BetterPhotoJim

Seven Small Steps Toward Success, Self-Confidence, and Shining Bright

Do you want to start making progress toward your goals to:

• Build confidence
• Overcome worry, fear, self-doubt
• Come out of your "shell"?

Then try any of the following techniques. You'll notice that these are not radical techniques. These are  designed to be small steps... things you can do without a huge internal revolution, paradigm shift, or big innovation in technique:

1. Each day, write 1 thing you're grateful for in a private journal or at http://www.gratitudelog.com/betterphoto/home
2. Do 1 small but courageous thing each day.
3. March in place for 1 minute everyday while watching TV. Or do 30 sit-ups. Or reach down to touch your toes for 30-45 seconds.
4. Write 1 thing you like about yourself every day.
5. Imagine yourself in your dream [job, home, relationship] for 1 minute every day.
6. Write an affirmation - something you'd like to be true about yourself - and declare it once with emotion every day. For example: "I have a great memory!" or "I am calm, confident, and composed." or "I LOVE to share my gifts and people LOVE to interact with me."
7. Think about 1 think you appreciate about your current [job, home, relationship] for 1 minute every day.

Here is a bonus option: Pick 1 of the things in this list, commit to doing it every day, and do it daily for a month. Just telling yourself you're going to do something and then doing it consistently will build your trust in yourself. If you miss a day, forgive yourself... and keep going.

As you look over this list, do you see one that interests you?

Note how easy it sounds. Don't let this deceive you. Small steps work.

Do it everyday for at least a week and then add more time or combine a couple of things if you feel inspired. It's okay to add to your routine, as long as you keep doing it each day. If you find yourself missing a day or two, ask yourself if you're trying to do too much. Take it down a notch if this happens, removing a task or two from your daily routine. Go smaller until you find yourself doing it again each day.

Have fun taking small steps! You'll find yourself at the top of the mountain a lot sooner than you expected.

So how about it? Can you commit to doing one of the above daily steps?

Fun Friday with Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head

I recently had a photo session with two delightfully happy-go-lucky clients. They literally never stopped smiling, these two. They were polite, giggly, always willing to change clothes and use a variety of props. They were open to trying different poses.

And their motivation was selfless and altruistic. They simply wanted to help me help people learn how to make better photos (very kind of them). It was great!

Here are a couple of the results, illustrating the use of the rule of thirds and the power of soft lighting:

 

Mrs. Potato Head was particularly happy. I could not get her to NOT smile!

During this shoot, I lost myself in the joy of the activity. Feeling creative and connected with my clients, I literally "forgot to be unhappy" - totally immersed in the present moment.

It reminded me of how often I have forgotten to feel down or afraid or self-pitying when I'm being creative with my camera. I find a kind of eternal present moment joy and fulfillment when engaged in the activity of making photos - without concern or worry, without feeling like it's work, without anything that removes me from the present.

I highly recommend this. If you're feeling stuck "in your head", go play. Get out and dance, with your camera in hand or by doing some other creative, fun activity. Take pictures just for the fun of it. Play ball with your kids. Fingerpaint or cut snowflakes out of folded paper.

Remind yourself of what life was like when you were a kid, completely unaware of the passage of time, losing yourself in the music of the moment.

Enjoy your Friday and your weekend!

Take a Minute Each Day to Feel the Power of Gratitude

Want to multiply your time?

Would you like to get more out of every day... every moment?

Then do this one simple step. It's so small you may be tempted to discredit it. The task is as easy as it gets:

Take a minute each day to express gratitude.

You've heard it before. The difference here is that I recommend that you habitualize it. Write a note to yourself and stick it on the mirror. Set it as a automatic reminder in your Google (or other) calendar. Do whatever it takes to make this a formal task you do once a day.

That's all you need to start. Soon you'll find yourself thinking about your blessings throughout the day.

I am now recording at least one thing I'm grateful for at Gratitude Log. I encourage you to join me.

To illustrate, I am super grateful for Team BetterPhoto. Pictured below is part of the team - in three different moments. I feel that this trio perfectly expresses the creative and fun spirit of this "small but mighty" team. I love each member of the team and am so appreciative of what they do and what they are. As you can see, they're awesome!

(From left to right: Ibarionex, Melody, Kerry, Ricardo, Denise, Karen, Brian L., and me)

 

Start your own habit of gratitude. The benefits far, far, far exceed the costs in time and commitment. You'' find that you have more time to get things done. You'll be bogged down less often by negative emotions. You'll find people around you brightening and providing you with even greater strength and focus. Gratitude launches an upward spiral of constructive energy.

“Just do it!” You'll be glad you did.

I Love to Look at My LifeBook and I'm Delighted with MyLifeBook, the Company

I just got back from a 4-day experience in Chicago with a company called MyLifeBook.

Wow!

