by Ken Burnstein on January 31, 2010
I had a bad habit, and I think I was not alone. I used to think a lot about where I was in life vs. where I wanted to be. Where I expected to be. Believe it or not, based on my personal criteria for achievement, I was always falling behind. Sometimes I’d lay awake in bed in the middle of the night wondering how I got so far behind, and more importantly, how I was ever going to catch up, so that I could then get on with my life, of course picking up immediately from where I was “supposed to be.”
Can you relate to this feeling? If not, you’re very lucky.
But of course, this kind of thinking is similar to holding on to a stock that was once very high, but is now virtually worthless, and then continuing to hold it until it goes back up to it’s all time high value before selling it and then investing in something really worthwhile.
I think the solution to this is to figure out where you really and truly are right now, as objectively as possible, and starting from there instead of where you think you should be. Completely cut your losses. Look at your opportunities with fresh eyes. Yes, you’ve put hours, days, months or even years into that project that just didn’t pan out the way you planned. Be ruthless with your future time. If you were presented with the same opportunity today under your present circumstances, would you jump on it? If not, you should consider dumping it immediately and completely, and not looking back, no matter how much time you’ve invested so far.
Once I started doing this, I started sleeping much better at night, getting more done, and removing quite a bit of stress from my life. Please post your comments below. I’d love to hear your stories and opinions.
(photo: lumaxart)
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by Ken Burnstein on January 7, 2010
It’s really amazing to me how the technology related to digital photography has advanced in the last few years. It’s absolutely incredible the results you can get from a modern DSLR camera costing well under $1000.00 by pointing and clicking in Auto or Program mode. The resulting images are usually technically perfect, with accurate exposure, white balance and focus. The quality you can get from very cheap kit lenses is also hard to believe.
The problem I see, is that with all this technology, the end result is a large quantity of technically perfect, yet poor photographs.
I remember buying my first camera at around 9 years old. It was a Russian Zenit. A manual SLR camera with a fixed focal length (prime) lens of 50mm. If you wanted a different focal length, you had to change lenses, if you had another. I didn’t. You had to manually load the film. There was no automatic exposure or autofocus, so you had to manually focus the lens, and set the exposure on the camera after taking a manual exposure reading from a separate light meter.
We lived in an area where it was very expensive to get film processed, so I set up a simple darkroom in our basement bathroom. I processed all my own film, and then printed the ones I wanted to keep. There was no preview LCD screen on the back of the camera.
I’m very grateful now for all these limitations I had to deal with as a kid. It forced me to think, visualize and compose carefully before shooting. I developed a sixth sense on quickly determining exact exposure settings in changing light. I mentally calculated predictions on pre set focus points for fast moving objects. I became very precise in composing images, because I was very limited as to the number of shots I could take, due to the high cost of film, and then the time and work required to process each roll of film by hand.
Skip forward many years. My current digital SLR cameras literally do all the work for me. I’m virtually unlimited in the number of shots I can take, as it costs practically nothing to capture images digitally. But I still shoot the old way. I still use a hand meter most of the time and adjust exposure manually. I spend much more time setting up a shot and composing it than I do actually shooting. I do make full use of the autofocus on my cameras, as it still does a much better job than I can.
And I still use prime lenses a lot of the time. In fact, my favorite lens today is still the Nikon 50mm 1.8 prime lens. I leave it on my camera most of the time. At just around $100, I think it still blows away my $1500.00 Nikon S zoom lenses. The other advantage, is that it doesn’t intimidate people like the Nikon 80-200 zoom lens, the front end of which looks somewhat like a bazooka. The large aperture works great in low light, and gives me incredible control over the depth of field. It’s also a LOT lighter than the pro zooms.
So What?
