I just finished reading one of the most inspirational and truly useful books I’ve read in a long time – “Start With Why” by Simon Sinek.
If, like many, you’re finding business difficult or you have that nagging feeling that you might have lost focus on what you’re doing… If you’re struggling with how your business life can find a new purpose… If you can’t understand why some people and businesses are successful and others aren’t… then you are going to love this book.
Simon clearly takes us through the idea that it is not WHAT or HOW we do things that make people want to follow us or buy from us, it is WHY we do it that counts – the underlying philosophy and principles that drive us, if you like.
This book is easy to read, entertaining, enlightening and, above all, inspiring. The principles in themselves are simple, yet profound, and affected me on a very deep level that has changed the way I think and feel about my own photography business.
I buy all my books at Amazon and it helps me a little if you do too. But, wherever you choose to get this book from, I urge you to get it NOW – it will change your life.
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Personal Zen
education, encouragement, marketing, review
As mentioned in a previous post, fear (in its many forms) is probably the number one thing holding many of us photographers back from success in their business. Few people are completely immune to its effects, but there are ways to combat it and keep our fears in perspective.
Think about your favorite successful entrepreneur for a moment. Mine happens to be Sir Richard Branson, but you can pick whomever you like. Imagine them facing the challenges they’ve had to overcome in order to be successful…
Now, do you think that person has ever experienced feelings of fear in their business ventures?
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encouragement, professional photographer, professional photography, success
You’d better answer the door, because it may not come knocking again – worse still, it will probably knock on your competitor’s door to see if they are listening. Opportunity is blind in the sense that it doesn’t really care who answers, as long as someone does.
The inspiration for this post is this great quote I saw this morning:
“The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.” Benjamin Disraeli
What does this statement really mean? There is certainly more to it than first meets the eye…
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attitude, encouragement, opportunity, success
One of the biggest challenges facing myself and other professional photographers is how to stay continually creative – how to produce images that are full of life and energy that force us to develop and grow as artists. This is especially true in the current economic climate and with today’s hectic lifestyle, with all the stress and worry that comes with the territory of trying to run a successful business.
Stress is apparently one of the archenemies of creativity, and it can quickly lead to feeling unmotivated or being unable to create work that feels new, fresh and uplifting. If we are already tired before we begin, and feeling burned-out, we can come back from a photography session feeling unsatisfied with the results. This leads to a sense of insecurity, lack of confidence in what we’re doing, and even more stress.
If we aren’t careful, we might become locked into an ever-decreasing circle that could lead to more serious consequences, such as depression – with disastrous consequences for our business.
It’s all too easy to succumb to this cycle, and even easier to blame everything else for the problems we face (the economy, where we live, other responsibilities, even the weather), but how do we combat this and stay positive and creative?
I don’t pretend to have anything close to all the answers to this question, which is why I invite comments from anyone who might have any insight on this subject – I’m sure it will make for a lively discussion. However, I have found some things that can certainly help me at least and thought I would share them here…
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attitude, creative, creativity, encouragement, professional photographer, success
Last night I stepped outside at around 8:40pm to watch the International Space Station (ISS) make a pass over the area, something I like to do whenever the opportunity presents itself and the sky is clear. I took my stepdaughter, Amy, outside with me to see the event, and we stood there waiting as a crescent moon floated high overhead in a starry sky.
Right on time, the ISS became visible in the distance. Although the sun had set some time ago, the ISS is so high that it reflects the dull red glow of the sun’s light filtered through the atmosphere (much like the color of a sunset). The moving point of light grew brighter and became more yellow as it climbed higher in the sky, until it was the brightest object in the sky, other than the moon itself.
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encouragement, inspiration, ISS
Unless you’ve been on another planet for the last few months, you’ve probably heard the word “recession” more times than you would have liked to. The news is full of it, mainly because negative material like that is more newsworthy – have you noticed how the [few] positive stories on the news are at the end of the reports, and are given the least amount of air-time?
All this negativity flying around is one reason why I really try hard to limit my exposure to the news during the day, and I try very hard not to look at it at all before at least noon.
But it isn’t just the news – it’s all around us; the people we talk to on the phone, our family, friends, neighbors, Facebook friends, Tweeters and all those other folks we connect to online. Everyone, it seems, is convinced that the end of the world is on its way.
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