Determination

A few more days, and it’s back to the rat race. I’ll add a couple math classes a week to my already very busy work week. But I’m forging ahead, determined to meet the goals I’ve set for myself. I’ve heard said that sharing our goals with others makes us more likely to keep them, but I’m pretty sure that’s crap. I’ve tossed many a goal out the window after sharing it with the world. I’m convinced that my determination comes from just being plain ol’ fed up with myself, and I’m the only one whose opinion matters. Ok, well, I’ll have to add Eden and Mitch to that short list.

So I don’t need to share those goals with you. But I will tell you that more photographic output is also a goal. I’ve always been afraid of failing, and the fear is alive and well in my photography. I mean, what if my photos suck? But if I never shoot–even rotten photos–I’ll never shoot those winning photos either. Maybe fear of failure is what has kept me from winning at anything. I mean that very fear of failure, that absolute need for perfection straight away, has probably kept me from taking any risks at all in life. And here I thought I was just a late bloomer, but the analyzed truth is much more productive. Maybe I can eek a few decades out of my remaining life to actually do something!

What you’re reading is not self pity. And it’s not apathy. It’s realization and determination. It’s the dynamite going off under my butt that has me forging ahead. I’ll let you know as things go my way.

Today’s image was shot dockside in Norfolk, Virginia. I love the fog over the buildings and the largeness of the water. It was such a chilly morning that I gave myself about 5 minutes to get shots of the area. I remind myself that these scenes are out there for the taking. We just need to go get them.