Failure is a Grand Gift

If you've been following me lately you realize I've been putting my work everywhere and trying new things. I've been hustlin' as someone said. I've been saying no to very few opportunities and yes to most because one thing 2020 taught me is that beauty awaits if we just step out of our little box of comfort great things can happen. It definitely shook us all though. The greatest thing for me though was realizing I still loved photography and it all began when I saw another photographer (can't remember her name😕) share front porch minis. From being close to the edge of insanity just being home with kids non-stop I picked up my camera and my 24-70 lens that I never use (but had to due to the need to stay away from clients) and booked some front porch minis. It was different. It was fun. It was a challenge. It was rewarding. Now here I am rebuilding my business. What if 2020 never happened? Some people think it's a year to accept failures. It's a write off year and yes parts of my vision board I wrote off months ago. However to me 2020 has been a gift.

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."

-Confucius

I once heard that failure is necessary to succeed. Well if so I've got that step covered. I failed at running a business the first time around. My clients had no idea but I remember every wrong turn, every wrong decision, every time I ignored advice and thought "I got this." I got comfortable. I got lazy in learning. I became jaded.

I'm good at photography. Crappy at business. Refusing to give up I had tried to re-enter to the photography world a few times doing the same thing I had always done - babies and newborns. It wasn't my time and now looking back it wasn't my place in this world anymore. I had yet to realize that true thing that made me fail though - business sense. Was I ready to try this business thing again? It's 2020 why not. If I fail I can blame it on 2020 right? A write-off year.

Returning to this business world was a slap in the face though. How in the world did marketing and getting clients change so much in five years? I quickly realized I would have to start taking online classes not in just photography techniques but sales and marketing. I'm a super creative person and not a business person but wait....I'm a life long learner. I've now taken this challenge to learn business and guess what? It's so EXCITING!! I look forward to everyday learning something new to grow my business. I'm focused on learning. I'm focused on building a business foundation this time. What if I had never failed though? Would I still be doing the same ole thing unhappy and unfulfilled? Would I have found passion again for something that I'm gifted in? From this failing once but stepping back up to the plate I sold out my mini sessions last crazy fall season, adding on more and sold those out and filled all of my full sessions. What if I had just said this is too hard (which I did a few times)? Luckily I have a great friend who has constantly encouraged me, gave me great business advice and watched this business take flight again.

"It's not how far you fall, but how high you bounce that counts." 

― Zig Ziglar



Oh and the wisdom that comes from failure. You learn what not to do but also think "what if I would have done this?" Then you try whatever "this" is. One of my "this's" this time (that's a lot of this) is knowing the power of manifesting. Remember me failing and having to take time off? Yeah in that time I became wiser and learned about the power of manifesting and positive thinking. l tell myself I'm going to succeed instead of what if I fail - most of the time. I put it out there. Like this post. I tell the world. Spread your positivity and goals. Tell them to people. Write about them. The Universe or God or whoever you give thanks to will send those to you that you need to be your best self (remember my friend above?) or right now for me best businesswoman as well. Try it. Trust me.

I'm thankful in a weird way for my failures. My failure in business allowed me the time to create images like you see above. That failure allowed me to find this gift. I do mean it when I say failure really is a gift (I'm not just being all cliche or enlightened) and those years that I used to look at with shame I now look at as a gift. Oh wisdom I'll take you over youth any day. Every time we fail we can come back or leave. We can get back up or lay there. It is in the return or the climb that we have the knowledge to become better and stronger and more successful. Bill Gates, Michael Jordan and Steve Jobs all failed before they reached greatness. Read the biographies of any successful person and the first few chapters will quickly disclose their failures it. If not trash it. They are lying.

“The phoenix must burn to emerge.” - Janet Fitch

This time around I'm rebuilding my business on the wisdom I learned and the wisdom of others. I've already built the foundation now to build a sturdy business on top. I have access to the blueprints....now to use them. I know 2020 has taken a lot from many and it's been very difficult at times to see the gift of it. Every failure comes with a gift - I promise. You just have to be patient and be open to whatever it brings.

I hope to start devoting some posts to success after failure. I want to look back in a few years and see how successful I've become as I do with my own inner journey and beating my own darkness. Also in my attempt to empower women I want each and every woman to know that failing is okay. It's necessary. Own it. Be proud of it. It is part of the fabric of you. Especially the young girls today that have so much pressure to never fail and only succeed. Success will come from the wisdom of your failures. I've failed at everything in my life at one point but learned from it and as I say to my kids "If you learned one thing today then it was a successful day."

xo-

Amanda