One of the many things that I find so appealing in photography is how specific it is. Here is this object, a digital camera, with specific dimensions, and made of specific materials, and composed of specific parts. Each specific part has a specific function. None of the parts are confused about what its job is. And together all the parts make up the camera, which ends up producing electronic images from what I can see in my environment.
Another thing I really like about photography is the great amount of control that I have over the process. There are so many settings and combinations of settings, and I can manipulate them in so many different ways. The final photograph is dependent on the way we look through the lens, and the settings that we choose for the camera. ISO, aperture, shutter speed, focal length, and their minute levels and gradations all affect the final outcome. The image matters only as much as the settings you use.
This is just the same with the mind. We have full control over what we think. The choice is ours on what to focus on, whether its the negative things or the positive things, or maybe even just going on autopilot and hoping for the best. It is still important to focus on the scary things, the barriers, and the difficult parts, but only in the context of solving them and moving forward. The key is to take control of our own minds, and actively focus on what we want to achieve, and how to achieve it.
When I started dabbling in photography I had no idea I could find a connection between it and the other aspects of my life, much less the principles of leadership. It was a whole process of tweaking all of the settings in my life to find out where I know I need to be. I tried as best as I could to be in control; It was my life, after all, and I’m the only one who can live it, so I’m the only one who gets to make decisions for it. I made it a point to be methodical about the process, but at some point, that method became madness, but now it all makes sense. In the intersection between the need for control and the fear of not knowing what’s out there lies an unexpected sweet spot that I would have never found otherwise. This is Leadership through the LENS.
Related link: (Full product page of Leadership through the LENS)