Are We There Yet? The Art of Timing

A few fortunate beings on this planet have an innate ability to know when to act and when to wait. Many others are like the child in the back seat of the car with whisperings of "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" as little Susie kicks the back of your seat to a beat only she can hear, only to ask more insistently five minutes later when a whisper becomes a shout and then a shout becomes a whining plea of "Are we there yet?"  

Most parents will start with a patient, "No, not yet" but as you up the ante may soon come back with a frazzled, "Does it look like we're there yet?!" Not to be outdone, the child now recruits her siblings in a chorus of "Are we there yet?" to which the only decent reply is, "Who wants to play the quiet game?" and suddenly the parent is not above bribing their dearest offsprings with a monetary reward for who can stay silent the longest.  

Not only is there unreasonable expectations about the destination itself, and God forbid it doesn't meet our ideas of where we are supposed to be, but there is a whole lot of disillusionment about how long or short it should take us to get there, wherever that may be, whether it be a physical destination or a goal.  

Now add timing into the mix.  If timing is everything then when do you act and when do you wait?  I, myself, have certainly had times when I have pushed, pulled, stood on my head, did back flips, and nothing has come of it, except the thumping of my own head from banging it against a wall (silly me), until one day it happened on its own accord with no assistance from me at all.  

On the other hand, there have been times when I felt as if I was procrastinating only to find that the timing couldn't have been better.  It was as if the stars had aligned perfectly for my very own benefit! What gives?  How do we know the difference?  How do we know when to take action and when to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride?

In photography, especially with action photos or images dealing with people or animals, if you hesitate, you miss the shot.  A person may have walked in or out of the frame, the perfect expression was suddenly replaced with a frown, or any number of things varying from subtle to very obvious can happen. I expect this is much like life.  

If we get a nudge to act on something and we sit on it, we may lose it or it may change in some way. This is not to say the opportunity may not come again or that it may not come in another disguise, but why take the chance?

Is it always going to be appropriate to act immediately?  Maybe not so perhaps it comes down to intuition and discrimination.  Experience will teach us better.  If we missed it one time, we may gain it another and so on and on it goes.  Besides, who says you won't gain something better by taking that detour?

What does this all have to do with photography and your Etsy business or with any business? Many of us give up before we begin.  We have a few false starts or nothing seems to be working so we sit back and wait when we need to take another step.  Or we take many more steps when a little patience may have gone a long way.  

Sometimes we have to do all we can do and then let go of our ideas of how it's supposed to go.  We have to leave room for God or the Universe or whatever or whomever you believe in to do Its part and if you think it's going to come easy, well, you may want to reconsider.  It may but chances are it's another way for the universe to see how serious you are about attaining whatever goal you are striving for.  

In the end, everything is in its rightful place.  It just may be different from where you thought so if there is something you can do and it feels right then act.  If not wait but whatever you decide, don't give up!  

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out."  - Robert Collier

Be flexible!  Allow for transformation.  There may be a worthier plan than the one you have in mind but if you are too attached to what your own vision may be, there won't be any room for anything else and you might miss out on something better.

Lastly when in doubt, take it moment to moment, love what you do and do what you love because as Elizabeth Kubler-Ross says, “It is only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth – and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up – that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.” 

Remember, there is always another mountain to climb, another level to go so listen.

Moving Beyond Fear and Into the Life You Imagined

http://www.statisticbrain.com/fear-phobia-statistics/ says that 68% of people are afraid of death but is it truly a fear of death or is it a fear of living?  Also noteworthy are:

Fear and Worry Statistics	Data
Percent of things feared that will never take place	60 %
Percent of things feared that happened in the past and can’t be changed	30 %
Percent of things feared that are considered to be insignificant issues	90 %
Percent of things feared in relation to health that will not happen	88 %
Number of Americans who have a diagnosed phobia	6.3 Million

And what about fear of success or fear of failing?  I don't even see them on this list.

Those numbers are quite large so maybe it is worth asking, where does fear come from?  There are several possibilities but the misuse of the mind and the imagination is at the top of the list. Why do we spend so much time focusing on something that may or may not happen instead of paying attention to all the good that is already happening or what we would like to happen?  What difference will changing our attention from the negative to the positive make?  Plenty!

It may seem random that I bring this up here but there is a method to my madness.  I don't have evidence to support this but if I were to give an educated guess I would say that fear is the number one killer of dreams.  

There are numerous blogs, articles, and books to aide one on their way to overcoming these obstacles so I won't go into this fully.  I would, however, like to recommend one very small but powerful book.  It is inexpensive (can be bought used on Amazon for one penny!) and has wonderful stories and examples to get you started on your journey to facing your own fears.

