THE POWER OF MANIFESTATION
“All that we are is a result of what we have thought.” – Buddha
When I was eight years old, my family started collecting coins. One of our family friends got my parents and my grandfather into this and told us that it would be a lot of fun for all of us. We would go to coin shows and buy rare coins, $100 bills, and all sorts of memorabilia. I was watching the news and there was a segment about the rarest penny in the world, a 1914 D penny. About a million of these pennies were produced during WWI and they were made out of steel. Most of the copper during that year was used to make bullets so the few pennies that were made from the Denver mint were made from steel..
While I was watching the news, I knew there was a coin show coming up and I decided in my mind that I was going to find that penny. At every show, there is a large table with pennies where kids will search for coins. I was determined to find that 1914 D penny out of the thousands of pennies that were on that table.
I entered the coin show and went straight for the kid table. I told my parents that I was going to find this coin no matter what. An hour passed and my dad asked me if I was finished searching and I told him no. Over the next couple of hours, my parents kept on telling me that I was not going to find the penny and that we needed to move on.
The energy in my mind was determined to find this penny and I would not leave without it. After four hours of searching, I thought I found the penny. I found a penny with a 1914 and a small mark next to the 1914. I took the penny to the guys with the microscopes what the date on the penny said. The first one said, 1914 D, and so did two others. I found that penny!
I keep that penny in my parent’s house and today it’s worth about $2500. Through the power of manifestation, I made the penny come to me. From a young age, I knew that the possibilities were endless. I just needed to know what I wanted.
There are steps to manifestation. The power lies in patience and knowing in your heart and mind that what you want is going to happen. Step 1 is to get a clear vision of what you want. I decided that I was going to find this 1914 D Penny no matter what. I made a statement and knew this was the truth. Step 2 is to ask the universe for what you want. Step 3 is to change your vibrational energy and shift your focus. Be open to the possibilities and let everything flow to you. Step 4 is to keep your vibration high. There will be obstacles in the way (negative energy, people telling you that you can’t do it etc). My parents telling me to leave was negative energy but I repelled it.
If you follow these steps, you will be able to manifest anything. The key to this is patience. While the chances of me finding this penny were basically 0, it happened anyway because I knew it was going to happen. Not everything will happen this fast though. This is a key method I use to ensure the success of my projects, no matter how difficult they are.
Write down your goals and visualize what it would be like once you have achieved them. Live that life in your head. Dream about accomplishing that goal and do everything you can to achieve it. Surround yourself with people who can help achieve your dream, talk about it with them and eventually it will happen. It’s all about persevering.
DEVELOPING MY PASSION
“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” -Oprah Winfrey
I was exposed to so many things as a kid because of my parents. At a young age, I found my true calling because of the diversity of experiences. After twenty years in the industry, I can’t imagine my life doing anything else. I love the behind the scenes aspect. I love working with talent before they become famous.
After I graduated from college, my parents told me to get a job. I kept applying for jobs but it was one of the hardest times for the job market (2004). I went on job interviews but nobody hired me so I decided I had to figure it out for myself. Since I wasn’t employed, I had to have an entrepreneurial spirit which I developed based on the knowledge that was given to me by my parents.
In order to find your passion, you need to ask yourself, is there something that you already like doing? What is a subject that you read about? For me, my passion came out of necessity. I was young, had some experience but I knew what I loved. Everything else developed organically and I seized the opportunity when it presented itself.
I’ve taken so many risks in my career. Any time, I saw success, I replicated it and did the same thing again. I’ve seen the industry go through so many changes but it gave me even more reasons to grow. You need to evolve and change with the times. It’s the only way you will survive in your career. The only thing consistent about this business is change. Nothing will ever stay the same and you must constantly evolve with the times and recognize new problems that need to be solved.
You’re probably reading this because you have an interest in photography and/or the entertainment industry. You might have a gift, something that you are good at. If you want to use this gift and pursue a career using it, this talent needs to be developed. The way you develop it, is through practice. I saw my talent as photography but decided to develop it by doing it consistently, over and over again. I discovered what I was good at and then perfected my craft. I found my niche in shooting celebrities and continued to shoot more and more of them. Eventually, I became known as a celebrity photographer.
You can see more of my work on my photography site.