Hey guess what? We just opened up the Facebook Group for The Road To CEO, my 3 part business workshop for senior photographers. I’d love to have you in there with me and a bunch of other amazing photographers over the next few weeks. Day one training in The Road To CEO starts October 26th, and this is something you definitely want to be a part of if you are ready to get serious about your senior photography business.

We are talking all about why systems are so important in your photography business. I’m going to break down one very important system - the pre-booking consult and booking a new client, and then we’re also going to chat about shifting from the role of an employee to the CEO.

I do hope you’ll join me. There’s still time to register. You can do that at www.seniorstudiosuccess.com/ceo. I can’t wait to go on this little adventure with you guys!

Ok, let’s get into today’s episode and what to do when the comparison game takes over.

I was scrolling through some stories on Instagram a while ago and I ran across a story from a photographer who seemed to be having a really tough time. It was a picture from either her bed or couch. It simply said something like “do you ever get caught up in the comparison game?” And then there was a poll with 2 options - all the time or nope, I’m always confident.

First, please let me say, if this was you and you are listening, there isn’t a person out there who hasn’t felt this way.

We have all wallowed in pity because we didn’t feel good enough or like we couldn’t live up to some unattainable image.

So, this isn’t directed at you if you just happen to be listening. But I actually wanted to address it here on the podcast because I know it’s something we all deal with. This photographer was even bold enough to ask this question on a public forum. And then here’s what I loved. She asked for advice on how to pull herself out of it. She recognized it & knew she needed to get a handle on it.

I actually reached out & answered her but really didn’t get to give a lot of detail on the little question box feature instagram gives us. So I wanted to come chat about it here & expand on that some today.

This is it my friends - episode ONE of this podcasting journey of mine. Honestly, I can't believe I hit publish. Although, this has been on my dream list for years now. I'm a HUGE podcast fan so I knew in my heart that I would always start one. No m…

So how do we get out of the comparison trap?

How do we pick ourselves back up & get moving again? Better yet, how do we avoid it all together?

First, you have to acknowledge what you are going through.
And then the most important part. Understand that what you are telling yourself is just a story. It isn’t true. It’s just a story that you are choosing to believe.

We tell ourselves things all the time that aren’t true - and we are naive enough to even believe ourselves!

What happens when we tell ourselves things like “I’m not good enough” or “There’s no way I’ll ever get that many clients or be booked that far in advance”?

Well, it makes us feel like absolutely crap. Right?

Then what? We throw a big pity party for ourselves. We sit on the couch. We lay in bed. We mindlessly scroll our phones. We get a tub of ice cream out of the freezer or maybe some raw cookie dough. I was incredibly too specific there!! Can you tell I’ve had some experience with this?!

Let’s backtrack & see how we landed on the couch eating raw cookie dough.

It all started with one little thing that triggered us. We saw a competitor’s image on Instagram and it was absolutely killer. We didn’t get on the cover of that feature magazine. Heck, we didn’t even get featured at all. Or maybe another photographer posted about an awesome sale she just had in a Facebook group. Whatever the circumstance was, let’s start there.

The circumstance, in and of itself, is neutral. It’s a fact - it’s a pretty picture, a nice sale, a feature. It doesn’t mean anything specifically. It just is what it is.

Insert our lovely little brains & the crazy thoughts it comes up with about those circumstances, those facts & what they actually mean. Our brains try to make all of those things mean something specific to us.

Our thoughts are not necessarily facts. Right? I can guarantee you that a lot of my thoughts are not facts. Have you ever had an imaginary argument with somebody while you were in the shower or getting ready for the day? I’ve had way too many of those to count. Also, I always win those arguments.

Ok, back on track. Again, those thoughts are not facts. They are just thoughts. We can choose to believe them or not. They are just the stories in our heads.

Now what do thoughts do? They make us feel something, right? Why does music have such an impact on our mood? Because it makes us think about something, which makes us feel something. It’s hard to be depressed when old school Destiny’s Child comes on the radio.

