Neglect.

Too long has it been since my last update, I have been neglecting my blog nearly as much as I have been neglecting myself. 

Too little exercise, Too much junk food, a lack of time to relax and simply allowing stress to build up in my life. 

Its time for a change. 20 years old. I’m not a teen anymore, time to look at my life and get to work getting to where I want to be. I’m going to be working hard on every aspect of my life over the next year, my career, fitness, mental capacity, intelligence, and breadth of interests. Im going to focus my attentions on some projects I have had in the planning for a few years and get to work producing some stunning photography, writing and more.

Its time to get things in place for the rest of my life. Its time for a change.

Tom

Own Brand.

As a photographer I have worked out that I am not self employed. I am not freelance or flexible. I am all of these. I am my own brand. Everything I do effects my brand, my appearance, my work, my email responses as well as the people I talk to. Everything I do has an impact on my brand. As a single person working on his own, I may not seem like a brand, but everything I do is truly vital. For any consumer brand, being innovative, reliable, trendy, responsive and accessible are all vital for success. If I wan’t to be the best, I must do everything above…. and do it with blinding efficiency.

Tom

Directional progression.

Without a direction we can never make progress. In order to have a direction we must understand the co ordinates of the location of where we think we wan’t to be. I say think, because on our journey towards to the location we currently deem to be the place we wan’t to be, we are likely to discover and find new avenues we wish to venture down. Progression is a constantly moving ideology, what we wan’t now may be different in a week, month or few years time and this is very normal. The fact is that to progress in any form we need direction, so sit down and think about where you THINK you would like to end up.

Tom

The man who built his house on the rock.

When I was little my mum bought me a book of bible stories. I am not religious but the messages they had within them were ones that would stay with me for life. One story told the differences between the man who built his house on the sand and another who worked hard to build upon a rock. At the end of the story a storm washes away the house on the sand, yet the one on the rock stays strong. This simple illustration shows the importance of foundations. In business, in life and in our families having strong foundations ultimately lead to success. Putting in the effort, working hard at the basics will inevitably reward you with a strong platform to develop success upon.

Tom

Get what you give.

In life, giving is a prefix to getting. Why should anyone give you anything, when you have never given anything to anyone else?

People who do well are those who are happy to give away what they know, skills they have and their ideas. By giving away information we show people we are good at what we do, we develop a niche and people value what we bring to the table. Once established as a giver we will start to gain opportunities. Chances to develop our skills into more saleable objects, from which we then can reap the rewards of our earlier giving. 

Giving however should not just be about a long term business investment or a game plan. Giving is about making something easier for someone else, improving someones day or simply making someone smile for a second.

Giving makes you happy. And being happy is the biggest reward of all.

Tom