2013

The world didn't end in 2012. I know have another 3 hours or so before that statement is totally true but I think it's safe to say that at midnight tonight we will be ushering in a new year full of hope, promise and intrigue. With every new year comes a long list of resolutions usually abandoned by mid-February. I am in the same boat though, my resolutions usually last a little longer but it's rare they make it till the end of the year. So here is a little story about a resolution to encourage you as you start 2013.

Last year I wanted my resolution to be based on the idea of just adding something good everyday. I had been having conversations with friends at the time on how they didn't know how to start exercising or eating right. I kept saying to them, "Just start." If you can only run for 30 seconds then do that until you can do more. After thinking about this for a while I thought I would try this theory myself so I decided that I would do push-ups all of 2012.

Here was my plan: 1. Do 1 push-up on January 1st 2. Add one push-up a day for the entire year. 3. Do the amount of push-ups for that day before the day ends (not all in one shot)

Midnight hit on New Years and I dropped down and did my first push-up, no problem. At the beginning of the year if I really tried I could probably do 30 push-ups before I felt like my arms were going to fall off and if I tried to do 30 a day it would have probably been a bit more challenging, but I believed that adding one a day would be a good pace and it would help me grow at a rate to keep up with the new challenges. So January 2nd came and I did 2 and on the 3rd I did 3. I did that for 256 days until I finally stopped due to a mild neck injury. I used an app to track the push-ups I did and give or take a few based on human error I did about 34,782 pushups in the first 256 days of 2012. I am no body-builder and if you saw me in person you probably wouldn't think anything of me as an athletic specimen, but 34,782 push-ups is a lot of freaking push-ups.

Here is what I learned and I hope it encourages you as you start your new year's resolutions tomorrow. 1. Start small. - I think sometimes we have these huge goals that we start with and it can seem overwhelming and unreachable. Normally goals that seem like that yield results like that. If I started with the goal of doing 34,782 push-ups through out the year I probably would have puked at the idea. 2. Add small. - Adding one a day was the perfect amount for me to grasp and be able to reach for. It definitely got a lot harder throughout the year because doing 1 and then 2 is pretty easy, but doing 201 and then 202 is a tad bit harder. When I had to do 202 though I remembered the day before and that I did 201 and survived. 3. Track yourself. -The iphone is amazing and I downloaded this great app called trakr and everyday when I added my new push-ups to the app it energized me because I saw them being added to the total. 4. Celebrate achievements. -The end of the first month was a big deal so I treated myself to a buffalo chicken sub (my favorite food). Day 100 was pretty cool and so was June 1st, which was halfway. I enjoyed and usually treated myself to something special on those big days.  Don't be afraid to treat yourself. 5. Tell people about it. -I like telling people about everything I do and when I started telling people about the push-ups they thought it was such a cool idea and started asking me about them every-time they saw me. Your friends asking you if you are keeping up with something is probably one of the most motivating things in your life, because, if you are like me, you never want to let your friends down. 6. Don't be afraid to stop or readjust. -I didn't realize how hard it would be to do 200 push-ups consecutive days and I didn't even get to 300. I had to stop due to a mild neck injury.   I was a little embarrassed by it and I almost didn't write this post, but Brooke encouraged me to. It was hard on day 257 when I didn't do any push-ups but at that point my neck was hurting and I was having trouble sleeping so I had to stop. It was hard to tell friends when they asked how the push-ups were going and I had to explain that I stopped. They weren't disapproving though but proud of my achievement and how far I was able to go. 7. No one will do it for you. -I was the only one that could do the push-ups. No one could do them for me. 8. You will do weird things to achieve goals and that's okay. -I did pushups in airports, malls, music festivals, wedding receptions and just about anywhere you could think of. There were times when I forgot to do them on a certain day and as I laid in bed to fall asleep I exhaled with frustration got out of bed and dropped to the floor to do push-ups as Brooke laughed at me in the dark. It was certainly odd at points and I got some strange looks as I did push-ups while my gas tank was filling up, but who cares. Life is meant for living and I was living.

