I saw a post on facebook that said ‘Enjoy your 20s and 30s because when you hit 40 that check engine light comes on.’ What if that is not the case? What if in fact, as the saying goes, life really does begin at 40?
Next year I turn 40 and I can honestly say it has taken me 39 years to appreciate who I am. I am finally confident in myself and I genuinely don’t need people to like me for me to accept myself. I know now that the people who do like me and want to be around me are the ones I want in my life and those who can’t accept me for who I am don’t have any significance! It is so liberating!
Let me back up a little to give you some background, I have always had self confidence issues, it was actually something where I didn’t quite realize the extent of it until I recently came across some old school reports and many of my teachers, through different subject areas and over the years, wrote about a reoccurring theme – my lack of confidence in myself.
Do you know why my LLC is called Photographic Gems? The reason I chose that name is because I was scared to attach my name to my work. What if it wasn’t good enough? What if I tried and failed? Everyone would know it was me! In 2020, I decided to rebrand and I chose to actually use my name, it was a little terrifying to begin with and definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone. But you know what? Now everyone knows it’s me and I have had some great feedback from people who hear my name and have seen my work.
So, what has changed to help my self-confidence? One major thing was my mindset – I have done a lot of work on changing my mindset from thinking about myself negatively to positively. I did this by surrounding myself with people on a similar journey and also successful people who have already done the mindset work, I also read a ton of books (Check out ‘The Middle Finger Project’ and ‘You Are a Badass’ if you want inspiring reads – fair warning you have to be okay with curse words).
The other thing that helped to grow my confidence was my self-portrait project and the amazing feedback I got from that. You can check out that work here and here. Seeing myself in those images and all of the comments I received helped me to see myself in a different light. I also had a couple of self portraits printed and have them on my walls. My favorite is in our stair well and every time I walk by it my brain goes ‘check me out!’ It’s a little pep talk several times a day. Which is why when people question whether it is weird to have wall art of yourself I am quick to explain the benefits.
So, what does all this have to do with turning 40? Well, I am certain I am not the only one who has battled with self-confidence. I am also sure I am not the only person who had kids and then wondered who they were in their new role. For that reason, I am putting together a women’s empowerment project called ‘Life Begins at 40’ to celebrate the beauty and wisdom women gain as they age. This project is open to any woman turning 40 or ANY age over 40 who wants to tell their story. If they have gone through a life changing event like a health scare or a divorce, maybe they have just become an empty nester. Perhaps they are coming out of their comfort zone and beginning a new journey. Or maybe they just want to celebrate how amazing they are! I want to celebrate these women, I want to celebrate YOU!
The ladies who take part in the project will be featured in a digital magazine to share all of their stories together. If this sounds like something you may be interested in taking part in, you can find out more information here.
Here’s what one of my participants had to say “I usually don’t like pictures of myself and I wanted to go outside of my comfort zone. Once I was there with you and getting my hair and makeup done I was excited! You were so much fun to work with and you made me feel so comfortable and beautiful! I absolutely LOVE every image that you took and cannot wait to hang up our wall pieces!
For anyone that is contemplating taking part in this project, DO IT!!!! You will NOT regret it…you will leave feeling empowered and beautiful!”
Book your session now by calling me on 941-564-5354
