In this brief motivational segment, Susan Britton MCC shares a personal anecdote about reluctantly participating in a website photo shoot during the COVID‑era. She describes the cold, dim studio and her initial trepidation, but the photographer’s tethered‑camera setup lets her see the photo instantly, revealing that she looks great. This immediate visual feedback sparks a realization: just as good lighting and a quality lens can make a subject appear flattering, the same person remains inherently valuable regardless of external circumstances. Susan uses this metaphor to encourage viewers to recognize their own inherent worth, suggesting that a little extra “light” – perspective, appreciation, or self‑compassion – can reveal the goodness already present within each of us.
Chapters
Hey everyone, it's Susan with an Encourage Your Brain tip. True confession: I don't love getting my photograph taken. And we're in the middle of updating our website, and I sort of got unanimously overruled in that everyone voted that I should have my, my picture on the website. And I said, well, that means I need a new picture. So I've been dragging my feet for weeks and weeks, kind of putting it off. Finally, picture day came. It was last Friday, and I walked into the photographer's studio, and the studio is a dark, cold garage. That's where he's working from because of COVID And I'm, you know, sitting down and I'm thinking, oh, this is cold, this is dark, I don't want to have this done. I've been dragging my feet for weeks and realized that, you know, little things like I forgot my lipstick because I've been wearing a mask anytime I go out. So just kind of feeling unarmed and a little bit full of trepidation, I guess. So the photographer tells me that he's tethering his laptop to his camera, and that basically means that the minute that he snaps a picture, it goes directly to the laptop. And he turned it in such a way that I could see it immediately as soon as he took the photo up up, the picture pops. So the picture pops up and I think, oh my gosh, that looks really good! What was I so worried about? And indeed, what was I so worried about? And so, you know, being a lover of all things brain, I thought to myself, this is pretty interesting. You know, when you've got good lighting and you've got a good lens on a subject anything can look good. So it kind of struck me. I thought, you know, the same Susan is sitting there whether there's good lighting on or there isn't good lighting on. And the same holds true for each one of us. The same person, the same you, is sitting there whether you've got great lighting on your perspective and your circumstances or you don't. Even if the lighting's not great, the same you, the same beauty, the same value, the same goodness that you bring to the, the world is there. So I just wanted to share that story, and perhaps there's some situation in your life that's inviting a little extra light to be shed upon it and a reminder of the good that is in you and waiting to be seen and appreciated, not just by other people but by yourselves as well. Light and love.