I have a few goals this year and I hope you do to, but if you don't I will share some of mine with you in hopes that it inspires you to find your own.

- Love wildly. - Live a life of adventure. - Be brave. - Try something new. - Dance to have fun or to make people laugh (same goes for singing) - Be present with loved ones - Do good and honorable things - Trust people - Read more - Eat healthier - Exercise - Let go of the garbage that happened in 2012

I hope your upcoming year is better than your last and that you start to live the life you've always dreamed of living.

Plans

The other night my brother Mike, sister Sam, friend Jeff, Brooke and I were all sitting around the table talking to my brother Mike about this girl that he likes. I don't know if the smile on his face could have been any bigger as he talked about this girl. They've just started "dating" and he is so excited about it, which was making all of us excited too, just hearing him talk about her. Then one of us asked jokingly when he was going to propose and he said, "We have to date a year before that happens" and I laughed, out loud. Mike asked what was so funny, and everyone else just stared at me. And here is why that is so funny to me...

We love making plans. We love knowing what is going to happen before it happens. We love telling people what is going to happen in our lives. We talk about the schools we are going to go to, which will lead to the job that we have.. which will lead to the wife/husband we will meet/marry... which will lead to the nice house we have... which will lead to the kids we have.. which will lead to the schools our kids go to which will lead, which will lead, which will lead....

We live in this endless cycle of planning everything for ourselves. Now, before I go on, I want to say that I am not against planning in any way! But I think our planning has gotten out of control, selfish and detached from God. I think we decide at an early age what our life plans are and tell God to take a back seat to those plans. Instead of constantly going to the Creator for the plan, we tell Him the plan and then act like its from Him. Instead of listening to God and asking Him if/when we should get engaged we tell Him, and everyone else, that it will happen in a year.

On my third date with Brooke we were sitting in a hammock in her parent's backyard and I told her, "I love you." NOT PART OF MY PLAN. That's only part of your plan if you want to sound like a crazy stalker, but I couldn't help it. I knew this was the woman I would love forever and I couldn't keep it in. I had to say it. I didn't plan to say it but it just came out as if I was living out a plan that wasn't mine. Brooke casually looked over to me and said, "I know." She said it back a few days later, and because I wasn't living in this pre-made plan of dating for such-and-such amount of time, we were married within a year of meeting. Now don't read this and think, "Let's get married next week. That's my plan!", because it may not be. I had been in a few really bad relationships before I met Brooke and I kept trying to force everything. Force love, force romance, force the idea of being with someone, and kept telling people that God sent this girl to me. It was only when I decided that I wasn't going to force anything and just surrender to the will of God that Brooke showed up. We went on our first date to McDonalds. (Yeah - McDonalds, I am not ashamed. Dollar sundaes will always hold a special place in my heart).

Not only do we try to camouflage our plan as God's plan, but when our plans go wrong, we blame God. When we don't get that job, into that school, or break up with that guy, we ask God why he would abandon us in the midst of "His" plan.

It is in the moment that our plan falls through that we need to stop and listen. Instead of going back to our plan and trying to force it to happen, we need to look up to God and submit. We need to hold out our hands and hearts and say, "Use me God. Guide me and open my heart to listen to your plan." It is not easy to give up on our plans. Some of us have had them for so long that they've become our identity. They might even be good, honest, humble plans. But if they aren't Gods, they aren't the best. God's worst plan will be better than your best plan. I don't know what the plan that you have had your whole life is. It could be a certain job, an age that you wanted things to happen, a guy or girl. It could be a lot of things and in time they may be in your plan, but don't force them. Listen to the Creator of all things and His plan for you. It's not always the easiest plan to live out, but it will be the best and most fulfilling thing - and your life will be changed because of it!

