Goals and Motivations

Instagram has created an environment in which it’s easy to get caught up in the game of “number of likes” or “number of comments.” We can feel disappointed because not all of our friends or “followers” like or comment on our posts, while the platform rewards those who display the highest statistics. Sometimes, it’s important to stop and remember why we started in the first place. In my case, it was out of a love for art… a passion for photography.

The Bhagavad Gita teaches us that we have a right to our work, but not to the fruits of our work. In other words, we should focus solely on doing what we do well. Motivation should never come from the reward or the outcome.

True peace in photography comes from letting go of anxiety about the result while remaining fully engaged in the joy of the present moment, camera in hand, pointed toward our subject.

A Zen proverb says that we cannot be both spectator and player, because one of these two roles will inevitably be neglected. Life often asks us to choose between watching from the stands and stepping fully onto the field.

We cannot always control what happens to us, how others behave, or the direction circumstances take. But we can choose how present we are in the process. When we stop trying to control every outcome and instead focus on the present moment, the journey becomes less about winning or losing and more about an opportunity to fully experience life.

Trusting the process means giving ourselves permission to play the game without constantly stepping outside of it to judge how well we are doing. Introspection should be a tool, not a permanent state.

Montréal - 08-2026