Who Do You Think You Are

 

I sometimes wonder how many of us go through life saying to ourselves that we aren't good enough.   How many of us talk ourselves out of things because we're convinced that we can't really do this or that...I mean shoot, who do we think we are anyway, right?!

And I wonder if other animals sometimes have these same thought processes, or if it's strictly a human trait.  Do race horses who don't win think they aren't good enough or deserving enough to win?  Did they have a trainer or someone along the way that said, "hey, who do you think you are anyway, you can't win the triple crown so why bother trying!" 

Did Secretariat have someone who said, "you can do whatever you want, win whatever you want," so that's what made him a winner?  He was foaled not far from where I live actually, as the crow flies anyway.

I was fortunate to grow up in a household where my parents did believe that we could accomplish anything we put our minds to and worked hard to achieve, but no one can live under the protective umbrella of a parent's love forever.  And some people  never knew that kind of love to begin with, so they are at an even greater disadvantage.

I pass by these gorgeous horses every time I come and go from my house.  They are some of the most well cared for and beautiful horses I've seen during my lifetime.  And that's saying something since I grew up with horses, my daughter rode for many years, and I've even visited the Kentucky Horse Park, so I've seen a lot of horses in my day.

When you look into their eyes, it's as if they say to you, you can do it, whatever it is you want, I will believe in you.  The same way our pets do that for us, and maybe that's why we love them so much.

I've passed by this horse farm countless times over the past 4 years, and I've never stopped though I've always wanted to.  I've said to myself on more than one occasion, "who do you think you are stopping and asking to take pictures of their horses?" 

But I finally did, and the owners couldn't have been any nicer.  On top of that, it turns out that we know some people in common, both in and out of the horse community.  They told me that they raise and train horses that then go all over the country and sometimes the world.  And the husband, who is originally from Ireland, told me how he used to help fly horses around the world, something Mr. Tide's grandmother used to do for a living up in Canada.

I ran into a very talented artist friend recently, and we chatted about how she was now selling her work at The Vintage Source on the weekends when they are open.  And I told her how great her artwork is and how happy I was that she was now selling it there.  Her husband said that she wasn't sure anyone would want to buy it, even though she's been a very successful mural artist for years.

I told him that I say the same thing to my husband whenever I think about selling some of my fine art photography.  I tell myself, "who would pay you for that, and why would anyone want to buy your work, there are lots of other wonderful and highly skilled photographers out there...so who do you think you are trying to sell your stuff?!"

This week I'm going to change all of that.  I will begin working on a website to sell my photographs.  And instead of selling them for very little money in hopes that maybe one day I'll die and someone will find value in them...as if I were Ansel Adams or something...hah...I will price them accordingly, and similarly to other photos I see advertised as fine art photography.

Now please don't misunderstand, I've not taken some magic ego pill or created some imaginary inflated opinion of myself.  I'm simply going to quit saying "who do you think you are?," and replace it with "why the heck not!"

It's time to stop listening to anyone around me (thankfully not my immediate family) who wants me to stay where I am because it keeps them feeling more comfortable about their own choices.  Some friends, and sometimes even family mean well, but they can sometimes, without even saying a word, bolster that whole who do you think you are notion.  You see, people rarely give you advice which is good for you, they simply tell you what they would do given your situation...and they bring along all of their concerns, fears, and insecurities right along with them.

So I'm turning off the external filters and turning on my own opinion that will now reign supreme.  Not in an arrogant or superior fashion, but in a "hey kid you only have one life to live, so you better go for it now while you still can."  If watching the tragedies unfold around the world these past few weeks and months hasn't proven that life is short, than I don't know what else will.

So who do you think you are?!  I hope from this day forward you are everything you think you can be and more!  The more you share your talents and gifts with this world, the better it will be, and the need for regret will disappear!  That is my dream friends...and that is who I hope I am!

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