The Power of Proximity: How Your Circle Influences Your Success

Speaker 1: 0:00

Let's talk about something that I think makes a huge impact on not just how far we go as creative entrepreneurs, but how fast we get there, and that's proximity. So literally how close you are physically to the people that you aspire to be like or who are, you know, aspirational to you in some way for your business. Are you surrounding yourself with the right people? Basically Because you know that, saying that, you know you are the sum of the five people that you hang out with the most. You know I know we always reference that to our kids, or maybe you heard it growing up from your parents talking about how you are going to become those people in a lot of ways, because you know they're going to influence your behavior. But this is very, very true in our adult lives as well, and not just in our friendships. In our business lives just as much, if not more. Because if you are hanging out in circles of people where you're the one who's leading the pack, you're the one who is like top dog and you're killing it, yeah, that might hit your ego a lot, that might make you feel really good, but is it pulling you up? Is it propelling you further? Probably not right. Or maybe you are hanging out with people who are just really low vibe in general, you know, and not hanging out with entrepreneurs. You're not even putting yourself in a room with fellow people who are alike. You know, like you in a lot of ways and you're just kind of hanging out with some low vibe people who might be friends of yours, but maybe they're just pulling you down, keeping you stuck in this, you know, really kind of pessimistic sort of low energy vibrational situation. So it's going to be really hard for you to get yourself out of that on your own. You can do it, you can. I really believe that we can do anything that we believe it's possible. But are you going to believe it's possible if those are the kind of people that you're surrounding yourself with?

Speaker 1: 2:10

The other thing, too, that I know a lot of creatives deal with is when you are a native, you are kind of seen as the black sheep in your family. Right, you might you might not come from a family that understands you or vibes with you. Like you could already feel different in some way. Right, let's be, you know, and that may or may not be the case for you, but I definitely see this a lot and I've felt that myself as well. So you're going to be already pulled to go against the grain. You're already sort of like this wild card in your family and it can feel very isolating. So that can either propel you to go out and seek more people like you or it could also keep you stuck in that, because you kind of feel like, well, this is just my thing, this is just how it's going to be, this is my life. Now you know what I mean, because a lot of us creatives are also very emotional, and so you could just sort of like, okay, accept it, like people just don't get me, so you quit putting yourself out there perhaps.

Speaker 1: 3:22

So in this episode I really want to go into some of the data that shows how important proximity actually is to your success as an entrepreneur, but also how good it is for you and your well-being and your mental health. Because, again, this is not just about strategy and getting ahead, it's about you feeling good, because when you feel good, everything is going to be more in line. And then I want to break it down and kind of share some actual examples of what this really looks like or what it could really look like, because a lot of you may not have experiences being in the room with people who are, let's say, at a higher level than you are, so it can feel really intimidating. So we're going to kind of cover a little bit of that as well so that it can prep you, because I really feel like this is a very important step for you to take, if you haven't yet.

Speaker 1: 4:18

So, first of all, we probably have all had the experience or maybe you haven't if you were super shy as a kid, but I think a lot of us had the experience of being moved from our friends when we were in class, right by the teacher because you were cutting up too much, you're being too loud. That was definitely, definitely me as a kid, and one friend in particular. The teachers knew we could not sit next to each other because we were not going to get anything done, we were just going to laugh, and my kids were the same way. So it wasn't surprising when the same thing was happening with them in middle school especially. So maybe you had that experience too, and think about it for a second right. Like the teacher was just trying to like save her sanity, I'm sure, because she knew like that's it, you guys together, you're not going to be making some good decisions, right? Like good decisions are not going to be made when you're all next to each other, and so that is kind of the same thing when we're even as adults.

Speaker 1: 5:29

You know we're out there, we're making friends, maybe you're getting involved in your local community and you know meeting with the chamber and things like that, and maybe you are prone or you are attracted to, let's say, your personality, might be attracted to a very narcissistic type of personality. If you are an empath at heart, this is very, very common. You can kind of look it up. I'm not going to go into all the details and the psychology of that, but it's really common for empathetic people, or people who are considered empaths, to be very attracted to a very boisterous, narcissistic people. They might not be true narcissists, but they might have that personality where they're very ego driven and it's really easy for them to kind of be the star of the show. So you might find yourself being very drawn to that kind of person, unconsciously, of course, right, because we talk about that a lot on this podcast, about how our unconscious really drives that train a lot of the times and you don't really know you're doing it.