Thoughts cause us to feel all sorts of things - nasty, negative, depressing things sometimes, especially here in this comparison game.

And what do feelings cause? Actions.

The feelings and emotions can either cause us to take action (lay on the couch, mope, eat the raw cookie dough).

Those feelings can also cause us to take complete inaction (not post anything & ignore working on our businesses).

This is where we get ourselves into trouble.

Because those actions or inactions bring us the results we didn’t want to begin with - a not so thriving business. So now it’s just more and more of the same. It’s a downward spiral that doesn’t do anyone any good.

Can you see how our thoughts actually caused the result?

✅ Insert that circumstance that means nothing. - You scrolled Instagram & saw amazing work.

✅ You had a thought - “I’ll never be this good.”

✅ That thought made you feel really crappy about yourself.

✅ When you feel crappy, you lay on the couch & eat the raw cookie dough.

✅ So now the result is now, you are not getting any better with your own work, which is what you didn’t want in the first place!

Now let’s turn this whole thing around.

How can you pull yourself out of this comparison trap or better yet, avoid it all together?

You change your thinking!!!

The circumstances aren’t going to change. There will always be beautiful images to scroll past. There will always be photographers posting about their amazing sales or about getting featured. Remember. Those are just neutral facts floating around out there. How we react to those facts is how to change ALL OF THIS!

So yes, it’s as simple as that. You’ve gotta change your thinking.

I know some of you are about to hit next or turn down the volume, but I’m gonna challenge you to give me 5 more minutes.

What if we replaced those negative thoughts with ones like:

I have created some beautiful images.
My clients love the work I create.
My clients love how I take care of them.
I am a fantastic photographer.
More clients are coming.
People want to work with me.

Now, how would thinking those things make you feel instead? My guess is confident, capable, strong, grateful and excited.

I don’t know about you, but when I feel like that I want to show up! I want to serve my clients even better. I want to run my business like a boss! I don’t treat it like a hobby or put it on a shelf when I am lit up. Do you?

I post to social media fairly consistently. So I’m there a lot. I see all of your beautiful work, and man, it’s hard not to compare myself. But I’ve learned how to handle it & celebrate that beautiful work right along beside my own.

When I post to my studio account, the things I say and do are more positive. My clients are always the center of attention and I celebrate them constantly. I book more clients because of the way I carry myself and the way I talk to them.

See those actions?

Same circumstances. Same pretty pictures to scroll through. Same magazine cover that’s not mine. Different thinking. Different feelings. Different actions. And that leads to different results - the results I want for my business.

Our thoughts create our results y’all.

Change your mindset and you will change your business 💗

We’re gonna talk about the broken pieces in your business. We’re gonna talk about getting systems in place in your business, and we’re gonna talk about mindset so that you can show up like the boss that I know you are. Come hang out with me and let’s talk about this some more during The Road To CEO workshop.

And if you happen to hear this after that workshop has long passed, I’m still here. You can work with me one on one for business coaching or you can join Studio Secrets, my 6 month business coaching program. Either way, I’d love to help you.

Thanks for hanging out with me today my friend. Come say hey over in the facebook group or over on Instagram!

Until next time, take care!

Jena 💗

* DON’T MISS THIS! *

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The doors open November 4th for something very special for a handful of photographers who are ready to get laser focused on their businesses.

Studio Secrets is a 6 month business coaching intensive where we dive deep into your business together. It’s not a DIY course on one or two topics. This is EVERYTHING you could ever need to know (and all the tools & resources) to run a senior photography business - branding, messaging, websites, pricing, sales, marketing, social media, senior model teams, systems, workflow, automation and SO MUCH MORE! And bonus - you get me to lead you through it in our hot seat calls and a private community to bounce ideas around with.

If you’re ready to turn your expensive hobby into a thriving business be sure you are on the waitlist.

Plus you save $500 on launch day - November 4th. Woohoo! I can’t wait to work with you!