Goals

I believe that goals are essential to a happy life. The problem with goals, however, is that while focused on the end result you can oftentimes miss the journey.

And what's doubly difficult for me is impatience. For me, almost all progress is too little progress. I know where I'm going, and I get frustrated with the fact that I'm not there yet. This was a terminal flaw in my acting career. I would set a goal on Monday, and by Wednesday begin to get frustrated because I wasn't making "significant" progress toward that goal. By that I mean that on Monday, I would decide that I would win an Oscar and by Wednesday wonder why Stephen Spielberg hadn't called. By Friday, I wouldn't be fit to live with.

What I didn't realize is that progress doesn't come in a smooth consistent stream. Progress comes in fits and starts. It can move at a glacial pace, and then jump ahead at lightning speed. The trick, of course, is to be ready for that lightning jump. Having the skills in place to support that rapid growth is essential. And sometimes it's necessary to slow progress so that your personal infrastructure can catch up.

This week I made two major leaps in progress. By the smiling fates of the gods, I lucked into a brand new camera! It's dazzling in it's wonder. I could not wait to do my first session with my new Olympus E3. I did, and the photos are beyond my expectations in quality. Then I sat down to edit samples for the client, only to discover that my new camera requires a major upgrade in my computer software. A huge investment that I was/am not prepared to make at this time. So it's back to my old, trusty camera for the time being.

However, the above photo was taken with the old camera and edited with the old software. And here's where the lightning jump is the most gratifying. This is the type of work I've been shooting for for the past three years. I could not have done this shot a year ago. Not even six months ago. I'm thrilled.

Six months ago I set a goal of shooting the Vanity Fair cover within the next five years. Maybe I'll get the call on Wednesday!