Enlightened Tripod 12The “Enlightened Action Word” …. Labor: Persistent exertion of body or mind Bodily toil for the sake of gain or economic production Coincidence or fate? I find it interesting that this month’s letter is the letter “L,” and the word chosen is “labor,” and the holiday for September is “Labor Day.” manageable pieces. As Samuel Gompers, founder and longtime president of the American Federation of Labor states, “All other holidays are in a more or less degree connected with conflicts and battles of man’s prowess over man, of strife and discord for greed and power, of glories achieved by one nation over another. Labor Day… is devoted to no man, living or dead, to no sect, race, or nation. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. The “Enlightened Quote” … “Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work. And that’s the price we’ll have to pay to achieve that goal, or any goal.” Vince Lombardi
The “Enlightened Business Plan”… Let’s Start Your Business If you already have a photography business in place, the following few paragraphs may not apply to you. However, if you want to improve this business or rethink parts of the business, don’t even think of missing what I am about to say. Why? Because the past does not equal the future. In other words, what has worked in the past may need to be re-thought out, adjusted, or simply tweaked. We have talked about what you want out of life. Your goals, your aspirations, and your joys have now been defined. But what about your attitude? Do you believe that you can achieve these goals? Do you believe that you will succeed? Do you really love photography? The experts say that you need to do what you love. Let’s face it: you are going to devote a lot of time and energy into starting and building your business into a successful enterprise. That being the case, it is really important that you deeply and truly are devoted to doing photography. If you aren’t, you are destined to failure. If you have a photography business in place, do you really believe that it can be turned around, or improved, or are you just going through the motions? Are there any doubts in your mind at all? Henry Ford summed up this dilemma best, If you think you can, you can; if you think you can’t – you are right! Let’s get rid of the stinking thinking right now. Repeat these statements out loud, three times in a row, right now. I am a good photographer. I deserve a life full of satisfaction. I deserve a life complete with all the money I need, to do the things I desire. I deserve to get out as much as I put in, and I am going to give my business my all. I am an Enlightened Photographer. I will succeed. If you don’t have a photography business yet, start it right now, even while you are still employed. Being employed while you are starting your business means money in your pocket while you are going through the business start-up process. Unfortunately, most people focus on the fact that they don’t have enough money, and the merely because they are thinking about their lack, they end up attracting that which they concentrate on and that is the lack of money. Extremely wealthy people have been living with this train of thought all along, many without even knowing it. They operate from a sense of plenty rather than a sense of “have not”. By having lots they attract more. Those who live from a mindset of empty, run out faster. It’s astonishing, but it’s true that success comes to those who think about success and strive for it. Here are the A, B, and C’s of Success A = Attitude. To change your results, you need to change what you are doing. To change what you are doing, you need to change how you are thinking. If you have “Stinking Thinking” as Zig Zigler the world famous motivator would say, you aren’t going to go anywhere. Think and believe that you will be successful and you will be. B = Belief. Vince Lombardi once said, “The success of any organization is the combined efforts of everyone in the organization.” You’re thinking, “But Chuck, it’s only me in the organization”. Then it is easier to start believing in yourself and change your habits. Surround yourself with your “Dream Team”, mentors and people who love you and want you to succeed. Lean on them and ask them to help in the areas where you need strengthening. People love to help others – just ask. C = Commitment. Here, we remind ourselves about Henry Ford and his saying that if your think you can – you can and if you think you can’t you’re right. Listen to Paul “Bear” Bryant – “Cause something to happen!” If you are committed to make something happen and will accept no less, then it will happen. Be prepared to hear criticism and bear rejection. Do you take rejection personally? What about criticism? Why do people heap on criticism? People are jealous. People don’t like things out of their comfort zones and then they impose their comfort zone on you. People really don’t like to see others out perform them. People usually don’t think they deserve success and neither should you. We have been taught that money is the source of all evil, when in fact; it is the love of money that is the source of all evil. Be professional from the get-go. Regardless of how small you start, make that small beginning the best you possibly be. Denis Waitley loves to say “I may not be the best of the group, but at least I’ll be the best dressed of the bunch.” Everything about you and the way you do business needs to let people know that you are a professional running a serious business. What are some of the professional tools you will need? Professional business cards A business phone. A business email address. A professional courteous manner. A “dress for success” wardrobe.
