the journal

One of my main goals this year was to read 5 business books! I know it sounds silly and super easy, but I am not a reader. So, it was a big goal for me! And while I’ve only finished 1 book so far, I’m at least working on it! I had heard so many good things about this book, The Go-Giver that I decided to start with that one first! And I did finish it pretty quickly because it was so good (and super short)!

So, here’s a little synopsis. It’s about a man named Joe who works for a high-end firm and takes on other accounts. He was hoping to land a really big account but didn’t know how. He heard about this man they called the chairman, who is a super successful business-man. In desperation, he sets up a meeting with this man thinking that he’ll be able to tell him all the tricks to get this big account. That it’s about leverage and power and patting people on the back to get what you want in return. But, what he finds out in the process is that it’s not about any of those things. The way to success, true success is in GIVING. And not wanting anything in return. Through the process of meeting with the chairman, Joe learns the 5 laws for Stratospheric Success. And by the end of the book, he has a global company and is so much more fulfilled by what he does!

It was so interesting to read this book and learn about the 5 laws that are ALL about giving! The business world always seems so strict and rigid and competitive. So, having my own business has been really hard for me. I don’t want to be competitive but I do want to be successful. And even though this book doesn’t directly talk about success, I realized what success means to me by reading it.

There are 2 laws that really stood out to me. The first is the law of compensation. ‘Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them’. Client experience is a HUGE deal to me. I’ve really worked hard to put systems into my business to make sure that all my clients feel loved and taken care of! That being said, I know that there’s always room for improvement! I need to continue tweaking my business so that my clients are more than happy and then the income will come. I’ve been so worried about what I’m bringing in that I haven’t thought enough about how many people I’m serving and how well I should be serving them.

The 2nd law that really had an effect on me is that law of receptivity. ‘The key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving’. This one takes me SO far out of my comfort zone that it’s so scary to me. When Joe learns about this law he says, ‘All the giving in the world won’t bring success, won’t create the results you want, unless you also make yourself willing and able to receive in like measure. Because if you don’t let yourself receive, you’re refusing the gifts of others — and you shut down the flow. Because human beings are born with appetite, nothing is more naturally geared toward being receptive than a baby, and if the secret of staying young, vibrant and vital throughout life is to hang on to those most precious characteristics we all have as children but which get drummed out of us—like having big dreams, being curious and believing in yourself—then one of those characteristics is being open to receiving, being hungry to receive, being ravenous to receive!’ Whew. Isn’t he right?! I LOVE to serve my couples and I’m so grateful that I get to witness marriages and lives coming together as one. But I’ve always said that I don’t want to teach or even serve other photographers. That’s not my target client or my target market. I feel like I don’t know enough about photography and I’m not good enough to teach others how to be a photographer and have a business. But, it’s not about me. It’s about being so open and so willing to serve and give that I shouldn’t care WHO I’m serving or giving to! I need to be open to receive the growth. To receive the strength. To receive the success. I can give and give and give but until I open myself up to ANY possibility, I’m not giving myself the room to be truly successful. …. And that my friends, is a little bit terrifying. But also so invigorating!

This book changed the way I see success and defined what it means in my life. So, if you have any sort of dream AT ALL, GO READ THIS BOOK! Even if your dream is to loose 20 lbs.! It’s seriously such a good read and the best part, it’s really not that long. I’m so excited to start giving and giving and giving and being open to receive thanks to this book, The Go-Giver!