Welcome to the Deploy Yourself Newsletter, where I gently provoke you to show you your own power. This newsletter is an invitation to your leadership. You can also read this issue online.

Hey,

How I became a pro photographer in just 30 mins?

Back in 2014, I had no idea about photography.

I had a DSLR for years, but I didn’t know how to use it beyond the auto mode.

By 2016, I was making large-size metallic prints of my photographs.

Not only had I made pro-level photographs all over Europe, but also learned how to post-process them powerfully.

I even exhibited 5 of my photographs in the cafeteria of my office – and they paid for the whole thing.

How did I do that?

By simply spending 30 minutes – each day – from 2014 to 2016.

I still had a full-time job back then, but I would spend 30 minutes each day – either photographing, post-processing, or learning about photography.

Without fail, I did that for more than 2 years.

Here’s the deal: we tend to overestimate what we can accomplish in a single day, but we vastly underestimate the power of consistent effort over the span of a year.

In just one year, your life can undergo a complete metamorphosis if you show up with unwavering dedication day after day – even for a small amount of time.

Trust me, the results will blow your mind. As my results did for me.

Over the years, I have used the same principle to

Read thousands of books (by reading 10 mins daily)
Become a powerful coach (by coaching and getting coached weekly)
Established myself as a travel photographer first and then as a street photographer (by photographing daily)
Travelled all over the world (by visiting one new place every few months)
Biked 1000s of km on my race bike (by simply biking 20km each day)
Interviewed 100+ leaders on my podcast (by focusing on one conversation at a time)

I am a living testament to the power of showing up every single day.

Here are three actionable steps you can take right away to kickstart your own remarkable transformation:

Define Your Passionate Pursuit: Take a moment to reflect on your deepest desires, the burning passions that ignite your soul. Identify the one area of your life where you yearn to make a profound impact. Write it down, visualize it, and let it fuel your every waking moment.
Craft a Daily Ritual of Progress: Break down your passionate pursuit into manageable daily actions. Create a ritual that propels you forward, step by step, inching closer to your goals. Consistency is the catalyst that turns dreams into reality, so commit to showing up every single day.
Cultivate a Resilient Mindset: Embrace the challenges that come your way as stepping stones. Slow down and surround yourself with positive influences, books, and podcasts.

And above all, trust yourself when it is most difficult. And embrace the exhilarating adventure that awaits.

Stay awesome and hit reply to share your biggest insights from the above.

I read and respond to every reply.

Fascinating Articles & Stories

One

Tom Coburn- “Do not get too high on the highs and too low on the lows.”

I interviewed Tom Coburn, CEO of Jebbit.com, on the Choosing Leadership podcast.

In this conversation, Tom shares how he started his company while still in college and how that has been an advantage – when it comes to culture, leadership, and working remotely. He reflects about the difficult times he faced early on and the important role of transparency in organisations.

In the interview, Tom shares

I was mentally ready to drop outta school after that summer and go do the business full-time. And the thing that made it an easy decision for me was I talked to both my dean at my college and I talked to the dean I was gonna have at the medical. And I just asked them both for a one year leave of absence and they both said, sure
My current challenge is everything around culture and communication and getting everyone internally at Jebbit g rowing in the same direction, fully in sync with each other.
One of the things I hear a lot from new employees when I get their feedback is they’re shocked at how transparent me and my management team are.
We spend a lot of time trying to get people in person and getting the right combos of people in person. So we get the whole company together twice a year now for a three day offsite. Once in January and once in July.

Listen to the entire episode.

Two

Can’t Stay Silent [05] – Overthinking and the Vertical Dimension of Time

I recorded the 5th episode of the Can’t Stay Silent series on the Choosing Leadership Podcast.

For most of my life, I have kept my voice buried beneath layers of fear and insecurity. In each episode of this series, I find the strength to express myself from the bottom of my heart.

Show Notes

How being smart and intelligent leads you to never having enough time?
What if being smart and very good with planning leads you to never having enough time?
normally we see time as a horizontal time shift. Like we see time as something which is coming from the past and going to the future. We see time on the calendar. We see time as a minutes, we see time as hours and seconds. And we also, we always see time on this dimension right. That it is running out.
What if there’s also a vertical dimension to time, which is not finite, which is infinite. And which is always available to us. And which is a never-ending.
it is very important to recognize when your strengths are becoming a liability. Any strength. Even of being. Super smart or having an . High IQ. If you cannot choose to when to use it. And when not to use it. It becomes a liability.
When you get this, your life will never be the same again.

Listen to the entire episode.

Three

Curated resources for your leadership

Here are my best finds from all over the internet for your leadership. Make yourself tea/coffee as you read, listen and learn.

Pro-tip – Listen and read the below about YOU – not about the author. (reply back and ask if you do not understand what that means)

That’s it for now. If you have any questions or feedback, or if you are new and want to introduce yourself, hit reply. I read and respond to every reply. All the best,

Sumit

P.S. – I am looking to interview more inspirational leaders on my podcast. If you know anyone I should interview, make an introduction.

(Twitter) @SumitGupta
(LinkedIn) Connect

Issue #82, 21 June 2023 – How I became a pro photographer in just 30 mins?