Every day of our lives we wake up and we are given opportunities. I know that is such a cliche thing to say but it’s honestly true don’t you think? It doesn’t mean that every opportunity that is presented to you is one that is going to be life altering. I mean, every day I get up and I get my kids off to school and I’m given the opportunity to climb back into bed, which is where I absolutely 9 times out of 10 want to be. I usually stay up for no other reason than I hate waking up from sleep so freakin’ much that I only want to do it once a day. It’s that traumatic for me.

I digress.

My point here is that we are give opportunities every day. I was given a big opportunity a couple months ago when I found out Dane Sanders: photographer, author, teacher, friend and yes, Violent Femmes fan was bringing his Fast Track Roadshow to Austin. I promise you I screamed when I found out.

I first heard about Dane thru one of my favorite Flickr groups. A fab-u-lous little rockstar by the name of Christine Tremoulet was ranting and raving about this guy and how he was doing this amazing thing and there was something about Founders, and a new forum, and a rockin’ website and a book.  Because back then I stalked Christine like…..um, a crazy stalker dude I was all over finding out what this was all about. I joined the forums and was immediately like…um, there isn’t much going on over here. These people aren’t teaching me anything and I moved on. When Dane’s book, Fast Track Photographer was released I bought it almost immediately. I was so excited to get it and put it on my shelf right next to all my other amazing photography books that I had been collecting.

And that was that.

Fast forward a year. Yea, a year. A YEAR!!!!!

Something compelled me to pick that darn book up and read it. At this point I had already stopped my subscription to the forums because it wasn’t anything like any of the other 9,000 forums I was on. Nonetheless, I read the book. In one day. There was absolutely no question. It wasn’t like anything else I had read. It was as if after I read it the entire makeup of my brain actually changed. My whole thought process and the way I had been approaching my business. It was a little alarming actually. Kind of like I was suddenly part of this cult…but….like a really rad cult. (rad…that’s one of Dane’s words…see he even changes your vocabulary)

It was really that simple. As simple as reading a book. I rejoined the forums and this time with this idea that instead of joining a community wondering what they were going to be able to do for me & my business, I joined to be a part of something bigger than just my business. I rejoined with this epiphany of just connecting with other people in our industry and with the intention of just being purely genuine in my giving & receiving in whatever form it might take.

I know it seriously sounds like a bunch of kumbaya but it really was a good place to be for me. It led me right to the workshop in Austin and I will give you all the deets on that tomorrow.  I know I said I would talk about it today but there is no way I can keep rambling this way. So we’re doing this in two parts. I promise a full review of the actual workshop tomorrow and what the FTP philosophy is all about.

Kumbaya Peeps!