Category: Photos (Page 1 of 11)

Every Single Day

4 May 2017 / Andrew

I’m not sure what caused the epiphany. Maybe it was the brief moment I had sitting in crisp fresh air marveling at the lake and mountains nestled in the Swiss Alps. Perhaps it was processing time from long hours of driving. Or something I was reading, I cannot recall.

But on that day, I knew that I was making a decision that would impact the rest of my life.

So I started.

And I’ve done it every day since.

That was 1301 days ago.

Back in October 2013, I decided to exercise everyday for the rest of my life. Which I am aware sounds way more amazing than it actually is.

So here are my two secrets:

First, because I love freedom, I have a very loose definition of exercise. Exercise for me can be the hard, less fun, stuff like running 10km, or going to the gym. Exercise is also going for a walk with my wife, having a walking meeting with a co-worker, or playing basketball with my son. And on the bad days when time is short or I’ve been sick, exercise might be something as simple as some press ups.

To exercise means “activity carried out to improve your health”.

That’s pretty loose.

So why over complicate it?

My second secret. Doing it every single day. (The only leave pass I will give myself is being in a coma.)

Doing anything daily sounds exhausting, but I actually find it rewarding (particularly given the low expectations I have). Once the habit is established, it is significantly easier than trying to remember to do something X times a week.

And I enjoy it.

So what could you do, every single day?

If you made the rules loose enough?

∴

I’m not disciplined. My life experiences and various psych tests prove that.

I also take a photo everyday. When I did the photo of the day, the first time for a year I found it exhausting because I had a bunch of rules. When I started again on my birthday back in 2013, I decided I had no rules. Just take or get a picture.

SO MUCH EASIER!

I’m not disciplined, but doing 1 thing, intentionally, everyday.

Proves to me, that I can be.

And it could prove it to you to.

My 1000 day habit of taking photos.

19 January 2016 / Andrew

Today, I have taken my 1000th photo of the day in a row. It all started on 25th April 2013, having successfully completing one 365 project in 2009/10 and failing one in 2012, I decided I would give another year of photo of the day a go.

1000 days later, I’m still at it.

Some days choosing a photo means selecting from 100s of photos. Often it meant selecting from one. A couple of days I didn’t miss by sheer luck. I have one photo of the carpet at work that I accidentally took, and another is of Damian’s business card, which I took when I was demonstrating an app. On more than one occasion I got out of bed to take a photo of an inanimate object at home.

I haven’t personally taken every photo, but I was present at every one. Every photo hasn’t been taken on my camera. And on one occasion I had to get emailed a photo of a whiteboard image I asked someone to take in a meeting (riveting).

But I have 1000 photos.

And more importantly because it is my daily habit, I get to set the rules. And my rules from the outset were very loose. Any camera, any photographer so long as I was present, I wasn’t going to post to Facebook or social media each day, so no obligation to anyone else. I made it as easy as possible and as a result, it was tenfold easier than the first time round.

I would encourage everyone to take a photo a day for a year.

I love being able to look back on 1000 days and have an image for each one. Apart from these images I barely remember what I did 2 weeks ago.

I also love the habit.

Start anytime. Set a goal of 50 days. Tell no one. Just enjoy it.

∴

So now that I have hit 1000 days, the big question I’ve been asked is “will I stop?”

That’s actually a harder question than it seems…

Right now I’m on holiday, taking a photo a day is easy.

3 x 365 is just around the corner.

So is 4 x 365.

And 5.

I will stop eventually. But I now have an automatic habit of 1000 days. To stop, will require breaking the habit, and habit making or breaking takes a lot of energy and hard work.

16 August 2013 / Andrew

It’s funny how shadows can be good and bad. A person standing in the right spot to shield the sun from our eyes, is a good shadow. Yet the clouds maneuvering themselves in front of the sun on a bitter winters day, creates cold and dark shadows.

As a leader I know I cast good and bad shadows.

As a leader, I have made some dreadful decisions that have caused the company and people significant hardship. In these times the shadow I cast has been lousy.

As a leader, there are even times I manage to cast a good, positive, warm shadow. By learning to care more. Or execute better. Or empower my team. When I do this I see the culture ripple down throughout the organisation in a beautiful way. I think Robert’s phrase says it all and I’m reminded again this week about the shadow I cast.

Still a long elongated way to go … but a work in progress.

∴

As a leader what shadow are you casting?

21 July 2013 / Andrew

Had the tree in our back yard pruned. Its been in that spot for 12 years (growing for 14) and best I can guess my kids started climbing it 7 years ago.

It reminded me of the old Chinese proverb. “The best time to plant a tree is 10 years ago, the second best time is now.”

This of course applies to more than just planting trees.

The best time to start loving

The best time to start learning

The best time to start doing good

… was 10 years ago …

… The second best time is now!

Slowing down and stopping are polar opposites.

10 July 2013 / Andrew

“You should stop and take a photo” my friend says this time, more firmly than the first.

You see I’m back taking a photo a day again. Back wandering through life with my eyes open to moments I can capture. Back looking to lock memories of each day into still form. Back prepared to stop for the perfect picture, or so I thought.

On this day I wouldn’t have stopped if not for the insistence of my friend. On this day I would have missed this photo which connects so many memories of the day.

When it comes to taking photos, slowing down, and stopping, are polar opposites. I can slow the car down and think ‘that would be a nice photo’, but it never will be a nice photo without stopping.

