I was tempted to re-order the list below, with the aim of making myself look better, but I decided to keep the order exactly how it was originally written.

Not sure what the order says about my priorities, but at least it's honest. 

1. Call men "beautiful" 365 times. (daily)
2. Call women "brilliant" 365 times. (daily)
3. Tell 104 new people I love them and mean it. (2 per week)
4. Write 365 blog posts. (daily)
5. Record and release 52 podcasts. (weekly)
6. 10 million views on Unsplash. (I'm off to a great start 100K+ in the last 5 days)
7. Over 50K followers on instagram. (no idea how!)
8. Have my photography published in 10+ legit magazines. (no idea how!)
9. Say "yes" 4 times as often as "no". (4 to 1 ratio)
10. Provide 12 free photographer workshops for anyone interested. (monthly)
11. 26 quality family hang sessions. (bi-weekly)
12. Practice yoga and mediation 365 times. (daily)
13. Read 1095 poems. (3 per day)
14. Sincerely praise and support 1095 people online. (3 per day)
15. Make over $120K gross revenue for my business. (I've never shared $ numbers before!!)
16. Book 1 paid speaking gig. (first ever!)
17. Have my writing published in 3 major publications (first ever!)

Now to compare this list to my 2018 intentions and make sure the two align and support each other. 

Lastly, if any of these goals align or resonate with your own, pls let me know. There is power in numbers, especially when people are aligned in values.

So, if my work (photography or writing) resonated with you, then I urge you to connect.

Let's create some cool shit together and use our gifts to make the world a better place, for all of us.

Sincerely and with love,

D (aka Wolfee)

“You want to change the world - It’s simple. 

Listen carefully to your heart and find the courage to share her unabridged message with anyone who has ears.”

I woke up this morning and could feel a lingering darkness. It had a sting, like a bad bruise on the bottom of my foot. Every step, there it was. Quiet and persistent.

Like a bad taste in my mouth, it tainted all aspects of my morning. 

Two paths emerged before me.

Path 1 - Shake it off and get positive

Path 2 - Get curious and go deeper 

I pulled up my 2018 intentions and instantly knew which path was mine. (side note: I decided to review my intention every morning from now on. Not sure how this wasn't obvious before, but how else are you going to stay focussed for 365 days!?)

Time to go deeper: Awareness

What did I find? The feeling most resembled scarcity and competition mindset. Specifically, there were 2 people on my Facebook newsfeed that kept coming to mind. The sentiment was not a positive. My mind didn't want me to explore the topic. It kept deflecting and denying the feeling. I believe this was because acknowledging the feeling meant admitting there was pain, which made me vulnerable. BOOM! There it was. Two words my soul had recently agreed to seek out. Vulnerability and Pain, were to be my compass, as I journeyed into my soul.

Immediately there was a sense of relief, as I knew there was an opportunity for healing. 

Keep going deeper: Honesty

These 2 people on my feed are actually friends I deeply respect. They are both very talented and highly creative. I respect both, but also don't seek to spend time with either in real life. When I am around them, I feel like a smaller version of myself. My ego plays bigger, but I feel smaller. Interesting. 

They trigger feelings of insecurity every time I see them on my feed. I know this isn't about them. I know they are good people, but more importantly I know I am a good person too.

What they do or don't do, takes nothing away from me. Competition is a fucking illusion. Me vs Them isn't a real thing. My heart soars as I acknowledge this. It jumps to its feet and gives me a standing ovation. My mind on the other hand scoffs and mocks how naive I can be. I'm okay with this. I'm getting better at not wasting energy fighting, chasing or judging feelings. 

Both my heart and my mind are valid and can co-exist. It's up to me (the soul) to decide which serves me more, or if there is a third option to explore. 

At the core, I know it is a false sense of ownership that triggers these feelings of scarcity.

Then, without warning a voice whispered: 

Silly boy these ideas are not yours
These words, not yours
These conversations, not yours
These photos, NOT YOURS

You are but a vessel

Make space and God will continue flowing through you
But if you fill up with knowledge and facts, 
God will flow elsewhere

I used to really struggle with speaking from my heart. I used to bury my truth and my light from the world, worried I might burden people. Feeling embarrassed if I took up too much attention or space. 

Don't get me wrong, there is great value in humility and making space for others, but that is not what this was. Playing small is not humility. Quite the contrary. Playing small is an act of selfishness.  

At the crux of playing small is a limiting belief that states:

"if I get (or act) too big I won't be loved."

What I've actually experienced in my life is that when I speak from my heart and let my light shine through, I end up giving others permission to do the same. Playing big activates the light in others and allows you to bond and connect with people at a much deeper level. This actually creates more opportunities for love in your life. 

Standing boldly in your power and letting your light shine through, is a very important gift we can give our community and the world. It inspires others to do the same - to seek out their own truth and to follow their hearts. This is a great responsibility and privilege we each hold. 

Joseph Campbell said it best "The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are."

The game changer for me was the realization that the light that longs to shine through me, is actually not mine at all. It belongs to God.

When we deny that light from shining through us, we are denying God. 

Personally, I'm done playing small. It does not serve me, my community or The Universe. 

Shine bright my friend, before it's too late. 

“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.”

— Ken Robinson

IT ALL STARTED WHEN...

My friend Lana asked me a very silly question. 

"if you could send one message via a single tweet, all the way back in time, to your 14-year old self, what would you say?"

After a few minutes of really thinking about her question I replied with:

 "Art Matters. Trust your heart. Go to film school." 

Lana's immediate reply was "You know it's not too late." I laughed and quickly told her how impossible that would be. I was 28 at the time and there were just too many bills and responsibilities to entertain such a ridiculous idea. Impossible, no possible way. That was a fun thought experiment, but time to get back to reality. 

Fast forward 6 weeks and somehow I had been accepted into one of the best film schools in the country, with a $20K scholarship and I was getting ready to move my entire life to Vancouver. This part still sounds unbelievable to me, but guess what, it really happened. 

Continue reading the full story here. 

At some point today take 3 deep breaths and after the third inhale, hold it in.  
Hold it as long as you possibly can. Then hold it longer. 
Hold it and remind yourself that one day there will be a last breath. 
That moment our body refuses to fill our lungs with precious oxygen. 
Transport yourself to that exact moment in time. 

You will start to panic as your lungs lust for air. Don't give-in. Hold it. 
In the midst of the chaos, see if you can find a spec of peace. 
Look around at your life in this future moment, as you've taken your last breath. 
How do you feel?

Any apologies that never got their turn? 
Any gratitude that will now expire? 
Any love that is now abandoned? 

When you finally take a breath, pay attention to how sweet the air feels.

Open your eyes and remember,
there is a google calendar invite entitled "My Last Breath" waiting for you

This, I promise.

“If you want to make your dreams come true,
the first thing
you have to do is
wake up.”

— J.M. Power

INTENTIONS

1. express and release authentically
2. feel deeper
3. think higher
4. release more frequently and consistently 
5. build a personal brand that is ME!
6. generate revenue from multiple sources
7. build a strong following across multiple platforms
8. help people find their voice and their light
9. continue to discover my soul and my gifts
10. grow and heal honestly 
11. love myself
12. play and laugh more

Find the story

 Find the light

Find myself

Lose everything else

-----

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