Lennox Farrell, an Encourager

On Saturday morning, I visited the Saint Catherines Seventh-day Adventist Church. I was pleasantly surprised to see Lennox Farrell, a friend of four decades, teaching one of the Sabbath school classes. Of course, I headed inside the sanctuary right away and joined his class. Upon noticing his wife, Joan, sitting at the back of the class, I went and sat beside her.

Both Joan and Lennox (especially him) have had a profound positive influence in my life since I was a boy.

One Sabbath during the early 70's, a visiting pastor or missionary at the Scarborough SDA Church shared a mission experience with us. Near the end of his story, Lennox joined him on the pulpit. When he had finished, Lennox enlightened the congregation about what Africa really looks like.

Provoked to the core of his being by the story of an African SDA Christian who was riding a bicycle with a woman's handbag around his neck, collecting donations for the church's annual Ingathering campaign, Lennox was unable to keep his seat. His primary complaint was that after the extensive period of time that this gentleman had spent in Africa, why could he not have found a better image of Africa to portray?

As a first year university student at the University of Toronto in 1977, I joined the Black Students' Union. The club leadership wisely arranged for a series of Black motivational speakers to make presentations to us. Lennox was one of these speakers. I was once again encouraged, inspired and guided by him when he spoke to us.

Seeing Lennox on Saturday morning at church brought these snap shots in time back to my mind.

These are the things that Lennox impressed upon me most whenever I read about him in the news during the 1980's or met him in person at church or at his home in the Jane & Finch community.

• integrity
• a willingness to stand up for your personal convictions and beliefs
• a willingness to stick his neck out to support and fight for those who have little or no opportunity to make their own voice be heard
• intelligent, articulate, a thinker
• a family man, a friend and a brother  

Lennox, thank you so very much for being a shining example of what manhood, Christianity and civic responsibility look like and sound like.

Steve & Jen Bebb: Creatives and business people who put their family first

What impacted me most during Steve and Jen Bebb's 6-hour wedding photography seminar yesterday was their their core values. Their number one priority is their family (their marriage and their two sons).

They reorganized their 2012 photography schedule and business model to more closely align it with their core values. Jen will only shoot 3 weddings this year so that she can be with their sons every week-end. They have outsourced many aspects of their photography business, including post processing photos, so that Steve can spend his afternoons and evenings with the boys when they get home from school.

Their work day ends at 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday!

I received much food for thought today, as a man, as a creative and as a business person. I was left with many priceless gems to ponder and hold onto for the rest of my life. Words of wisdom that will make me a better man, a more effective and successful business man and which will, when consistently implemented, enable me to grow my photography business. Many of these gems were already a part of my thinking.

Here are some of the precious nuggets that I gleaned from Jen and Steve.

Being a photographer versus being a business person

You create your reality. What you believe, you will make.

If you show extraordinary, people will assume that you can do ordinary.

Make your own unique business and images. Make a vision for your business.

If you don’t know where you’re going, how are you going to get there?

It’s really hard to stay motivated in your own business when you don’t know where you’re going.

Start with vision … the details will follow.

Because you are self-employed, your business can become your life.

You have to build a business that really inspires you.

These are a couple of their business practices that were eye opening to me.

Jen and Steve devote at least 1 hour a day to brainstorming. They write them all in their idea book.

Jen only answers work-related emails between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on week days only. “Let’s put things in perspective. We’re not saving lives.”

All of the following made a profound impression on me yesterday.

Their core life values

Their positive interactions with each other throughout the day

The team work that they displayed as they transparently shared with us their journey as business people whose product/service is wedding photography

Their love for each other and their children and their determination to keep first things first

Creatives, innovators, entrepreneurs who apply their combined creative energies in their personal lives as well as in their professional lives

The day that I spent at Jen and Steve's wedding photography business seminar was an investment which will yield big dividends for me as I apply the principles and business practices that I learned in my life and in my business model and practices.