A reflection on personal and professional growth.
In the past when the new year came around, my resolutions mostly consisted of “drinking more water” and “getting in shape”–whatever that means. And would you know it that by the next year, I recycled my resolutions into that new year, again. I chose resolutions based off of what I felt obligated to change instead of what I really needed to do for myself. Which brings me to my whole point: self-reflection and goal making is a little intimidating for me.
My shift in perspective happened like most revelations; I was having a conversation with a dear friend of mine who is the goal-setting queen, and this woman dreams big. BIG. I’m inspired by her big picture thinking and it made me realize this underlying fear: if I write a goal down then I am admitting to a dream….that might not happen. 2018 was the year I had to hit backspace on that last clause. And so, I wrote down some 2018 goals for myself, such as:
- Explore your style; strengthen your voice
- Partner with more creatives (HMUA, videographers, models, boutique owners, etc.)
- Do something outside your comfort zone in photography
- Get published by a magazine
- Respect your worth and stop underquoting yourself
Walking Into The New Year
I’d be lying if I didn’t admit the extensive pressure I felt in April when my list seemed unaccomplished and I continued to fall into bad habits like jealousy and taking on underpaying gigs. But as I worked through my expectations and short-fallings, I found my path. Most importantly, I learned to narrow my focus. I quit looking towards others and what they were accomplishing, and I reverted back to that list and just kept refining myself and my brand.
And so I learned that although there is a time for everything, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare ourselves for these achievements. The goals we leave unchecked by the end of the year are not a reflection of our worth or lack of work ethic–it just means it hasn’t come to fruition, yet.
There is a healthy balance to goal setting.
A year can do a lot in an artist’s life, and most of the time, it’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work just to make that check mark signify “done.” So, for those of you who worked tirelessly to make 2018 productive–I celebrate with you and I hope you are thankful for every ounce of perseverance that it took for you to get there and every person who helped you along the way.
And for those of you who feel like your expectations for 2018 fell short–just know that things are still in the works and this whole New Year phenomena does not have to dictate the benchmarks for your growth.
So, let us all welcome 2019 with a hopeful heart and encouraged mindset to keep striving towards our personal and professional growth while never dismissing the perfect and often-confusing timing of the Universe.
Cheers,
Paige