One of the reasons I started thinking about this is beceause one of the next walk in love. shirts is based off this verse : "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11. Notice in the verse that HE knows the plans that HE has for you, not He knows the plans that you have for you. Listen for His plan and submit to it. Your life will be filled with hope and a future.

*Here is another iPhone background and sneak peek of a shirt from our next collection designed by my super talented friend Stephen. Here is his site : The Apple Factory

Make It Beatuiful

I have the great privilege of watching someone who is a master of their craft do it often. I get to watch my wife shoot photos all the time because it's my job to assist her most weekends. I get to see her look for the perfect location, in the perfect light and position people in that light beautifully. She is amazing at her job (If you need the proof just look here: Brooke Courtney Photography). Over the years of assisting and learning from my wife, I've learned that her job isn't just about taking a great, artistic photo, but about making something beautiful. There is a lot of ugly in our world. There is a lot of anger, hate and bitterness. I know because sometimes it is coming from me. There is also a lot of beauty in this world. Sometimes we see it in a great photograph that was taken at just the perfect time. Sometimes we see it in an amazing video, read it in an eloquently written book or witness it in a moment between two people who love each other. It's out there and sometimes we find ourselves lucky enough to actually witness it.

In our lives we have a lot of choices we get to make. One of those choices is to make it ugly or make it beautiful. This doesn't really have to do specifically with art or photography, but with life and the way we treat people. In our world where reality stars are praised for being obnoxious, and sports stars are idolized for being divas, it's hard to make it beautiful. We want to just follow in the steps of those we see in lights and be nasty, cruel and mean. It's almost easier to be that way.

But as we look through the lens of our life, lets try to find that perfect light, in the perfect location, and make it beautiful. Let's take our lives and make them beautiful with whatever we do. Last year, I played on a rec soccer team and we weren't very good. We lost a lot and our team wasn't much fun to play on. I became very frustrated with it and at times took my frustration out on the field. I made it ugly. This year I am playing rec soccer again and I have a great team. But before the season even started, I had to decide how I was going to play. Was I going to get frustrated when we lost and make it ugly? Or was I going to play my hardest, have some fun and make it beautiful? I hope my teammates can attest for me when I say that this year I have (with help from teammates) made it beautiful. There was one game where the ugly crept back up, and it always will, but I had to push it down and let the beauty overtake it.

I am amazed by my wife because she doesn't just make it beautiful with her photos, but also with her actions and deeds. I can be a real jack-a** sometimes - and instead of a ugly response, she reacts with grace and beauty. When we live our lives trying to find the good light, and then take it with us wherever we go, we have real power to do amazing things. We can remove the ugly, cynicism and hate from this world. And make it beautiful.

Here is another iPhone background if you want to be reminded daily:

Be Brave.

When I was 2 years old my family moved from southern California to Germany. My Dad felt called to be a missionary in Germany, so he told my Mom, and they moved with there 4 kids. At the time, we were 1, 2, 4 and 6. Yikes Spikes! I don't really have a lot of memories from living in Germany (considering I was only 2 and 3 years of age), but I do have a few select memories. They are the kind of memories that are foggy and feel almost like they happened to someone else. I remember bits of them, maybe not the whole memory... or maybe not exactly as it happened. So, here is a story, about a half-remembered memory... The neighborhood we lived in while in Germany was a safe one. I remember following my older brother and sister around without much parental guidance. We had lots of time to play and just be kids. There was a specific place that we use to play at a lot. It was a lightly wooded area near our house and my siblings and I, along with some neighborhood german friends and other missionary kids, decided to build a tree house there. Here is where my memory gets a little foggy and I am not totally sure what our actual tree house looked like.