"Love always overcomes fear." Harold Klemp

For a more personal experience, though, I would recommend singing HU, the most powerful tool I can offer you to dispel fear and bring more divine love into your awareness is chanting HU. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc9N_g2NolA  

Moving past your fears, even if it is only one tiny step at a time, is progress and can only help you to become a better version of you in whatever way you wish to manifest that, whether it is in your personal life, as an artist, or in your business.  Fear and doubt sabotage dreams; don't let it control your life any longer.  Take your power back!

Back in Business!

Ride 'em, cowboy!  We just might rustle us up some dinner after all!  *wink*

Yes!  Woo hoo!  Yippee ki yay and all of that!  See More Divinely Photo (Etsy store) is back up and running. Forward march!  

That bridge successfully crossed!  Whew!  *wiping sweat off of brow*

You're cute and all but I can't keep you.

Now that we have that monkey off our shoulder, we can move onto more pressing items like "Where did that monkey come from?" and other fun stuff.  

Let's save that for another day.  

Not to procrastinate or anything but today is a beautiful day and I, for one, would like to finish up in time to enjoy it! We can pick up here tomorrow.  Have fun, y'all!

Think You Know It All...Think Again

Photo Credit: Steve Carver

There's always another step, another level, another perspective...truth appears to be a subjective, continuous, spherical, eternal staircase, that builds and grows within us. (What is truth for me, may not be truth for you, and that's okay. Practicing tolerance is encouraged in all of life, including business and, if it isn't, than perhaps it would be wise to consider it.)

The fastest way to stop another level of understanding?  Thinking you have all the answers.  It doesn't leave room for anything else.  It's virtually a graveyard for the mind and Soul.

How do we generate more ideas? Here's a few suggestions: feeding your mind with books (preferably ones that make you think or stretch you a bit over easy reading - save those for the beach or when you need a short break from "reality"), learning a new language, writing, meeting with other like-minded people, visiting art museums, yoga, contemplation, spending quality time with your family, eating well, tapping into your creative side by drawing/painting or any other art that speaks to you, even if you think you don't do it well. (There's always paint by numbers!  Hey!  Don't knock it!  You may actually get hooked.) It's all connected, and I assure you if you take care of ALL of you then all of you will take care of you.

Philadelphia Art Museum, 2010 

The mistake we seem to make is when we get so lost in one aspect of our life, so much so that we forget all else. When any one part of us is being sacrificed for too long then we can expect diseases or illnesses of the mind, body or emotions to ensue.  It's a cry for balance, to let us know there is a part of us that is out of whack and needs attention. Don't wait that long!  It could be too late.  (Of course, it's not a guarantee that you won't ever get sick but it sure will decrease your chances; it will also increase your ability to heal if your health does lapse.)

Think you don't have the time?  It's your choice but it seems to me to be a pay now or later kind of system.  Do the right thing(s) now or pay later.  Have fun with it!  Experiment. Add a little here and a little there and see where it takes you.  Let it expand you and the rich rewards of that expansion will effect all areas of your life, bringing more joy than you ever imagined possible.

What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do

So you think you are stuck, huh?  By definition is that even truly possible?  Even if you were in quicksand, a downward pull would keep you in motion; of course, that may not be the direction we were hoping for.

MacMillan Dictionary defines "stuck" as:  "caught or held in a position so that you cannot move; unable to solve a problem and keep on moving; in a situation that you do not like but cannot avoid; forced to have, use, or deal with someone or something that you do not want."  (I particularly enjoyed that last definition.)

We don't live here anymore.  I'm sure there's a more peaceful way to handle it.

"Forced" is a mighty strong word and, unless held by gunpoint like in the Old Wild, Wild West, I'm not quite sure I would agree. For me it robs us of the right of choice and the responsibility of said
choices.  There are always possibilities, even in what appears to be a disagreeable situation. Unlimited potential abound if one is in the right frame of mind and heart to see it!

For instance in this example of "forced," an attempt to run away or hide could be made or perhaps to fight back.  Well, you see what I'm saying...  Not wishing anything of the sort on anyone else, myself included, but to point out another perspective, only one of many.

Is it possible that the feeling of being "stuck" is only the inability to take action at that time, either as a form of procrastination or fear, or because the next step has not yet appeared to the conscious mind? If so how do you move beyond the inertia and into a place of more potentiality?  Is it merely making the resolution to proceed with what is already in place or to confidently step into a larger room?  

The answers are unlimited, and I am allowing for them but cannot yet share them as they have not formulated enough for me to do so.  Is there a technique that would aide us on that journey?