Speaker 1: 6:28

So there could be some things that have happened in your professional life that you felt was like, okay, I probably that probably wasn't the best decision, or I might not have made that decision had I not been influenced by some of those people in your life. So it's kind of the same thing as being that middle schooler and even though that was your best friend, they may not have been the best influence on you at the time. So the first thing to really do is really assess in your life right now, you know, make a list, make a list of everyone in your life and put it in that, that two columns. You know, are they a good influence? Are they not so good influence? Let's say, and be really honest with yourself about what's going on there.

Speaker 1: 7:22

You know, do you find yourself drinking more alcohol when you're around a certain person? Or maybe you want to change that and maybe you don't. I'm just kind of pointing it out. There have definitely been people in my life in the past where I for sure drank way more than I should have been drinking around those people, or just, you know, not making the best decisions, staying up later, maybe not doing, maybe not working out whatever it is right that you think is going to keep you on your track of success and whatever that looks like for you. Make that list of everybody in your life and, yeah, include your family members. I'm not saying you have to cut these people out of your life, but when you are really aware of their effect on you and your behavior, you. That's the first step, because then you can set boundaries. And yes, I know that's going to be a little hard. If you're a people pleaser, I get it, but that makes it all the more important for you to do just as a side note, and it's a starting point right, the awareness is really where you want to start. Get real with yourself right now.

Speaker 1: 8:36

Who in your life is a good influence? Who in your life is a not so good influence? And also, of that list of people, once you write everything down, how many of them are doing the same thing as you? Right? Are they also entrepreneurs in some way? Are they photographers? Are they artists? Are they creatives? Do they own their own businesses? Wherever it is that you are in your life and what you're doing, are those people in your life who have very big influence over you? Are they also in that space? I'm not saying they have to be, but this is something that you need to notice, because if you are the only business owner, let's say, in your group of friends, right, and you're the only one out there working like you are building a business from nothing, and maybe you're even the only creative, that is going to be hard for you to not just relate to them in certain ways, but you're probably also not going to get the kind of support, the level of support, that you really need. And, again, if you are surrounded by people who are just gonna shoot down all your creative awesomeness, then you're not gonna really feel inclined to share that with them anyway, right? So that's really the most important reason.

Speaker 1: 9:56

I think that it's crucial to you that you are in a room even if it's a virtual room a fellow creatives who really understand your daily stuff, your daily struggles. Like that makes a huge, huge difference. And we're not just talking about, you know, for you to troubleshoot some stuff, because that's great to be able to balance ideas off of people, but I'm talking about, like, a deeper mental health issue, because when you there's proven science on this that when you share about something that you're dealing with and you get support and you are able to get feedback and acceptance, you're gonna be released in dopamine in your brain and all the other feel good chemicals. So you're going to wanna do more of it. Right, if you are getting that feedback and we need those chemicals. If you aren't, you know getting a lot of that, especially in your home life or with your family it makes it all the more important because that's the kind of stuff that keeps us going.

Speaker 1: 11:12

And while there are probably tons and tons of examples about what this would actually look like in practice, you know, putting yourself in these rooms, what the proximity actually means in the real world I wanna cover five examples of how proximity is truly a huge key to success. So the first one I wanna talk about is that it gives you the opportunity for networking, and I know that all of us introverts are like ew, gross networking. I don't wanna do that. I totally get it. I get it. But putting yourself in rooms with people who can then put you in contact with other people, like your clients, is kind of important as a business owner. It just is right and most of the time, these networking opportunities, these rooms that you can put yourself into are going to be. You know they're gonna open doors for collaborations and partnerships and clients that you otherwise would not have had you not put yourself through that and out there. So for a photographer, for example, networking with established other professionals in your area, especially in your local market, is huge.

Speaker 1: 12:42

I talk about this a lot. I talk about this probably all the time in a lot of my coaching containers and especially with my one-on-one clients. But this is really a big, big part of how I built my business and, yeah, I'm at the heart of it and an introvert and I really don't love walking into businesses and I'm still not gonna do some of the things that a lot of educators and coaches tell you to do. I'm not gonna cold call a lot of people. I'm not gonna walk into a lot of businesses that I don't feel like I have some kind of point of reference with. I do my research and I do a little bit of background. So, again, you can still do all of this, thinking about who you are as a person and what your personality is like, and maybe your personality is really outgoing and you're an extrovert, so this is perfect for you. But networking is a really, really big part of running a business. We can't do these things by ourselves, and especially as a photographer.

