Sunday Morning Reflections - Honesty, Integrity and Passion

"You've got to listen to the voice in your gut. It is individual. It is unique. It is yours.
It's called being authentic."
Merideth Vieira

They're just three words, but nobody could demonstrate honesty, integrity and passion better than Sandy Puc in yesterday's second episode of "Weekend Wisdom".  Actually, she demonstrated all ten qualities of leadership from the image above. That's why she's one of the most respected educators and artists in our industry.

She gave us all the most honest in-depth background into the rise, fall and rise again of her business and life...or maybe it started with a fall as she talked about being a "kid with issues" and heading out on her own at 15. All along the way you can sense her integrity, holding nothing back, but always staying focused on her goals. Then, there's the passion for the craft and eventually she understands the passion she had to have for her own happiness...Seriously, Hollywood couldn't do as good a job developing the story as Sandy did just telling it.

Bryan Caporicci called it raw, honest and open. Well, I've listened to it a few times now and I've never known a photographer to be as open and sharing with their story. Like I said yesterday, I couldn't be more proud to consider Sandy a good friend.

Here's my point on this gorgeous sunny rainless morning in south Florida - all the skills and great gear in the world won't help you build your business if you don't have, at the very least, those three ingredients in your heart and soul - honesty, integrity and passion.

"We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.
It may even be necessary to encounter the defeat, so that we can know who we are. So that we can see, oh, that happened, and I rose. I did get knocked down flat in front of the whole world, and I rose. I didn't run away - I rose right where I'd been knocked down. And then that's how you get to know yourself. You say, hmmm. I can get up!
I have enough life in me to make somebody jealous enough to want to knock me down.
I have so much courage in me that I have the effrontery, the incredible gall to stand up. That's it."
Maya Angelou