Nature vs. Nurture and a Super Model’s Pose

Getting your photo taken is a skill. To be clear, I don’t have it, but it’s a skill completely separate from being good looking. A few years back, I found myself in a situation where I was watching a photographer friend take a group photo. Coincidentally, one of the women in the group photo was a world famous supermodel. Just before the camera started clicking he said:

“Watch this.” 

Gesturing to our model friend, he meant for me to watch her mastery. The photographer counted down. “Okay, ladies, ready? Eyes up this way. Three, two, one..” 

POW!

I cannot underscore how shockingly specific the model’s effort was. She was looking down when everyone else was looking at the camera and as the countdown got close, she glanced up and delivered a look that seemed to force me to turn my head away. It was power and the only way my ignorant vocabulary can describe it is that it had nothing to do with how beautiful she is. 

Let this be a Lesson #273 that getting stuck in the mindset of our unchangeable born traits is a waste of time. Live like everything is a skill that can be nurtured and you’ll find immeasurable power. And, you’ll likely make a great story along the way.