Tomorrow I am flying to New Orleans for the first time to speak at a private photography workshop. I’ll get to meet some photog friends that I’ve interacted with for a few years now but never actually met in person. I’m SO excited! Hope you have a lovely weekend too!
I have a gift for all of my blog readers. I have compiled all of the quotes that I have shared on my blog in 2010 just for you! They are all sized at 4×6 so they could easily be printed as photos and made into a quote book to keep or give away as a gift or a stocking stuffer. Here is the link to download your free gift: 4×6 Quotes
Merry Christmas from me to you! Thank you for reading my blog.
Do you ever feel a little crazy at times? I sure do. Sometimes it seems that I have crazy ideas or abnormal ambition but I heard this quote as a teenager and it’s helped me ever since. It’s like in the new movie, Alice in Wonderland, when Alice asks her father, “Have I gone mad?” He tells her, “You’re mad, bonkers … but I’ll tell you a secret: All the best people are.” I agree. Some of the most remarkable people in history were a little “bonkers” (think Einstein or Vincent van Gogh). So if you are feeling a little crazy for thinking out of the box or doing things a little bit differently, remember to hold your ground because all the best people are.
I thought this was the perfect quote to post before Thanksgiving because it is a great reminder to be content in whatever state we are in. There will always be someone who is smarter, more talented, or prettier than me but I also have to remember that there are many people who don’t have as many blessings as I do and are struggling a lot more than I am.
A while back, our family watched “Karate Kid” together (the old skool version). In the movie, Mr. Miyagi said something that has stuck with me since:
I have applied this quote to myself as a mother and teacher to my children. When they don’t do a chore well, I only have myself to blame. I know that I need to train them better. Oftentimes we say “Clean your room” and then expect our children to do it like we would do it but we never really taught them how. When I was a kid, I found cleaning my room SO overwhelming. I think that was because my Mom never really taught me how so I didn’t know what I was doing. I read somewhere that it takes children 7 times of practice before they get something right. That means that you have to sit with your child at least 7 times to show them how to clean their room or tie their shoe.
Same goes with employees, if my Assistant isn’t doing something the way I like it, I know that it’s not her fault. I just have to take the time to show her what I expect and work with her until she gets it right. Of course, we can’t take all the blame for our children’s actions because if we take all the credit for all the good they do, then we also have to take the credit for anything negative they do too…no thank you. BUT taking a good look at ourselves as teachers and the example we are setting, helps us to remember that if we want something a certain way, we should properly train our children to do so many times. That’s why I love using checklists for my kids and my employees. You can’t argue with a checklist.
