OKAY! It is well past my bedtime when I am writing this. This was NOT planned to be the blog for today but sometimes creativity just hits you, like a lightning bolt on the top of the Empire State Building. (Talk about imagery right!) So why am I writing to you about the #ShotOfTheDayChallenge ? Well, there is actually a deeper reason than to promote the hashtag. (for the record the challenge is over so this is not clickbait)
So first I have to explain what the challenge was if you do not know already. From March 1st to March 31st I issued a "challenge" of sorts. The challenge was to take a moment out of your life to share a moment of your life. That sounds crazy when you say it but that is exactly what it was. I have been encouraging people to LIVE IN THE MOMENT and sometimes the best way to do that is to notice a moment of your day and notice what you may see everyday or take for granted everyday. It was a communal effort. The shot did not need to be glossy or fancy. It is a moment from YOUR day so by that regard it is already amazing.
So with the challenge over why am I talking about it? I will tell you why. I decided to go to My Instagram to recap really quickly. I wanted to compile all of the photos in a story so everyone could flip through it and see what the month of March looked like in my life at a glance. And that was when it hit me. That was the moment that time became priceless. As I went through each shot that I took and remembered each moment, it was like hopping in the DeLorean. I was able to relive it all and best of all I was able to share those moments with so many people.
Now let's look at the title of this blog post. I am telling you to SHOOT YOUR SHOT. When I was bouncing the idea around my head of doing the challenge I was a bit apprehensive to say the least. There was the thought that maybe no one will participate. Maybe no one will benefit from it how I want them to. But I put all the doubts to the side and said who cares. Who cares? Who cares if no one participates? I decided to shoot my shot and take a risk and go for it. And it was worth it. Aside from capturing those moments in a time capsule of sorts, I was able to do with social media what I always truly wanted to do. I was able to make some genuine connections with people over bonding. Bonding over photography at that. And even better. People participated! It was great.
But what ended up becoming a great moment for me, that little minimal effort challenge that ran through the whole month gave additional purpose and gratitude to every moment I clicked the button on my camera. Now I know there are some skeptics out there. There are some people that feel to truly Live In The Moment you cannot do so through a camera. They believe you should put the camera down because if you are preoccupied you are not truly living in the moment. To them I have but one minor question. What is the point of living if we cannot share our life with others. I believe that Life is meant to be shared, and I found a great way to do it. I found a great way to be grateful for everything I have and do not have. (yeah you read that right)
With all of that said, I implore you. Go shoot your shot. Go do something you want to do but are doubting yourself. The end result will be worth it. Go shoot a picture, or not. Whatever works for you go do it! Go live in the moment. Enjoy the moments. Take a minute to just breathe and look around you. Then after you take that minute, take 4 more. And most of all, find a way to share a part of your life with more people in your life. You'll be surprised how refreshing it can truly be. You might even be surprised at how exhilarating it will be, when you feel like a lightning bolt on top of the Empire State Building.