Setting Out My Stall for 2013

I’m a bit of a procrastinator by nature – if something can be put off until tomorrow, then generally that’s what I do. This, though, is not to be confused with laziness. I prefer to think of it as prioritisation. I like to prioritise things that interest and stimulate me. In very general terms, if something interests me, then I like to do it now. If something interests me less, then I prefer to put that off until another day. Very often we hear people say they don’t have time to do this or that. In reality what they are saying is – “it is not a priority for me right now”. In other words, they are saying it is not as important as whatever it is they are doing instead of it.

2012 was a good year for me in terms of doing what interests and stimulates me. My passions, as many of you know, are music and photography. Musically, our Folk Group undertook a number of really interesting and successful ventures – the high point of which was a major concert which raised over €5,000 for cancer support services in our locality. Photographically, I took over 8,000 pictures. While most of these were rubbish, they were interspersed by a sufficient number of decent shots to encourage me to keep learning and trying new things.

But what about 2013 – what do I want to achieve this year? Well, in no particular order:

• Finish my edits. Yes, I need to finish off the photo book that I promised I would do with the best shots from 2012. It is 90% complete – and I am definitely procrastinating over the last 10%. Need to fix that! 

• Take more photos. Ok – it might be difficult to take more than 8,000 photos but the key point is to keep shooting. If I’m honest, though, my real aim is to take better photos! 

• Get a new camera. My current camera (my first one, in fact, if you discount the camera in my phone) is a high-end compact. I now feel I am ready to experiment with different lenses and for that I am going to need a D-SLR camera. This is something I can put off for a while as it is important to choose the right camera for me. So no immediate rush to part with hard-earned cash, but it is something I need to do at some stage. 

• Start a new musical challenge. This plan has already been laid and will begin during March. More about that anon. 

• Write more. I started this blog with a view to developing my writing skills and to marry those with my photography. This is definitely something I procrastinated about in 2012. I lost count of the number of times I had an idea for a blog post but didn’t follow through on it. To be honest, writing scares me a little but that’s part of the challenge – to overcome that fear and do it anyway. 

I hope you achieve all that you dream of in 2013. Above all, decide what is important for you, what interests and stimulates you. If you are putting these things off until another day, then perhaps you need to re-evaluate. Life is to too short to procrastinate about what is important to you.

* The photo above is one of the very first I took this year, just after midnight at the New Year’s fireworks on Dun Laoghaire east pier.