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- Are you proud of what you're building?
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One of the more interesting perks of being a wedding photographer is hearing inspiring speeches delivered on the big day.
While I do enjoy hearing the parents, the Maid of Honor and the Best Man deliver their personal, heartfelt and often humorous dedications to the couple, the ceremony "sermon" is the one that offers the most room for inspiration (at least to me.)
Having shot over 500 weddings, I have heard a LOT of priests, pastors, rabbis, and other ordained dignitaries giving their advice to committed couples on their biggest of big days.
Many of these "sage words of wisdom" lack a personal nature compared to the Best Man or Maid of Honor speeches. But there are times when the pastor knows the couple well enough to deliver words that connect with them on a very personal level...and sometimes others.
It was early in my career when a young priest read a wedding story for the soon-to-be-wedded couple. I’m guessing he likely found it somewhere in a motivational manual of inspiring stories or the Priest's Guide to Wedding Homilies (if there is such a thing.)
Despite his age, this clergyman had the great pleasure of watching this young couple grow up in their church together, fall in love, and today present themselves before God and their family to enter into the bond of matrimony.
This young priest connected so well with the soon-to-be-wedded couple, but he didn't know how powerful this story would be not only to the couple but also to the young photographer, who called the priest the next week to get the story so he could share it with his boys (which I did).
You may have heard it, but it's worth sharing because, as an aspiring and growing wedding photographer and business person, this message never gets old, and perhaps it will touch you as it did me.
An elderly carpenter was getting ready to retire.
He told his employer his plans to live a quieter life and spend more time with his wife, kids, and grandkids.
Of course, he would miss the paycheck, but the time was right, and he was ready to hang up the hammer.
His boss was disappointed as the carpenter had been a loyal and diligent worker for many years, and he was sad to see him go. He requested one last favor, requesting the carpenter build just one more house before retiring.
The carpenter reluctantly said yes, but in time, it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work.
He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.
When the carpenter finished his work, his boss came to inspect the house. He handed the front door key to the carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."
The carpenter was shocked!
What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.
So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then, with a shock, we realize we must live in the house we built. If we could do it over, we would do it much differently.
But you cannot go back. You are the carpenter, and every day, you hammer a nail, place a board or erect a wall.
Someone once said,"Life is a do-it-yourself project."Your attitude and the choices you make today help build the "house" you will live in tomorrow.
Therefore, build wisely!
Though this story has been told for decades, it's a great one for young couples on the verge of their new life together, preparing to build something great.
As business owners, we're building something, too...a legacy.
We're all building every day, and it's up to us to create something that will last.
The choice is always ours.
To borrow a passage from Matthew 7:24-27, the wise man builds his house on rock, while the foolish man builds his on sand,
As you study and shoot and edit and research, and do the things that make you feel productive when you're building, take a moment to reflect on your business.
Is it something you're going to be proud of?
Are you using your best craftsmanship?
Are you building on rock for the long term?
It's never too late to shift and start improving things.
It doesn't matter if you've been in business for twenty-five years or twenty-five days, you're always building.
Take pride in your work, make it last and make it beautiful!
Your work is your legacy.
"No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence."
Taking pride in your work and building a legacy is one of the little parts of the "inner game of wedding photography." THIS is what I write about each week in this newsletter.
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Questions? Shoot me an email at [email protected]