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Disclaimer: this is going to be a bunch of self-motivation crap, random pictures that aren't necessarily related to the topics, and me making fun of myself. If none of that sounds interesting, please feel free to return to whatever you were doing before this. There will be no interesting stories. There will be no insights into photography or behind-the-scenes info. I can't be entertaining all the time. I'm sorry but I just can't deal with that kind of pressure. If that doesn't bother you, read on.
I talk a lot about the past and how much certain experiences have impacted my life and how I use them to shape what I do day to day. However, I don't really find myself talking about the future much, mainly because I see it as a giant unknown that's subject to change at any moment. I've never really liked to plan things, I usually just prefer to wing it and hope things turn out okay, and they usually do. But as I get older and have less time to just randomly hop in my car and go explore, I find myself making more plans and relying on myself to cover my bases ahead of time. It's a weird mental shift that I'm not exactly stoked on, but with it come certain advantages that make life easier overall - even if the fun and spontaneity of traveling randomly is lost in the process.
So I want to talk a little bit about my plans and goals for this year before we get too far into it and I decide to just say "screw it, I'll do it next year" like I typically do. Think of this as sort of a self-accountability post, a way for me to motivate myself to actually DO all of the things that I have been telling myself that I'll do for a while. It's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day bullshit that we all have to buy into at some point, but I've found that the farther in advance I sit down and actually make a plan for something, the easier it is for me to prepare for it and actually get it done. Holy shit I sound like my fifth grade teacher. Okay enough of that, let's get into it.
I'm not a huge fan of resolutions or anything like that. I feel like they typically are just a way to justify a current unhealthy lifestyle choice that you want to change, and by saying you will, you allow yourself to put it off and not deal with it right away. That's why this year, while I did set a personal resolution, I made sure to make it measurable and not something that's easy to put off.
I've never been out of the country. My entire life I've spent in the U.S., and most of that has been on the West coast. Not even Canada or Mexico, which are both easy trips that I could have done in a weekend if I really wanted to. With how much time I spend in the car, I should definitely have crossed at least one of the borders by now, but somehow it's just never been in the cards.
So my one resolution this year is to travel outside of the U.S. at least three times. Canada is going to happen, so there's an easy one. The World YoYo contest is in Iceland this year, so boom, there's number two. Which leaves me with one new country to plan a trip to at some point this year. I'm not really sure where I want to go, but I need to jump on it and start planning as soon as I can. (I'm also open to recommendations... hint hint...) This is the one resolution I set for myself for the new year, and I am prioritizing this above all the other goals I have for myself this year. The rest of this list is just stuff that I really should do, but unless I get this one done I'm going to chalk this year up as a waste. I know, I know, that's harsh and I should chill out and take it easy on myself, but seriously if I've spent my entire life this close to Canada and never been I probably need to be harder on myself about it or it'll never happen.
This is somewhat of a more recent goal. These blog posts have been a lot of fun for me, and I've been really amazed at the feedback I've gotten on them even in such a short amount of time. I can already feel my writing style changing, and it gets much easier to put thoughts into words the more you do it. I'm not making any promises because life happens and things change, but I think I want to start doing these more often - maybe even daily. It's great mental exercise and a good way to keep myself moving. I just need to figure out what I'm going to write that much about...
I've also always wanted to write a book, ever since I was a little kid. I think that with one of the photo projects I've got planned, I might just be able to start moving on that... but that's a whole different story, and there's more to come on that later. For now, I need to be patient and develop my written voice through telling stories here.
I haven't taken care of myself very well lately. I'm going to be better about that. I've started running again and I absolutely hate it but I just think about how great my abs will be and how nice it will be to fit back into my favorite jeans and it's worth it. That's it.
This is an idea I've had for a while. Basically I want to take an idea and shoot a documentary photo project about it over the course of several months. I've already got one that I've been working on, something that I think will eventually lead to my #2 goal of writing a book. I don't want to talk about it too much until I've got some more figured out with it, but yeah. Developing a vision for a full project and executing it is something I've wanted to do for a few years and a challenge that I think I'm finally ready to take on. I have no idea what the process is like, how to get things printed properly or how to get it published, but I'll figure it out. Hopefully.
That's it. Those are the goals that I'm looking at this year, and this is my way of holding myself accountable to them. Sorry this wasn't a very entertaining post, there wasn't much of a story or cohesive structure to it, but it's my blog and I figure I might as well use it to help make myself do more/better. All of the people who I look up to the most are incredibly talented at holding themselves accountable and working hard toward their personal goals, and that's something that I've had to learn (and am still learning) how to do. It's a tough process because you really have to be hard on yourself, but I think it's totally worthwhile when all of your hard work pays off. "The biggest lies we tell are the ones we tell ourselves" - and I'm done lying to myself about what I will or won't do in the future.
Feel free to reach out with thoughts, feedback, travel recommendations, questions, things you'd like me to write about, whatever. I'm always looking for new topics to touch on, and I love to hear what all of you have to say. Thank you again for sticking with me and keeping me going. You all rock and I wouldn't be doing any of this without your support.
K thx byeee ✌🏼
