During my first year of business, I was sitting at a photography consultation and a potential client asked how old I was. She was a future bride getting married, considering me as her photographer. When I told her I was 18 years old, she mumbled over to her groom “See, I told you she was young.” At one time or another, chances are, we’ve all been told something similar. Maybe we’re been told we’re too old, too young. Or what about being told we’re too much of something or not enough.

Whatever it is, it makes us doubt our abilities and our dreams. And if we haven’t heard it from other people, we’re probably saying it to ourselves instead! I think something that we all struggle with as online brands, entrepreneurs, creator, business owners, is having the CONFIDENCE to push forward despite all of the bad stuff we think or hear. Today, I want to encourage you… that if you’ve ever thought any of those things (or been told them!) that you ARE enough and you CAN do this. None of those things that you’re hearing are true. They’re myths affecting the way you show up in the world. And we can stop the cycle. 

When we start believing in ourselves, we do GREAT things.

It is SO easy to be sucked into the bad things. I GET it. But, we have to believe in ourselves and our abilities. Once we do, the world changes. If I had let that client tell me I was too young – and believed her – I never would have accomplished shooting over 100 weddings in the past 5 years. I never would have started serving all of you online. And, I wouldn’t have worked with my over 900 students, and provided tons of free content every week to entrepreneurs around the world. If I had leaned into the sense of imposter syndrome I was feeling, I would never have accomplished anything in my business. 

If you’re having trouble with building the confidence you need to grow your business, try to push forward. No matter what is going on around you, you still have unique gifts and talents you can share with the world. We will all serve our clients differently. Your voice and my voice are different. Don’t let yourself be stopped by the fear of not being good enough. If you let that fear of not being good enough govern your thoughts and business, you’ll NEVER reach the people you were meant to. Trust me on that one!

Who cares what people think?

Okay, okay. I know – it’s easier said than done to just brush off whatever someone has to say about what you’re capable of. But at the end of the day, the only person that really matters is YOU. I still struggle with this all the time, but I want you to believe in yourself anyway. If you want to grow an online brand, DO IT. Want to become a photographer? DO IT. Don’t let your own doubts or what other people say stop you. I’m cheering for you and I cannot wait to see what you do with your newfound confidence!