Speaker 1: 13:45

There's so many different businesses that you could use in your local market to help promote your business, and the more people talking about you, the better. Specifically for me, when I first started, I just looked around and said, okay, who do I already know, who do I already have contact with, who could help promote my business in some way, and how can I help their business in return? So the hair salon I know that I've spoken about this before, but I work with a local hair salon and the owners there have been amazing since the beginning of my business and other businesses like that boutiques here in town. I'm looking at first how I can help them. You know I'm not going to just walk in there and talk about me. I'm going to walk in there and talk about how much I love their business and how I want to create a relationship with them, and that's really the key.

Speaker 1: 14:39

Whether you're doing this in person with you know a physical proximity, as in someone in your local area, or if you're working with a brand online, you can use these same ideas and get to know those people create a relationship and put yourself in that virtual room and put them, put yourself on their radar so that you are top of mind for projects that come up. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. That kind of thing. There's always an opportunity for this kind of thing and I see a lot of photographers just not doing this at all because this fear of rejection and I get it. You know like it's never fun to have people tell you no, we're not interested. But nine times out of 10, if you do your research, you go in there prepared and you go in there with that intention of you want to collaborate, you want to help them in their business. They really, you know, they really aren't going to say no if you have a really awesome opportunity for them. And as photographers especially, we have a service that a lot of people want and they need and they may not be in a position to pay high fees for it. So what a great opportunity to do some sort of collaboration where you both get out of it. You know what you're putting in and that is really the key. If you're going to do some kind of collaboration, you definitely need to make sure that you're getting an equal amount of that back, but that example of networking is one of those examples of proximity that I think makes a very, very big difference in your business. If you were not doing that in some way, I want you to put that on your list, and, if not before the holidays, definitely in 2024.

Speaker 1: 16:37

So another example of how and why proximity is really integral to achieving success is this idea of learning through observation and osmosis. It's proven that being in the same environment as high achievers allows us to observe their habits, their work ethic and their problem solving approaches. So this kind of learning, when we're actually like watching these people run their businesses, is actually referred to as learning by osmosis, and it can be incredibly effective, especially for creatives, and so this could look like observing how successful peers manage their workflow, interact with their clients, pose their clients, stay innovative, stay creative, and all of this can be really incredibly impactful for your business if you allow yourself to be in that place and again, a lot of people don't want to put themselves out there and ask for that opportunity. Okay, because you don't want to be told no, but we need to get past that. Because you are, you may get told no, that is a. That is a, you know, a thing that could happen. But allow yourself to go down that anxiety highway, right? So let yourself have the anxiety of thinking about the worst case scenario and, trust me, I have an anxiety brain, so I know what that feels like, and so sometimes I just have to let it catastrophize and take me down the anxiety highway and say, okay, what's the worst, that's going to happen, let's go, let's do it and make peace with it, because it's probably not even close to how bad. I think it's going to be right. And if you have ADHD, I do want to make a little side note, little sidestep here, speaking of neurodiversity, that if you have any kind of Neurodiversity, you very well could have something called rejection sensitivity disorder, rsd. It's a real thing and A lot of people with ADHD and you may or may not know you have ADHD. It may not be diagnosed or whatever, but a lot of people with it have this thing where it's not just a typical fear of being told, no, it is like, really not, it's something you really can't handle. So if that's part of what's going on, then it's an opportunity for you to Look, look at that and possibly work through it right, because that's what all of this is about is about Okay, what do I have going on? How can I make it work for me? How can I work through this? It's not about trying to be somebody different. Let's work with what you have and Pivot and see if we can like Change a few of those things, if change those habits that are that are keeping that script running right. So this proximity idea of learning through osmosis, this could look like a lot of different things. This could look like some of that networking. You know, maybe there's a networking and an opportunity where you learn through osmosis or it. Maybe there is a, a photographer or a creative, an artist in your area who is in your physical place space where you could Ask to Apprentice, where you could ask to intern.