The “Enlightened Technical Corner”… Latent Image The latent image is the invisible image left by the action of light on photographic film or paper. The light changes the photosensitive salts to varying degrees depending on the amount of light striking them. When processed, this latent image will become a visible image either in reversed tones (as in a negative) or in positive tones (as in a color slide). This indicates that there is invisible change made to the silver halide crystals in the exposed part of the emulsion coated on the film or paper. In early age of photography, photographers did not know what the invisible change was, but a term latent image was coined for this. Why did I choose to discuss the latent image in the technical corner? As mentioned, there is an invisible change that happens after the film is exposed to light. Oddly enough, there is also an invisible change that happens to the photographer at the same time. If we look at digital imagers, we can technically say that the same change happens; light hits the electronic sensors, which charge a diode and the brightness of the light that falls on it by accumulating an electrical charge. The more light that hits a pixel, the higher the charge it records. Pixels capturing light from highlights in the scene will have high charges. Those capturing light from shadows will have low charges. It may be surprising, but pixels on an image sensor can only capture brightness, not color. Back to the change that happens to the photographer. You were affected, you captured a moment in time that has never been recorded before or will be recorded again. Your experience left you with a feeling and a memory, good or bad. You are the sum total of all of these experiences. Technically, you have developed. How do you feel about that? What do you enjoy doing most in your life? In what ways do you want to be of service in your life? In what way would you like to be challenged or stretched in your present work? How do you set your mind and body ready to create your images? “The unexamined life is not worth living”. Socrates (469- 399BC) Creativity is the ability to imagine or invent something new. Some creative ideas are astonishing and brilliant, while others are just simple, good, practical ideas that no one seems to have thought of yet. Creativity is also an attitude: the ability to accept change and newness, a willingness to play with ideas and possibilities, a flexibility of outlook, the habit of enjoying the good, while looking for ways to improve it. Creative people work hard and continually to improve ideas and solutions, by making gradual alterations and refinements to their works "Creativity, it has been said, consists largely of re-arranging what we know in order to find out what we do not know." George Kneller R.S. Nickerson in his book “Enhancing Creativity” gives the following ways to enhance creativity 1. Establishing purpose and intention 2. Building basic skills 3. Encouraging acquisitions of domain-specific knowledge 4. Stimulating and rewarding curiosity and exploration 5. Building motivation, especially internal motivation 6. Encouraging confidence and a willingness to take risks 7. Focusing on mastery and self-competition 8. Promoting supportable beliefs about creativity 9. Providing opportunities for choice and discovery 10. Developing self-management (metacognitive skills) 11. Teaching techniques and strategies for facilitating creative performance 12. Providing balance “Enlightened Marketing” Letters to your clients Work your customer list by way of a thank you letter It takes approximately 5 tries to get a customer in the door. The cost to do this is probably higher than you thought. It stands to reason that if we paid anywhere from $ 50 to $ 200 to get these people in, we should try to keep them coming back regularly. Steps to contacting your clients: A. Write a letter offering a special or a package. Here are a few important but basic rules for direct mail.
1. You must have a very personable writing style. Write as if you are talking to a friend. 2. The letter must have a personality, which you can accomplish by telling stories or just being you. 3. The words you use must be descriptive, be action-oriented, and elicit an emotion. 4. Break down the decision process into a step-by-step progression so that the reader keeps saying yes, yes, yes in his or her mind. Do this by thinking of all the questions your customer would have and answering them. 5. Ask questions as you go along. It gets the reader involved don’t you agree? 6. Make the mail out easy to read by using small chunks of information. Use short paragraphs and sentences. 7. Have everything you send out proof read by an editor, or go to your local high school and pay an English teacher to check your work! Poor grammar and bad spelling are the kiss of death.