So why am I telling you this? Well, I’d really like to see you get more in touch with “making” images rather than “taking” them. Try removing as much technology and automation between you and the final image as possible. Spend a little time learning about exposure, depth of field and composition. Throw a 50mm (or 35mm, 85mm) lens on your DSLR, set it to manual exposure, and walk out of the house and see what you come across. Take multiple shots of the same things using a variety of perspectives and exposures. When using a prime (or fixed focal length) lens, you don’t have the option of screwing around with zoom settings. Move your camera position instead. Take some time before you press the shutter to actually look through the viewfinder and ask yourself:
1. Is what I see actually interesting?
2. Does it have a subject, or is it just another boring snapshot
3. Is there anything in the frame that’s unnecessary? If so, remove it if possible, or change your perspective
4. Are there other perspectives and compositions of the same thing that you can capture as well.
I’m not so sure that making good photographs is something that can be taught in school. My recommendation is to read everything you can from photographers who’s work you admire. Learn about lighting, exposure, composition, perspective, depth of field, lens properties and other technical subjects. You can find more than you need in your local bookstore. But this will only take you so far. The single best way to improve your photography, is to get out as much as possible and shoot as many images as you can. Then take the time to critically evaluate the results. It’s ok to get feedback from other people, but the important thing is to produce images that you personally like.
So what are you waiting for? Grab your DSLR, and whatever lens you have, and get out the door.
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by Ken Burnstein on December 18, 2009
It seems like everybody’s depressed these days. It’s quite trendy and popular. People compare their shrinks, talk about the latest anti depression medication, and fill their bookshelves with self help books. But what is depression? Yes, I know that there is “chemical depression” which is when your brain doesn’t put out the right balance of chemicals and hormones which allow you to feel good.
But are people depressed because their brain chemicals are off, or are their brain chemicals out of whack because they’re depressed? Hard to really prove, and I’m sure that just suggesting that our own thoughts are the cause of our depression will completely outrage some people. You are entitled to be depressed in our society, and no one has the right to take that away from us! I think it’s even in the Constitution.
I’m always amazed when I see TV commercials advertising anti depression drugs, so you can go to your doctor and demand them by brand name, even though you’ll have to deal with the obligatory flatulence, loss of bladder and bowel control, seizures and possible sudden death.
It occurred to me that although I’ve met tons (if you measure by weight, thousands otherwise) of depressed people in my life, but I’ve never once met someone on a personal mission who was also depressed. This was an eye opening discovery. You’ve met those people who can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning because they’re working on something that is bigger than themselves. They’re hard to miss, because you can’t help but get wrapped up in their high energy.
The main difference between them and the rest of the population is that they don’t have time to think about themselves. They’re too busy working on something big that helps a much larger number of people. It could be bringing water to third world countries, saving abused kids, rescuing endangered species……
So what can we learn from this? What I’ve learned is that except for the very small percentage of people with true physical chemical or structural brain imbalances, most people can instantly cure their depression using a simple 3-step process:
1. Quit thinking about yourself and your problems all the time.
2. Find a cause (purpose, mission, whatever you want to call it) that’s important to you, and helps other people.
3. Take action that helps your cause every day.
That’s pretty much it. The more time you spend helping other people, the less time you have to wallow in your own “miserable” life situation. Once we get involved in helping people who are much more worse off than us, it sinks in how good we really have it.
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by Ken Burnstein on November 16, 2009
Have you ever taken a really close look at where you get your advice? Are you getting relationship advice from your friend who’s had a string of failed marriages? Are you getting financial advice from a family member who’s been in debt for years? Career advice from a coworker who hates her job with a passion?
It’s no secret that no matter what our intentions are, we’re hugely affected by the people we come into contact with on a daily basis. When looking for advice, the easiest thing to do is to tap into the people we hang out with, whether they’re qualified or not to actually give us the best advice.
It’s sometimes very difficult to find someone who’s super successful in business, finances, relationships and other areas of life, so by default, we seek out the advice of people we like and are connected to, even though they’re complete failures in these areas. By modeling these people, we’re creating conditions in our lives that ensure that we become failures in these areas as well.
The solution to this problem is to proactively and consciously seek out only those people who are super successful in any given area we’re hoping to improve, and model them instead. Although it takes you a bit out of your comfort zone, these people are very available and willing to help you, if you just take the effort to find them and ask.
Action Steps:
1. Pick one area of your life that you’re currently working on improving.
2. Write down your current situation as it relates to that one area. Where are you now?
3. Write down your desired outcome. What does the new you look like once you get this area of your life handled?
4. Make a written list of all people you’re currently using for advice and mentoring in this area. Include everyone you talk to, consult with, bounce ideas off of and consult.
5. Next to each name, objectively rate their level of success in this area of life.
6. put a check or X next to each name.
7. make list: people you know, or have heard of who are the most successful in this area.
8. Prioritize them
9. Next to each name, make a list is tangible action steps that would allow you to spend time with them, either for a one time interview, or on a regular repeating basis.