Speaker 1: 20:08

I take on interns all the time and it's one of my favorite things that I get to do, because all of my interns are high school girls and it helps me feel like I'm gonna give back to you because I am, but it also like I don't know there's something about it, because I love. I love teaching, obviously. I mean I wouldn't do what I'm doing if I didn't, but there's something really special about working with younger teens especially, and especially those who really have an interest in what you're doing. It's like so cool, right? So maybe that's what you need to do with someone else, right, a lot of these times. Yes, I know you have to pay to be in these rooms, and sometimes it is absolutely worth it to do that, but there might be an opportunity for you to study with somebody and not pay.

Speaker 1: 21:02

There could be an opportunity where you guys could collaborate on something. Maybe there is something that you could do for them, and I've done this in the past as well with videographers, right? I need really great video. I need, you know, more footage, okay, that person happens to also want to learn how I do what I do, how I pose. They're really interested in watching me shoot and how I use lighting, and so we're both mutually benefiting from that collaboration, and that person is able to literally learn by observing, and you know that you learn faster this way, especially if you have a Grated brain. It's just so much faster. So this could be a really good opportunity, and so I would like for you to just open that possibility up and see, maybe, where you could, you know, open that up for yourself.

Speaker 1: 21:58

So this idea of collaboration is actually the next sort of key point that I wanted to highlight as being one of the reasons why you want to make sure that you are putting yourself around the right people. But so let's you know, specifically, highlight that for a minute and this whole idea of collaborating because it doesn't just mean that you are collaborating with that one person when you are putting yourself out there and you're putting yourself in the right rooms and you are saying yes to opportunities and you are really getting out of your comfort zone here, right, and I'm talking about, like, collaborating with maybe, let's say, as an example, in your local area. Right, you've got, like maybe, two businesses that you're doing, let's say, a shoot with. Okay, well, those people know quite a lot of other people too, so Putting yourself in their proximity Automatically puts you in their circle, and so they have a good experience with you. They're definitely going to start talking about you, know you, to other people, but you can also Supercharge that by asking them to do that, right. So let's just say you create these really great relationships.

Speaker 1: 23:17

You've got two or three businesses that you you're working with and everything is going really well and you guys are cross promoting and you're Cross marketing, etc. You literally can go up to them and say, hey, I really want to book out for the next six months. I've got you know X amount of photo shoots I want to do specifically for branding and headshots. Give me a list of ten of your favorite businesses in town. Do you know the people there? Do you have a point of contact there, like I really would like to like be, you know, completely booked for the next six months or so. So who do you know that I can go speak to? Like literally ask those people that you collaborated with for more references, for more people to get in front of, because it's that law of reciprocity, right, if you go and you give people and you're giving and you are, you know, providing an amazing service, they're 100% going to want to help you in return. It's just the nature of the law of reciprocity. So you can use that. But you have to ask.

Speaker 1: 24:27

Think about all the missed opportunities that have occurred in your life because you did not ask for it or you didn't put yourself literally in a position to get it. And I see this a lot when people come to me and they're like I need help with my business, I need help with my marketing, and I ask them okay, what have you already done, so that we don't repeat some of these things, what's worked for you, what hasn't worked for you? And the list is real short. Most of the time, like most of the time, it is incredibly short. They haven't really tried that much, they haven't really put themselves out there that much and they haven't asked for anything, and so we really need to be doing that more, you guys.

Speaker 1: 25:13

The other example I wanted to highlight about why proximity affects your success positively is that it has this incredible influence on your mindset and your attitudes. Right, we all know that being around successful people can and does positively influence your own mindset, your own attitudes and your aspirations. Success often breeds success. Okay, so many Robbins talks about this a lot. Just listen to him for five minutes and literally you're going to hear something about proximity. But there's a reason for this, it's true. You can even attest for the proximity of being at one of his events. If you guys have ever been to one of Tony Robbins events, I've gone to unleash the power within. I wanted to go to date with Destiny for a long time and one day, one day I will.

Speaker 1: 26:08

But I can tell you, just being in the room with so many people who are also like just lit up, who came to play, who are committed to their personal development, the energy in there is really amazing. There's a reason why people say it's a cult okay, it's not. But there's a reason why people think it is, because it's really hard sometimes for people who are in a lower vibrational frequency or who just really not there, to look at successful people doing really good things for themselves and being really lit up by it, because it shows them, it's a mirror for them, on how much they're lacking of that in their life and so they have to be contrary about it, right, that's just kind of the way it goes. But my point to this is that just being in that room is electrifying and it's not like I'm having a one-on-one with Tony Robbins. There's 10,000 people in this room, but it feels like he's speaking to you. It feels like you are getting a very individualized experience, and it's not just him. His other speakers have the same effect. They use a lot of NLP, they know what they're doing, but the effect of it is really something. You really leave there feeling like you could do pretty much anything. It's pretty rad, and I think that one of the only this is going to sound really silly, but one of the only other examples that I can give in my life just me personally where I felt that sort of high on life, just life that's.

