David Constance was a young man in love with photography. Wherever David went so too, his beloved camera. It was his constant companion. The more they lived together the better they got. Like any loving couple the two together made three or four not two. They produced fantastic photos together. They just loved each others company.

Then horror struck. Whilst on holiday in Australia in 1982 David was involved in a diving accident which left him paralysed from the shoulders down.

His dreams were over. He couldnt feel himself holding a knife and fork never mind a camera.

But wherever he went he saw situations as images. Potential photos. As he travelled around in his wheel chair all he kept seeing, in his head, was really good photos.

After a period of time he realised his problem was simple:

The only thing I lacked was the physical ability to hold the camera

which to you and me means he couldnt hold it, focus it and press the button.

To David it was a simple problem you just adapt the camera to the wheelchair, then you adapt the camera to fit your abilities. Simple!!!

The long and the short of it was that David wrote to the camera manufacturer for help and they did. The result is that David is now taking photographs again and travelling the world to do it.

The obvious moral to the story is that if you really want to do something you can. If you really are in touch with your vocation then nothing will stand in your way. Other people will come in and out of your life in order to help you achieve your vocation.

But what stops you and me from trusting ourselves and going for it?

PERFECTION and PROCRASTINATION

If you cant guarantee that where I am going is going to be a better place then I wont start.

If you cant work out that I will succeed then I wont make the effort.

If there is an element of risk involved then I prefer to stay where I am, thank you.

Whats that proverb: Better the devil you know than the devil you dont. After all, its much better staying with something thats under par than looking for what you really want. Because you may find yourself in a worse situation!!!! Then what would you do?

One of the biggest problems of being a perfectionist is that there is no room for anything other than perfection or failure. If you run your life on having to be in charge or perfect at every stage then the only alternative is not in charge and imperfect. Therefore: failure. You cannot have excellence or success in your life, you can only have perfection or failure.

Procrastination is the blind side of perfection. Whats the reason you have decided not to do it now? Why have you put off making that decision? What stops you from moving forward? Why have you applied the brake to that brilliant idea?

Procrastinators, for some reason or another, put off what they want to do and wait or do another task.

A friend of ours has the most perfect and clean kitchen. Why? Because whenever she sits down to draw, if the image doesnt develop quickly then she notices something out of place, something not cleaned recently. Anything, to stop her working through her drawing. Anything, to divert her attention.

Davids story shows each of us that the only one who actually stops me achieving what I want to achieve is me.

I can blame whoever I like. I can blame whatever I like. But the bottom line is that I choose not to follow my dreams. Not to find and follow my vocation. I choose not to put the effort in. I choose to put it in the too difficult basket.

Dont short change yourself. Claim your right to success. Now!

By the way: you can see Davids work on www.sittingimages.com.

Good Luck

Graham and Julie
www.desktop-meditation.com