When I first attempted to get better at photography I would always wait for the right moment to take photos. For example, I went to the park all day during spring break to take photos of the birds. Here is my favourite photo for that day: Then I went to take photos during the summer they all looked like this: for about a while because I could not figure out what I was doing wrong. Not only where they all way too white but also I had no idea how to take better photos because I was always waiting for the right moment to take a photo or something interesting. I kept messing up because I had not taken the time to get to know my camera or understand different photography concepts that would make my photos better. I see this again and again with other aspiring photographers who want to wait till they can save up for a red or the Canon 1D mark 11 when they could just pull out their phones to practice or get a less expensive camera so they could start right away. I see this with other people who want to learn skills like a new language. Instead of waiting to be able to take a trip to Spain to immerse yourself in Spanish. You can download a language learning app like duo lingo and start learning a few minutes a day. Then once you get to go on your trip you will at least be okay at it. This could also happen to people who are starting a sport who want the same gear as the professionals when they could start and try to get better right away. This could also happen with aspiring artists who want to wait until they have the right supplies or writers who want to wait until they feel inspired to write something. The problem with doing this is you are delaying your progress, the gear professionals use is probably not going to make you better when you are just starting because you are new and don’t know everything about what you are doing. The best sketch artists can make better art using a regular pencil than someone who is just starting to draw using the best tools. Start by using what you have, once you can afford better gear or the right moment you will actually be prepared. -If you don’t have anything to take photos with start by saving while learning all you can about photography and possibly borrow a camera. -if you don’t have a soccer ball and you want to play soccer, make one -If you don’t have a pen or pencil and you want to tell stories, use your voice. The main idea here is to work with what you have and use it. That’s how you improve not by making excuses. Every professional anything was new at some point. I created a challenge for myself to start using what I have and to always try and find something to take photos of. I don’t have studio lights so I used candles and it was rainy and dark outside so I took photos of cookies indoors. And I don’t have access to a photography course so I lean online inspired by Casey and learn from Peter.
Taking more photos and being creative with what is around me has allowed me to take more good photos. I hope that you take whatever skill you are learning or possibly just starting out. You start finding new ways to be creative with what you have and practice more often instead of waiting for the right moment because whatever your right moment is for you. If you practice you will be ready to do your best when it comes. Hayley C
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In our life, we will be setting goals for ourselves to become a better person. Well however not all these goals we set for ourselves will be accomplished. But is there a way or ways to increase the possibility of accomplishing most of our goals? First, we need to start with setting a goal that motivates you. which means setting goals that you are actually interested in. If the outcome is not that important for you, or if you think it worth too much to accomplish it, then there is a great chance of you giving up working towards after a few weeks or even after a few days. Therefore “Motivation” is the first key step to achieving goals. Then, after you have set a goal that motivates you, you’ll have to consider if the goal you have set is SMART. When I say SMART I’m not saying you have to be super intelligent it means Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Specific, “Your goal must be clear and well defined”. When you have a goal that is clear and well defined you will have a specific destination and direction so you can reach it smoothly. If not, you might feel lost or don't know what to while you’re approaching your goals. Measurable, make your goal measurable means give it a time period so there is something to measure and compare if you have improved. For example, “I want to increase my Math mark by 10% in the next 3 month” instead of “I want to improve my Math”. Attainable, When you’re setting a goal make sure your goal it's possible for you to achieve it. You will only demoralize yourself and erode your confidence if your goal is unachievable. Relevant, make sure your goal is actually relevant to the road you’re going to take in the future. If you are aiming to become a great singer then you should set a goal towards singing, writing songs and musical instrument. In this case “I want to increase my Math mark by 10% in the next 3 month” will not help too much. Time-Bound, A goal should have a deadline. Adding a deadline to your goal will increase your sense of urgency this will make you work harder and more efficient at achieving that goal. Also, this means that you know when you can celebrate success. Finally, Stick With It! That's the most important part of accomplishing your goals. When you have set a long term goal you might not notice any difference, building a daily plan and a reminder to keep yourself on track and ongoing is very important. Achieving a goal can be hard but no matter how hard it is and how much work it takes as long as it’s worth it then you shouldn't give up. Eventually, when you have reached your goal you will be so proud of yourself.
Martin G Why do some people stand out and captivate with their personality while we completely forget about others? What makes people unique and likeable? I’m pretty sure we all had that moment when we talked to a person and we get fascinated by their personality while we totally get bored by others. I think that an important reason for that is someone’s charisma. But what exactly is that? The definition by the Collins Dictionary describes it pretty well: “Someone has charisma when they can attract, influence and inspire people by their personal qualities.” There are some famous people most of you probably know that had a great charisma which definitely helped them being successful in their career and life, like Gandhi, Marilyn Monroe or John F. Kennedy. There is also a great book someone told me about, written by Sally Hogshead, that is called “How the world sees you”. It tries to help and describe how to captivate people with our appearance and how to properly bring our personality to the public eye. She believes that everyone has unique strengths with which they can fascinate others with, when used properly. There is even a study by Amir Eretz where the result proofs that talking to charismatic people makes others happy. Therefore, I’d say that charisma is a very important leadership skill, but people don’t agree if you can learn that skill or if charisma is an innate characteristic.
Here are some characteristics that charismatic people have and that you might find in yourself and/or can improve:
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