Speaker 1: 28:05

It was after I gave birth and I know this sounds really weird, but stay with me for a second because I had natural childbirth for my first, because I'm that person. It's really all about control at that point in my life. It was not about. It definitely had something to do with wanting to keep it as natural as possible for my baby, but it was a lot about control. Let's just be honest, because your girl doesn't do well with drugs, like I just don't. I've had really adverse reactions to them, and I also didn't want to feel like I wasn't in control of my body. So here's the thing, though and if you've had a baby, you know that even when you have natural childbirth, you really aren't necessarily in control, but try telling that to 28 year old Renee you have to let go. It's a lot of surrendering, it's a lot of letting go, just like anything in life, but it's a really big letting go. So that was a really an amazing experience.

Speaker 1: 29:05

It was really hard, the hardest thing I've ever done. I 100% thought I was going to die, literally. I was convinced, in fact, that I was going to die. But as soon as it was over, it was over, and this like euphoria just I mean flooded like all those chemicals, man. It was like if you could package that, I mean maybe people have, but it's probably not legal. So that feeling of I could literally do anything, that's kind of what it felt like to me being at one of Tony Robbins events.

Speaker 1: 29:44

And it's the proximity. It's the proximity. It's being around other people who are so excited to better themselves and you don't have to make apologies for yourself and you don't have to feel like a dumbass, you don't have to feel like a geek, you don't have to feel stupid, you can just literally vibe and it's like the coolest thing in the world. It's the coolest thing in the world. And so that's why those events and events like it I'm not saying it has to be his event Like there are many events like that, there are many rooms like this. Okay, I mean I strive to make my rooms like that. I don't do these huge events, but my group coaching calls. I want everyone to feel like they are being heard. I want everyone to really feel like they're having an amazing experience, and I want even you guys listening to this podcast to walk away from it feeling really freaking good. So, yeah, this podcast, this is an example of proximity.

Speaker 1: 30:45

You are putting yourself in a space of personal development. You're putting yourself in a space of I want to learn something cool, I want to better myself. You know, maybe you saw the title of this and you're like I don't know what that's really about, but you know what I feel, like this might be a good place to start my journey, who knows? But the point is that you're doing the work right, and so if you're doing the work in any way, even if it's, you know, listening to podcasts, reading books even if it's listening to books, I mean, I'm an audible like fanatic and all of that matters. And so if you're doing all of this, I want you to pat yourself on the back, as always, because a lot of times we like to beat ourselves up. So, any opportunity that you can have to be a cheerleader for yourself, let's do that instead and realize you are putting yourself in a different place, and so maybe this is your only way right now that you are able to access that higher vibration, right? Maybe you are in a place in your life where everything is really heavy and everything is really hard, and maybe podcasts and audible books are the only way that you can actually put yourself in that space. So I want you to recognize that that still matters.

Speaker 1: 32:06

So the last thing I really want to highlight about proximity and why it matters and why it is so important is that it gives you access to this mentorship and guidance from experienced and successful people, so you get direct access to them, and so it is like it's a fast track, it's a fast pass. It's a proven fact that the fastest way to get where you want to go in life is to find someone who has already done what you want to do, who's already accomplished it and is successful at it, and do what they've done, whether that is mentor with them, study with them, pay for it, whatever it looks like. If you find somebody who is that aspirational person for you, find a way to work with them, because you are going to not be in the same place as you are right now in a few months. You can absolutely get there way faster if you work with someone who has already done it, who's already mastered what you are trying to master Now. Bonus points if that person also has some skills in coaching and teaching, because it's really, really helpful to learn from anybody who has already done what you want to do, whatever, sometimes you're only gonna be learning what worked for them and that might or might not resonate for your market. It might not translate to your target clients, right. So it's very important for you to understand that part as well. There may be a lot for you to learn, and then you can maybe from there say, okay, now I'm ready for a coach, or maybe I'm ready for a high level group coaching or a mastermind or something like that. So maybe that is a stepping stone for you.

