Wedding Photographer totally unsure about that whole ‘law of attraction’ thing?

My mom likes to say that everything I touch turns to gold…unfortunately, I know that isn’t quite true – but I do get what she’s saying. In the past couple of years, every idea or goal I’ve had has come to fruition. Of course, this is the result of hard work and some serious determination, BUT, I truly believe that the number one reason behind my successes is genuinely believing that getting what I want is no big deal at all. 

Within my photography business, I’ve had a lot of success.

Okay, so, you might think that this ‘Law of Attraction’ stuff is total BS, and that’s fine! Feel free to think this post isn’t for you, and come back for the next topic! Buuuuuut…I wish you’d stay, because I really do have some game-changing advice for you today. 

When I think about the Law of Attraction, I’m not envisioning a fairytale world where getting what I want is as simple as saying, “Yes, give that to me,” and it appears in front of my very eyes. However, I think negativity does the complete opposite, and quite literally. When setting yourself up in a negative mindset, you’re falling into a weak workflow – telling yourself that your ambitions are too big to achieve, will immediately lock you into a habit of mediocre work with the underlying mindset of, ‘why bother?’. Remember those posters hanging in the lunchroom/auditorium of your middle school that said something along the lines of, “Shoot for the stars”? There were on to something! 

Here’s how to attract your successes: 

1. Set a reasonable goal. Don’t tell yourself ‘I’ll be a millionaire by this time next year’, because, unless you hit the jackpot on the Megamillions, that’s probably not going to happen. What you could do, is tell yourself you will make 1.5x’s last year’s income – that’s a reasonable, but still ambitious goal. Go from $35,000 to $52,500!

2. Truly believe your goals are not only do-able, but easy. Tell yourself that doubling your client list is as easy as saying, “I’m going to go to the gym every day this week.” For some of us, that’s a hard one, but keep in mind – the only thing holding us back is ourselves. 

3. Have an actual plan. You need to envision your goals as an address, and set your plan as the directions to get there. What can you do to make your dreams a reality? For my photography business, I told myself I would have 15 weddings booked in my first year. I had a tiny portfolio, word of mouth hadn’t started spreading yet, and I was actively purchasing better equipment with every paycheck. I wasn’t paying for advertising, I wasn’t an exclusive member on any websites like The Knot…I just had this goal that I was positive would play out just as I had imagined. I worked my ass off to knock on every door possible, make friends with every engaged woman I crossed paths with, go above and beyond for what my package included and how I could serve my clients beyond their expectations to give the most amazing experience possible, and offered incentives whenever and wherever possible. You know what? I reached that goal. In fact…I exceeded it! 

4. Deadlines set you up for disappointment. Okay, don’t get me wrong, it’s important to have a timeline for your goals – a year is a good starting point. But just like every time I’ve ever gone on a diet, a deadline sets me up for failure. Why? Well, I tell myself I’ll lose a certain amount of weight by a certain date, and once I inch closer to that date and don’t yet see the drastic results I was wishing for, I think ‘what’s the point?! I already failed!!’ and I give up. Girl…don’t be me on a diet!!! Don’t tell yourself you’ll book 20 weddings this month, because when you’re in week three and have only had 2 inquiries, you are going to feel straight up hopeless. Give yourself a reasonable timeframe, and don’t expect every month or week to be the same. I might book 5 weddings one month, and zero the next. Set year-long goals, and assess them monthly. Want to book 20 weddings this year? Look back on each month’s bookings and see which months did better than others, what forms of promotion worked best, and how you could drive more business in the following month to get closer to that ultimate goal. Subtract each months sales from your ultimate goal! Booked 2 weddings in January and 1 in February? Now your goal is 17! The number getting smaller every month will make the ultimate goal less overwhelming. 

5. Don’t play the comparison game. Yes, be inspired by others! Be so, so inspired. But do not look at other’s successes or talents and allow that to make you feel lesser than about your own. We don’t see ourselves or our work the way others do, because we are looking at it with a critiquing eye. Feeling inferior will throw off your entire game. You need to truly believe you are amazing! 

6. Confidence. You need to be confident in your business, in yourself, in your goals. Like I said, you need to believe you are amazing. If you frequently question your ability, you’ll never stick to one path and see it progress. Remember how I mentioned my failed dieting (the law of attraction hasn’t helped me in that one!)? I have a tendency to diet for five days, weigh myself, think the plan isn’t working, and then try to find a different plan. I know if I just stuck to that plan, I would see results in time. It works the same way with your business. You need to be confident in your plan, even if you don’t immediately see the biggest results, and let your business grow and develop. 

For me, The Law of Attraction is not a superpower or a magic spell, but just a belief and confidence in yourself and your ability and a solid determination to make it happen. Allow yourself to have the things you’ve always dreamed of! You’ve got this!