, reserve it and have access to it at a later date. [Read more…]