Dreams Start With Patience #17

Reading time: 7 minutes

What to expect:

1. The Game of Lifestyle Design (Life in Weeks)

2. A Healthy Amount of Boredom

3. How Expectations Ruin Things

All we have in life is time - our most precious finite resource.

Let’s get started.

Weekly Design Game-plan

You only get 4,680 weeks in your life - that is if you live past 80.

To me - it never seems like we have enough time. We are mortal - it’s beautiful and it’s terrifying. Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, decennially.

What is the best way to design a game plan for your life?

Honestly, I’m not going to act like my method is the one true way.

Consider this - every single way of organization has pros and cons. I personally love to organize my routine weekly and set weekly goals. This is an easier method for my brain, the goals & tasks stay at the top of my mind.

You might have a completely different method and that’s okay.

Make Boredom Apart Of Your Routine

Recently I’ve started hosting workshops helping others develop Second Brains through the use of Notion.

I’ve spent a good portion of the past two years using this app. It has been an absolute game changer for my state of mind. Organization has always been a problem of mine, so I created my own system to help others gain clarity of mind.

The biggest deterrent to journaling and organization for young people is the fact that it’s - “boring”

We live in a world of constant distractions

If it doesn’t give instant-gratification many young people don’t want to participate unless there’s a gun to their head. You know the types of people who won’t do anything boring. “Why would I do that? I could play video games or mindlessly consume hours on Netflix.”

It is incredibly frustrating to be around NPC’s who don’t want to learn or improve.

I’ve said before in previous articles; living to get by will lead you to a life of hardship.

You need to make boredom apart of your routine. Even If it’s just once-a-week, value will still be present. The issue is modern society is typically NEVER bored, why would they be?

The solution: schedule time in the day to bored, particularly before bedtime or right when you wake up.

Chase New Experiences With No Expectations

It is July 31st, 2023 - a beautiful sunny day out in Canyonlands National Park.

I am driving on the highway attempting to get to my destination before the precious sunset. It’s just my empty water bottle, camera, and I. I am a little anxious as I am about to photograph an engagement for a couple I have never met before.

At this point I am 10 minutes late, I am incredibly worried the potential photos are not going to turn out well because of how nervous I am.

I’ve been told in the past I don’t look nervous when I am.

Hopefully my clients don’t get a whiff of my nerves. I haven’t photographed anything or anyone in a few months. I know I can at least get a few good shots.

I show up and my clients are all dressed up, in the parking lot outside of the trailhead - “Oh crap, it’s showtime.”

At this point I genuinely am asking myself if I want to keep doing photography.

When I first started doing this I never understood how serious it actually was. You are documenting one special day for these individuals that they will remember for the rest of their lives. My clients, were awfully pleasant to be around at first contact.

I perked up instantly, asked them to follow me in their car to our spot for sunset.

We arrive at our destination - only to see it crowded with tourists

My heart drops at this point, every time someone new shows up I get frustrated as if they were going to ruin the photos. My last shoot in this location had 0 tourists present. It’s a small slice of heaven for elopement/engagement photographers.

Overcrowding was problem #1 - problem #2 just reared it’s ugly head around the corner.

You see, I have been watching the weather all week long - hoping for no rain.

Fortunately, no rain but, the cloud coverage is too thick for the sunset to shine through. I am feeling terrible for my clients at this moment. I regret coming out here at this point - I start asking if they want to reschedule.

Recently, my passion for photography has been on the back-burner - I am asking myself if I even want to continue doing this as a career path.

My clients are great people who share a great love with one another

I just keep photographing them in the available light we have. Thinking these photos are going to be terrible due to the lack of light. When people are truly in love, it shows.

We are just about to finish up, then I hear a massive BOOM.

A lightning storm is right in-front of us

I proceed, snap a few shots of them inside the lightning storm and I ended up too stunned to speak. I never thought about how moody storms could make a portrait session. I showed them my camera, the man’s whole facial expression changed with awe and joy.

Helping create a vision for other people is the most fulfilling feeling in the world as a photographer.

My initial expectation was a crutch, it hindered my ability to enjoy myself and go with the flow

I am driving home, happy clients and genuinely good photos.
Out of nowhere I am watching the moon break through cloud coverage. On top of that, the most gnarly lightning storm I have ever seen in my home town.

The beautiful show Mother Nature is putting on in front of me is well-worth coming out here for a photoshoot.

The point of this all is - having expectations for things will force you to say no before you even know the true potential of an opportunity.

Say yes now, figure it out later. I am incredibly grateful to witness what I did, the moment I got back to town it started to rain so much (we had a 100-year flood last year). Monsoon season has arrived.

And so has my hope for a better life.

Thanks for reading!
Another way I can help you when you are ready.
-Learn how to optimize creativity and productivity directly from me

Your photographer friend who is constantly talking about self improvement
-Zachariah