In the book, "The Spiritual Exercises of ECK," (ECK is simply another name for Holy Spirit), there are many exercises given.  This simple, easy to understand book can be used by anyone who would like to conquer fear, to learn how to use their imagination properly, tame their mind and emotions, and to master their fate, to name a few.

In this particular technique (not in the book but has been adapted from a similar exercise), imagine yourself in a small room.  Walk around the room in a circle.  As you do, you notice a doorway with golden light shining through it, walk through it.  Walk confidently into a larger space.  In this area, there is a big, blue, comfortable chair.

A guide (you can choose one you are familiar with: Jesus, Buddha, or any Master who you feel helps or guides you...it doesn't even have to be a religious figure) appears and invites you to sit in it. He or she is seated across from you and a consultation begins. You may ask, "What is my next step?" or "How can I overcome this obstacle?" or whatever comes to mind. Listen as you are given a more expansive view.

Afterwards do not question what has been given, unless of course it is harmful, just absorb it and then you can decide if it is worthy to act on.  This is one way of moving beyond fear and inertia. Numerous others can be designed to suit your situation.  Use your creativity and play with it; make it your own.  Having fun is key!

Success is a Verb

Success is perpetually in motion.  There is no destination, unless designated.  What do I mean by that?  If your definition of success is to create a multi-million dollar company and that target is achieved, you may consider yourself successfully at your destination if you choose to stop there.

What if you decide to go beyond that?  Will you set new objectives?  Having reached this landmark in your life, do you now set a new intention for a multi-billion dollar company? What happens when victory reigns over this creation as well?

“Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.”

― Albert Camus

In order to keep the momentum going, I would think that it now has to flow outward. For one to keep receiving, balance may need to be attained. There are many who could benefit from the successes being built: family, employees, and community. After all, how much money does one really need? How many houses, cars, TVs, etc are necessary?

What good are all these material things if you will not live long enough to enjoy them?  Or your family or health has been sacrificed at the expense of them?  A void of loneliness or low self-worth cannot be filled with things, eventually when playing with all the toys is finished, you will long for what we all come to long for...divine love.  Arrival here means a need to give out to balance the flow of what you are receiving.

Will your ambitions be for the love of power or for the power of love?  It is a choice that will be made continuously.

In the last post I promised to expand on criteria for success and I have not forgotten. What does it take to be successful?  If the only measure of success is how much money has been accumulated in the bank, the boat may have been totally missed, in my humble opinion.

Success, for me, is more often in the simple day to day happenings: the tiny moments that we can take for granted like a cup of coffee mindfully enjoyed on a quiet morning, an intimate walk barefoot on the beach, a shared smile or hug, or the knowingness that I have made some progress big or small in my life or in those around me.  It is knowing I make a difference simply by being here right now.  It is gained in numerous, subtle ways.

For others it may be just waking up in the morning, getting the children out of the house to play instead of staring at electronics all day, or finding ten minutes of sheer silence in their chaotic world.  It could be losing those last 10 pounds or finishing their To Do list. Success comes in all shapes and sizes.  It's a merely a matter of perspective and attitude.

What is the criteria for success? This author thinks it may be purely subjective but what do I know?

"How Many Licks Does It Take to Get to the Center of..."

If this were TV and this was a 1970s commercial, it would end with "...a tootsie roll pop" but we aren't traveling back in time.

I think he's still counting....

We are rolling right along and wondering, "What are buyers looking for?"  "How many posts need to be written?"  And that's our first mistake of many so we are going to allow ourselves to enjoy whatever it brings, regardless of the many questions that may plague us.  We can't lose the fun and the sense of adventure, even when there are days it doesn't seem so fun anymore....especially when it doesn't seem so fun anymore.

Glitches happen.  There will be setbacks or hiccups so it becomes a choice of how we will react. It's a vicious circle if you allow yourself to get caught up in reactions so what's the solution? Sometimes it's waiting and sometimes a different approach is needed.

When in doubt, keep doing what you can do and leave some space for an opening or an opportunity to resolve the issues because there will be issues...it's a given.  No amount of pushing will help if the time is not right so why bother?  Relax and keep doing what you can do.

This pretty much says it all...

Baby steps.  One tiny step at a time.  Rinse and repeat.

Also this applies to life as well as business.

How to Market With a Zero Budget

Zero dollars to spend?  Don't let it get you down.  There's more than one way to iron out the details until you are generating a positive cash flow.

This is hard work! (Thanks, Beth, for indulging me in my photo endeavors!)

Google Adwords is free until you bid.  How do you use that to your advantage? Remember all those sites that ask for tags/keywords? You can see what tags are popular, and even not so popular, and you can build our keywords around them. This will drive more traffic to your store and, hopefully, lead to more sales at some point.

