Monthly Mash Up (July 2017)

Education doesn’t end when your time at school is done. It continues the rest of your days. Do this and you’ll continue to grow and mature over a lifetime, becoming smarter and wise with age. Do it not, and you’ll wish you had.

I stumbled across some outstanding resources in July and I’d like to share a few of them with you here. Below is a quote I’m pondering, three books I’ve read and four videos or documentaries I’ve watched. They each taught me some incredibly valuable lessons. Lessons that made me better and that’ll do the same for you if you let them.

Quote I'm Chewing On

“How you look is just as much a reflection of how you eat as how you train.” — Michael Mathews

You can’t out train a poor diet. This simple truth has us taking a fresh look at what we eat with a fine tooth comb. We’re tracking nutrient intake is a start but we’re also looking at food sources and timing to optimize our performance.  

What I'm Reading

1. Bigger Leaner Stronger by Michael Matthews - I have been encouraged by the in depth look it takes to all aspects of training, especially nutrition.   

2. The Warrior Ethos by Steven Pressfield - This short missive on the Warrior Ethos is a great reminder of the historical and universal truths found in every culture throughout history. A warrior is a warrior no matter where he calls home. That’s good news. Because we can do something about it. We can cultivate a warrior mindset.

3. On Killing by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman - The world is not a perfect place. Things go wrong and often that puts lives on the line. What happens when and if that moment comes is important. Preparing yourself for that day is even more so. This book is part of that preparation. It will help you understand what happens when life and death hang in the balance.

What I’m Watching

1. God’s Colonial Intent by Dr. Myles Munroe - This one was shared with me by a member of my community group and I immensely enjoyed it. If you’re looking for a little bit different spin on the overarching theme of the Bible, this one might be up your alley.    

2. Creating Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard - How you make customers feel is the most important thing about your business. The better use you make of this truth, the healthier your bottom line will be.

3. Fittest On Earth: A Decade of Fitness - Discipline is required however  you want to grow and improve. The athletes competing in the Crossfit games are perfect examples of this.

4. What The Health - Watching this documentary earlier this month kickstarted a conversation around nutrition and exactly what we’re putting in our bodies. You may land on one side of the meat debate or the other, but films like this are often best used for self examination. They give you an opportunity to take a deep look at yourself.

Guest Post: Where To Begin Your Photography Journey

Today I'm sharing something I've never done before—a guest post. This post was written by my lovely wife, Hannah. Hannah is the creative vision behind our photography business, Cottonwood Road Photography. In this post she addresses the question of where to begin your photography journey. If you or a someone you know, wants to start a photography business and aren't sure where to start, this post is for you.

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One of the highest joys of my job is the opportunity to help other aspiring photographers develop their skills and start their own photography journeys. It is stressful and overwhelming to figure out how every aspect of your camera works, how to compose and use light and everything in between. As a result, people reach out regularly in search of help getting their head around things. What follows is a collection of resources I share with those just jumping into photography.   

Running a photography business can be incredibly hard. Long shoots, responding to inquiries, hours of editing, and travel are more than enough to keep you busy. Despite the difficulty, it is super rewarding to work with couples leading up to and celebrating the biggest moments of their lives.

Whether you're interested in starting your own business or just want to learn how to use your camera, I highly suggest taking a photography course. You can take one online or attend a class of some sort. Focus on mastering the art of photography, and learning your equipment. I took years of classes in high school & college to learn the basics. However, my real break through came when I started teaching myself. Here are a few resources that helped me personally grow and develop as a photographer once I got serious about developing my skills. 

Photography Information

Digital Photography School - explore the whole site! This is a great place to begin learning the technical side of your camera, from lenses, settings, lighting conditions and more. If you are a beginner, they will help me learn how to manipulate your camera so that you get the shot you envision.    

Justin & Mary Pancake Sessions  - Who doesn't love pancakes? Explore everything they have for photographers! These short and sweet posts cover everything from their favorite equipment to how to host a client meeting in your home. They were instrumental as Preston and I started our business.

