How Saying “No” Made Me $8k Last Week
Hopefullyyou don’t see me as a quasi hypocrite because I will be traveling ALL over in February.. but 2 weeks ago, I was offered a pretty riveting opportunity to go to Tulum for 5 days. My friend Hannah(flight attendant) offered to hook it up with the plane ticket and the whole week’s stay would only be $400. I had nothing planned that week (besides the Saturday wedding, but I’d be back before then), so I thought about it. I’ve been wanting to explore more, I’ve been wanting to go on a spur-of-the-moment trip with Hannah. My work load lightened up quite a bit since December and I could’ve really made it happen. Then, I thought about a few things and did a few things that I think should be noted.
I didn’t act impulsively.Going to another country on a whim sounds like it would be thrilling, but it should still be thought about for at least 48 hours, right?
I listened to my gut feeling.My gut said, “nope, you’ve got to focus on getting more gigs and getting your income more steady.”
I asked a few trusted people.Trevor’s first response was “that doesn’t seem smart.”
Lo and behold, I stayed back. I saw the fun adventures of Hannah and her girlfriends all week via insta stories.
Oh, the content. Oh, the cocktails. Oh, the fun.
Nearly (the moment) I said “no,” I was flooded with random opportunities. I booked 4 weddings (which is insane for a 7 day period), set up 2 more meetings with brides (whether or not I’m doing the weddings is TBD), and met with a few really great prospects for future work. I also was able to attend a speed networking event where I met some AMAZING people that I hope to connect with more this year.
Phew.
There were a few things that needed to happen for me to get all of this in motion.
First off,I had to be here. I had to be present. People want to meet NOW, pronto. Andale!If you’re looking for a photographer, you want to get it settled! If I had been out of the country, galivanting around Mexico (3 weeks before I am already going to Mexico, I might add), I wouldn’t have been HERE to do the dirty work, prospecting, and initial engagement meetings.
Second,I had to respond quickly. With a different time zone and limited access to cell service and wifi, that would’ve been REAL hard.
Third,I had to hustle.
Fourth, I had to escape self pity and not “care” that I was missing out.
Fifth,I had to tell myself there would be many otheropportunities to adventure the world with my friend.
Here are a few good things to take away from this experience.
+ Priortizing is key
::: Think about what you really need, what’s important to you, and what SHOULD be important to you
+ Be present
+ Be resilient
+ Don’t let setbacks give you the F*its!
+ Weigh the pros and cons of big decisions
+ Validate your actions by reminding yourself of the good that comes from doing the right thing
+ Don’t put “fun” before purpose, passion, vocation, and meaning.
This will all be much easier if you find a way to do what you love for work. Make your life something you DON’T Want to run away from!
So anyways, don’t try to do anything with me on weekends the rest of the year… as I’ll be shooting a TON of weddings! ;)
Xo
Chelsea
Photos by Rachel Cossette!
