Intro by Skip Cohen
I first met Beverly Walden when she won a Kodak Gallery Award at what was then called “PPA National.” The award was a Hasselblad 500CM complete, and I’m guessing it was at least twenty-five years ago. Overall these years, our paths have crossed numerous times, and our friendship just kept growing.
Friendships grow out of respect. That means there are hundreds of different elements in somebody’s personality that seem to be the catalyst to get to know them better. For me, with both Beverly and husband Tim, it’s all in the title of today’s post, passion, and purpose.
We’ve all heard the line, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Ironically, it’s credited to dozens of people from Confucius to Steve Jobs! LOL But Beverly and Tim are ongoing proof of the truth to that statement. They set the standard for passion for the craft, their clients, and their friends. They also never stray from the purpose, whether it’s focused on the client’s needs; further developing their creativity, giving back to the photographic community or their sense of spirituality.
I was recently a guest on the EOS Photographer podcast, and host, Lyn Morton asked me my definition of success. My answer couldn’t have been easier to express, “Waking up each morning and jumping out of bed with a smile on my face!”
I wanted to share today’s post because it hit home so hard for me. I love the career path I’m on these days, But, we all have stretches where we come close to burnout. The key is to recognize the approaching “storm” and slow down before it hits. Life simply gets in the way, and so often we’re wearing too many hats. It’s hard to remember our passion and purpose when they seem to be lost in a sea of stress.
Beverly hits on four great reminders to help us all stay focused and listen to our hearts more than those gremlins in our heads, reminding us of the workload ahead.
Beverly and Tim Walden need to be on your radar! They always walk the talk and just reading this post today started me in a perfect direction, and all with a smile on my face!
By Beverly Walden
Passion and purpose–in short, doing what you love–can be difficult these days, especially in our industry.
We all long to maintain the fire within our souls that started us out on this path, but sometimes when the going gets tough, the fire is diminished to a small spark. So ask yourself, how do I feel about my business these days? Here are some thoughts on the differences on how to know if you are still fired up or it’s just a tiny spark.
1. You don’t struggle to stay disciplined; you struggle to prioritize. Your problem definitely isn’t staying busy and on task. Getting going isn’t an issue. Your problem is you have too many things you want to do and you struggle to decide what to do first.
I love this because I think this is what keeps me on my toes. I have so many ideas and I am constantly trying to find ways to keep myself on track. I get SO excited about creating new paintings that push me out of my comfort zone, thinking up new marketing ideas, designing new ways to pamper our clients (see photos below), and on and on and on.
2. You think, “I hope I get to… instead of, I hope I don’t have to” when you love your work. It’s like peeling an onion; there are always more layers to discover and explore. When you hate your work, it’s also like peeling an onion, but all you find are more tears.
What are you HOPING to do this month? What do you dread? I think the more you WANT to do things instead of wishing things could just go away is very telling!
3. You don’t talk about other people; you talk about the cool things other people are doing. I think this is terrific. Facebook and social media certainly have helped us to connect with others that are in our same profession, and it is amazing to see the incredible network of photographers who interact with us on a daily basis and we LOVE IT!
When we see photographers commenting, connecting and encouraging each other, it encourages us also and fuels our passion for this industry.
4. You enjoy your time at work. You don’t have to put in time at work and then escape to “life” to be happy. You enjoy life and enjoy work. You feel alive and joyful, not just at home but also at work. When you love your work, it’s a part of your life. When Beverly and I got to work together every day, we never even
Being a husband and wife team give us a creative boost as we fed off each other’s passion, creativity and energy. We love what we do! What an amazing feeling! And we are totally invested in what we are doing!
I hope you take a look at these questions and really dig deep and answer them honestly. My hope is that you already feel this way or that you use these questions to make the changes in your business to feel this way!
There is no better pursuit than to create a life of joy and passion and then, pass it on!