As a three year old, I was probably too young to be hanging out in this area with my older siblings, but I remember wanting to be apart of what they were doing so badly. I think they just let me tag along out of pity. After living in Germany and traveling around Europe for two years, there is only one memory that I can recall with clarity. It happened after a rainy day at the "tree house." Upon approaching the tree house, I remember seeing my brother high in a tree and all I could think was, "I want to do that." The only problem was I was 3 years old! Not to mention, there was a giant puddle between me and the tree. Now when I say high in the tree I remember my brother being on the tallest branches that would sway with the wind. And when I say giant puddle I remember it being as large as one of the great lakes. As a three year old, whose head was way to large for my body, I decided that I would cross the great lake, climb the tree and sway in the wind high above the earth with my big brother. I took one step into the puddle, tripped, face-planted, stood-up, started balling my eyes out and ran back home, covered in mud-soaked tears, hearing laughter from some of the German kids as I ran home.

Every time I've told that story, I've always told it to get a laugh. And while you might be laughing because of it, I am telling it for a different reason today. In my life, since that point, I have fallen on my face more than a few times, both literally and figuratively. Most of the literal falls were based in stupidity - whether it was during my brief attempt to be a skater or trying to make Jackass audition tapes. The figurative face plants are the ones that I more closely relate to that little three-year-old mud-soaked version of myself. They are the type of faceplants that take guts and bravery. They require that one bold step with a mission, like a three year old trying to climb a tree. Yes, it was probably impossible for me to climb the tree, especially with my disproportioned head, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to try. In my young adult life I've been met with some of those same challenges. It did seem impossible for us to open a store and keep it open amidst the financial turmoil our country is in and the corporate competition at the mall, who have millions of dollars backing them. But we didn't let those giant puddles or tall branches scare us, we took that first step and then the second step - and then we took a bad one and fell, but unlike that three year old version of myself we kept walking even though we were covered, head to toe, in mud. I don't even think we are out of the giant puddle yet... and sometimes it feels like we won't ever be, but we keep pushing because we have a bigger, ultimate business goal.

We live in an instant world and we expect everything to work right away, but it doesn't. We expect people to just carry us over the puddle or for the puddle to just move for us, and if we end up covered in mud, we blame the puddle. It's time for you to be brave and push through your puddle, fall, get back up and climb to the tallest branch you can. It could be a business, a workout, or a relationship -- whatever it is, it will take time. And a fist full of three year old bravery.

Here is a desktop and iPhone background if you want to be reminded:

Instant Businesses

We have entered the era of the instant business. An instant business is someone who has an idea and a Facebook page - so they put the two together and expect the money to pour in. I have started to see more and more of these instant businesses show up in my Facebook feed everyday. "So and So" Photography has invited you to like his/her page. Your friend was tagged by "Point and Shoot" Photography. I have had enough. So I thought I would write to those people out there who have this idea that owning a camera and a Facebook page makes you a "professional photographer". (Side Note : I am using photography as my example because I think it's the most used right now, but this applies to any instant business). It's like saying because I own a baseball glove and a hat I am a professional baseball player. Or, since I like movies and can post a blog, I am a professional movie critic. Or since I have an oven and like sweets, I'm available for hire to make your wedding cake. I know that every business has to start somewhere, but I think so many people out there are starting in the wrong place. People have seen the success of their friends, or family members on the internet and think "They just have a website and a Facebook and they've made a living out of it! That's all I need." That is not all you need to be successful. There are thousands of books and blog posts written on what you need to start a business. I am not saying that my list is the only list you'll need to read, but I want to try and help every potential business owner out there how to start in the right place.

The first thing you should do is perfect your skill or product. If you want to be a photographer that doesn't mean the first photos you take are worthy of posting and telling the world you are now a photographer. It means you should shoot your brains out and figure out what works. Look up tutorials online, research gear, talk to photographers who are actually making a living at it, attend workshops and shoot! A couple of years ago, Brooke and I noticed that our friends younger sister was really passionate, fun and had an interest in photography, so we asked her to be an intern. She followed us, shot with us, saw how we edited, shot some more - and now she is on our team and just shot her own wedding! She didn't start with a Facebook page. Heck, she didn't even blog or post any of her first thousands of images. She started by learning from people who have made a living out of it and now she is getting paid for it. She will be the first to tell you that if it wasn't for that internship, editing and second shooting she wouldn't be the photographer she is today. She didn't just start an instant business because she could have. She trained, honed her craft and it's paying off. Literally.

