I recently celebrated my  birthday and my gift to myself was a 30X40 canvas of my all time favorite image.

 

 

This is image represents so much to me. This is my sweet child almost 3 years ago, on the very first day I got my first DSLR.

When I took this picture I had no idea I wanted to be a photographer, I knew I had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge on the subject, and had spent months reading about photography before I could afford a camera. I posted this image on an online forum and facebook and got lots of comments – you know, those ones that make you feel good, and think to yourself, “maybe I can do this,  maybe I can really be great at something, maybe I do want to be a photographer.”

This image represents the start of my photography journey and my love and passion for it. But more than that, it represents my child, my biggest why, and my journey as a mom.

It represents why I am committed to building my photography business…so I can spend more time with my son.  So I can have the flexibility to schedule my hours  of work around his needs and  his ever-changing schedule.

It’s an image that reminds me how little he was and quickly he is growing and changing (although when I look into those sweet eyes that inquisitive expression is still the same).

There is something about this image that makes me so proud, it gives me that warm fuzzy feeling inside.

And to think…I came sooo close to losing this image (and so many others)

Tangent!!

A cautionary tale my friends…

There once was this photographer who triple saved her clients files on multiple hard drives. Her personal files she only put on 1. She intended to edit, print, create collages & albums “when she wasn’t so busy.” All those incredible moments…her child’s first steps, birthdays, all the little moments that make up the whirlwind first years.

One day, one of her hard drives failed. Which one?  The one that mattered the most.

Yes…I was the photographer crying in the computer store. The one who KNOWS better than to save everything that matters the most only on 1 external hard drive.

I urge you friends, BACK UP THOSE FILES. Take the time to edit YOUR personal stuff too. Print it, and make those collages!!!!  I just found out that it cost me 2k to get those files back.

This was a huge life lesson, to put my family first, to edit the images to create the albums, to take the time do personal stuff too.

Even in our busiest times, make that time friends.

 

Back to the ‘why’…I encourage you to take the time out to figure out and reaffirm your why (if you missed the original post on ‘the big why?’  Click here to read it now.)

I’ll be sharing more of my ‘WHY’ in our soon-t0-be-announced, super-fun, super-actionable, super-affordable ‘quick start business bootcamp: have a plan. have a life.’ 

Because let’s face it, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”  (or so says Antoine de Saint-Exupery….and we tend to agree!)

So on that planning note – what is one (or more!) area(s) of your business you are planning on tackling in 2013??

(update/create your website, start an e-newsletter, grow your list, do in-person sales, improve lighting, master newborn posing, modify pricing, etc)