Do you feel adrift? Time to take some action

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 28-300mm, ISO 12800, ƒ/4.5, 1/60 [President of Honduras talks with Maria Saporta]

Do you feel like you are working hard, but just are not getting any traction? You might even feel adrift in this world.

Here is a good indicator you are struggling and not getting traction to move forward in your life. Look at your calendar and see if you can see things on it that you put there that are different than what you had on your calendar last week, last month or even last year. If things look the same all the time then you are in a rut.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 5000, ƒ/6.3, 1/30 [Vince Dooley talks with the President of Honduras. They are building a soccer field in the Agalta Valley that will be named Vince Dooley field]

Once you are in motion on a bicycle the spinning of the wheel helps to stabilize you due to angular momentum. You may remember a physics teaching taking a bicycle wheel and then spinning it at a high speed and maybe sitting in a chair and having a student move it and watch how it moved them.

Watch this video if you need a refresher course on the concept.


Using this principle of angular momentum you will not move as long as no change is made. If the bicycle wheel spins and you do not turn the handlebars you will remain going straight.

Change

The largest obstacle to your life getting better is your willingness to change your routine.

While I do not recommend just doing something different today than you have in the past, it will change your life. Why not just do anything different, well that will likely result in you turning your bicycle into a ditch.

Nikon D4, AF-S NIKKOR 14-24mm f/2.8G ED, ISO 5600, ƒ/5.6, 1/250

The other day I was in the Delta Airlines corporate offices board room. This room was magnificent and where the airlines board meets. This room is where change happens for Delta.

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/5.6, 1/500

While my board room is our kitchen table changes happen around here that affect our family just as much as discussions around the board room tables changes.

Here a few tips to help you steer your life in a new direction:

1. Brainstorm–Take some time and just dream.
2. Pick the best ideas
3. Be SMART
1. S–Specific
2. M–Measurable
3. A–Achievable
4. R–Relevant
5. T–Trackable over time

Since many who read my blog are photographers you might have goals in several areas:

• Portfolio–You may want to grow artistically and add new images to your present portfolio or even completely change it
• Financial/Career–You may want to achieve working for certain media or corporations. You may also want to have a certain income 
• Lifestyle–This can be family goals of marriage, children or moving to a new place
• Attitude–You may just want to be more positive and not as negative
• Health–Maybe you want to lose weight or get into better shape
• Volunteer–Maybe you are wanting to give back and find an organization you can plug into to do more public service

I can tell you from my own life two types of changes have had profound effects on my life. 

First are those accidents or things that were from more outside forces. Car wrecks, layoffs, health emergencies and you get the idea, but all of these had dramatic impact on my life.

Second are those things where I made conscious decisions. Marrying my wife was one of the most profound and life changing things I could have ever done. Having a child was life changing. Going to college and later to seminary changed my life.

Here is my challenge to you. Take some time and just sit still and ponder where you are and if this is where you want to be in life. Then if there are things that are not where you want to be then brainstorm for what could be. 

Be realistic in your thoughts. Your plan that you come up with will be very similar to you planning a vacation abroad somewhere. You will have to had picked your destination and what all you want to see and do. Then you will put aside the money and then make all the plans to make it happen.

TIP

You can easily set a goal that age 35 to retire and many have done this. I recommend a goal that all those who reach that goal then put into place. Setting a goal that gives your life meaning and purpose. This way everyday you are much happier and satisfied than having a goal that eventually you realize was empty.