Speaker 1: 34:04

But realize that not all mentors are coaches. They're very different things and I think a lot of us and myself included on this, I feel like a lot of us coaches and mentors we fell into it, just like we fell into our photography businesses, because people were asking us, like you know, oh, what do you do and how do you do this, and can you show me how to do this? And so, yeah, that's kind of how I got into this space from the get-go is people asked me how I did what I did. So I would mentor them and I would show them what worked for me, and then I started to realize that that had value. But I wanted to go way further with it than that, because, you know, I could teach them everything but it wasn't translating for their target client, right? Okay, well, then that set me off on a whole different path. Okay, well, let's dive into that and figure out why that is. Let's go deeper into that. That's a whole business and a marketing aspect of it.

Speaker 1: 35:11

But then there was this aspect that kept popping up of okay, well, I don't know how to do that because I can't get out of my head or I can't get out of my way and all of these different things, right, and so that set me off on a whole other path of okay, we need to be working from the inside out. We really need to be. You know, we're not just, we're not just a body, we're not just a head. Most people just live up there, right, like most of us just live in our heads and we try and think our way out of everything and that just doesn't work. Obviously, you've probably already seen that in your own life the overthinking isn't really the answer, you know. And so we are not just this skin suit, we are not just one facet. There's so many different facets to us as human beings and we're all very, very unique and different and we have very unique and different learning styles. And so that's another aspect of taking it a step further and becoming certified in coaching.

Speaker 1: 36:17

In life coaching is realizing that you need to be able to not just you know help other people figure out their path in business and show them different marketing opportunities based on their regions and their target clients. But they also are going to be learning differently and they're not learning like you necessarily, right? So figuring out other people's learning styles, understanding their personalities, being intuitive as well, you guys, is a really big part of it, and really understanding that some coaches just are more intuitive than others, right? So for me, it's really easy for me to kind of fall into rapport really quickly with my client. I can usually pick up pretty quickly intuitively on what kind of person they are and what kind of personality they have and how I need to coach them, and I coach all of my one-on-one people very differently, because that's the way it's designed, right? It doesn't mean I'm a different person for each of them. No, it means that I am taking into account who they are, how they learn and what their business looks like, and I'm going to coach them accordingly.

Speaker 1: 37:40

So, yeah, coaching and mentoring are two very different things, and obviously a lot of people are gonna have their own definitions. But as a whole, that's sort of a good way to look at it. And a mentor is someone who is gonna teach you exactly what they do and they're really good at it and they can teach you how to do that thing. And a coach can do those things too sometimes, but they're also and it depends on the coach they're also going to help you from the inside out, ideally, and all coaches are different too, right? So some people are more focused on the semantics and some people are more focused on the head part, the consciousness.

Speaker 1: 38:27

I like to think of myself as a holistic coach, because I do think that we should be taking our whole self into consideration. But long story short, it is a fast track. It's a fast track to get where you wanna go and, on the scheme of things. It's a pretty small investment, I would say, regardless of what the investment cost is, because over the course of your lifetime and over the course of your business, how is this gonna impact you? And if you choose well and if you do the work and you show up, the outcome is going to pay off in spades for the rest of your life.

Speaker 1: 39:09

So the bottom line and the takeaway from this episode, the main thing I hope you hear, is to put yourself in the room where it happens, to quote Hamilton Sorry, and that is ADHD. Who else hears lyrics when they say things Like seriously, I can't be the only one, yeah. So I want you to put yourself in the room. Okay, I want you to get yourself out there, show up for your business. You can't get what you want unless you're willing to stand up for yourself and up for your business. And if you are surrounded by people in your life your friends, your family if you're tethered to them in some way, like that, I get it, but it doesn't mean that you have to be tethered to them for your business. It means that you have to recognize it. So make your list.

Speaker 1: 40:00

Like I said in the beginning, make your list be intentional about how you spend the time, and if you find that the scale is tipped way heavy on the side of people in your life who are not super supportive and don't really understand what the actual hell you do, it might be time for you to look for a different group, at least to supplement that. And I'm not saying you have to cut these people out of your life. I'm just saying you need to go find your people. You need to go put yourself in a room with other people who are doing really cool shit and doing things that are like more advanced as well. Right, don't be the smartest one in the room. You're not gonna learn a damn thing. Be in a room with people who can teach you something. Be willing to be challenged. That's so freaking cool and it's very intimidating. I get it.

