It’s easy to listen to a speaker at the top of her game in a room full of hundreds of people and assume that everything fell into place for her perfectly without thinking about how many long and hard years she’s worked to be standing where she is.  It’s easy to fall into the Instagram trap and see all of the beautiful things people are creating and the opportunities they have and to think oh my goodness, what on earth am I doing wrong?  It’s easy to write off someone else’s successes and assume that all of the stars always happen to align just for them.

Comparison breeds jealousy and competition — two words that I try to steer clear from at all costs.  Why?  Because being jealous and in constant competition with others only hurts you. There’s always going to be someone who has a prettier Instagram feed, or a better logo, or who always seems to book and photograph perfect weddings in dream locations.  And you know what?  That’s great!  The important thing to remember is that all good things take time to grow, and that her success, like yours, didn’t happen overnight.

So today I want to encourage you to stay in your own lane.  Focus on your business and on all of the things that you do well and make YOU great.  Start honing in on what you love to do and what lights your creative spark.  And then go do more of that.  Stop thinking that her success is your failure because that couldn’t be further from the truth.  All of us start somewhere.  Most importantly, make friends in your industry and support them throughout this journey.  Answer each others questions, lift each other up, and share your hearts.

Did I hit my wedding goal for the year?  I’m happy to say that I’m almost there!  Do I have people lining up for an amazing photography workshop I created? Not at the moment. Does my website look exactly how I want it to and represent my brand perfectly? Not to a T, but it’s coming along!

And you know what?  That’s all ok.  It’s a journey, not a race to the top.  Whatever “the top” even is.

Happy Monday, friends

XOXO