THE LEADERSHIP LENS Newsletter <download pdf>
October 2005, © Mark Sincevich, Staash Press, LLC
A monthly resource providing insight, opinion and practical information on creativity, balance, personal leadership & perspective

This is My Place

My place last week was on the Vamoose Bus to New York City to attend two days of the PhotoExpo.   This is the largest expo in the photographic industry and I go to learn about new products, make contacts and upgrade my knowledge.   I almost didn't make it as I was working quite hard the night before trying to send out promised e-mails, attend to administrative work, and make a few phone calls.   By the time I woke up on the morning of the event, I was more than tired.   My wife tells me that there is an Icelandic word for this, lang threyttur , which literally means 'long tired.'   I was more like 'dog tired' and didn't want to go.   She encouraged me to walk the aisles and see what happens.   She even drove me to the bus station.   A supportive and loving spouse is really a secret weapon in business!   "Besides you can sleep all of the way up to the city on the bus," she said.  

I can report that I didn't catch a bit of sleep as I met a few other photographers on the bus going to the same show.   I had been looking for like-minded individuals for collaboration, idea sharing, and some mutual support when times are a little rocky.   I had put this 'out there,' and little did I realize that my answer was waiting for me on this 'fast bus' to New York.   I liked the people that I met so much that I am seriously considering joining the Advertising Photographers of America.   They are starting a DC area chapter and I met a few of the founding members.   It is little incidents like this that keep reminding me that I am on the right path as I follow my bliss.   As Joseph Campbell said, "When you follow your bliss ... doors will open where you would not have thought there would be doors, and where there wouldn't be a door for anyone else."

Following your bliss also means trying to navigate your world and to find your place in it.   During the photography show, I had made a list of companies that I wanted to seek out. I withstood a blizzard of advertisements (easily more than 3,000) and what Fast Company reports as the number of marketing messages each of us are exposed to every day in the form of e-mails, advertisements at the checkout counter or commercials on television. I'm happy to report that I was able to secure nearly ten contacts at top companies.   I was talking to real people and getting real results.   After two days of heightened senses and a lack of sleep, I was ready to collapse back on the bus to DC.   I knew I wanted to take a nap on the way back, but again it didn't work out that way.   The person next to me happened to strike up a conversation.   He was recently out of graduate school and seemed to have a secure and stable job.   However, he just wasn't finding passion in the work that he was doing.   He like so many people in this country are on a quest for work that both sustains the soul and provides a way to make a living.  

Where is your place in the world?   A great way to help you to find your place is to see where other people are content.   If you allow yourself enough time to travel, you will find that the people you meet can teach you about a sense of belonging even when you are far away from your real home.   From the heights of Himalayas, to the streets of the Levant and even to a city closer to home, it seems that those who live a simpler life, also lead a more fulfilling one too.   When we travel and get to know other people, we can begin to recognize that they just aren't that much different from us.   They want to engage in soulful work, have the opportunity to make a good living, and have deep inter-personal connections.   When you can be awed and inspired by the same beautiful vistas, charming cobblestone streets, or authentic and nourishing food that the locals appreciate, you'll begin to understand their place in the world and perhaps find a little clue about your own.   However, we tend to let our busyness overly complicate our lives giving us less of a chance to connect with others and with ourselves.  

When you arrive without preconceived notions and realistic expectations, each location can reveal itself to you so that you can more fully bring home the stories of the people and places visited.   Traveling for an extended period of time allows for your cares and worries to melt away.   While away from daily responsibilities and hopefully your cell phone, wireless computer and any other device that distracts you from 'being' with the experience, you're more relaxed and 'open' state of mind can begin to shape a meaningful experience.   There was an article in The Wall Street Journal where a cruise ship passenger had inadvertently downloaded a cell phone virus.   What the heck was she traveling on vacation with a cell phone meant for work in the first place?   When we limit the distractions and learn to keep simplifying our lives, especially on vacation, we increase our appreciation for a place and its' culture sparking a deeper connection with ourselves. Once we deepen our personal connection, we can tap into the power of our own creativity and vision.

Everything we see around us started as an idea including our desire to understand the world and ourselves.   Yet how can we come up with new ideas when we aren't traveling and when we aren't really seeing?   It is our responsibility to get out into the world and learn about its' riches and its' tragedies, its' triumphs and the miracles that will reveal themselves to the traveler who actually makes the effort to go on the journey in the first place.   Whether you have a few days or a few weeks, get out of your comfort zone and travel to Italy instead of Disney World or try going out with a Lonely Planet guidebook instead of perched atop the refurbished double-decker bus during a generic city tour.   You might just get some inspiration to take your own journey on the road to self-discovery so that you may truly 'see.'   Warning, on your own journey, you might be too excited to sleep.  

About Mark Sincevich
Mark Sincevich works with organizations to develop leaders with more focus and creativity. He uses a unique photography angle in his speaking programs and writing. As a result of Mark's work, his customers gain a fresh perspective, generate new ideas, sharpen the focus and create more business. Mark is the chief perspective officer of his organization, Leading with Focus, the founder of Staash Press, a member of the National Speakers Association and the executive director of the Digital Photography Institute. He is frequently quoted in the media and the author of three books including, "The Leadership Lens." In between assignments, Mark can be found spending time with his family in the Washington, DC area or writing in cafés with character. He can be contacted at 301-654-3010 or www.leadingwithfocus.com .  

Order Mark's Latest Book, The Leadership Lens - key lessons from behind the camera about leading in an uncertain future, immediately available at www.staashpress.com/llens.html .