Jennifer Bebb's Blog, page 5

Waiting for the Rain

Minimalist

Beach and Sand

Art: Reflections on Water

 

 

 

 

 

In the Haze

Author

Jennifer Bebb is not only a writer, but a published author. There is a difference – many people write, not everyone is lucky enough to be an author. Her first published work is Photo Fusion and her next few books are on their way.

Non fiction for now, Jennifer also has a novel in the works. She plans to write it during NaNoWriMo in November.

you're not that special

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Image: digitalart / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

We've been nurtured, protected and raised to believe that we are special – all of us. And while you can argue that we each bring something special to the world, the fact is that the world doesn't care. It really doesn't.

When I was approached, initially, to write my first book, Photo Fusion, the publisher came to me. Yeah, that's right – I had a big time publishing house not only know who I was, but ask me to write for them. I was stunned, literally speechless, and overwhelmed. This was my dream, the one I had since just a wee lass…I wanted to have my writing published.

I just knew that I was going to be treated well (and I was), that they were going to take extra special care of me because, after all, they came looking for me. And then reality hit. I wasn't the only one they approached. I was one of any number of photographers being asked to consider publishing with them. One in a system with hundreds of other authors and potential authors.

Not that special now, was I?

We all want to feel like we matter, like we make a difference. Some of us want to change the world, others want to change just their corner of it. We all want to be loved, appreciated and respected. But we're not – at least not many of us are.

So I've come to the conclusion that I don't want to be one of many. Rather, I want to be the exception (even exceptional). My strategy of being the best I can be while waiting for someone to notice, just isn't working for me anymore. Because no one will notice and I (you) will continue to feel frustrated in my (your) efforts to stand out.

That changes today. You're not that special…

…until you are.

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complacency

Nothing will kill your business, career, or relationship like complacency will. It will be a slow death, not noticed in the short term. Until one day you wake up, take stock, and realize that nothing is as it seems. You got complacent and everything shifted around you.

Move. Always move.

Sound simple, right? If you keep moving and working and growing, you can't get complacent, it's impossible. And without even realizing it, you are building something, hopefully making it better than it is right now, but building nonetheless.

That, my friends, is the magic bullet for success. It's a simple concept, one that seems too simple to be enough. But it is – if you keep moving forward with your business, your craft, your relationships, they cannot get stagnant and fall apart. They cannot stop evolving with you and propelling you towards new choices, new adventures.

Everyday we are faced with the choice to be complacent and watch our lives go by, or get up and make things happen. If I've learned nothing in the past couple of decades it's that the universe helps those who help themselves. In other words, we might get lucky, but we had to place ourselves in the path of that luck.

Keep moving, friends. Keep moving.

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stick-with-it-ness

Are you a dreamer or a doer? Do you quit when things don't go your way, or do you stay on the ride to the end? Why does one person succeed and another fail?

Simple. Some people stick with it and some people don't.

Any business or personal success requires work. A lot of work. Sure, there are the rare super-humans among us who have things work out for them seemingly without input or effort on their part. Or are there? They key word here is seemingly – after all, no one really knows how hard, or not, someone works for their success.

Success is like a plant – feed, water and nurture it and it will not only survive, but thrive. Ignore it and, well, it dies. It's inevitable that neglecting something like a plant will kill it. Even cacti need water once every few months.

Your success is like that plant, whether it is a fragile orchid or a hardy cactus. Ignore it and it will die. Take care of it and you will see growth.

At any given point, no matter how successful we are, we can lose everything. It's a balancing act, in truth, where we walk a tightrope comprised of humility, consistency and commitment. Without all three, we cannot maintain, let alone grow, our successes.

Consistency and commitment make sense and don't require much explanation. We all know, at least theoretically, that we need to stick with something and see it through. We all know that success, even overnight success, is hard work often coupled with late nights and a horrific to-do list. Without a stick-with-it attitude, it's easy to walk away from the desire to be a success, choosing complacency and ease over the work that must be done. Choose as you will, but know that the hard work will pay off in the end.

But what about humility? Why on earth would you want to be humble while striving for success? I guess the corollary to that is why wouldn't you? It's hard to be arrogant and condescending – it takes way less energy to walk your journey with humility. Think about the old adage of being nice to people on your way up because you'll be passing them on your way down.

It's a new world; a world where relationships and relationship marketing are center stage. Consumers want to feel connected, emotionally and personally, to the brands they choose. People want to feel they are cared for, that their wants and needs matter. No one wants to be a number anymore – no one is interested in being treated as part of a crowd. People want individual attention for their individual needs, or at the very least they want to feel like the companies they do business with care about them.

This is especially true in a niche industry like weddings. Those who cater to this group have invested in a personal, relationship driven, brand. And it's the relationship part of the equation that will lead a couple to choose your services over another person. Yes, things like brand message, reputation and quality of work come into play, but all else being equal, is is relationships that determine whether you get the job or not.

If we agree that relationships are driving our business, humility seems an integral part of building a successful business. After all, no one wants to work with a jerk on their wedding day. Couples want to be considered, they want their needs addressed, and they want it all with a smile on their vendors' faces. After all, they are the client, aren't they? Without them there is no business.

In this evolving world of instant access and consumer power, success depends on so much more than the desire to succeed. We must nurture our relationships, commit to do the work we must do, and develop a consistent plan. But the most important skill of all…

…stick with it.

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humbled and grateful

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We woke this morning to the gentle sound of waves against the beach below our window. It's a wedding day – Anita and Sam's wedding day.

In the fast pace of our everyday it's too easy to forget how rare these moments are, these times we are able to slow down and remember why we do what we do. But waking to the sound of the ocean and the knowledge that today would be filled with love and joy, humbled me and reminded me that these are the moments that matter most.

All weddings, big, small, extravagant or simple, deserve our care and attention. It is the relationship and the visual articulation of love that compel us on a wedding day. Not the dress or the shoes, not the flowers or the food.

The couple.

So today I come to this wedding with fresh eyes and an open heart, filled with the strength of the ocean waves, and the peace of a love worth waiting for. Today is why we do what we do, why we choose to photograph weddings.

This moment, right here and now, is what it is all about.

I am humbled and grateful that I still remember why…

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