January 7, 2009

• Hello 2009!

  Last night I went to bed around 10, hoping to sleep all the way through the night. That obviously didn’t work out, so instead, here I am spending the last few hours on some much needed reflection time. 

  First off, I really need to thank all of you. 2008 has been a phenomenal year for me, and–I don’t say this glibly–I really couldn’t have done it without you guys! Your love, support, and patience have not only helped bring me to where I am today, but it has motivated and spurred me to continue reaching for this crazy dream. 2008 has been the first complete calender year since I have quit my biotech job and plunged into photography full time, but never did I expect to come so far in such a short period of time! This year alone, I booked over 20 weddings, did even more photoshoots, traveled to places like NYC, Houston, Vegas, Atlanta, Washington DC, etc on assignment, not to mention up and down California, from Mendocino to Napa to San Diego and everything in between. And that’s only for photography! 2008 also meant a new place to live with 3 great guys, countless new friends that I have made along the way, a few old friendships that have been renewed, and a crazy spiritual journey of discovery.

  Yet in all the doing and running around, I have become sidetracked from the bigger vision I had been chasing. Somewhere along the way, my focus switched from this dream of somehow changing the world, to “I really need to edit these pictures, and meet up with this other client, and answer all those emails, and respond to my album designer, and … “   Life has become an ever-growing series of To Do lists that I am always struggling to whittle down. I still have unfinished weddings from 2008 (they weigh heavily on my mind most days), and yet I’ve already had to hit the ground running. A few days ago, I shot my first wedding of 2009, as well as my first engagement session, and tomorrow, I will be flying to the beautiful Riviera Maya for another assignment. (Not complaining there! heh)

  It is true that the more you grow and mature, the more you realize how much farther you still have to go. So often I want to be able to tell people, “Yes! I am living my dream–and so can you!” I have somehow stumbled upon a life that is so much more fulfilling than the existence many are living through, and I want to be able to share that with others, and help them find it too! Yet at the same time, I intently recognize that mine is an incomplete dream. For all the success I have been experiencing, I am still deeply human, deeply flawed, often impatient with my weaknesses and shortcomings. Never a day goes by that I’m not consciously aware that many clients are still waiting for their images, and I struggle with making time to do things like going to the gym, and one of the most important pillars in my life–my friendships–have been neglected for far too long. Today, one of the first clients I ever had called me up to catch up and see how I was doing. I had been meaning to visit them since they had their baby half a year ago (I’ve only been able to follow their pictures on facebook), yet each month I kept pushing it off. And so I finally decided–enough is enough! I probably don’t have the time, but my friendship with them is more important, so I’m just going to schedule dinner and everything else will have to give!

  In a recent newsletter, life coach Jim Rohn wrote, “Take time to be quiet. This is something that we don’t do enough in this busy world of ours. We rush, rush, rush, and we are constantly listening to noise all around us. The human heart was meant for times of quiet, to peer deep within.” President Elect Barak Obama also recently shared an advice someone gave him: In order to be successful, “the most important thing you need to do is to have big chunks of time during the day when all you’re doing is thinking.” Otherwise, he said, you start to lose the big picture.

  And that is exactly what has been happening to me! As my workload started to pile higher, I switched into a short-term “doing” mentality and neglected the disciplines that had brought me to where I am. Life quickly became unbalanced, and my ability to finish tasks effectively was compromised–it’s a vicious cycle! But reflection time is simply one of those non-negotiables that we need in our lives if we are to succeed at whatever we’re striving to do. That’s why personal development coaches recommend to “finish each day before you begin,” to spend the beginning of each day, each week, each month, each year reflecting and planning.

  With that in mind, my resolutions for this year will be much simpler than last year’s 30–I will spend time to build relationships and to reflect. Specifically,
  1) Every week, I will have a meal or hangout with at least one person with whom I don’t see often enough.
  2) Every Sunday night, I will spend my time reflecting, meditating, reading, and working on personal development material.

  And so if you’re reading this, I invite you to hold me accountable. Anytime you see me, you have the right to ask me how I am doing on those two commitments. Because you know what? If I’m ever going to reach that big dream of mine to change the world (or maybe just to change one person!)–I first need to change me. And I can’t do that by myself. So perhaps by this time next year, if someone asks me, I can say without any hesitation, “Yes, I am living my dream! It was a tough road getting here, and I have still much to conquer–but here’s how you can find your dream too!”

  (By the way, what about you? Have you taken time to reflect on 2009? Where do you want to go this year? Who do you want to be?)

  Once again, a big THANK YOU to everybody. Thank you for believing in me, especially those of you who have been around even before I plunged into this. Thank you for giving me the chance to do the things that I love. Thank you to my friends and family who have been patient with me for this past year. Thank you to my faithful readers and your ever helpful feedback. Thank you to my clients who took a chance on me even when I was/am still inexperienced. You guys have all been a great blessing!

  much love,
  Junshien
  

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  • 8:38 am
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