Wednesday, July 18, 2007, 2:51 pm

Igniting my motivation...

Last night, I attended a lecture at the university. A couple of highly motivated college students with an entrepreneurial mindset spoke, and shared their stories of success and failure.

I was able to pick out a couple of main points in their message that will help me to keep following and eventually achieve my dreams.

One important point is to find something you are passionate about. The key is to find something you want so badly you'll do whatever it takes to obtain it. It is this passion that will motivate you and drive you.

It's also important to hold onto it, no matter what your life throws your way. They pointed out how easy it is to get into a comfortable routine that slowly suffocates us, and eventually snuffs out our dream. We get trapped in our popularity, our schoolwork, and our jobs, and we aren't willing to step outside of our comfort zone and take whatever step is necessary to keep the dream alive.

The second part of the lecture that really spoke to me was this. One needs to identify that obstacle that prevents her or him from reaching, or even progressing towards, his or her goals.

Why did that affect me? Because we all have something that prevents us from following our dreams. So, what is it that prevents me from leaving the rat race and pursuing a life of travel and Argentine women?

I'll get back to you on that. Whether it is fear or money or laziness or a lack of motivation, I'll have to isolate the obstacles one at a time to eliminate them.

I'm confident I'll get there.

One passion I've had in my life is photography. I love taking pictures. I love looking at others' pictures. There is just something about capturing a thing of beauty and freezing it in that one perfect moment in time.

It wasn't terribly long ago that I enjoyed shooting senior portraits, weddings, landscapes, and even candids. However, since my move from the great white north and out of my familiar surroundings, I've let my shyness become an obstacle in continuing to pursue that dream.

Back in the day, there was always a friend close by I could grab for an impromptu photo shoot, or to accompany me on the scenic drive up the mountain.

Now that I've got a couple of awesome cameras, I'm very interested in picking this up again, but finding my confidence and figuring out how to secure subjects isn't something I've done yet.

The obstacle has been identified, so now it's time to write it down and begin researching what I need to do to tear it down.

See, it's simple!

Never again will I let a dream wither up and die.

What i'm listening to:
Version 2.0 Sleep Together
Garbage
Version 2.0