As if I don't reflect enough already. This weekend is my birthday, also my second official year of starting the journey into what I now love doing.
Photojournalism, Journalism, and Music.
If you had told me just three years ago this is what I'd be doing, I'd have laughed at you and said "right...right...maybe, though doubtful.". I was a pessimist, a major pessimist. There wasn't even a glass to fill. I was a colander.
But here we are, I am on track to make more in a year than I did before. I enjoy my life more. I get to hang out with cool people, take photos, see bands, talk to companies to write engaging stories and I get paid to do most of this. That's just one aspect of my life that I talk about a lot.
I went from being a Negative Nancy, Pessimistic Patty to a Courageous Chris in the span of a few years. And so can you.
Once you jump off the ledge so to speak, anything is possible. I can't fail any harder than I've failed in the past, 15 years of drinking myself stupid for no good reason, literally wasting my 20s on booze and bad attitudes. So I live with the mindset of failing better.
Another large mention that got me kickstarted in the first place was my first job I had as a "full time freelancer". I will be forever grateful to Kim at Mile of Music for hiring me on the first place. She had her choice of numerous other potentials who through the course of years of working with the festival could've easily slid right into position. And Harmann Studio for giving me the training I needed to edit photos and take good photos in quick fashion, and learning how to see the blink when you click the shutter, but moreover seeing all the details in the shot before you even CLICK the shutter.
When I first started questioning what I wanted to do with my life, there was no impending feeling that I had to live my life because it could end soon. There was no concept that it could all end tomorrow, after all tomorrow kept coming, and I kept the tap and tab open. It wasn't until I realized I was overweight, always in pain, moody all the time, and rude to everyone because I hated myself, that I came to. When I stared in the mirror and said to myself, "Self...do better." and I worked little bits at a time to get better. My excuses were always, "one day", "tomorrow", "later".
Then "one day", "tomorrow", "later" you actually notice the clock. You hear the scraping of the seconds as they go by, you feel the slow movement of the minute hand going from 36 to 37, and begin to chew on the thought of another hour going by without doing something about it.
Frankly, the best way to stop time is to take the battery out of the clock, after all, it's what so many people do and willfully so. I know, because it's what I did for years.
It's not that you don't care, it's that you don't have the ability to care because you've been led to believe as an adult you're not allowed to dream big, only children are. But then how many just smile and tell the child "that's nice...you can do anything...but you're going to do what society says, got it?" You hit a point where you're ok with letting time pass you by because it's easier than challenging yourself. Your future never seemed like it mattered anyways. As Ben Franklin said, "Some people die at age 25 and aren't buried until they are 75."
Waking up motivated is one thing. Waking up and doing is another. I feel like it's been a while since I woke up and did something productive like I did when I was working out and feeling a little more in control of things around...I know it isn't that situation, because I am in control of literally everything around me. I built this life and I have the power to construct anything within whatever shape I live in. Hint: it's not a box. I have been productive, but for some reason today I feel the push to get all the things done.
Maybe it's listening to The 4-Hour Work Week that's pushing me to want to get my mind into gear. Seriously a good listen. Not everything about the book is totally believable, and honestly to some degree you have to have the backing of inherent drive that Tim Ferriss has, but the idea and premise behind it is rather true. I find some of it a little over the top, however, it all goes back to you can work better, smarter and harder if you just use, wait for it...we're going allllll the way back to E-Myth (yet again), even the Who Not How Book (to a degree), hell even all the way back to the The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People...
Systems! Systems! Systems! Time Blocking! Time Blocking! Time Blocking! Busy-ness vs Business.
So here we are, on the precipice of a new year around the sun. I was supposed to die when I was born, my parents were told "Go home for the night, hope for the best, but he likely won't make it."
Well, I'm alive and I'm not ready to give up just yet. I gave up once in life, because I didn't know any better. But I'm not going to give up again.
Thirty-seven is a prime number, which can only mean one thing, this is my prime year to succeed. Watch out because if this year doesn't put me on the maps, then I don't what will.
Happy birthday to me, and you my fellow chickens.
Stick around and you'll soon understand why the chicken crossed the road, and you'll want to cross that road too!
-Yours Truly, Head Chicken Chris