BetterPhotoJim

Everybody CAN Have a Quick Fix, As It Turns Out - Day 44

In a previous entry, I said that The Quick Fix is a lie, an unstable fantasy.

I was only partly right.

The magic bean is in fact a lie. We won't find lasting happiness and healing in a simple cure-all pill. But the reason why may surprise you.

In truth, we don’t need such a pill.  All we need to do is change our thinking. Jesus said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In other words, “Change your way of thinking – your mindset – because harmony is right here, right now.”

You can experience a correction, a positive change today… right now!

Are you feeling a little (or a lot) in the dumps? Would you like an instantaneous healing?

I've learned two ways that, for me, work every time:

1. Change your state of mind by moving your body
2. Express genuine and meaningful gratitude

Both of these methods are quick and easy. What could be quicker than standing up, putting on a coat (if you need it), and heading out for a walk? What could be easier than grabbing a piece of paper or opening a document and jotting down 10 things you’re grateful for?

Try it out. Do either of the above two for 10 – 30 minutes and see if you still feel cranky.

Technique One:  Move

If you want to get out of a rut (frustration, depression, anger, stress), here's a technique that will do the trick 99 out of 100 times. All you need to do is move your body. 

Give it a go! Get going within the next few minutes… right after you finish reading this blog (and tweeting it and emailing it to a family member and telling your friends about it).

Take a brisk walk, swinging your arms so much people might think you look silly. Or go for a run. Or play ball with your kids. Or go out with your camera in hand, taking quick snapshots as you explore the area.

Whatever you do, break away from your sitting position and get going today.

Dance, even. Experience the freedom and joy a free-spirited child lives in every moment of the day.

Too grumpy to move? Nonsense – what if the truth is that you’re grumpy because you’re not acting?

Don’t worry. No one is watching. Try it out – get up and flap around like a seagull. See if you don’t feel better in a matter of minutes.

Technique Two: Can you ever be TOO grateful?

I’m sure you’ve been reminded more than a few times about the power of expressing gratitude. But can we ever do this too much?

No way, Jose.

Since I’m traveling this month, I am using my pocket notebook as a substitute Gratitude Journal. It doesn’t matter whether you write things in a nice hardbound journal or a tiny spiral notepad; the only thing that matters is the process of thinking and acknowledging your blessings.

I hope you, like me, have had a wonderful weekend of remembering all that is good in your world. Now is not the time to stop. Now is the time to pour it on! 

Have you expressed your gratitude for cinnamon? Are you happy for what asphalt and concrete allow you to do and be? Do you feel grateful for the unsearchable miracle that allows us to communicate with each other, even though you’re at your computer wherever you are and I’m in my office in rental house in Carmel, California?

We can never run out of things to be grateful for.

Have fun feeling the joy of gratitude and the enhanced mindset that comes from moving your body.

My family and I look forward to hearing about the instantaneous healings you experience every day of the coming weeks.

Epiphany: 76 Days to Fearless Success - Day 38

When I started this 76 Days experiment, I wrote that I did not know where I'd end up. As with any creative endeavor, the path can change as you evolve.

And that's exactly what's happened! I have come to a great realization and I want to celebrate with you.

After 38 days of intense self-examination, I've gone over all my notes and had a major epiphany, a clear realization of where I need to be going with the remainder of this experiment. Here's the breakthough:

"Destroying Fear by Getting Clear"

That's what I'm calling my forthcoming boot camp and system for success. Here's a brief video introducing it:

I've realized that almost every aspect of my success - my business, marrying my awesome wife, connecting with my amazing friends, my three darling kids, my books, my creative enjoyments, my prosperity... they have all come about in large part because I've been blessed over the years with self-confidence.

I certainly wasn't born with it. I remember high school, for example, being 4-years with very few moments of self-confidence. But I grew, and many of the great people in my life have helped me fuel the flames of courage and learn how to be self-confident.

It's an ever-evolving thing... I still have many areas where I need to build up more confidence, but overall my successes have been deeply accelerated when I'm self-confident.

Likewise, I have realized recently that almost all of my most important activities have to do with gaining clarity.

• When I map out all the aspects of my sense of purpose, I'm working to get clear.
• When I'm writing out my list of 100 lifetime goals (my "bucket list"), it's all about getting clear and focused. 
• When I'm working on the next steps with BetterPhoto or my career, I am working to gain clarity.
  

