I feel that there are 2 types of people in this world: those who give themselves entirely to what they love most in this world and those who are scared to say Yes (yes to life, yes to failure, yes to ‘all eyes on you’ type situations)
you get what you give. period.
I consider myself a ‘YES’ girl.
I listen to my gut.
I don’t waste my time with things I don’t enjoy.
I don’t let guilt take over for saying ‘No’
YOU are the keeper of YOU. Your thoughts, actions, and motives. Simple as that.
Feeling spread too thin? Reevaluate. Make a list of how your time is spent. Actually do it.
Now look at your list.
Is your life in balance? or are you spending WAY too much time thinking about what you should be doing?
I love to use my friend as an example in the simplest sense. She loves to scrapbook. And maybe she doesn’t actually love it, but she started for one child years ago and now has 3 children along with massive piles of supplies lying around and a massive amount of guilt for not finishing.
My advice? toss it all out the window. Decide what is really the most important thing (like owning the fact that you take the time to have your children photographed at all) You don’t need a scrapbook to prove that you’re a good mother.
And you don’t need to spread yourself thin to prove that you’re a worthwhile life.
God gave us all talents and we should use them to make ourselves happy. (driving the point home from what I said in this post)
For me to maintain balance, I need to constantly reevaluate the way my time is spent and if I’m still on the path I set out towards.
Stacy, get to the point.
My point is: retreat. reevaluate. only spend your time on what makes you happy.
When you find what that is: IMMERSE YOURSELF.
Last weekend was my first PP of N board retreat at Mahoney State Park. I just got on board it’s 10 year commitment train. BEYOND thrilled to get involved and be head of publications and advertising. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by such great minds… everyone on the PPN board is not only an outstanding person, but also a forward thinker. This crazy world of photography is changing so rapidly it’s essential to remove all the distractions and retreat. The thought of meeting at a cabin in the woods was fine. I get it. And I thought maybe we’d do some sort of team-buliding exercise (I was told to bring water shoes… which as it turns out was just a mean trick to play on a new kid). Instead what we did was allow the time of togetherness to inspire us.
It’s tradition to have a BBQ after meeting day 1, hike up the tower at sunset and take pictures (we are all photographers, after all. I mean, please. of course there are cameras everywhere), and to entertain each other the rest of the evening with all of our uniqueness. Meeting day 2 was long. I’m not going to lie. But listening to everyone’s thoughts and opinions, I couldn’t help but notice a sense of pride and unity among us. Every single person on the board wishes their compadre success. There is no competition or greed. We share a love for the art and there is no greater feeling than that of ‘one-ness.’
If you’re not yet a member of PPN, I urge you to do so. It’s only $23.50 a month. With your membership, you get to come to Fall conference in September [in OMAHA this year! and I’m SPEAKING!!] and Winter conference in January [your registration is included in your membership], not to mention some of the best friends you’ll ever have. But of course, you get what you give.
I hope to bring my own flair to the table as my time on the board progresses. I also hope that all the photographers of PPN may be purer, braver, and stronger for my influence.
excited to get in neck deep, as I love to do.
Sarah - I love it!!!
I couldn’t have said it better than myself…and this was just your first meeting! The board is destined for greatness with your skill set and most importantly your pure, raw, emotional passion for making this industry all encompassing, inspirational, and full of great talent.
The thing I love most about being on the board and involved with PPN is that competing photographers come together for the good of the whole. It’s unique yet it’s so right for our creative mind set.
We’re so glad to have you in the family and can’t wait to make more memories with you!
Mary - Yay for PPN! It was my first board experience too… And my first cook out and traditional tower climb. I’m thrilled to have been a member of PPN for over 10 years, and I’m still learning and making new friends. Thanks, Stacy, for this wonderful post. We’re all so fortunate to have an organization filled with kind, smart, motivated and lets not forget TALENTED photographers! You get what you give. Amen to that. ????