Jasmine Star - Excellent videos from another photographer on how to run a wedding photography business. I used to watch her short videos nonstop as I sought to learn everything I could about how to be the very best photographer. 

Psychology for Photographers - This was extremely helpful in learning how to manage client relationships, how to have hard conversations, the why behind pricing and value, among many other things. This helped me learn how to mentally handle all of the challenges that came my way. 

Creative Live - You can find an answer to almost any question somewhere on their site. They cover a ton. This is the next step in learning not just the technical aspects of shooting, but building a portfolio and running a business as well. Careful, you could get lost in all the helpful resources they offer. 

Equipment

B&H Photo Video - We order all of our camera equipment through B&H. They have great prices, their site is easy to navigate and they take the stress out of the equipment buying experience. 

Ken Rockwell - Before you purchase another piece of equipment, check out Ken. He does some of the best reviews on all different kinds of equipment! In the process of making an excellent decision about what to buy, Ken serves as our ace in the hole. 

Once you've done the hard work of nailing the art form and how your specific camera works, you'll be ready to start narrowing down what field of photography you're interested in pursuing. But that's a post for another day.    

Hope this is a big help as you get started! :) 

Developing a "Stop Doing" List

Most lead lives full of activity and lacking discipline. "To do" lists are overwhelming and ever growing. They are filled with wasteful activities, "we just have to do", that drain us of energy, steal our time and keep us from chasing truly great opportunities. 

Enter the idea of the "Stop Doing" list. 

A "stop doing" list in its most basic form is a list of the things that you and / or your team are going to stop doing.  

The solution to your crazy schedule and consequently a crazy task list isn't just another list but the process of evaluating exactly what you are doing each day. A "stop doing" list helps you take a cold hard look at what you are doing and literally stop doing those things that are not the most fruitful for you and your team.  

Like much of life, the power is in the process. 

How do you determine which activities are worth doing? Putting together a "stop doing" list begins by taking a hard look at your task list and asking yourself a series of questions.

1. What is the purpose of this task? It is always helpful to begin with the end in mind. To ask yourself the five year old's favorite question, why? Why is this item even on your "to do" list? What was it's origional purpose? Why are you doing each particular task? Purpose matters especially when it comes to the tasks that cosume your time. If the ultimate purpose of a task isn't worth the time, energy and resources it consumes ditch it. 

2. What outcomes does this task produce? Every task you perform produces an outcome. What is the result of doing each item on your list? What fuit does it produce? Make note of the outcomes your work produces. If what you are doing isn't producing good results that are helping you achieve your goals, it is probably something wasting your time.    

3. If I did not already do this, would I do it? Thinking about starting over often helps provide clarity. There are any number of things you do each day that were once great and needed items but whose time has passed. Honestly evaluate each and every item as if it were a new idea even if you've been doing it for years. Just because its the way things have always been done isn't a good enough reason to keep something on your to do list. You have too much going on for wasteful tasks born of tradition.  

4. Does it fall in my area of strength? Focus on what you do best. A stop doing list allows you to focus on your strengths. Stop doing things you're not best equipped to do. Chances are that even if the task is worth doing, someone else around you might be better suited to perform it.

4 Steps to Personal Growth

As the great Tony Robbins says,"For things to change, you gotta change." 

The truth is your team and your business are dependent on your growth. It can't grow if your not. So own it. Draw a line in the sand today and commit to growing and developing yourself. If you are growing you can lead and today I have a simple four step plan to help transform you over the next year. 

1. Read

You hear this one all the time because it is true. Leaders are readers & readers are leaders. Reading helps sharpen your mind and helps you grow as a communicator. It is not just the content of what you read that shapes you, you learn how to think and communicate in an articulate and coherent fashion.

If the thought of reading has you overwhelmed or you just don't think you have time, start small. Commit to reading a minimum of 10 pages per day. That's 3,650 pages in a year! 

