make it happen

With new signups for Making Things Happen 2011 going live, I wanted to make sure I gave everyone an idea of how intensely awesome this thing is, and hopefully, give you the push you need to do this thing if you are stuck in a rut and need a bigger vision for your life and business.

Because that’s exactly what Making Things Happen will do. Kick you in the pants, Tear your heart wide open, and give you the desire to start dreaming bigger.

Okay, maybe you have heard some of that kind of talk already but you are wondering what you actually DO at this thing.

I just thought I would give you a little idea of that too.

We started by talking about our fears. Lara Casey, Emily Ley and Gina Zeidler (Lara is the one that started it all and Emily + Gina are original MTH Alum) facilitated discussion on what those fears actually are. We were forced not just to imagine their shapes but their faces as well. And sometimes it takes some specific questions to get to the bottom of the kinds of fears we really own in our lives.

To name your fears is to destroy them.

We talked through the 5 people we spend the most time with and how they make us feel. We talked about the importance of studying success where we see it – people with balanced lives achieving great things. We are the sum of the people we spend the most time with. I learned I will never underestimate that truth.

Next we were told to list out 10 biggest distractions. This is where things started to move away from abstract to the nitty gritty, and an area that I needed huge ideas for. I have big dreams, but I am so stuck sometimes in all the details. I learned what things distract my focus the most and how to pull the plug on things that are literally draining the life right out of me.

We discussed the importance of making a to-do list with small, actionable steps. I don’t know about you, but my to-do list usually has HUGE things on it. Things like : Redo my website, Edit all my photos. If there is one way to get discouraged it’s to have lists like that. I realize I need to set realistic goals – small actionable things. It’s funny but it’s just the mental work that is the hard part – what decision needs to be made? Those are the things I always put off – making the decisions on what to do about an item, not actually doing it.

The next few things we talked about is where things started to get exciting. We talked about our ideal day, and then we shared what the first 30 minutes of that ideal day would look like. And then Lara challenged us to think about what our lives would be like if we simply LIVED OUT the first 30 minutes of our ideal day, every day. The point being that when we take the time to fill ourselves, we are more passionate, and enthusiastic about our work and our lives. We talked about our things that fire us up, and then we were challenged to envision ourselves 1o years from now, having accomplished all that we desire, and envision how we got there, what it felt like to tell our friends and family about that journey.

The point of so much of this: Life is too short. It’s too short to sell ourselves short. To not do what inspires us. To not feel the fear and do it anyway.

When I flew home from Maui I wrote this blog post. And it clarified all of the things that happened in my heart during that trip.

For all of this, I am forever grateful.

Below are some photos from my time in Maui, as well as a few behind the scenes photos from our second day at MTH, which included a shoot at the Four Seasons Wailea with Fred Egan and Jory Cordy, where we learned some helpful things about shooting for editorial.

I have many photos from those shoots but they are being saved until some of those photos are posted in a feature elsewhere.

{ emily ley looking radiant as we snap some photos of the tablescape at the Four Seasons }

{ I love you , gina zeidler ! }

{ fred + jory being awesome photography instructors }

{ me + michelle being awesome. }

{ and I mean, really awesome. }

{ a little preview from the shoot with our couple }

{ also I really would not mind coming back to the Four Seasons Maui for a wedding. Any takers? }

{ Love you, LC. }

{ Beautiful Karen. Taking everything in. }

{ Lara + Natalie. Beautiful hearts. }

One last note.

If you are debating doing to this, or another workshop this coming year. I want to challenge you to make it this one.

The 2 tangible values in going to workshops are 1. Knowledge and 2. Community.

I love knowledge just as much as the next photographer, but the kind of community that Making Things Happen fosters is unlike anything else you will experience at another event.

I can say that after hearing the fears, hopes and dreams of the other people at this thing, the bond I feel for these people goes beyond photography + the wedding industry.

I am ROOTING for these people.

We all need others in that place in our lives.

We can learn all we want and have the smartest businesses in the world, but without others rooting for us, we will wither and fade.

Thanks for visiting.

If you want to hear what other people have to say about Making Things Happen, you can check it out here.

More Maui adventures coming to the blog soon.

Xoxo,

Em