Changing Perspective and Personal Growth
I began thinking of the changes I have made in the past year or so and was awe-struck by the daunting obstacles I have overcome. I can attribute the successes to one of my biggest "rules" of photography, changing perspective.
I have learned that in life it is so easy to get stuck in our ways that we begin to look at everything in one light, become complacent, and lose motivation. 2014 was the year that I began to become complacent, I was working a dead end job, living in a small town where a successful future in photography was very unrealistic, and just going through the motions. I had become "comfortable" in my routine and had quit challenging myself to do better. Let me tell you, comfort is the enemy of achievement. The walls of "what if," "I can't," "I am not worthy," etc that you have built in your mind are the very walls confining you and preventing you from becoming all that you are capable of. Breaking the barriers of your comfort zone neccesitates intuition, courage, and ambition I began to break down these barriers when I took a moment to change perspective, instead of believing I couldn't, I decided to say "What if I can?" I took a long hard look at what I wanted to achieve, and asked myself what in my life was helping me get there. The answer was, I was doing very little to build my future and the time that was being spent dreaming of being a full time photographer, was time I should have been using to educate myself and challenging myself to make the steps necessary to be successful.
2015 was the year of transition for me, I was working on changing my perspective and challenging myself. I attended Imaging USA as a member of the Professional Photographers of America, and this was what finally lit the fire in my soul. I left the conference feeling invigorated and filled with the ambition to take on the challenges that lay ahead. I spent 2015 learning to look at my possibilities in a positive perspective, I gained valuable knowledge and skills, at the end of the year I packed my bags and traveled half way across the country, leaving the walls of my comfort zone far behind, and began building my business. I can tell you this was one of the scariest things I have EVER done, but my perspective changed from all the potential failures that could result from this to looking at all of the possiblities. Here we are in 2016 and I am so proud to say this year is going to be life changing for me. I have the opportunity to work with AMAZING clients, I am doing my first ever bridal show, I have a website I am proud of, new business cards have arrived in the mail, and I am taking advantage of so many educational opportunites that have been presented to me. The greatest personal growth has come by changing perspective and believing in the possiblities, instead of just dreaming about them. I wake up excited to learn, and every day I am pushing myself one step closer to being a full time photographer. Long gone are the days of self doubt and fear. I am beginning to live the life I dreamed of for so long, and I am enjoying the journey. I feel so incredibly blessed to be where I am today, and I cannot wait to see what all I can make of this beautiful journey. To all of my friends, family, and past clients, thank you for helping me to get to this point. To all of my future clients, thank you for entrusting me with capturing your beautiful memories and being a part of my success story. Every single one of you is amazing and I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to work with you.
If you are reading this, I ask you to take a good look at your own walls and ask yourself if you are ready to break them down and experience what lays outside the boundaries. If you desire something better do not fear change or allow self doubt confine you, change your perspective and allow yourself to experience all that life has to offer. There is a beautiful adventure out there, just waiting for you to take that first step past your comfort zone. Are you ready to take that step?
Much Love, Em