2. Redeem Your Commute

Instead of listening to the radio, dial up a podcast or audio book while you drive. This simple step will transform your commute from simply getting from A to B into one that transforms your mind. 

3. Replace TV

One common habit of the extremely successful that I have seen in interview after interview is that they turn off the TV. Instead of spending the 30 minutes before bed on the couch watching the next episode of your favorite show on Netflix, pull out your laptop or iPad and spend that time putting good things in your mind. Listen / watch videos of the top personal growth leaders as you prepare for bed.   

4. Lock Arms with Winners

It is said that we are the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with. I couldn't agree more. Increase your time with good people who are running the same direction and encourage one another. 

None of these steps requires much more of you than a commitment to do a few things differently over a period of time but what a difference they could make!

You Have A Choice

Your decisions are immensely powerful. Circumstances and situations do not have the power and sway we often to believe. By and large your outcomes are determined by the choices you make. 

To reach the ultimate outcomes you desire out of life you have to consciously make determinations to get you there. To reach your goals and achieve your desired outcomes there are two primary things you have to decide what you will do with.  

1. The thoughts that go through your mind

At some point I will have to devote greater ink to expounding on this area but today I want to focus on a few thoughts regarding the life of the mind. 

What will you fill your mind with? You woke up this morning with thoughts swimming around inside your head, many of them weren't positive, and you have to decide what you will do with them. Will you dwell on them? Will you begin to believe them? Will allow those thoughts, that did not originate with you, to determine how you approach your day? Or will you take control of the thoughts in your mind? Will you take those thoughts swimming in your mind through the truth test? Will you weigh them and compere them to truth? Today you have the opportunity to determine what your mind dwells on. As a man thinks, he will become. I encourage you to fill your mind with thoughts becoming the person you want to be. What thoughts will you choose to dwell on today? 

Our thoughts drive our actions. How we think and what we believe will determine the direction our feet move. Wherever your mind is, you will end up. If you think the mountain is too high to climb, you won't climb it. If you think certain obstacles in your life are insurmountable, they are. If you believe you are lacking in dignity, worth or value, you will behave in a manner that reflects it. However, if you will set your mind on good and positive things, you will act in accordance with those thoughts.  

Your attitude is a choice. Earlier I stated that circumstances and situations held far less sway over us that we often image. I specifically had this point in mind. While circumstances are real, we ultimately have the power to choose our attitude. We have the ability to choose to remain positive when hard times come. We have the power to choose to joy when the ground is shaking beneath our feet. We have the opportunity to have an attitude of service when all we want to dwell on are our difficulties.   

2. The opportunities before you

Each day we have to decide what we are going to do with the opportunities before us. These opportunities can be condensed to the question of how you will steward your time, the people who cross your path, and the resources you have. 

Each of us has 24 hours to steward each day. Your day, my day and your neighbor's day is 24 hours in length. Since our time is limited we have to make decisions about how we will utilize each moment of the day. You can spend your time on mindless activities, and non-productive tasks or you can choose to invest your time in productive, positive, life giving tasks. How do you allocate that time? What do you do with your lunch break, or your commute?  How do you leverage the seemingly small number of hours in the day towards effecting your desired outcomes?   

You will meet roughly 80,000 people in your lifetime. Studies have stated that the average person will interact with roughly 80,000 people throughout the course of their life. Each of those interactions is an opportunity to make a difference. How different would the outcomes in your life be if you viewed each new interpersonal interaction as an opportunity to add value to the life of another?  

You are wealthy. If you are reading this post, you are immeasurably rich. You may not pull down a six figure salary or drive a fancy car but you have resources beyond measure. Your income, your home, your vehicle, your relationships, and your talents are all resources latent with opportunity. I want to challenge you to look at each of the resources you have as an opportunity. The decisions you make regarding the wealth of resources at your disposal not only puts your heart on display but directly impacts the outcomes you achieve in life.