10. Commit to taking the required steps that will ensure that you spend as much time as possible with the selected people on your list.
I believe that implementing this one change will have an exponential effect on helping you to create the new conditions in your life that you desire.
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by Ken Burnstein on September 30, 2009
Why is it that so many people my age (I just turned 51) seem so lost and unhappy when it comes to their career? The world is changing so quickly, that it seems like a full time job just keeping up with what’s going on. Things are pretty different now than when I was growing up. Everything was simple then. You went to school, got decent grades, got a job (probably one that you didn’t like) and then worked your way up. The rule when I was growing up was that you always had to stay at a job at least a year before you changed, or you’d be marked for life. Heaven forbid if there was a blank spot on your resume.
The boss made the rules and you followed them. I dealt with this crap for many years, until I decided I’d had enough. I started my own company. And failed. Then I started several more and failed. I finally started one that didn’t fail. I ran that company for 12 years. It was successful, but I still wasn’t happy. Even though I was the boss now, there were still all these rules that I thought I had to follow. I felt like more of a baby sitter than a boss. As much as I encouraged them, my employees would only do what I told them. There was no creativity in my company. We did what everyone else was doing.
Wow, it’s such a different world now. We can work from anywhere in the world. We can pretty much do anything we want. The tools are there, the rules are gone. There are literally millions of ways to make a living now. Never before has it been possible for just about anyone to do the work they love, at the times and places that they chose.
So why are so many people still living by the old rules? Every day, I run across people who consciously choose to do work that doesn’t have any meaning for them, for people they don’t like. I hear lot’s of excuses. “Dude! I’ve been doing this my whole life, I’m not qualified to do anything else!” “I majored in Sociology, I’m lucky to have any job.” “It’s too late to learn something new.” “I’m too old to do that, they’re only hiring 14 year olds for that job!” You’ve heard it too, so you know what I’m talking about.
So why are some people able to adapt to change, and most people aren’t? I think anyone can adapt to change if they want to. And that’s the key. Most people don’t want to. If you look at people my age, some of them are healthy, fit and youthful, and some look like somebody’s great grandparents. Old, overweight and unhealthy looking. Is it because they’re genetically predisposed to age prematurely, while others are not?
I think it’s due to the choices we make on a daily basis. I chose to eat a healthy diet of mostly raw foods, with some lean meats and the occasional coffee and gelato thrown it, even though I’d love to live off of french fries and cheesecake. I workout regularly using high intensity workouts such as Crossfit when I’d rather be sitting in front of the TV watching Seinfield reruns. The water in the pool feels no warmer for me than for anyone else for the first few laps….
I’m convinced that every outcome you’re experiencing in your life right now is directly due to the conscious choices that you make every minute of the day. What you eat, how you exercise, and most importantly, what and how you think. It’s no different with adapting to change. If you quit complaining about how much everything is changing, and spend that time every day learning about what’s going on, you’ll be way ahead of most people in the world.
The reality that I think most people are missing, is that because there is so much information out there, in every niche imaginable, and because just about everyone else, even the so called experts, are just as confused, (if not more so) than you are, there lies a huge opportunity. If you spend just an hour or two a day focused on studying up on any niche topic, you can become an expert on that topic in just a matter of months. The only tool you need is a web browser and Google. (Or Bing, if that makes you happy).
So your action step is to pick something. Anything. And start becoming an expert on it. Commit to spending at least an hour a day learning. Once you become and expert, (or better still, a guru), chances are you’ll never be out of work.
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by Ken Burnstein on September 21, 2009
I recently found Fonolo, a free and easy to use web service that allows you to get a visual of the telephone trees of major companies, and then dial in anywhere in the tree. This can save you a lot of time and frustration when you need to get to the right department without listening to level after level of call tree messages and pushing buttons.
The cool thing about Fonolo, is that once you associate a phone number with your account, you can select a department of a company anywhere on the tree, and Fonolo will automatically call the main number and dial the appropriate selections until it gets to the department you’re looking for, then call you to connect you with that department. Nice!
There’s also a feature included that allows you to record customer service calls.
Please give Fonolo a try and then comment below on your experience.
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by Ken Burnstein on July 22, 2009
Have you ever wondered how you really spend your time online? I started using RescueTime several months ago, and was pretty surprised at what it showed me.