The MyLifeBook company provides a 4-day multi-media experience where you meet in a luxury, high-end, relaxing environment with 15 other people. In this chocolate-colored "cocoon", complete with gourmet food, I was able to get clear about what I most want in life and why. With clear and insightful direction via videos and facilitated discussion, I began to get a much more focused picture of my dream life. I clarified my vision in 12 categories such as fitness, finances, career, love, etc., and typed in my thoughts using their software on a laptop computer.

Periodically the LifeBook team gathered my work so that, before I left to come home to Seattle, I was presented with a beautifully printed book, complete with my goals, premises, purposes, and strategies - in my own words.

I brought a bunch of my own photos too, so my book is illustrated with images that inspire me. If you don't have photos, no problem... you can use stock photos they've gathered for this purpose.

The initial concept of MyLifeBook started 15 years ago when the founder, Jon Butcher, began writing down his goals. One page soon became 3 pages and pretty soon, he had an entire book describing his life vision - his beliefs, goals, purpose, and strategy. Eventually he organized his vision into categories, and began to see his life dreams being manifested, being realized in his everyday life. His health improved, his love relationship, his finances, everything... At one point, he saw how he could share this with others.

I HIGHLY recommend this to anyone who wants a better life. You don't have to "have it all together". You don't need to have a process. They provide the process that makes this task of soul-searching and clarification SUPER EASY! All you need to do is set aside 4 days to engage and concentrate your attention on yourself, and invest a bit.

If you're interested, let me know via email [ jim at better photo dot com ] - I can get you a huge discount.

Start by learning more about what they do on their website. Check out MyLifeBook - the experience impressed me far beyond my expectations, and I'm already putting my own LifeBook to great use - it's awesome! I love to review my LifeBook and, as you can tell, I'm really impressed with the high-quality product and service that MyLifeBook produces.

Feel Overwhelmed? Try Sacrificing the Good for the Great

In the telephone seminars I've been offering lately, I talk about the need for sacrifice. I know that when I feel afraid, anxious, uncertain or confused, often it's reflecting a need to clarify - a need to see through all the opportunities and options and FOCUS!

The best tool that I've found for this kind of focusing activity is to simply know that everything's going to be alright. When faced with an intimidating menu at a restaurant, for example, it helps to remember that, no matter what you get, you're still going to be served food, and 9 times out of 10, it's going to be decent and do the job of nourishing you. So it helps to remember that all will be well.

The second best tool I've found is sacrifice. When I'm feeling overwhelmed, I write down all the options and opportunities that are cluttering up my consciousness. Then I sort them into two categories: "Good" and "Great".

The technique of sacrifice is not, as many people think, choosing the good over the bad. That would be too easy. Sacrifice is actually saying "No!" to the good so you can say "Yes!" to the GREAT!

Here's an example. This is a list that I wrote today on the plane while flying to Chicago:

GOOD	--->	GREAT
Getting a nanny	--->	Being with the kids; having a balanced life; being present with them
Watching movies	--->	Mastering the martial arts by doing classes in the evenings
Going to a Jimmy Carter fundraiser again this year	--->	Staying focused on my main #1 mission
Doing what I don't really love... what I only tolerate	--->	Doing what I love!
Rushing and making goals that are so big I'm really sabotaging any likelihood of success	--->	Planning a bit with care, then making smaller goals and taking action on a daily basis
Attending to things that I should not be doing... distractions	--->	Getting a personal assistant so I can stay focused on things that I and only I can do, like write this blog
Editing my videos	--->	Outsourcing that to a pro video editor (or leaving it raw)

If you're feeling overwhelming and having a hard time making decisions, don't let life or circumstances or another person's agenda make those decisions for you. Make a "Good" and "Great" list like I did today.

You'll likely feel like a great burden is being lifted off your shoulders.

Stopping vs. Quitting - Choose Your Language Carefully

About this time, you're probably thinking about starting a few new things. 

That's great! Get those hopeful New Year's Resolutions going... As long as you're listening to the divine voice within and listening to your heart (and thinking "small first steps"), that's a great start on your path to success.

But I want you to also be thinking about stopping. 

What can you stop doing?

I'm putting a lot of thought into my "Stop Doing" list, out of necessity. I need to get the clutter out of the composition of my life, so I and others around me can see the main subject, the central idea.

Until today, I was telling myself and anyone who'd listen how I was "quitting" this or "quitting" that. But my friend Karen today pointed out to me that the word "quitting" has an unnecessarily negative connotation. Replacing it with the much more positive word "stopping" conveys the intent without all the baggage.

There is nothing wrong with stopping something, if it no longer serves you and your quest to your big vision dream-goal. You would not feel bad about zooming in on a photographic composition, to make a more impactful photo. So let's not feel bad about zooming in closer to our Big Goal - our true gift.

There is nothing wrong with taking your time here. Think it over for a week or longer; gradually adding to your "Stop Doing" list or fine-tuning your "Stop Doing Plan". As you return to this question again and again, you'd begin to clearly see what you need to stop doing, so you can focus more on those right ideas that you need to give all your attention to.