Getting a clear vision is the first step of any achievement, I've found. Before I take action making photos or building the business or writing the book, I first clarify.

This combination of confidence and clarity has brought many blessings. I've used my system and am so grateful for the big benefits it has brought.

What's more, I've noticed a great need for confidence and clarity in the people I meet.

While teaching people how to make better photos, I've noticed deeper, core issues that need to be resolved. I've noticed that many people need more confidence - they need to believe more in themselves - in order to rise to the next level of photographic success.

By concentrating on the creative application of aperture and shutter speed, for example, many students will grow into better photographers but only over a long period of time. If these same students simply gained confidence (mainly by getting clear), they would see success (and greater satisfaction and enjoyment) much more quickly.

For these reasons, I intend to launch "Destroying Fear by Getting Clear" asap.

It will consist of a 3-day online experience designed to bring major breakthroughs in your personal development, self-confidence, and subsequent success.

Stay tuned for more details. The second half of my 76 day experiment will focus on this particular topic...

So here's to your future success, your feeling of certainty, and your brilliant self-confidence.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, my friends.

What Do You REALLY Want to Do or Become? Seize the Day 37

What do you REALLY want to do or be?

As you think about the one thing you've most dreamed of doing, but have not acted upon yet, ask yourself what is keeping you back from taking the first step.

You may come up with any of a long list of reasons for not taking action:

• I don't have the time
• I don't have the money
• I'm not skilled enough or smart enough

But when I examine my list of yet-to-be-acted-upon dreams and goals, and I dig deep, I come to the conclusion that all of the above are just excuses.

In truth, the real reason is fear. What I want to do and be most is the very thing that I am most terrified about. It boils down to one simple fear: if I fail at this, where do I go from there? It appears that I can only go down into settling for 2nd best, and I certainly don't want that.

This fear is a lie, though. If I don't succeed at my #1 passion - my soul purpose - I will simply try again. I'll take a different path or try again at a different time.

(After all, sometimes an idea is PERFECT but the timing is off).

It won't be the end of the world if I encounter a few road bumps along the way. In fact, it's inevitable in a life of growing, learning and progressing.

The real danger is what will happen if you don't take action, if you continue to put off your #1 dream. What will the consequences be if you keep putting it off? Think about that for a minute.

***

Then think about how both you and others could benefit from you living out your dream? Now think about that for a minute.

***

And then come back to the main question:

• What is the one thing you're most passionate about doing or becoming?

And:

• What is one action you can take in the next 24 hours to get one step closer?

It's just one small step. You can do it.

Go for it!

Get Going with Your Personal Power Hour - Day 36

Here's my first video - it's super rough, super raw.

In this first video, I invite you into my morning routine and share my personal Power Hour.

First I pray and my prayer is praise. I thank God and express gratitude.

After prayer, I walk on the treadmill and read - nourishing my body and my mind.

After at least 30-40 minutes of aerobic activity, I stretch, do yoga, or do strength work. I love to use Wii Fit Plus but when I'm traveling and in a hotel (like today), I either find an alternate or skip this part. (Travel puts a strain on my usual ritual so if I don't get to get part of my Power Hour, I forgive myself and move on. It's much better to pat yourself on the back for the parts you do get done than to beat yourself up for not being totally perfect).

As the final part of my Power Hour, I return to gratitude, writing ten things I appreciate in my Gratitude Journal.

These are the most important parts of my day so I get them done first.

***

Here's my first video.

I have to warn you: the camera is VERY wiggly so it may cause you to feel a little sea sick. I have to find a way to get a more stable video even when hand holding the camera.

BTW, I'm very proud of myself for doing this video, because I overcame serious fear recording it. I know it sounds silly, but I had to try three times before I could not get myself to walk out of the hotel room. I was afraid of bumping into someone while recording the video outside in the halls of the hotel. But I finally overcame this irrational fear, convincing myself that it did not matter if people thought I was strange. And you know what... I did meet a couple of people in the hall, and it was okay. I just kept recording and it was not as big of a deal as I had feared. So that is a big reason why I am posting this, even though it's so unpolished... it's a first step.):

***

So when you decide to do your own Power Hour, here are the steps:

First, figure out your highest priorities. That's key - you need to know what you consider to be the Big Rocks - the most important things in your day.