It’s the same in life I am discovering. While Tammy was sick we would spend hours with her, sitting on the floor and just hanging out with her. We were prepared to stop. Stop everything. To spend precious moments with her.

Now that our journey together is over, I am finding life accelerating to break neck speed.

I barely slow down.

Let alone stop.

I’m not sure that is healthy.

∴

I’m always busy. Always have too much to do. I always will, its in my DNA.

However while Tammy was sick, it amazed me how we as a team could make time for her. My priorities changed and caused other insignificant tasks to not get done. And it didn’t matter because stopping was more important than tasks.

Like photography I’m reminded that stopping to care for people, is the polar opposite, to slowing down.

Maybe, like me, you need to remember that today.

Maybe you need to STOP.

Twelve : 12 memorable things for the 12 months of the year 12.

1 January 2012 / Andrew

Happy New Year and welcome to the year of 12.

Because it’s the year 12, and because there are 12 months in the year, why not have a 12 list?

A 12 list is kind of like a bucket list but easier, and just for the year. I think the idea beats new years resolutions (although Jim’s new years resolution is good).

A 12 list is a list of simple memorable things you want to do this year. Don’t worry about the order, or when you will do them. Just list 12 things, anything, as they come to mind.

Then pick one a month and do it, don’t forget to take your camera to record the memory.

Here is my 12 list:

Have a snow fight with my family
Visit Cape Reinga
Marvel at a sunrise
Catch a fish with Jayden
Take my wife on a picnic (without kids)
Fly again
Have someone I have yet to meet, over for dinner
Visit a good.water project
Catch up with a person I didn’t see last year
Go caving
Have a bbq at the beach
Take my kids to a NZ city they haven’t been to before

_______________________________________

‘Twelve’ – Project Leap begins. A photo each day from 1 Jan 12 to 31 Dec 12. 366 photos in total, including the leap day | 1/366

The winds of change are blowing

13 November 2010 / Andrew

I remember sitting at a camping ground in Papamoa after days of scourging sunshine. The kind of sunshine that you dream of for summer, but after weeks it has dried the ground so much around us, everything had turned to dust. Over the course of the day the wind changed. Slowly, unnoticeably to most, but a significant enough change to indicate the weather was changing.

The next day, as we packed the drizzle arrived and after we departed the rain set in. When you grow up around the ocean, particularly sailing, you learn what the winds of change are.

My final photo for the 365 project on the 23 September was of a wind sock.

I took it for three reasons;

Firstly, to remind me how I still long to
be in the airborne. In 365 days I missed the opportunity to pilot a plane as a
private pilot. I continually look at the sky and long to fly.

Second, to remind me of how windy it was in September. It’s windy every year around the equinox but most people forget that we get windy weather as the winds of change signal a season change.

Finally, personally I feel like the winds
of change are blowing. I am not sure where the metaphorical weather will lead me, but change after 365 days, is in the wind. I can feel it.

So ends 365 days of photos. 365 days of my life.

What’s next?

364|365 Dead End

1 October 2010 / Andrew

The tedious drive from Auckland turned into an expedition of sorts as I tried new ways home. Unfortunately heading down unfamiliar roads without a map can easily lead to a dead-end.In one such dead-end as the road narrowed I spotted a small cemetery and paused to take photo 364. Strolling around the bleak relics of other peoples memories for loved ones, I stumbled across this
gravestone for Olive.

‘Beloved wife of Thomas Nicol, Died 17 August 1907, Aged 23. Thy will be done’.

I wondered if Olive and Thomas were distant relatives of mine, then pondered how she might have died at such a young age. I thought about how unlikely it was that anyone remained alive that remembers
Olive.

Driving back out of the dead end road I resolved again not to let my life be a dead end.

I’m not so much worried if people don’t remember me in a 100 years time, but more worried if people will remember me for what I have done in the last 10 years, or perhaps more importantly, will
they remember me for what I will do in the next 10 years of my life.

Days 361 to 363

21 September 2010 / Andrew

361|365 Nephew – My Uncle Terry left a legacy in my life. He was an awesome uncle. His legacy is that I might be an awesome uncle to my nephews and nieces. (picture of Thomas and Jayden having fun)

362|365 The Mount – Back in Tauranga again and whenever I am there the ocean pulls me to it, just as gravity ultimately draws this bird back to earth. Jim and I used to talk about living in Tauranga and how if we lived there we probably wouldn't go to the beach as often. We were right, Jim now lives in Tauranga, and I live in New Zealands largest inland city. I go to the beach more often than he does.

363|365 Cows – The 365 project of a person living in the Waikato would simply not be an accurate picture of life, without a picture of a cow. I noticed today that it has the number 361 one, maybe I should have taken this photo two days ago.

Days 353 – 360

18 September 2010 / Andrew

353|365 Beaten – Kyla's team (Rototuna Green) about to do the post game 'three cheers' after losing the playoff for 3rd/4th to the Te Rapa Dragons, who wait to shake hands.

354|365 Nothing – Almost no photo. An average photo of nothing for an average day of nothing

355|365 Salt Air – Love the beach, love the salt air, it invigorates me and ignites my grey matter and helps me think and helps me pray.

356|365 Flood – Beyond the picnic table, completely below the water is the jetty I often sit on and have my lunch. You can see a picture of the same spot in my Day Zero picture

http://www.andrewnicol.net/2009/09/0-365-the-photo-that-started-it-all.html

357|365 Growing Up – This is Kyla in her school production (Jacob her cousin is in the background). As I sat and watched I realised that my Daughters are growing up. Very very scary!