Money matters.
Other things matter more – love, health, service.
But money matters.
Money can’t buy you happiness, true, but it’s hard to see the happiness through the collections calls and tax liens and tears in your kids’ eyes when you can barely afford beans and rice for supper, much less Chuck E. Cheese.
Money matters when you’re so busy and stressed figuring out how to pay the bills, that you’re not present – much less emotionally available – for your spouse and kids and friends.
Money matters when money stress creates a downward spiral in your health, self confidence, and relationships.
Money matters when you begin to look at people with more money – not even a lot, just more – with anger, frustration, and envy…maybe jealousy. “I work just as hard if not harder than him, but he just bought a new car, and I can’t even pay my electric bill this month. What the hell?”
Money matters when you can’t get by each month without the charity of others.
Money matters when you’re stealing out of the kids’ piggy bank to pay for groceries.
Money matters when you can’t live a peaceful, humble, grateful life through the shame, and fear.
I have lived every one of these experiences, some during my childhood and some since I became an adult. I have felt this pain intimately. And can we just be real for a minute and say out loud, “It sucks.”
They say what got you here won’t get you there.
It’s true of taking the next steps in your photography business. Whether you need to get to launch so you can start getting paid for your art, or you need to put more clients on the books, if what you’re doing now isn’t getting you to the place you need to be, you need to change the game.
The two big questions:
“WHAT do I change?”
and, of course,
“HOW do I do it?”
That’s different for every photographer. Maybe you need some help being brave. Maybe you need to rewrite internal stories of low self-worth. Maybe you need a purposeful sales funnel and, for now, a free way to fill it. Just to get some momentum. Maybe you need some help overcoming fear, stagnation, and procrastination. Maybe you need a 30-day plan. Maybe you need to ask yourself some hard questions.
What’s the biggest challenge holding you back today? Drop me an e-mail and let me know.
– James Michael