The "Secret"

The self-help industry is well known for promoting the idea of the "secret to _________".  This is a mechanism to get people to take action and purchase the product being offered.  It is effective for one simple reason: people want to be in the know.  They want to make changes in particular areas which means they seek insight.  Hence why people are trying to uncover the "secret".

It Is All Out There

A few years back I was getting into photography.  Anyone who has engaged in this exercise understands the value of being able to take fabulous picture.  It is a was to immortalize events that happen in your life while gaining the envy of others.  Everyone has taken pictures yet only a select few are able to consistently take outstanding photos.  This is the difference.

As I was going through my endeavor, I decided to seek all the information possible.  The Internet opens up a world of possibilities when it comes to research.  There is more available at the "ends of our finger tips" then is contained in the Library of Congress.  Ergo, I did a search on photography tips.  I uncovered millions of websites all offering insight.  By going through a few, I was able to find the "Secret" to great pictures.

Before I go into that, I will state that often the most profound ideas are simple.  Simplicity allows for duplication and understanding.  Keeping with that idea, the "secret" to great pictures was nothing more than a sentence.  Sure, there are thousands of ways to improve one's skills in the world of photography and they all have merit.  However, the basic "secret" is only a sentence.  And here it is:

-Know everything there is to know about what your camera does and be able to do it.

It is ironic that knowing what is in your hands will separate you from 98% of the other photographers out there.  The "secret" turned out to be rather open.

Willing To Do What Others Will Not Do

Action is always the key.  It is not what you know but, rather, what you do with that knowledge.  Many attain the mental ideas needed for success yet few follow through.  And action is always the difference maker. 

In keeping with our camera example, the "secret" is to know everything there is to know about what your camera does and be able to do it.  Following this simple idea will place one in the 2% minority.  The rest will plug along taking awful pictures.  Why can I say this to be true?

I will answer this with a few questions: have you ever bought a vcr/dvd player and read the manual?  Did you read the manual and learn everything that your computer/laptop does?  Have you read the manual to your car to learn every feature about that?  Did you ever buy a camera and not learn everything it didi?  If you are like most people, you answered no to these questions.

The truth is few are willing to put in the time to read and learn.  When we are seeking to excel at something, oftentimes we overlook the basics.  The "secret" is often right in front of us if we are willing to take the action.  Too often people are looking for the complex when the wisdom is truly in the simplicity.

In closing, the secret to success in any endeavor in life is action.  Thus, your continual focus needs to be upon those actions that are taken as compared to those that are not.  Time management is nothing more than the process of deciding what we do.  In life, at every moment, we are opting to do one thing in lieu of another.  Those who are most successful make better choices in this area.

Be willing to do what others will not do.  That is the secret.
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