Then start your day the night before, writing down your intentions in regard to your morning Power Hour. Visualize yourself doing it, and ending it exactly when you say you'll end it, even if you get excited and pumped up, from the energy of your activities.

Most importantly, just do it. Don't let anything get in the way. Give yourself the give of starting your day with your own agenda (not another's agenda).

And then just do it.

Setting Intentions the Night Before - Day 35

Tonight, I am setting an intention of what I want to do tomorrow: First thing tomorrow morning, I will launch my video blog.

I want to share with you one of the best breakthrough techniques I've learned and implemented this year... habitually doing a morning "Power Hour". This one practice has made a world of difference in my personal productivity as well as my peace of mind.

If you often end your day in a blur, feeling frustrated and overwhelmed, wondering where the day went... you'll feel much better once you incorporate a Power Hour into your day. To learn all about it, check out my post tomorrow.

One of the most important aspects of my morning Power Hour is starting the night before, by setting an intention of what I plan to do. By telling myself now that this video is an important part of my day, I'm making it clear to myself that I MUST do it.

And as it's one of the highest priorities on my agenda, I'll want to get it done first thing in the morning.

Be conscious of your intentions. Make sure you're seeing what you want rather than what you DON'T want to happen in the near future. I like to focus on the positive things I want, and write my intentions down. When I feel false fears and get tempted with negative expectations (yes, it happens to all of us), I actively work to destroy them.

So that's a mini-lesson in (and an example of) setting intentions.

I also want to test out inserting a YouTube video into my blog, as I've never done that before. So here is a preview of what I'll be doing tomorrow, as demonstrated with a previously-recorded home movie. In this video, my daughter mimics her daily-walking dad:

See you tomorrow, bright and early!

Random Thoughts at the Monterey Airport - Day 34

I'm sitting in the Monterey Airport, waiting to board a flight down to San Diego. I will be spending the next 3 days with a highly recommended speaking coach, Roberto Monaco. This was a last-minute spontaneous decision, and I'm excited. If I can learn how to clearly and confidently communicate my message, I can see myself helping many more people during the remainder of my career. Toastmasters is like a Polaroid of my speaking skills - giving me a good snapshot of my current strengths and weaknesses; Robert, I feel, will act like a high-res digital SLR - empowering me to fully express my best self.

I'm interrupting my vacation to do this seminar. If I were the only person involved in this decision, it would have been easy. But the true sacrifice was made by my dear wife, who is "on duty" as full-time single mommy for the next three days. I'm blessed.

And I've agreed to give her a vacation in the near future, to make it a fair trade :)

Getting situated at the gate, I noticed that the Boingo Wi-Fi was free until mid-January... a gift from Google. Sweet! That gave me a second change to get this blog out before boarding my flight.

When I signed into the wi-fi, I was presented with an opportunity to donate some holiday funds, with my contribution being matched by Google. Wow! They thought of everything! So I selected "Climate Savers Computing Initiative" and made a small donation. I'm thrilled to be able to take a small step in the right direction - it's a win/win/win.

(Referring back to my post about taking steps toward a "cooler" planet, I also intend to get the TED 5000 by Energy, Inc - a whole-house electrical meter that will help me monitor how much electricity me and my family are burning through. I love having a dashboard to chart progess; as their sales page says "if you can measure it, you can manage it."

I hope to find at least 1-2 similar carbon-reducing, energy saving ideas each week.

Okay I am being called to my plane. Talk to you tomorrow.

Free Your Mind Forever: Learn the Art of Prioritization - Day 33

My parents are visiting today. They may arrive at any minute. So I know that I have limited work time and must prioritize.

I can either go for a run on the beach or write for 90 minutes. Likely, by that time, my parents will arrive. I quickly weigh the options and come to a decision: it’s time to work.

My reasoning is that, if I am productive for the first part of the day, I will feel free and relaxed the rest of the day, knowing that I have accomplished something. I will still keep myself open to the possibility of exercise, because it’s important. But I am willing to sacrifice this good option (today’s workout) for the GREAT option (being productive and finishing today’s writing installment). And the definition of sacrifice to letting go of the good in preference of the great.

Before I continue, I realize that I have an underlying assumption about priority; I am working from a foundation which says a) Family and being a good son is more important than work; b) Entertaining guests and being a good host is more important than work; and c) Keeping the peace and encouraging harmonious interaction is more important than work.

So, within nanoseconds, I am already prioritizing.