RescueTime installs a small application that runs on your Mac or PC, and not only monitors which websites and applications you open, but also where your attention is focused. You then have real time access to reports that you can customize.
I find this really useful in creating accountability for my time and attention. Just knowing that the application is “watching” you can have an impact on where you’re spending your time. You can also set goals as to how much or little time and attention you give to specific websites, applications, or categories.
RescueTime will also attempt to rate your time spent on sites and apps as “distracting” and “productive.” I’m still using the free version, but there are paid versions available with even more features, as well as versions for business owners to manage entire teams.
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by Ken Burnstein on June 29, 2009
Most people are aware of Circadian Rhythms, which our bodies follow on a 24 hour cycle. But we also have what’s known as an Ultradian Rhythms, which are natural body cycles which occur at intervals of less than 24 hours.
So why is this important? Most people follow an Ultradian Rhythm cycle at intervals of roughly 90 to 120 minutes in length. What this means is that you will normally feel energized and productive for an hour and a half to two hours, and then suddenly feel drained and unfocused. Many of us try to work through these “down” periods, and pump ourselves up with caffeine and sugar.
Instead of fighting these natural cycles, we can become many times more effective and productive throughout the day if we listen to our bodies and work with these natural rhythms.
Try this simple solution (which I got from Eben Pagan) at the beginning of your day:
1. Get a small timer (under $10 from amazon) or use my favorite web based timer http://e.ggtimer.com/
2. Set it for 50 min, shut off all distractions such as phones, email, IM etc. and start the timer
3. Work in one focused block of time on your most important project. (Do not multitask)
4. When the timer rings, stop what you’re doing, set the timer for 10 minutes and start the timer
5. Take a complete rest break until the timer rings. Then set the timer for another 50 minutes.
6. Work for a second 50 minute focused block of time until the timer rings.
7. Set the timer for 30 minutes, eat a small meal, and completely chill out for the full 30 minutes.
8. At this point, you can run errands, check email and go about your normal day, or repeat the whole process for another cycle if you want to be super productive.
Bonus: At least once a day, either at mid day, or afternoon, try setting your alarm and taking a 20 min nap. (You don’t need to even fall asleep, but just lay down and keep your eyes closed for 20 minutes)
Try this out for a few weeks and I think you’ll be amazed at how much more productive you can be by following your body’s natural Ultradian Rhythms.
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by Ken Burnstein on May 30, 2009
I’m working on a future post about the benefits of using Google Calender for both personal and work scheduling and organization, but wanted to talk about one feature that I’ve just started using that I thought was really cool, so I wanted to share it.
I’ve set up several calendars in Google Calendar to separate things like personal events, work events, individual projects, and set up shared calendars for family, friends and project collaborators, which I can turn off and on at will.
I recently set up a new calendar I labeled “Journal”. I’m now able to keep a running journal by simply adding a calendar entry in the “Journal” calendar, either as one big entry (which I can open and update during the day) by setting it as an “all day” event, or as a time specific entry. (So far, it’s been much easier for me to use the “all day” format.)
When I’m not using the journal, I can uncheck that calender, and it’s invisible and out of the way. I can then go back to any point in time, turn on the Journal calendar, and see exactly what i did that day.
Super simple to set up and use, and the added benefit is that it’s completely integrated into the same calendar that I pretty much live in on a daily basis.
Would love to hear your comments on this use of Google Calendar, or any other creative ways you may be using it.
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by Ken Burnstein on April 16, 2009
AirBnB.com is a super easy to use online marketplace that connects people who have extra space in their homes with travelers looking for a more affordable alternative to hotels. AirBnB allows you to quickly find rooms, couches, futons and even air beds in most major cities in the US as well as internationally.
If you have some extra space in your pad, you can create your own Bed & Breakfast in minutes on the site, allowing you to make extra money from renting out your space to other travelers. You set your price, and AirBnB takes a 3% fee upon booking.
After browsing through the site for a bit, it appears that you can get a really killer room for much less than you’d pay at a hotel, especially in markets such as San Francisco, NYC and Paris, to name a few. An added advantage is that you’ll be staying with a local, who can offer to show you around a new city. It’s free to post rooms and to search. AirBnB takes a small transaction fee from travelers when booking through the site.
If you have any experiences using AirBnB, would love to hear your comments.
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