Inspiration from Steve Jobs

A few months ago my girlfriend Erin and I moved to Nashville TN after a very powerful and devastating tornado came through the town we were living in. It was a very shocking, tragic and eye-opening experience for both of us. Prior to the tornado, I was in a job that I hated. I was always stressed to the max and was consistently working 60 hours a week or more. I would come home to Erin absolutely exhausted. I was giving her the left overs of myself. It was not good. I was changed by that job and it was having negative effects on me and the ones I loved. I had to do something about it. So Erin and I began to talk about moving to a city where we could experience life in new ways, be close to friends, and pursue the dreams that we had for our lives. We weren't planning to move any time soon. We wanted to make the appropriate plans and have everything thought out and make it as smooth of a transition as possible, but because of the tornado, all those plans sped up and here we are. The tornado put perspective on a lot of things for us. There was loss of life. There was massive damage. People lost everything they own in an instant. It showed us very clearly that life is fleeting. In a commencement speech to the students of Stanford University, the late Steve Jobs said this, "When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: 'If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.' It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something. Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything, all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

The tornado became the catalyst for change in our lives. We knew we had to follow our hearts, and pursue the dreams we have.

We arrived in Nashville with the hopes of being able to pursue photography on a full time basis and begin to live the life that we both want! That life includes running a photography business, doing the work we love and know that we are supposed to be doing, building a family, and living life to the fullest. And we are working hard every day to get ourselves to that point.

As most of you know, this kind of journey and transition can have it's ups and downs and at some times be very difficult. I know this is the right path for Erin and I so we continue to press on in spite of the trials that come our way. We know that all the stuff we have to deal with everyday will finally get us to a point where we can breathe, and be doing the work that we love and living the life we have wanted. In the same speech Steve Jobs said this, "Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."

Erin and I are continuing to press on. This is our journey. This is all we know. If we aren't clicking our cameras, we don't know what else we would be doing. So here we are in Nashville pursuing the work we love. We are pushing ourselves everyday to move forward even in spite of those overwhelming days when we feel like nothing is working out. Never settling. We want to do the work we love so that we can live the life that we want. And we want to thank you for supporting us. With out the love and support of our family and friends, this journey would be near impossible.

So I would love to hear your thoughts. Where do you find inspiration during struggles? Are you doing the work you love? what might need to change?

I will leave you with one last quote from Steve Jobs. "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."

-will

Twitter | Google+ | Facebook