Distinction

Yesterday was a pivotal day in the life of Cindy Meadors, professionally and spiritually. I woke up and as some people read the morning paper or watch the news, I read blogs. Blogs from some of my favorite photographers, what they are up to, events they recently shot, everything you can imagine. I, for some reason, wasn't in a particularly happy place yesterday morning and then read something that started changing both my heart and my spirit. No surprise that the first one came from one my favorite people and photographers, Mike Colón. Here's what Mike had to say:

"wide awake in a hotel room "

I'm on my back in a hotel room in the dark thinking about life. Its 4am on the East Coast and I'm still on West Coast time so I can't sleep.
Something Julie said to me last night before we went to bed is still ringing in my head. It was something she has never said to me before and it kinda felt weird hearing her say it. She said "You're big time." She's always told me how proud she is of me but has never straight up told me I am "big time" before. I have to admit that for a second it gave me a big head, but I quickly realized that everything we have accomplished in our business and in life has been 100% by the awesome and undeserved grace of God. Although we have worked extremely hard, I simply can't forget about the dozens of times God bailed us out of sure financial disaster!

This is what i know: Life is fragile! I screw up often! The more I live the more I realize that God is involved in every area of my life, holding it together so it doesn't crumble beneath me.

My secret to success: Get right with God (often). Pray every night for wisdom, blessings, forgiveness, safety, and to be used by Him. Remember to thank Him for everything good in your life!
Thank you Lord for my beautiful wife and two boys. Thank you for always taking care of us! Help me not to live in vain but to do your work and share your love with others.
Ok goodnight all :) God bless!

My day started getting drastically better when I heard the "icing on the cake." It came from the incredible Dane Sanders through another amazing photographer, David Jay. David Jay will be traveling all over the country this summer and will be hosting a seminar called, "Free to Succeed." I am so excited to be attending this seminar and will have the opportunity to meet not only himself, but Jasmine Star. Oh, la, la!!! This is going to be one fantastic tour. I wish it was next week and not almost two months away, what a great opportunity it's going to be to listen to and learn from both of them.

David Jay was speaking on Dane's blog about Dane's upcoming book entitled "Fast Track Photographer," due out very soon (Dane, I can't WAIT to read it!!) THIS is the line that has stirred up all sorts of things in me, it kept me up last night, all night. Couldn't sleep a wink thinking about it. It's profound, so write it down or better yet memorize it and say it to yourself all day long. Here goes:

"You must remember to be personally and professionally distinct in order to avoid extinction." In other words, what is it that sets you apart from the next person? Why should someone hire me, as opposed to hundreds or thousands of other photographers out there? That's the question I have been pondering for the last 24 hours. I'm going to leave it at that for now, meditate for a while on that thought and will post more tomorrow as I want to make sure I am able to identify specific things that are truly different about me than anyone else. Stay tuned, you know.......this is the kind of thing that changes the course of one's life.

All the best,

~Cindy~