Staying Focused on Your Dreams and Your Journey

"If you wait for all the lights to turn green, you'll never get started on your journey!"
​Zig Ziglar

by Skip Cohen

The quote above is one my most favorite. I lucked out in finding an illustration in Adobe stock of all green lights. However, the reality is that catching all lights when they're synced is rare. Now and then you have to stop, but that shouldn't change the direction of your journey or the destination.

As I sat down to write a blog post this morning, the quote above popped into my head.  I started thinking about my kick lately to remind readers that procrastination is NOT a marketing strategy.  Too many of us, me included, want everything to be perfect before we launch a new project. We want to do everything we can to guarantee success.

But sadly, when all the lights aren't green, we never start the journey. We make excuses, rationalize our way into justifying our inactivity. When the window of opportunity closes, we convince ourselves that we made the right decision...at least until regret starts to seep in.

Lucille Ball is quoted as saying, "I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done."

And there's my point: it's not a perfect world, but we all have choices as long as we stay focused on our goals. Some of those choices involve compromise —not necessarily on your dreams, but on the path you choose to get there. 

We're living in bizarre times, absent of very many true leaders. That means there are opportunities for you, as artists and small business owners, to demonstrate leadership, accountability, integrity, and even compromise where appropriate. Don't let the insanity of the times get in the way of continuing to pursue your dreams.

Yes, I know it's easy to write about, and everybody's challenges are different. But that doesn't change the fact that EVERYONE can help change the world, at least in your own community. Capturing memories never goes out of style, and the opportunities for photographers to help tell their subjects' stories should be at the very top of your "to-do" list.

Wishing everybody a terrific weekend ahead!