We're All Stone Cutters...

© Hemeroskopion - Fotolia

Every now and then I find a quote I want to share that becomes the foundation of a blog post, because it's just too long for Twitter...

"Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, 
perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. 
Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, 
and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before."
Jacob A. Riis

This is a very short post this morning and perfect for the middle of the week and the upcoming close of the first quarter, the slow season for most photographers.

I know it sounds trite, but we're all like stone cutters. Sometimes we need to be reminded that all the hammering away we're doing to build a business, even though it's slow, is still always moving forward. Each step of the way in fine-tuning your skill set, developing a marketing plan or interacting with somebody in your network is still progress, no matter how insignificant it might seem at the time.

There are a hundred different quotes we've all heard from parents and grandparents...Rome wasn't built in a day...No pain - no gain...Patience is a virtue...and the list goes on and on. Since we were little we've been bombarded with life lessons all packed into one-liners, expressions and even stories like the race between the tortoise and the hare.

So, here's the point this morning and I'll apologize now if I'm sounding too basic and just restating the obvious...being a success in this industry is about passion and believing in yourself. Don't get wrapped up in worrying about how much you still have to learn or do, but instead give yourself a big pat on the back for how far you've come! You can't rush the process, just appreciate and enjoy the journey.