I am taking a moment, after a root canal this morning, to slow down and reflect. I just finished re-editing a session I did in November for a family who lost their patriarch. I am drawn to one though that keeps flooding my head as I write this.
Stop wasting your moments. Stop complaining about how much time you do or don't have.
Everyone has "stuff." Everyone has life. everyone has commitments and people who need them. Everybody needs somebody and everybody wishes they had more time.
It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:
Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo Da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein.
It's completely true. At the end of last year, I won't lie--I found myself utterly exhausted and facing burn out. I over worked myself and over committed to way too many people. Sure my business was growing but I wasn't proud of me. My heart was full for everyone else but me. I gave up my Sundays off rule in order to accommodate others. I loved the time I spent with those families but I missed my own family. I missed my friends. I missed my dogs. I really really missed an afternoon spent on my couch curled up with a movie.
It's easy to lose sight of the big picture when you're in the middle of the storm. You are just focused on getting through it. I'll never forget calling my mom and breaking down one Sunday afternoon. I had just done two large families back to back and was off to meet another large group and a family of three after. I spent the entire car ride back from Brillion brainstorming...how and where I could find extra time. It was tough....but I got through it. The light at the end of the tunnel came and I vowed to never do that to myself again.
When January came, I couldn't even process the slower time. it was so necessary that I spent a week or two on a giant hiatus--I didn't answer phone calls, emails or messages. I just needed to take some deep breaths. reallly really deep breaths.
I changed my scheduling a lot this year. Sundays off are really Sundays off aside from a few exceptions that I choose. Wedding Saturdays are weddings only and not 3 shoots on top of it in the morning. No more than 5 sessions on a weekend and 2 during the week. Boundaries. Parameters.
It means that I've, unfortunately, had to turn away some interested clients. It breaks my heart to do that but I am a better photographer for those who have booked because of it. I am a more balanced and content person because of it. I am more available to myself, to all of you, and to continuing to grow as a photographer and person because of it.
I have learned, much like everyone else, that there is no time quite like the present and my tomorrow may not come someday. This moment....today....that's what I'm guaranteed.
It is entirely true that creating a solid business means working your butt off and I'm not afraid of work--you've all seen how hard I can work--but the other part of this business....MY business especially...is done with my heart. I don't want to come in your life for a short moment and leave. I want to learn about your families and I want to invest in your lives...not because you ask me to but because every storyteller needs to be invested....every person needs to feel connected. Those are hours and time I cannot build into a day or even think to put a price tag on. That, my friends, is genuine love.
As I move into the busy season, I'm vowing to love more....to give more without sacrificing myself or my personal time...to give what I can and be honest when I can't....to bow out gracefully if the opportunity just doesn't suit my needs...and to hope that people continue to support this love and passion I have for capturing your life and telling your stories.
I am so blessed. I am thankful......but I am not too busy.
Here are some of my favorites moments from my own life this winter. I have always believed in being transparent and sharing my life....you should, after all, know what you're getting into when you're choosing someone....:)
So take a giant deep breath, step back and take a long look at what is important...set your priorities and stick to them. Your babies will continue to grow and someday they will even outgrow your lap. Your relationships will change shape...I just hope you're there when that square becomes a triangle. Your self worth is determined by who you are as a person and not how booked or not booked you are....what you do for a living or where you hang your hat at the end of the day. What really matters is whether or not you loved and did your heart become a home for someone else....that's what's important.
In the end, this life is pretty fantastic....but you only get it once......so make your moments count. Reach out to someone if you need to...say thank you...let go of whatever is holding you back...and find your balance.
xoxo,
Miss Oh!