Continuing on this theme... recently a friend said that people want one of three things:

• Fame
• Fortune
• To Make a Difference

As I thought about this, I felt conflicted. I would like to have enough money, of course, but I have always thought that I am primarily drawn to fame.

Whenever I explain my motives and my life to others, I usually tell the story about growing up as the last of seven kids. By the time I came around, my parents were D-O-N-E, done, I would half-jokingly say. And I would go on to explain that this is why I grew up with a deep need to be great… to be recognized as something special.

Every time I thought about this, however, I felt that something was untrue. Something was not quite right with this conclusion that I wanted to be famous.

Fame is often said to be fickle, unreliable. It’s external and therefore an unwise thing to base one’s happiness upon. But my negative feeling about wanting fame was above and beyond feelings of pettiness or guilt at wanting something most people frowned upon. It just didn’t sit right.

Then I had a mini-breakthrough. I asked myself, “If I could have fame at the expense of riches and making a difference, would I want it?”The answer was a resounding “No!”.

I instinctively applied the process of prioritization. “If I could be rich beyond all measure and be unknown, would I be okay with that?” Well, somewhat. I was getting closer.  But I wasn’t there yet because I knew that I would be unhappy if I was rich but not making a difference.

Do you see where this is going?

By prioritizing, I came to the conclusion that I must make a difference in the world. Sure I want to be financially free. Of course I will enjoy being recognized from time to time for creative excellence. But I won’t depend upon it, and I certainly won’t prioritize either of these above the feeling of making a difference. That’s number one.

I encourage you to do the same. Ask yourself what you most want – recognition, financial independence, or the feeling of making a difference.

This is something you need to work out individually. No one answer is universally better than the others. For some, providing wealth for themselves and their family will be seen as the most loving and caring thing they can do with their life. For others, helping others will be defined in terms of recognition. Being an inspiration for millions would indeed be a great contribution to the world.

Ask yourself the same questions I asked above:

• “Would I rather have fame at the exclusion of money and making a difference?”
• “Would I rather have fortune at the exclusion of fame and making a difference?”
• “Would I rather be making a difference at the exclusion of public recognition and money?”

Please let me know how it goes – either in comments below or via email (jim at better photo dot com) what insights you have. I would love to hear how you’re doing and the direction you’ve decided to go.

My folks just called... they are a few blocks away. Time to entertain :)

Are You Dreading Work or Doing What You Love? - Day 32

I am still rubbing sand out my ears and hair, after spending an hour with my family on the beach yesterday.

Before building sandcastles, I signed up for lessons from my 7-year old son on "How to Somersault Down the Sand Dunes". He quickly informed me that I was “too loose” and needed to curl up into a tighter ball for the most effective (and most speedy) trip down the sandy slopes.

In the process, I was transported back - to a Jim that was more playful and less "concerned".

(Bonus reward: I connected even more deeply with my son, if that's possible.)

It was a blast!

As you travel down the path you're currently taking, remember to pamper yourself with your own version of sand-dune-somersaulting or sandcastle building along the way.

In your work, you’ll have numerous opportunities to calculate effectiveness. You’ll likely be able to look at key metrics to see if your efforts are having a high ROI. Your bank account balance, for one, will tell you if you need to make adjustments to either your income-gathering abilities or your skill at keeping costs low. In the word of online marketing, you can use keyword tools to see which keyword phrases have the best “keyword effectiveness index” (KEI), a fancy term which means that there is great need and little competition... many people searching for this keyword phrase and few sites delivering relevant results.

But in the end, all this is worthless if you forget about one thing: your “enjoyment effectiveness index”.

Whenever you’re contemplating your work options, be sure to ask, “Will I enjoy the journey?”

This is one of the most powerful components of success, and the one most often disregarded or forgotten.

For example, I am writing this book. As I finalize my outline, I find myself asking:

•    Is my title attention-grabbing and memorable?
•    Is there a tribe in need of this particular topic, waiting for someone to help them?
•    Will Topic C or Subtopic D be something they want or need?

All of these questions are important. No doubt about it. But if I obsess only on questions like these, I’ll forget the most important part – my own passion and enjoyment.

In order to reach my goal and bring this book to the world, I will need a tremendous amount of positive energy. I will need to be highly motivated to learn. And I will need to be enjoying each and every day along the journey.

