Imbeccable Involvements

How can we change the world?

It's a question a lot of us have been asking ourselves for the last few weeks, or for several of us, a lot longer than that.

After taking a lot of time to self-reflect, I have come to the conclusion that the only way to truly change the world is for each and every single one of us to be the best versions of ourselves. Looking back at movies like Simon Birch, Pay it Forward, It's a Wonderful Life, and others, I truly believe it's one of the messages Hollywood has gotten correct. If we were to each try to be the best version of ourselves, that is someone who is caring, leads with love, and is willing to take action for the betterment of the general public and the world, THAT is how we can make the world a better place.

You might be asking yourself how, and that's completely okay. Each person would have to take the time to truly get to know themselves and self-reflect on how to improve on oneself before being able to commit to being the best version of themself. 

Here is what I have learned about myself, listed out in a Problem-Solution format below.

Problem: I have very little patience
Solution: I need to remember to take breaths and try to see each of my interactions from the other person's point of view. What are they actually trying to say versus what they are physically saying? Do they mean it, or are they letting emotions control their verbiage? Are they being sincerely caring and I am being too sensitive to what they are saying? I have noticed that since I started asking myself these questions when having a stressful conversation or dealing with a stressful situation, I have been able to respond verbally and physically better to the situation at hand, which in my experience thus far, has lead to more peaceful conclusions.

Problem: I get defensive
Solution: This kind of goes hand in hand with patience, but for this one I more-so remind myself that 99% of people are not intending to offend me when they say things that trigger me. For those that are obviously trying to offend, I have learned that I do not have to put up with their negativity. I usually respond with a quick retort and then depending on the severity of the situation, end the conversation, or end the relationship (usually there isn't much of one to begin with when this occurs). To be a positive person, you need to surround yourself with positive people.

Problem: I am efficient to the point of laziness at times
Solution: I am usually extremely efficient, especially in my job. I would like to think it's one of the qualities that managers look for, and it seems to be, considering my successful career path so far. However, when it comes to my philanthropy work, or doing things on my checklist that are on the "back burner" (essentially anything that doesn't directly affect my every day life), I tend to put the items off until the next day. I partially blame this on my efficiency plan on tackling projects in my work and personal lives. Tackle the big important things first, and leave the small projects for last. The solution is to hold myself accountable for even the little things at the end of the day. I always feel better when I get to complete today's tasks today, instead of continuously putting off the little things.

Problem: I can be "too comfortable"
Solution: A lot of the world's problems have been circling around other groups of people, not necessarily involving me. For this, it can be so easy to turn the other cheek and keep living my life the way I have been. However, this doesn't solve anything. While I will probably never be the type of person to go to demonstrations and protests, I do want to try to add to positive solutions in a quiet, calm way. Maybe this will change one day, but for now, it's a step that I am comfortable taking that is in the right direction.

What is this all leading to?

It's okay to have little patience for negativity.

It's okay to get defensive when it comes to important issues that are close to your heart.

It's okay to draw the line on how involved you want to get in worldly issues as long as your reasons have to do with your safety and your health.

The step I am taking in the right direction is that Imbeccable Images will be donating 10% of each purchase from the Adventure Store and each booked photography session to an organization listed on my Get Involved web page.
https://www.imbeccableimages.com/get-involved.html

This means that if you book a session, you can select one of the organizations on that list to receive 10% of the cost of your session. If you make a purchase through the Adventure Store, you can select one of the organizations to receive 10% of the total cost of items in your cart.

I recently booked an engagement session with a wedding. Since they are two separate bookings, the client can choose two different organizations (one to receive 10% from the engagement session, and the other to receive 10% from the wedding booking).

This is one small step in the right direction​ that I hope makes you as joyful as it does me.

If you have any suggestions on changes or additions to the list of organizations on the Get Involved page, feel free to comment on this post or email me at photography@imbeccableimages.com