Don't launch with a Facebook page. Facebook is an amazing tool, but should not be the face of your business (unless your business is Facebook.) Your business should have it's own brand, look and feel which is impossible to do through Facebook because it's not customizable. After you figure out what you want to do or sell, then start to think of what your branding will look like. Find a designer friend of yours that can help or give you advice. Put everything you like into a box or a Pinterest board - it will be obvious what colors and themes you like! Find people who will be honest with you. I see so much terrible branding online because people just ask their friends and family what they think. They are your friends and family, they are going to be very generous with their words. Find people who will tell you that something looks terrible.

Don't copy! Brooke and I have worked hard to create a very successful photography business that is growing both in team size and in reach. We've started to see local photographers try to copy or mirror what we do and it's not going to work because they aren't us. The way our team shoots, blogs, edits and creates is unique to us and copying it wont work. Your business is going to be unique to you, so take pride in that uniqueness. Don't just do what someone else does because they are successful, it won't translate. That doesn't mean you can't be inspired by others! But don't blatantly rip them off. Take that inspiration and use it in your own way.

I think it's easy to see people on Facebook and think, "I can do what they do." So we take our camera, shoot some portraits and start a Facebook page expecting the same results. They aren't going to come. You need to perfect your craft, develop your brand and work hard to get to that point. Don't start an instant business or you'll end up being frustrated, disappointed and probably give up.

*For those of you who have recently started an instant business and realize it's not going super well. - Don't be afraid to start this process now. - Put your Facebook page to the bare minimum while you develop a brand and your skill. - Ask for help. Most small business owners are very generous and want to see others succeed... so ask for help!

What Story Are You Telling?

I love Instagram. It is by far my favorite way to share my story with the world. I love looking at my feed, seeing what friends liked my photos and so on. I think it's the greatest social network out there. It's weird to think that I've been alive for the inventions of all the different social networks that have come and gone. While Myspace will always hold a special place in my heart, there is no doubt that Instagram is and will be my favorite.

This past month I challenged myself to have a plan with my Instagrams. I didn't want to post just because I could. I wanted to tell a story through my Instagrams about who I am and what matters to me. I even wrote down my Instagram mission statement : Through my Instagrams I want people to know that I am a passionate, happy, artistic person who loves life.

With the creation of all these social networks and ways to share parts of our lives we've taken off filters. We share things that we never would have shared or should have shared in person. We've all started telling the story, "THIS IS WHAT I AM DOING RIGHT NOW!!!!!!" We have started living with this idea that because we can post it, we should. And I think we need to stop. We need to think about the story we are telling to others. We need to have a plan for what we share. We need to start asking questions before we hit that send button. I always ask, "What is this adding to the conversation? Is this something worth posting? Does this go along with my mission statement?" If I can't say yes to those three questions then I cancel out of it.

With this idea of "what story are your Instagrams telling" I've been looking at a lot of homepages of people and here is what I have concluded. There are a lot of people out there who are telling stories about themselves in different places. There are people who are telling the story of their kids growing up. There are people telling the story of the sunset every night. There are people telling the story of stupid internet crap. There are people telling the story of what they eat. Beside the kid thing, I have done all of these things, so I am not saying they are bad. They are only bad without purpose and vision.

Psalm 107 1-2 says, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, His love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story." If you are a Christian you are telling that story to anyone who is not a believer, so what story are you telling? Is it a selfish one? A dramatic one? Is it one where you shove bible verses down the throats of those following your feed? Or is it a beautiful one? Full of the great life that forgiveness has given you.