Scarlett talks about ignoring the "Haters". Do you know who my biggest hater is ( besides Satan, of course)? It is the woman I face in the mirror each morning for those brief moments of preparation for my day. I am standing in my own way. I am devaluing the gift with which the Lord has blessed me. While I look at the gift of photography as a blessing and a ministry; it is also a business.
I was talking with my girlfriend, Doris last week about how we devalue the talents given us by God. In addition to my photography business, I work a full-time job. I was given the task of ordering iPads for one of our programs. I sent the proposal to Apple hoping for a discount, but they came back with the exact price quoted on their website: $399 for the 16GB iPad 2 with Wi-Fi. My first thought was "Why submit a proposal....because with Apple, the price is the price. Perhaps if I ordered 50, there may have been some reduction in price, but I was only ordering 5. So why do I continue to sell myself short? I know why I do....because I have felt like a small sell is better than no sell at all. By slashing my prices, I am declaring that this is value I put on my hard work.
Do I work any less or give my clients any less when I discount my pricing? Absolutely not. I give 110% whether I receive full-price or 1/4 price. Because I do enjoy blessing others, there will be times when I do pro-bono work. For me, this is giving a gift.
I thank the Lord for all He has placed in me to do. Yes I will continue to bless others, and I will also begin to truly value the gifts, talents and abilities placed in me by my Creator, Lord and Savior. Forgive me, Lord, for trivializing that which you have given me.
Pamela
Girl, you are going to make me cry! Viva la pomme!!
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