Sure it will require a great deal of effort to get to the top of the mountain. There will be days when I am temporarily tricked into believing I don’t want to work. But I’ll see though the lie and get right back on track. This will be especially easy to do if I am having fun along the way.

On your journey, your work may not involve somersaulting down the sand dunes with your kids every single second of each day. Your work may involve solitary, intense blocks of uninterrupted focus. You may not experience the delightful side effects of sand in your ears. Either way, you will certainly need to march back up the hill from time to time.

But if you’re doing what you love, you’ll find yourself fueled on when times are tough, and especially inspired during moments of high returns.

And the rewards will indeed be high. Commentator Justin Wolfers, in his blog and podcast appearance on The Economics of Doing What You Love weighs the costs vs. the benefits of marathon running. Even though shoes are cheap, he shows how "opportunity cost" makes the sport expensive. But in the end, the ROI is high when he does both what he loves and what he's good at. 

Let yourself have some fun, even if you think you might look like a fool. What other people think is unimportant. I has nothing to do with you. All that matters is that you keep yourself happy and continually progressing on your own path.

As they say in real estate, "A house is to be lived in, not looked at." You are the occupant of your own life; you have the supreme privilege of being happy in your home, without worrying about what the passers-by think.

Enjoy your journey!

Make Your Goal-Setting Super Relevant! Day 29

One great takeaway I got today at “Book Publishing 2.0” (thanks Michael Drew, Jeff Sexton, Garrett Gunderson, and the entire team!) was the reminder that I needed to first work out my big purpose in life, before I list my top goals. First getting clear on my purpose in life – the reason for my existence – will keep me from wasting any time on irrelevant goals.

The sad fact is that most of us have been misinformed about the process of goal-setting. Any competent teacher will tell you that, in order to achieve your goals, you first need to identify your goals. As Yogi Berra said, “You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there."

In addition to (correctly) telling you that you need goals, great teachers will also tell you that your goals need to be specific, vivid, and set with a clear deadline.

Unfortunately, few goal-setting guides will tell you to first work out your purpose.

But think about it… if you write a list of goals before you figure out your higher purpose, you will likely be jotting down goals that are not really important to you. Your highest goals may be false, imposed upon you by others, or the result of some effective ad you saw out of the corner of your eye will answering email or driving to work. It’s very likely that your goals are not really your goals at all.

Stephen R. Covey, in "The 8th Habit", talks about what he calls the "productivity pyramid", which shows in descending order from the top:

• daily planning
• weekly planning
• goals, and finally, at the foundation of the pyramid,
• identify mission & values

and says "At the base, we must first identify our mission and governing values - standards, ideals."

Go for it! Take control of the process! When you win, when achieve your goals, you can WIN BIG by achieving those things that really matter the most.

All you have to do is ask yourself “Why?” with each of your goals.

Then ask it again.

And again.

Keep asking until you you’ve found superior solutions to this complex, soul-searching question.

Entrepreneurs may have a goal of adding a zero to their revenue – going from $100,000 to $1,000,000 or from $2.1 million to $21 million. But when they examine the possibilities and dominate the soul-searching process (as entrepreneurs always do!), they’ll find their true purpose.

Maybe they want the money so they can solve some complex problem... in a big way. Maybe their purpose in life is to make a huge difference in the world – shake up the large conglomerates… figure out a way to remove carbon from the atmosphere… or teach thousands of young men and women in third-world countries the fine art of winning as an entrepreneur.

Or maybe your purpose is to win at home – to make your spouse proud and provide your family with that once-in-a-lifetime vacation.

So... “Why ask why?”

Simply, you’ll save yourself a lot of pain. This one question, when asked with persistence, will help you find the quick path to goal-setting mastery and, more importantly, long-lasting, authentic success in life.

Explaining "76 Days to Selfless Success" - Day 28

While in transit to Salt Lake City, I transcribed the following presentation, my second Toastmaster's speech. My goal with this 7-minute talk was to clearly explain my "76 Days to Selfless Success" project. It's hard to clearly express an idea that is not yet 100% clear to me. But I feel like I'm getting closer... one step at a time.

Here's what I got so far. I know it needs improvement... I'll keep working at it. The speech started off with a few questions...

***

“What can I get out of this situation?”

"What do you have that you can give me?"

“What can I get from YOU?”

I’ll bet that these questions, instead of making you feel like helping me, cause you, at some level, to tighten, constrict, to put on the brakes.

