Almost Three Months Left for 2014! How Will You Use the Time?

 More Re-edits. This time from 2011 model session. Art Model, Enyo. ©2014 Terrell Neasley 

"There is no short cut to achievement. Life requires thorough preparation - veneer isn't worth anything."

~ George Washington Carver

In a few short days, there will be only one-quarter of the year left. My, where has the time gone. Pretty soon the year will be over. So here's a challenge for you. How much can you get done in 3 months? What significant achievement can you accomplish before the end of the year? You can measure that in money, as in how much can you make, but I think a focus on the cash is a mistake for a lot of people. Tis' better to focus on the goals you have to be better and the money will follow. Never chase the dollar. But that's just my take. Better yet, how many doors can you figuratively knock on to get more photo projects under your belt before year's end? You have 3 months. What else can you learn in your expertise that can expand your business services?

Here's why I'm asking. I write the contents of this blog, not from the vantage of having mastered all these concepts myself, but rather they are realizations I make for me that I know are common to many other photographers. Every one of us usually enters a new year, thinking about what we hope to accomplish, resolutions, and where we want to be. And then that year closes and we're wondering where the time went so fast. Well, here shortly, it will be 2015 and you're gonna be surprised that 2014 has already gone. All those goals and ambitions are just going to have to be reiterated in January and you promise to redouble your efforts. But lets be honest with ourselves. Didn't we say the same thing when 2013 ended?

Art Model, Enyo. ©2014 Terrell Neasley

So here are a few things you can spend these last 3 months of 2014 doing that might help you break even or possibly get the jump on 2015.

1. Do the things you know you need to do today. Start the project and then see it through. I've been talking about redoing my website since forever. I've let that project get old and stale. So for me, that's on my daily list until completion. But every day, I gotta work on it, even if I just spend an hour on it. Have you done your back-ups? Mine are automated, but I've recently talked to a guy who's not backed up his work in months. Register your copyrights. Scout some new locations. Stay abreast of the latest photo news and developments. Read a book, for crying out loud. Read something to help yourself. Invest time and money in lighting workshops, photo conventions, or classes. Do an online tutorial on how to do lighting for sports photography. Network! Place yourself in a position to be made aware of where the gigs are coming from. If you don't know how to do that, ASK SOMEBODY who does! And then make sure you are doing the things that make you qualified to be considered for those gigs.

Art Model, Enyo. ©2014 Terrell Neasley

2. Make each decision you choose take you closer to your goals. You can ask yourself... "How does another trip to Zion National Park help my portfolio?" "How does shooting this project for free add to my business?" You may in fact, realize that Zion shots are everywhere and it could be that shooting in the Mojave National Reserve could be a fresher look for you. OR, maybe you can shoot Zion from a different perspective that renews people's interest in your work. It might be more beneficial for you to decline free projects. Exposure and Photo Credits, do not pay the bills. However, if its a volunteer project and you deem there is a high propensity to be introduced to a new demographic of clientele, it could be worth it.

3. Train up on something you know will be useful later. Here's an example. I spent time in Nicaragua living with a local family to learn Spanish. I got a good foundation but I have a long way to go. I plan to go back before long and it will be MOST EXCELLENT if I'm a bit more proficient for when I return. Sooo... I gotta stick with my notes and study regularly. I'm not planning on being back there any time soon, but that just gives me more opportunity and time to learn. I also know I can better my photo business by being more proficient in video. All my cameras do video. I need to be as proficient in it as I am with photography. But unlike photo, I have to add learning audio. I need to learn the gear as well. We just got classes on Canon's new XA-20/25 and the XA-200/205. I am much more interested in learning the professional aspects of video after that class. I sold my first XA-20 just last week and it was quite the experience speaking on it to my customer. Its a good piece of gear. I think I need one. The better I get, the more I can offer to my clientele.

Art Model, Enyo. ©2014 Terrell Neasley

All this to say that opportunities come you way most every day. But if you are not in a position to take advantage of them, fear not...someone else will. Time...you only have so much of it. Wasted time - its worse than wasted money, wasted food, or wasted anything else you can think of. Everything else, you can make up for it. Opportunities that came along for which you were not prepared for are simply lost. I've heard it said that Fortune Favors the Prepared. I believe this to be true. Be smart. Do the right things now. I believe this is a key factor that separates the successful from the "busy".

Use Your Time Wisely

"Don’t be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. One man gets only a week’s value out of a year while another man gets a full year’s value out of a week."

- Charles Richards

"The key is in not spending time, but in investing it."

- Stephen R. Covey

"This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Model, Laura

This one isn't so new, but its another one of those gems of wisdom that somehow still elude us.

Use your time wisely.

Simple, I know, but its mostly the most simplest of things that tend to bite us in the ass when we don't take care. In the Army, we called it "Paying attention to the little things". What exactly does using your time wisely mean and how do you do it? Well, I'll tell ya. I don't really know. Its different from person to person and you have to be the one to chose what you do.

During my periods of downtime, I try to pick up on my To-Do List and shave it down a little. This happened this weekend when plans didn't come to fruition. Truthfully, on Saturday, I had to miss a shoot due to weather. That bummed me out. I got some take-out and watched a movie. The next day plans again fell through, but instead of moping around, I shook it off and did some tutorials, studied some Business Financial Management chapters in a book I'm reading, and finished up my online Traffic School course from a speeding ticket I got a few months back. So the first day's use of time...POOR. Second day's use of time...WISE. I was flexible on the second day and took a bad situation and make something profitable out of it. I got KNOWLEDGE. You'll never make a better investment than what you can by investing into yourself.

Laura, From back in 2008

So who's unemployed right now? Who's laid-off at the moment? If you've got time on your hands for an indefinite period of time or just for the day, make some positive use of it. Exercise. Write the next chapter in your book. Call up a friend that you haven't talked to in a while. Send me some money through my Paypal Donation Button. Who care's what you do...just do something that results in a positive.

We used to have something called Hip-Pocket Training when I was serving. I hope you are being safe this Memorial Day, by the way. Hip-Pocket Training was a concept designed to take advantage of unexpected downtime for soldiers. NCO's, (the Sergeants) would have on-hand a special training planned for just such occasions, i.e., after a long road march to a destination, we arrive but our rides back home have not. The first thing we'd do was to ensure our coordinates were correct and then we'd radio in a situation report. The response is that the truck due at our rendezvous has an engine problem and a replacement can't be allocated for my mission for two hours. Now you've got mad soldiers on your hands who are cold, hungry, and tired. They don't want excuses. They want food and a hot shower. A good NCO will occupy their time with some easy training on Land Navigation techniques or risk mutiny. I used to do this same thing with my kids on long car rides. They'd get tired of sitting in the back seat for so long, so I'd quiz them on Bible history. Next thing they know, they're pulling into Grandma's driveway.

The only difference now is that YOU have to take responsibility for YOUR OWN Hip-Pocket Training. Learn a new language, computer program, or beneficial skill. Get out of your comfort zone, if you can. Stretch yourself a little by leaving your same old routines alone for a while. And while I'm at it, in addition to using your time wisely, pick your friends more wisely. Prioritize your family more wisely. Make your decisions more wisely. Spend your money more wisely. And take care for what you eat with more wisdom. Utilize your time to make a better YOU. Think about all the times you've complained that you don't have time to lose weight...read that book...or visit relatives in retirement homes. Now you've got the time. What are you going to do with it?