This topic has been floating around so much in the photography industry, and for good reason. I think this is because it’s something EVERY small business owner faces. Owning your own business, especially in photography, is one of the most rewarding and freeing things you could do. However, because YOU are the face of your business, that means there’s a lot of room for comparison.

When I was first starting out in the wedding photography world, I guess I always thought that the feeling of “not being good enough” or “I feel like I’m failing” would magically go away once I started booking my own weddings, or once I reached a certain point in my business. But I’m here to tell you that no matter WHERE you’re at in your business, you will always feel like you are not enough. I think owning a business is a bit like an emotional rollercoaster… one day you feel like you’re on top of the world, and the next you feel like you’re failing and nothing you ever do is going to be good enough.

I want to encourage you, first, that EVERYONE feels this way!! No matter how successful someone may appear online or on Instagram, there are always feelings of comparison. I still feel it myself. It truly is a thief of joy. I make a great effort to be really aware of when I’m comparing and how it’s affecting me. Because it’s not necessarily a bad thing to want to be better and grow in your business… I think that’s an amazing thing! Being an entrepreneur, I think we naturally have the drive to want to do more and more. But when it gets to the point of constantly looking at what others are doing and comparing it to what you’re doing, I think this is when that drive becomes a negative thing. Because at that point, you’re not only wanting to be better… but you start to feel depressed about yourself and where you’re at.

This is why I believe #communityovercompetition is THE BEST and I love it. Because, believe me, it’s NOT always easy. But being excited for other photographers and how they’re succeeding will only help not only your own business, but your heart as well. There is something about “being in this together” that is so encouraging. Lifting others up in this industry  and seeing that community is absolutely incredible.

If you’re a photography business owner… chances are, you’ve felt this in some form or another. If you have (like the rest of us), I want to encourage you to reach out to others in your industry who have the same heart to form a community. I personally have benefited SO MUCH from having others photographers who I call friends. It’s truly such an encouraging thing to have.