Speaker 1: 40:50

I've been in some rooms where I'm like I don't know how I got here, like I don't know how did I get in this room, trust me, but the payoff is so, so awesome, so, so awesome. Like the best business and like friendships that I have made are because I put myself in these really, really high-end rooms that I felt like I had absolutely no business being in, and then at the end of it I was like no, I do belong here. I belong here, and not only that, I was able to contribute in some way, and so that confidence that you get from that man, that is just like chef's kiss. So that's what I want you guys to take from this and it is almost December, it'll be December in a couple of days at the recording of this podcast. So I want you to go into December really enjoying your moments that are going to happen.

Speaker 1: 41:47

Be mindful being busy is not a badge of honor. Okay, I know that we have work to do, but there's a lot of work that I think that we create unnecessarily for ourselves, and that is a topic for another day. But I want you to be mindful about all the little moments that are going to happen this month, and I also want you to be thinking ahead to January, not in a scary way, not in an anxious way, not in a oh my God, I don't have any clients booked and I don't know how I'm going to make money in January. That could very well be the case for you, but I don't want you to feel anxious about it. I want you to think about January as hopeful. I want you to think about it as an opportunity and to really make some choices this month that are going to set you up for success next month. Okay, because, as we all know, january can be really freaking scary as a photographer, as any business owner. So make sure that you are putting some things into place right now that are going to support you for January, and not just monetarily, but in every other way possible too.

Speaker 1: 42:51

Okay, I am going to be reopening my higher level elevate group membership slash mastermind, slash mini-mind soon. It is going to be opening, probably at the time of this recording, probably in the next like week and a half. So if you don't know what that is, I run two levels of this membership. One of them is ongoing. You can join at any time. It's called elevate foundation. It's only $49 a month and you get a heck of a lot of group coaching and assistance there at that level, and I created it for people who either didn't have the time or the finances to commit to anything higher. Okay, so if that's all you can do, absolutely definitely check that out. All of this is going to be in the show notes. That is ongoing. You can join at any time, but my higher level of elevate that I call elevate evolution all the ease. I've got a thing with ease. You can only join every six months, so it is a six month commitment. It is a higher monetary commitment, but it's still not that expensive. You guys. It's still under industry standards. 100% should be charging more for this, because you get a very, very killer group, like.

Speaker 1: 44:08

Most of the people in this group have been with me for years and they keep reenrolling, which makes my heart so happy, because it it it shows me that I'm doing my job, but also that they are growing right, and so they give each other so much and again, that's kind of what this whole episode was about right, they have put themselves in a virtual room with other people who are doing really cool shit and they help each other as much as I help them. So they get a lot of access to me, though. They get Voxer support and we have really awesome Voxer thread. This is a limited group. I limit it to 25 people because I like to keep it intimate and small and I like the vibe to be high. So I do ask for applications for this one. Even though it is not that high of an investment. I do want to see where you're at, to see you know how you are going to play with the rest of the group, because the vibe matters. So, anyway, this information will probably be in the show notes for this episode and if it's not, just keep watching. If you're on my email list, you're going to get that information first and so you'll have dibs to you know, submit your application for it. If it's not in the show notes, I'd love to have you if you feel like it aligns with you.

Speaker 1: 45:25

It is become like such a fun and fulfilling part of my business. I really love working one-on-one with people, but this elevate group, my higher level peeps, they're committed. They're committed and they're doing some really cool stuff and they're really cool people. So you're going to love them. So that's going on and there's always elevate foundation. If that is, you know what you can do and where you can be right now, I totally get it. I made that level accessible for a reason, so no excuses. Okay, 2024 is absolutely going to be your year when you decide what you're going to do to make that happen Right.

Speaker 1: 46:12

So go forth, my friends, and have an amazing week. I love you for being here. I truly do. I really appreciate you listening to my little podcast and I hope that it gives you a swift kick in the ass when you need it. It makes you feel uplifted and hopeful and gives you all the good feels and provides value. That's my goal. So I've got some good episodes coming up for you in December and I look forward to seeing you next time, thank you, thank you. Thank you so much. If you want to leave me a review, go to ratethispodcastcom. Slash Renee Bowen. I'll put all that in the show notes. I love you forever If you leave me a review and I'll give you a shout out on Instagram. So have an amazing week, my friends. Go and do something amazing.