Social networking has already been covered but, at the risk of repeating myself, it's FREE!  If you don't have an account with Twitter or Pinterest or any of the number of other sites, maybe the time has come? Also, something I've only now discovered myself is there are groups for everything on Facebook.  You have an Etsy store?  There's a group for it on Facebook (FB).  How does a group benefit you?  Just one of the Etsy groups on FB has over 2,000 members with the same interest as I do.  This translates to lots of sharing and possibly exchanges of knowledge and goods.  (Artists will often buy or trade with each other.)  It also lets like-interested minds know, "Here I am!  Come and check me out!"

If Pinterest is your network of choice, there are also groups on there.  You're on your own there until I get a better working knowledge of how it works.  So far, I've been able to join a few groups but haven't figured out how to actually post to them.  If you figure it out before I do, let me know.  If not I'll get back to you on it.

Wishing anyone celebrating a Happy Fourth!

Tag You're It!

For years now I have played on social networking sites beginning with MySpace and then moved onto sites such as Facebook, Tumblr, and others.  It was a way to stay in touch with family and friends that, unfortunately or maybe you will say fortunately, lived on the other side of the country or even world. Not to mention, it was a fabulous way to spy on my boys.  Did I say "spy"?  I meant...keep tabs on.

As I began to think in more of a business fashion, I got involved with Linkedin, which I still do not completely understand how to utilize properly but appears to be more of a professional networking site. Why is it difficult to promote yourself and your business in a world where there are so many social networks?  My guess is, because you and thousands, maybe even millions of others are doing the same thing!  How do you set yourself apart from everyone else so you can be noticed?

Keywords!  Tags or keywords will assist your potential buyers in discovering you, providing you have the right ones.  What is the right keyword, you say?  Here's where things can get a little sticky.  

What do you mean there's no fish in here?

Some may even say it can be like fishing in a mud puddle when there's a river right behind you if you aren't choosing the words that your average user is searching.  Of course, fishing in a river where the fish are plentiful isn't any guarantee either.  You can have a great keyword like "photography" but so do 300,000 other photographers, amateurs and professionals alike.  

Do you know where that puts you? Out in the internet boonies, no man's land, that's where!  Help!  I didn't mean to use my invisibility powers so well.  

What does this mean exactly?  We are going to have to get a bit creative.  You can use Google AdWords to help you out.  They have a neat tool called keyword planner.  Use it! It's free!  It will tell you what keywords are being searched in that category, how many users per month and, if you have a budget to promote yourself, how much it is going to cost you to bid on that word.  

Bidding for a keyword?  What does that do?  It gets you the primo spots on page number one of Google search engines or its conglomerates, that's what.  It can get expensive, though, so choose your tags wisely.  For instance, "photography" is searched 450.000 times a month but it's going to cost you $1.83; if you bid on "outdoor photography", you will only get 3,600 searches but it's only $.74.  It also narrows your search down to buyers who are looking for that category of photography.  Still with me?

Well, folks, let's leave it there for now.  Smoke is coming out my ears, and I can take a hint.  Til next time....

Pep Talk

Feeling a little resistance to blogging or Etsy or anything today.  Not sure where it is coming from but I don't care.  This isn't entirely true; I have my ideas but I'm not going there.  I will not give it anymore energy than it deserves.  My weapon is to ignore it and show up anyway.  You with me?

No one can hide forever!  

Ready or not, here we come!  It's funny how we can be our own worst enemies but, on the flip side, we can also be our own best friends.  We can pick up a book when our mind is going in circles like a dog chasing its tail.  We can run on the treadmill or take a walk or take a swim in the ocean when we are feeling down.

We can eat whole foods that nourish our physical, emotional, and mental bodies, instead of deplete them.  We can choose to meditate/contemplate or even just take a few minutes to reflect on a passage from a holy book or have some quiet time.  We can make choices to feel better every day.  We can choose to do things that bring us less or more happiness.  In the end it's all up to us! Yes!

Where did we leave off yesterday?  Oh, yes!  Goal setting and taking action.  We discussed Pinterest, Linkedin, and Facebook so what's left? We all have email contacts. Wouldn't they love to hear about our newest venture? Are there any other social networking sites we can tackle?  What about Tumblr or Instagram?

The thing is, it gets time-consuming going to all these sites and posting.  Is it worth it? Sure it is!  How is anyone going to know about us if we don't get the word out there?  It's an investment in one's business, and no one is going to take more of an interest in it than you!  So what are you still doing here?  Get busy!  The world waits for no one!

