that camera at a party, make sure you get good smiley pictures of all those important people. Then, e-mail them with those (flattering only, need I say?) pictures.

Beyond e-mail, you can post pictures to an online gallery and share them that way. There are many such services out there. Your friends, present and future, will be touched by your consideration. It will strengthen the bonds. Friendship, my friends, is certainly life transforming.

Lose Weight

Yes. If you aren't happy with the way your scale and pants greet you, you can use your digital camera to change. Try the following:

Take a "before" picture. Don't be afraid if you think it is going to be horrible. Embrace that, do it in a bathing suit if you must. Then compare that picture with one of a person, celebrity or otherwise, whose body is what you realistically want to emulate. We are after motivation here, so don't hold back. Make that comparison, no matter how painful. Now that you see the facts, what are you going to do to change them?

What ever it is, do it now. Diet, exercise, hypnosis, whatever. In two weeks, take the same picture, same pose. Any improvement? If so, great. If not, improve your plan. Keep this up for as long as it takes. When you see yourself looking better and better, and compare that to the "before" picture, you are empowered. And if it is not happening, then it is a challenge to you. Meet it.

Conquer the World

For Rocky, it was the steps of the Philadelphia library. For some soldiers, it's a picture of a special someone. For me, it's a mountaintop near Santa Barbara. These are what have been called "anchors." Thinking of them, even without being there, calls up feelings of "I can do it. I know it!". How does this work?

Our moods and emotions have a critical impact on our

performance. Pessimistic feelings, feelings of low zeal, hurt us. But we do not need to be at their mercy. Using anchors, we can change our emotional state to one of energy and motivation. Empowered emotional states dramatically improve our performance. So what are anchors?

Anchors are visual, audio, or kinetic reminders of a moment when we felt intense emotion. Rocky felt the thrill of victory when he reached the top of those stairs, and every time he went back up there he raised his hands and felt it again. When the soldier saw the picture of his sweetheart, his love returned and he swore he'd get back to her safely. And whenever I think of getting to that mountaintop just in time to catch a glorious sunset, I literally feel the optimism and confidence that made me so full then.

Use your digital camera to photograph the person, place, or thing that makes you feel you can conquer the world. Put that picture where you need it to be. It might be on your computer desktop, or you can have a custom poster printed to hang in your room. Anchor yourself to success, to confidence, to joy.

There are other great ways to change your life with a camera. These are just a few to get you started. If you want to write a sequel to this article and e-mail it to me, I'll be thrilled. Oh, and send your picture!

Seth Lutnick is an avid scenic photographer who has worked for the I Love New York Travel Guide. Read his detailed guides to what to look for when buying a digital camera and travel photography techniques at his web site, http://www.photography.getitdone.biz.