on making a difference

There is a personal trainer at my local gym, who might be the most joy-filled person I've ever met.  I've never worked with him, but I've watched him in action: he's invariably in a great mood, always energetic, always thrilled to be spending time with his clients.  I'm a regular at the gym, so he knows me; and when I ask how he's doing every morning I'm there, he exclaims "I'm changin' lives!! How are you?"  with a huge smile.

He noticed my absence when I was in Malawi, and when I told him what I was doing there and he found out that I'm a photographer, he almost lost his mind.  "I'm studying photography!" he blurted.  And since that day, he's introduced me to many of the other gym members, all of whom are also photographers (this gym is apparently teeming with them).  He's a consummate professional, and while I'm not in the market for a personal trainer, I can't help but think that his clients must truly enjoy their time with him, even as he's pushing them to their physical limits.

Would that we all were that in love with what we do for a living.

Unrelated:  a few weeks ago, a photographer that I follow on Instagram shared an image of a note that simply said, "To make a difference in the world, you must be different from the world."  I haven't stopped thinking about this sentence since I first saw it -- I even copied it into my journal.  It's such a great thing to keep in mind when I start comparing myself to other people.

And the personal trainer at my gym is such a great example of its truth.