Be Proud of Who You Are and Put Yourself Out There!

Be proud of who you are...

Yes, I know it sounds corny. But, this is really the key if you wish to be successful. Hiding away in the corner like a quiet, little mouse will do nothing for you if you wish to turn your hobby into a successful business (which I know many of my readers dream about doing.) You need to work on the fear that is holding you back, because the only way to move forward to achieve your dream is to show yourself and your work to the world, or at least to your community.

You gotta ask yourself, “What´s holding me back?” “What am I afraid of?”

…and be brutally honest with yourself when you answer those questions.

In general, many photographers and artists are held back by nothing but themselves. Or in other words a little but loud voice in their mind saying that they are not good enough (sounds familiar?) But hey, who say that statement is true?

The only truth is that, the minute you start listening to that negative voice in your head and agree with it, then it turns into a feeling - and sometimes a very overwhelming feeling that you decide just to stop. When this happens, you stop posting your pictures on Facebook, you stop blogging. You decide there are others that are way better than you so you keep your hobby quietly to yourself.

But darling, how can that help you reach your goals?

To achieve the success you’ve always dreamed of, you must have the courage to let go these negative voices! Your challenge is to hear that inner voice when it speaks to you and then kindly answer back with this sentence:

"Thank you dear inner voice. I know you are just looking out for me, but I choose to do this, as I love my self and wish to take actions towards my goals. I hear you, but I´m the boss."

In other words: Acknowledge the fear and do it anyway!

Your personality is what makes you an individual. You are the only you in this whole wide world! So WHY do you hide in the corner, when YOU are already UNIQUE?

And then perhaps you will say, "But I lack of talent!"...."I lack of skills." 


My answer to that is, "So what?” I too was a beginner once. That does not mean my pictures were bad. It just meant that I was a beginner! And I admit it that I still have much to learn compared to many photographers who are way better than I am. But I can´t think of one good reason to stop myself, just because there are people who are more skillful than me. Instead I let them be my inspiration. 

Oh and by the way, people who really have talents are often the ones hiding in that corner. They are often the ones feeling insecure about putting their work out there. It doesn’t really matter if you have talent or not, everyone can feel insecure about their art and about themselves. As long as you photograph what you are good at and photograph what you love, this will make you shine. The skills will catch up with you as you move forward. Just don´t sit and wait for you to master everything, because trust me…you will never properly get to that point in photography, just simply because there will always be more new stuff to learn.

Do not try to be any other person. Be yourself, at the exact level you are. With or without talent, with or without skills - I want you to be proud of YOU! Create your photography around the things that you like and start showing the world what you are up to.

Challenge and stretch yourself simply by taking baby steps. I challenge you to put yourself out there at least twice a week. Post pictures to Facebook, make a blog post, ask for feedback, connect with others who have the same passion as you, put a poster up in your local area, hand out some business cards, just to name a few.

And if you are thinking, hey, I don´t wish to take Christina’s challenge, I’d rather wait until I´m more self confident. Then let me tell you that even the best, most professional and famous photographers can still feel insecure in some situations. I know because I can too feel insecure. After all, the biggest human fear in the world - no matter where you live, no matter who you are, are the fear of not being loved, not being good enough. So, yes… we all have it in us.

The question is, will you let it control you.......?

Now, say out loud with me: NO ONE PUTS BABY IN THE CORNER!

xoxo and a big smile, 

Christina

PS. I´m SO loving working on the upcoming mini Magazine. Great interviews are in store for you. So if you have not signed up yet, remember to do so HERE.