Today I’m going to tell you about an experiment I am conducting, called “76 Days to Selfless Success”. I’m going to:

•    describe the problem,
•    Tell you what the “76 Days” experiment is,
•    Tell you want it isn’t,
•    Show you how it solves the problem, and
•    Invite you to join me in this quest.

Here’s my story. After 3 years of accelerated growth in my business, I hit a wall. No matter how hard I worked, I could not seem to bring the business up to the next level. I felt exhausted. I was trying everything and seeing no progress. To make matters worse, I was losing friends, money, and confidence in the process.

I was not enjoying my work like I had in “the old days.” I was not feeling valued and I was not seeing financial freedom I so yearned for.

Some nights, I would collapse at the end of a long day, feeling defeated by the onslaught. Work never seemed to end. Everyone seems to need a piece of me. I felt overwhelmed. I never had time to breath...

It was all just TOO MUCH!

And I was not feeling like I was “getting the love.”

In this condition, I could not help but approach every situation with an underlying, often subconscious concern:

“What can I get?”

I lacked. I needed.  And in this state, I never would (never could) get enough to feel satisfied or grateful.

All I wanted was a Big Breakthrough.

And if I could not have a breakthrough, I would settle for just a couple of wins under my belt. That’s all I really needed - just a sign of progress… an indication I was headed in the right direction.

Then one day, I got a win under my belt. Applying the concept of “personas” to my business (where you create characters to represent your customers), I saw sales exceed what we had seen in almost 2 years.

The act of creating a persona and seeing our company through this persona’s eyes opened up entirely new levels of success. 

I had always known the adage that you need to walk your customer’s shoes, but I had never really delved into this art of empathy to this level.

I learned that I am not my customer and that my audience is not a million versions of myself.

Instead, they were very different kinds of people. Before, the business seemed like a mirror showing a reflection of myself; I saw myself in my customer and approached every project asking “What would I do?” and “Would I like this?”

Now I saw that the business was truly a mirror reflecting the customer back to him or herself. The important question was “What would JON do?” or “What would MICHELLE do?” The personas I had created were guiding me to make wiser, less self-centered decisions about marketing and presentation.

All I had to do to experience success was to get OUT of my own shoes and into my customer’s shoes.

This got me thinking about compassion, love, and empathy. It caused me to deeply consider the role “unselfed” love plays in business.

This exploration of empathy and generosity and unselfed caring led to launch of my current project: “76 Days to Selfless Success” 25 days ago, on October 18.

This is an experiment in self-transformation.

The experiment is entirely out in the open. Each day, I write a bit of my book, posting each day what I am uncovering and what it becoming more clear.

It’s a big test in self-improvement. During this 11 week exploration, I am testing different theories and weighing the results, to see what works best in practical application.

By writing my book out in the open, I hold myself accountable. The process is transparent. All can see where I started and where I end up.

Interestingly, one thing I’ve clarified is that, in order to do away with The Self, one must invest in self-improvement. To become selfless, you must:

•    grow in self-knowledge
•    develop and clarify your own vision
•    take care of yourself

In this way, you become less of a burden on others AND you bless those around you with inspiration and courage.

The online response to this experiment has been tremendous. Many people have written to me sharing their own dreams of success and expressed enthusiasm about the qualities of this project.

I don’t know where this is going. It’s not a sure thing. It may result in something helpful to others; it may go no further than helping me clarify my next best steps. It may end up as a book. It may end up being nothing more than a clarifying process for my vision... something to help me see the next steps in life.

I’m no expert. I’m not a ‘done’,  perfect, complete person…

But I am:

•    Determined
•    Willing to share all practical successes
•    Compassionately yours

If this particular experiment doesn’t lead to step-by-step solutions that will help millions of others find peace, happiness, confidence, and their next level of success – whatever that may be – then I will simply try a second experiment… and a third… until we all have greater clarity on selfless joy and unlimited success.

So I started this with three questions that illustrated what a self-absorbed, needy, "consumer" approach to any situation. And you probably felt yourself clam up a bit.

I'll end by demonstrating what happens with the opposite approach - one of giving, service, and unselfed love.

In respect and love, I bow in honor to you.

I am your servant.

I leave you with this question and invite you to contact me by commented on this blog (jim.betterphoto.com) or via email jim [at] betterphoto dot com – to tell me your answers to this all-important question:

How can I love you more?

Let me know.