Nobody Gets to Tell You What You Should Do (including me)

Issue #67

[Read Time - 4 Minutes]

I admit it, I love watching keynote speakers.

Both in person and online, I enjoy digesting the condensed lessons from someone who’s been there teaching others who want to get there.

Despite my attraction to these platform performers, there is one word I often hear that’s like nails on a chalkboard - SHOULD

Of course, the intent of the speaker is rarely “do it my way or else,” but often that’s how it feels, doesn’t it?

They’re up on the stage, pacing authoritatively, delivering wisdom, and you’re there sitting at their feet scooping up the nuggets of wisdom you hope they’ll benevolently toss out to you. You might even see it in some of the newsletters you read.

It’s a powerful position to be in, the Teacher, and I suppose some egos just get the better of them.

I hope you never feel that way when reading my work.

The only thing I have authority over is how I live my life and do my work, and even that is often scrutinized.

Yes, I love to glean wisdom from others, and I consider myself a perpetual learner, but the thing that determines how I use these nuggets of insight is my ATTITUDE.

I can write them down. I can carefully catalog them, and preserve them like a book on a shelf.

OR

I can dismiss them right off the bat - decide these nuggets are stupid or worthless and never give them a second thought.

OR

I can evaluate them.

Take the good, jot them down and dump the ones that don’t apply or don’t fit my style.

And then take the keepers and apply them to my work and my life, and help them shape how I pursue my business goals.

The choice is mine and mine alone.

For you, the choice is yours, and it’s your attitude that will help shape what motivates you to move.

I enjoy reading business books, mostly on marketing and creative thinking, but one book I recently came across got me thinking about something that works alongside attitude and even helps shape what you think, feel and how you do your work - PURPOSE.

As a seasoned professional who has decided to help others in a creative endeavor, it’s easy to look back on my career and see my many mistakes.

I see what I could’ve done better, what I did the next time to correct, and how I can pass along a juicy tip or three in the hope that you might avoid some of the holes I stepped in on your journey to making money with your camera and even building a business with it - This is my purpose for Inside Wedding Photography.

But as I reflect, I now see how my ATTITUDE and my PURPOSE have always been there, like a guiding light keeping me on my path.

Attitude is one of the intangibles that can actually make or break a deal and even a full business (ask Blockbuster or Kodak how their attitude about changing technology worked out for them).

Your attitude is seen in the actions you take right here and right now - How you talk to a client, how you act on the job and how well you perform.

Your attitude can affect everything.

But when you’re alone, thinking about your future, and wondering how many years it’s going to take before you become an overnight success, that’s when the thoughts about your purpose bubble up to the surface.

Your attitude at the moment matters less than your feelings about whether or not you should even be doing what you’re doing.

I often see it in Substack Notes, I see it in lengthy posts - People questioning their purpose in public.

I don’t recommend this.

Your purpose, no matter what it is, is YOURS.

Your purpose is found in that discomfort you feel when you know you should be doing something, but you’re not.

Your purpose is that inner dialogue that sounds like you’re starring in a Fight Club remake, coaxing you to “try new things.”

And your purpose is why you’re doing the right thing even when it’s difficult.

You can see what success looks like, and you’re moving toward it no matter what people say because you know your purpose. (Shake ‘em off like Mrs. Kelce)

Will you get there? I don’t know. I don’t have that answer, but I won’t stand in your way.

I will tell you that your purpose needs to be solid.

I take weddings very seriously, and I don’t want to see good photographers take a bad attitude and a lack of purpose into the wedding world and make brides unhappy just for the money.

My conversation with a photographer in a local camera shop still saddens me today.

How Finding Your WHY Will Make You A Stronger Photographer

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My takeaway is simple: Take your time discovering your purpose

There’s no rush. And when you find it, you’ll see how your attitude towards your work will change.

You’ll find something that we all seek - JOY and that’s the greatest thing we can find in our work.

I know this topic is a bit unconventional when talking about wedding photography, but my intent is always to help photographers build a business with their camera and Attitude & Purpose are the two biggest ingredients in your recipe for success.

“People with purpose walk with an air of distinction, as if they have a ‘why’ in every step.”

— John C. Maxwell

Finding your purpose and having the right attitude are little parts of the “inner game of wedding photography.”

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