"As one door closes another one opens..."

Captured with the LUMIX G9 and 14-140mm lens. Right out of the can - cropped and enlarged. F8 @ 1/400 ISO 200 55mm

It's Sunday morning, and as always I'm stepping away from the business and marketing of photography. While I'm writing this today, the idea came to me a few weeks ago when I was looking at the image above. It was captured with a LUMIX G9 while we were visiting friends in Ohio. I was amazed at the sharpness, but there was something else I appreciated.

The marigold in the front was at its peak, alive, beautiful and in full bloom. Just outside the depth of field in the back, an older flower was dying and fell apart a few days later. That got me thinking about the expression, as one door closes another opens.
 
I've had plenty of disappointments in my life, but when I look back, each one led me to something different and often better. Here are a few examples:

• In my early days at Polaroid, I finally made it to my then dream job in HR but got caught in a lay-off and didn't have the seniority to retain the position. I had enough seniority to take a job in Customer Service. That job led to Camera Products Services, then Chicago, followed by International Services Manager and traveling all over the world. Later came marketing manager for the U.S. Photo-Specialty Dealers and eventually to the offer to be president of Hasselblad USA. That first lay-off when I thought my world was over started a series of incredible jobs, international travel and eventually to Hasselblad.
• When I left Hasselblad, it was to an Internet startup. When the Internet imploded in 2001, I was standing in the unemployment line.  But, it opened the door to be president of Rangefinder Publishing and WPPI.
• Frustrated with some of the challenges at RF/WPPI, I headed out on my own in 2009. I was afraid to take the plunge initially, and Sheila asked me, "What are you afraid of?" My answer instantly was "Failing!" Up to that point, my entire career was working for other companies. Here we are ten years later, I'm not sure I've ever been this busy, and I wake up smiling every morning.

Think about your own life and experiences. How many times have you felt a knot in your stomach over a change you weren't expecting? (It's the same feeling you got with that first dent you put in your father's car as a kid!)

Now, look back at what followed - not always right away, but sooner or later as one door closed, another new one opened. I'm also a firm believer in the expression; everything always works out for the better. Over and again in my life, it's been proven true.

So, the next time you're feeling down over a closing door, have confidence, and be looking for a new one to open. Most important of all, remember, "It's just a bad day, not a bad life!"

Wishing everybody an outstanding Sunday and time with friends and families who most of the time represent doors that never close! Go for those eleven-second hugs I always talk about and remember to limit the time you spend looking at your life in your rearview mirror - it's what's in front of you that counts!

Happy Sunday!