Any contact is better than no contact.
B. Provide a compelling reason why you are having this special. Tell them of your special. Perhaps you're providing a new service. In the letter, explain the service and your introductory offer. You may be contacting the client because they are having an anniversary or birthday coming up that deserves a new portrait. In any case, explain to the client what special you are having and why you are having it. Then go on to explain how it benefits them. C. Tell them how to buy and why they should do it now. Offer your customers a one time preferential pricing to induce them to do business with you again. Refer back to the section on how to write a good ad. The main thrust of the letter is to "thank" your customer for doing business with you. Tell them that you really appreciate their support and you want to give them something special. This is where the special offer comes in. Email is probably one of the most overlooked and least expensive, practical tools that a small businessman has in his arsenal. It is directly targeted to proven buyers, and costs little or nothing. You can let people know of any new product or special that you have and it takes no time at all. At this very moment, come up with a quick email that you can send to your client list immediately. If you do not have an email list, then write something that can be sent to all your friends and family announcing that you have a special for “family and friends.” Here’s an idea – Why not have a “Halloween Hoe-down” with hamburgers and hotdogs at the local park? You can get some rabbits, puppies, or kittens and set up a mini petting zoo. In addition to this attraction, organize some games for the kids, face painting, and maybe badminton for the adults. Have your camera ready and take lots of pictures. A good idea would be to get some help from students at your local high school, they need the work experience hours and you need the help. These could be later sold to the participants, calendar companies, or stock houses. “Enlightened Living” Laughter A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22 Laughter can help you heal physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Norman Cousins felt that laughter was the equivalent of “inner jogging.” It literally massages your internal organs. It can clear mucus from your lungs and lower blood pressure. It is an overall body tonic. Some research indicates that laughter can build your immune system, making you more immune to colds and the flu. An ancient Oriental healing technique actually uses laughter to boost healing energy. The Taoists believe that negative emotions block a person's life force (chi), or life energy, causing illness. These negative emotions include fear, anger, worry, and grief. According to Chinese Tao masters, a sincere smile (inner or real smile), is the best and quickest thing you can do to boost healing energy. A true smile produces positive energy that is send to the internal organs and other parts of the body. The health benefits of laughter: When we laugh we... - Alleviate depression; - Lower our blood pressure; - Promote relaxation; - Reduce stress; - Increase the oxygen level in our blood, giving us more energy; - Increase the endorphin activity in our body resulting in a sense of well being; - Are able to keep things in perspective; - Banish boredom; - Are more socially attractive - people enjoy being with those who laugh easily and often; and - Immeasurably increase our enjoyment of life. Laughter has been called social glue because it bonds us to the people we laugh with. The message is clear: To love better – laugh more If it feels good to laugh then laugh to feel good. Perhaps the most exciting medical research on laughter is in the field of "psycho-neuro-immunology" which looks at the effect of the mind on the brain and on the immune system. This research shows that whereas suppressed anger or feelings of intense hatred or frustration, for instance, disturbs the natural, healthy functioning of the immune system, laughter, joy and happiness have been found to help boost the immune system. The repeated research experiments of Dr Lee Berk at Loma Linda University School of Medicine, CA, shows that laughter, happiness and joy "inspire" the immune system to create white "T" cells, commonly called "happy cells", which help to prevent infection. The philosopher, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, hit upon the idea of joyful immunity when he wrote, "Contentment preserves one even from catching cold. Has a woman who knew that she was well dressed ever caught a cold? - No, not even when she had scarcely a rag to her back!" Yours in Health, Happiness, and Success Your Friend Chuck Groot BFA, F/PPABC, MPA
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