Dreaming Our Dreams Into Reality 2 - How Are We Doing?

Not an overnight success?  Me neither.  We didn't expect we would be...did we?  Seems there is a bit more to this dreaming our dreams into reality besides discovering the right track.

It's work.  First you have to know yourself well enough to know what the "right track" is, then you have to commit to it, and then begin imagining where you would like to go with it.

Harold Klemp says, "Act as if you are already there" or "work from the end." Meaning, for me, see yourself where you want to be...see it, feel it, and be it. Know you are already there. We covered this in the first part of this post. So now what?

Goal setting.  Our goals need to be reasonable and achievable. It is good to have both short term and long term goals.  For me, I'm still striving to achieve my two sales a week, which I thought was very reasonable. Turns out there may be a little more to it than that.  Or is there?

It's not enough to set that goal, though.  You didn't think we were going to get to sit back on our tufts while our fairy godmother delivered it into our laps so what are we going to do to achieve that goal?  What actions can we take?  I will continue to use me as an example since I, too, am in the midst of this.

I have been preparing two photos a day to be placed for sale in my store, posting a daily blog that is directly linked to Etsy, and I use every social networking site that I am a member of to get the word out there that I'm in business.  I have had one sale for two prints.  Not bad for the first week.  I am grateful to have that sale!  It was an amazing boost! I'm in my second week now, going into my third, and the well is dry.  Where do we go from here?

See anything down there, Kate?  No worries...it's coming.

Fortunately, I'm not the type to give up so easily.  While continuing the actions already in place, it may be time to add another action.  What else can be done?

More on that later.  I need to time to figure that out, too!  If you beat me to it, drop me a line in the comment box.  I'm open to suggestions.  

Dreaming Our Dreams Into Reality - Part 1

In a world where we are bombarded by technology and a need to do more, go faster, and have instantaneous results, how do we go about accomplishing our dreams?  Have our overstimulated brains and minds become so reliant on TV, the internet, and smart phones to tell us how to think that we have forgotten how to use our own imagination?  Or do we use these tools to help us expand our creativity?  I ask these questions and attempt to answer them just as much for myself as I do for you.

Imagination seems like a great place to start.  As William Arthur Ward said, "If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it."  Is it that simple?   

To put it another way, the Wright Brothers have been credited with saying, "If we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advance."

Wright Brothers Memorial, North Carolina

If so then maybe the starting place is every morning just before we get out of bed or every night before we doze into a blissful semi-comatose state, we take a few minutes to create our next painting.  We feel the textures.  We smell the paint itself.  We visualize the picture we are painting in our head.  We see the end result (in this case the painting itself hanging in a gallery or a museum).  

If our longtime dream has been to be a dancer, we would use all of our senses to hear and feel the music, our body flowing with it, the roar of the audience, and the freedom of pirouetting around the stage.  

Maybe it's more simple than that.  Maybe our only goal is to be a better parent or teacher or co-worker or neighbor so we imagine how our day will go.  We see how we are interacting with others in a positive way.  We see ourselves as light and happy.  The sky is NOT the limit.  

Take it as far as you would like and then take it a step further.  

Instead of dreading waking up tomorrow for fear that "Lucy" will dump yet another of your favorite perfumes down the toilet for the fifth time this week, see her perfect angelic face 

holding the perfume over the toilet but deciding to make another choice this day and she hands it to you smiling.  You dab a little on her wrists, paint each other's nails, and create a spa day.  You both have such fun that you plan a girl's day once a month, maybe sooner!  Voila!  "Lucy" is happier and so are you!

School is out of control.  You fear that every child walking upon the earth with a diagnosis of ADD or ADHD has landed in your classroom, and every night you worry yourself to sleep wondering who will do what this time.  After all this has been the scenario day after day since school started.  Why would it be any different now?  

Change it up!  Worrying is enforcing what you don't want.  Spend that time thinking about what your students and you would be like in a perfect world.  Be silly if you want but do it in a way that will be conducive to all.   

Are you getting the picture?  Imagination and creativity does not have to be used only for the great and wonderful achievements that have been on our to do list practically since grade school but also for the every day, mostly appearing mundane activities.  We don't have to be a re-run in our own lives.  We can create the lives we choose every day, brand new.  Hooray for us!

Please don't think because I'm writing about this that I have it all together.  I am a work in progress, learning just like you, and some days are better than others but, in the end, I only have myself to thank for the good, the bad, and the outright ugly.  This is not to say I am an island unless I choose to be, but that I am creating it as we all are, which is marvelous!  If I am creating it, it means I also have the power to change it or re-create it. Fun times!  We get to choose a new day EVERY day!