doing it all
"How do you do it all" is the most common question I am asked. And most often, my response is "You just do" accompanied by a shrug and an unspoken "duh!"
I don't mean to sound flippant when I answer, but I don't really understand the question. After all, if you want to do something, you will find a way to do it. Somehow, somewhere, you can carve out time and space to make things happen. It takes effort and commitment, but the only reason things aren't done is because we don't do them. It's a choice. Everything is a choice.
Recently, that question has caused me to pause and actually look at my life from the outside. It's hard to do, knowing what I do about this life, but I tried. I guess it looks like I do a lot. I'm a hands-on mom, I write and publish books, I run a business with my husband, we travel a lot to educate other photographers or photograph in other places, and so on. But even looking at it now, written here, I think "That's it? That's all I do?"
If you want to do something, do it. It's that simple.
Yes, there is sacrifice involved. My kitchen isn't always clean and the laundry isn't always done. There aren't always fresh groceries in the house and the dog doesn't always get walked. That's alright, they'll get done tomorrow.
Yes, there is commitment involved. I write for two full hours a day, no matter what. I also have at least four uninterrupted hours with my family each day. I sleep at least eight hours each night and I work out an hour each day. Our photography business averages about six hours each day. The rest of the time is spent dreaming, brainstorming and creating something new.
Yes, there is motivation involved. Both Steve and I get bored too easily to sit still. Creating, dreaming, building and moving are part of who we are and why we succeed. We don't quit, hate to lose, and are very competitive. Being the best isn't an option, it's the only choice.
Yes, there is risk involved. Our mantra is simple, This Might Not Work…but what if it does. We live our lives this way – our whole life, not just our business life. We try things, pushing ourselves (and our kids) to think bigger than what is in front of you. Without risk there is no reward.
Yes, there is failure involved. We have messed up more than once. We have faltered, dropped the ball, made mistakes and curled up in a ball for a while. Then we got up, rectified our mistakes, apologized and placated, and moved on. Every failure, every misstep and mistake, has taught us something important. We use those lessons to calculate our next risk and hedge against our next success.
Yes, there is imagination and forward thinking involved. We don't stop thinking and questioning. We don't understand why things are how they are – they can be so much better or different. The status quo is a thing of the past, an analog designation conceived of when the world moved at a sedate pace. Today there is no excuse for complacency and comfort – the world moves too fast, ideas emerge too quickly and change happens before we realize it. We don't want to play catch up, we want to lead the charge.
We don't do anymore than you can do. We just do it differently.
