"Running With Scissors"

by Skip Cohen

Remember, it's Sunday, and I do my best to stay away from business and marketing. It's my day to share whatever's bouncing around in my head, and it's therapeutic. I'm not sure whether it's my way of recharging for the upcoming week or cleansing my palate from last week's events.

While thinking about what I wanted to share this morning, I picked up a classic book a neighbor gave us as a joke, "Zen as F*CK" by Monica Sweeney. The book is hilarious, not for the faint of heart when it comes to profanity, but loaded with wisdom.

As we come out of the pandemic and so many of you are working hard to refocus and rebuild, I've been a little surprised at the number of photographers still bitter and stuck in analysis paralysis. If they were there by themselves, it wouldn't bother me, but the fact that they want to drag everyone else down with them does. Then there are those moments when we do it to ourselves - we allow the gremlins in our head to sap our energy and hold us back!

Monica Sweeney, in a section of the book, wrote:

Boredom and access to sharp objects are not a fantastic combo. While not everyone is a danger to society by running through life with miniature swords, there are times when you can feel like you're making haphazard decisions, running amok, and generally being a pain in the ass to others.

USE THOSE SCISSORS FOR THE BETTER! What are the things you can cut out that don't add anything positive to your world?

The last few weeks have been incredibly stressful. I sat here this morning pondering why. I've been running with scissors! If I learned nothing else through the pandemic, it's that all of us can get through anything with the right attitude. And we've all got the strength to walk away from the fights. From the battles with companies like Comcast to the news media to politicians and people in our lives who never put their scissors down - we're sometimes surrounded by too much negativity.

We've all got the power to use those scissors and cut out everything that doesn't matter. From annoying telemarketing calls to the nightly news to the battles on Facebook over things that in the long run are meaningless! Stop fighting with idiots with scissors because they didn't like one of the images you shared. Remember my favorite line from my old buddy Dean Collins, "Beauty is in the eyes of the checkbook holder!"

And there you have it - let's all stop running with scissors. Some of you NEVER put them down, and the result is crumbling self-esteem, a lack of confidence, and a creative spirit that's flatlined! It's time to get it all back. I know that's easier said than done, especially in a blog post - but the opportunities ahead to grow and change our lives are endless!

Wishing everybody a day that's loaded with good friends and moments that make your heart soar. After what we all experienced over the last year, it's not hard to create times loaded with more smiles. Always go for those eleven-second therapeutic hugs with the people in your life you cherish the most.

Happy Sunday...or Monday if you're on the other side of the world.
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