Deborah Cole - Author, Letting Go: How Less Becomes More
Deborah Cole
Deborah Cole is a photographer, speaker and author. Her latest book, “Letting Go: How Less Becomes More” is a stunning testament to what happens when one person has the courage to break free from the surly bonds of fear and self-doubt and finds their one thing, their purpose.
Deborah has been a photographer all of her life, and she started with film. Whether capturing travel images or documenting construction projects in a former corporate life, she has always had a camera in hand. The passion for gathering feelings behind the subject matter has become integral in her work. She is an extensive world traveler who arrives with a curious heart and open eyes to capture the beauty of nature as well as the quirkiness and flavor of local culture. As a lecturer, author, chaplain and spiritual director, Deborah uses the same intuition serving others that she draws upon while connecting with people through her lens. She utilizes her images to illustrate articles and talks as well as providing documentation for events.
In Letting Go: How Less Becomes More, Deborah shares her writing and photography as well as the story behind her journey. Finally embracing her role as an artist, she provides a message of inspiration and hope. Her journey vividly illustrates that embracing your true desire involves letting go of what defines us before we can claim the joy, passion and purpose that awaits us all.
I’m so excited for you to connect with Deborah, check out her new book, and follow along as she continues to remind us of our own unique purpose, and that we all are equipped with a different combination of tools and desires and abilities to accomplish that purpose.
I'd love it if you'd introduce yourself, what you do, and what you're working on.
I’m Deborah Cole, a writer, speaker and photographer living my best life in Austin, Texas. Although these labels describing what I do (rather than who I am) have been a subset of my professional life of 35 years, I’m now blessed to be able to commit full time to all of them. I left corporate life in 2017 after 35 years as the founder and president of a nationally ranked landscape construction and maintenance firm.
I recently launched my first book and have been working on 2nd, 3rd and 4th projects simultaneously. Due to current events, I’ve had to curtail some of the research for them which requires a bit of travel. I continue to write, speak (remotely!) and photograph daily on local walkabouts. I also have 3 catalogues of images from 3 recent photography trips which are screaming to be edited. I’m also working with a videographer to produce some short messages for my YouTube channel (in development.) All of the things which I yearned to have time for are now in progress!
How did you get started?
Throughout my career as founder and president of the service firm, I always tucked in my three personal passions (writing, speaking, photography) within business activities. I wrote and produced marketing material, provided educational communications to clients and would-be clients, prepared and presented talks and keynotes for industry groups, and photographed all of the projects we constructed or maintained. Recently, I made a change of houses which caused me to clean out a ton (literally) of memorabilia and photos I had collected since childhood. Going through boxes and boxes of possessions, I can see that I have been writing and photographing my entire life. And a report card from elementary school indicates I was an excessive talker at an early age!
What inspired the work that you're doing?
I am eternally curious seeking to learn and understand our human condition. Giving some context to our thoughts, feelings and behavior helps me to understand our crazy humanness whether in making business/buying decisions or simply navigating life. As I left the corporate world, out of curiosity, I enrolled in a graduate program at seminary and earned a degree in spiritual formation. Understanding what forms us from a spiritual and emotional perspective helps me to approach writing, speaking and even photography from a more humanistic and reflective point of view. My life experiences, my professional experiences and my broad educational experiences all form my view of the world and allow me to provide teachable moments for those with whom I interact.
What is your biggest passion? Do you feel like you're living your passion and purpose?
Absolutely, yes. My biggest passion is to provide inspiration and hope so that others can realize their potential. This was my purpose as a business executive and leader and continues as I author blogs and books, speak in churches and to groups and photograph life in its most common yet perfectly human moments.
What is your joy blueprint? What lights you up, brings you joy, and makes you feel the most alive?
My blueprint for joy is noticing, listening and inspiring. Racing through my corporate life with my hair on fire might not have been the best way to live and provide support and inspiration for other but at the time it worked. Reaching individuals in a meaningful way whether it is through the written word, giving a Sunday lesson or inspiring feelings through a photograph and hearing that some impact was made to help another-that is my joy. Making changes in my life, my attitude and letting go of notions on how to live have provided me with the opportunity to serve.
How do you live intentionally? Are there tools/resources/practices that you rely on to help you stay mindful and grounded?
Although my belief in the Oneness of all of humanity, the non-duality of life, prayer and meditation are the foundation of my joyful, best life, the practice of living as a developing minimalist has improved my life dramatically. Over time, reflection on accumulation of things and putting goods as a priority led me to live much more simply and intentionally. It didn’t happen overnight and is an ongoing process. Believing that things don’t matter as much as people reinforces many of my decisions in everyday life.
What would your younger self think about what you're doing now?
My younger self would be absolutely astounded and say that I am such a loser! I’m appalled to think back at what was important to me in my earlier life. By applying some wisdom to it, I realize that everything I was, did and had has brought me to where I am now and I am eternally grateful for all of it no matter how superficial it might have been. My life plan was always to move at warp speed, to acquire, to be and to do it all, never standing still, having a long list of goals and projects and being in one situation for as short a time as possible. For years I was on the go 7 days a week 18 hours a day never taking time for reflection, never taking time to really think (unless I was captured in a seat on a plane ride). Go, go, go. I would be astounded to see how slowly I move these days.
Do you have a go-to mantra or affirmation?
My personal why statement is “to inspire hope so that others realize their potential” and this drives my everyday life interactions. How can I teach, inspire, support? Letting others know that I believe our thoughts and attitude create our reality underlies many of my messages. My favorite quote is from Dr. Wayne Dyer who said, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Being willing to view every situation from the standpoint of attitude helps alleviate suffering through the dips and speedbumps in life. And there are many!
What is your biggest dream?
I feel that I am living my dream right here and right now; however, in imagining the future, I would love to be in a situation where I could chat with Brene Brown and Elizabeth Gilbert (more than just a handshake) and to deliver a TED talk.
To learn more about Deborah, her work, and her new book visit her website www.deborahcoleconnections.com and on Facebook @deborahcoleconnections Instagram @debbycole Twitter @dcoleconnect LinkedIn here via email debby.cole@gmail.com and you can find her new book here
Joy Corner is an interview-style blog series brought to you by Seek The Joy Podcast. Our mission continues to be a desire to share your stories, truths, joys and inspiration in your words. We invite you to join our corner, and share your joys, passions, and moments of inspiration as we continue to seek the joy, together. Join this series here