Just Ask

Me: Guess what! I've discovered this great new motto, "Just Ask! The worst they could say is no"
Everyone: Duh. Emily. I've been doing that since I was 13.

If you're like me, you've tied up your own hands and have chosen to sit just inches from a pair of scissors. I feared rejection, embarrassment, ruining a perception, failure, the idea of not being able to deliver what I've promised, all of it. 

My whole business began by asking for opportunities. I asked friends if I could take their pictures. Many of those pictures make me want to drop by those friends homes and steal the printed copies they display on their mantles & burn them.
But I won't.
Because they are evidence of this beautiful thing called growth. I learned through the poor lighting choices, the awkward posing, the misunderstanding of the camera. OOF were there some blunders! Crazy thing though, I learned. I failed. I tried. I started to understand. I drank a lot of coffee. I had highs. I had lows. And now, people are ASKING ME to capture their most precious moments.

Ask for the opportunity, the promotion, the sale, the hard question, the depth of connection, the favor, the change. ASK. FOR. IT. Change happens when you get uncomfortable and stand up in a room full of sitters. 

Also! It has been 9 months since I started this photography business. We are no longer in utero! My business has left the womb and is gasping in her first breath of air! We've emerged from the darkness and are ready for the world! If babies could verbalize their needs, what would they ask for? "Mother, dear, I need a bottle because it's been 3 hours and also I've pooped and worked so very hard doing these two tasks that now I actually am also in need of a nap." Being a baby must be tough. 

What do you need to ask for?