Hello, hello.

NEWSFLASH: being an entrepreneur is TOUGH!

Let’s be honest. I’m talking debt, dealing with customers, relationships, time, selling … it’s intense!

I know exactly what it’s like because I’ve been there.

If you feel like your vision for your future is unclear and confusing, if you feel like you’re not really capable of succeeding, and if you feel a disconnection in your relationship with yourself - you are going to LOVE this!

I have something special for you today that is going to give you the same three exercises I use whenever I feel like a huge, stinkin’ failure. 

These are my secret weapons when it comes to keeping my mind in-check.

Here you have your three must-do exercises that will turn your negative attitude into a positive one right before your very eyes:

“Learn to quiet the negative voice of fear, learn to listen to the positive voice of love and encouragement.” -@alexbeadon

The first one is called “Meet Success” and it’s all about really getting to grips with your definition of success. This is one of my favorite exercises of all time.

I want you to write down every single thing you want in your life, and don’t hold back. I want you to dream big here! Write it down as if it’s already happened.  The feelings, the experiences, the outcomes, EVERYTHING in the present tense, as if it’s happening today and you’re writing a diary entry. This will really help you identify what it is that you want.

Most people go their whole lives without clearly identifying what success would look like for them, and so “success” becomes this ambiguous, subjective goal. To have a clear, objective vision is so useful in ensuring that you’re going in the right direction.

You’ve got your eye on the ball, and through visualization it’s as though you are practicing for the big game. It’s as though you are preparing your body, mind and soul for what’s to come.

The second one “Believe in Success” involves knowing that you are capable of attaining the level of success you set for yourself. In the words of Charlie Sheen, “faith is for winners, hope is for losers.”

You have to have faith in yourself and know that you are 100% capable of making it happen - no matter what. Don’t feel like there isn’t a way, just look around because there always is.

I want you to think back in your lifetime to all of your big and small accomplishments, and I want you to list them out. When you’re done, look over your list and relish in that feeling of a job well done, I want you to  remember all of the times you thought you couldn’t, but you did. Use that as confidence to keep you going.

For lack of a better phrase, man up and hustle.

The last exercise I want you to do is called “Me, my best friend.” 

First, I want you to listen to the way you speak to yourself and then ask yourself if that’s how you would speak to your best friend.

No? I didn’t think so.

You need to support yourself in the same way a best friend would. Eliminate the negative stories you tell yourself like “I’m not good enough,” or “I’m not smart enough.”

Pretend that you’re already in the future, experiencing in live-time your definition of success. Then, write an encouraging and inspiring letter to who you are today. I like to call it a love letter from the future.

When you’re done with the letter, record it, and listen to it every morning to keep you uplifted, inspired, and motivated to stay on track with your goals and dreams. 

Look – being an entrepreneur of any kind isn’t easy. It’s an uphill battle, especially at the beginning. But if having your own business, making your own rules, and creating the life of your dreams is what you really want, you have to stay true to it and follow through!

And if you’re sitting around wondering why you’re not rich and famous yet, change your routine up. Are you marketing on FB and it’s not working? TRY SOMETHING NEW. Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. 

So – if you want different results? Try something new.

To every single problem you are experiencing, there IS a solution, it’s your job to find it. Do not let your emotions of fear, worry and self doubt stop you from achieving anything.

“Learn to quiet the negative voice of fear, learn to listen to the positive voice of love and encouragement.” -@alexbeadon

This week I want you to focus on at least one of these three exercises. Which one will it be? Let me know in the comment section below. I LOVE COMMENTS!

I WANT TO KNOW:

Will you be listing your dreams and goals to gain clarity on your vision?

Will you be listing your accomplishments and relishing in them?

Or will you be writing yourself a love letter?

When you’re done commenting I want you to think of a few people in your life who feel stuck, lost, or like a failure in their business. Share this video with them via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest - it may be the one video they need to watch to get back onto the fast track to success.

One last thing: if you’re dedicated to turning your passion into a successful business, head on over to alexviplist.com and sign up for my VIP List. This will give you exclusive access to my very best content, and will get you on the fast-track to a successful business.

Thank you so much for watching,  I hope you have a beautiful day and I’ll see you again next week!

Big hugs,
xoxo
Alex

The post Because being an entrepreneur is tough! appeared first on Alex Beadon Photography.

Hey you,

Now that Dress to Impress has been released, I have found myself wondering “WHAT’S NEXT?”

For the past week I’ve come up with countless ideas of what my next big project should be, when it suddenly occurred to me – who better to ask than YOU?

So here I am, asking for your help. It would mean the world to me if you’d take the time to fill out the quick survey below as soon as possible

If you choose to leave your email address at the end of the survey you will be entered to win a $100 Amazon gift card. Think of all the lovely things you could buy! :)
Big hugs and love forever and ever,
xoxo

The post This $100 Amazon Gift Card could be yours! appeared first on Alex Beadon Photography.

I can’t tell you how proud I feel today. I feel like I’m a caterpillar, about to turn into a butterfly. I feel like something big is on it’s way, and it feels good. I’ve been working my butt off each and every single day, and the more I work, the more motivated I feel.

Which brings me to a conversation between my sister and I. She brought up a really interesting concept: What comes first? Motivation? or Action? 

It’s so fascinating to me because I had to force myself to take action before the motivation arrived. These new Photoshop Actions? I’ve been working on them for what feels like forever. I really didn’t want to launch them because they didn’t feel “perfect”, but as soon as the New Year rolled around I started putting things in motion and I chose a release date. We decided we would never know if they were ready or not until we tested them. So we did. We sent a bunch of the actions to photographers around the world, and waited in anticipation for their feedback.

And when we finally received the feedback? It was exactly what we had been hoping for. People are loving the actions, and I can officially say that the Photoshop Actions are ready, and yes – they meet my high standards. And the best part is that I feel motivated again – something I had been missing for a long time.

Forcing myself to take action when I was feeling scared and uncertain resulted in an incredible boost in motivation, which resulted in further action. Except the action steps I’m taking today come from a place of feeling motivated and inspired. The stagnant feeling is gone. And that feeling of stagnation, my friend? That’s what cripples you. That’s what holds you back. That’s what keeps you from success. The stagnant feeling is what scares you, it’s what feeds you limiting beliefs, it’s what tells you that you’re not ready yet. And you? You’re ready. Jump, and the net will appear. 

My brand new Photoshop Action set will be released next week, Wednesday the 16th of January.

I am beyond excited for the release of these new actions, and for all of you out there who are cheering me on behind the scenes – thank you. You sitting there, reading this blog post – Thank you. You who is sharing my blog posts with your friends – Thank you. You who is counting down the days for the release of the actions, ready to purchase – Thank you. You, my cheerleader, who posts my updates and news on your own blog and Facebook page – Thank you. You are appreciated more than you know, and I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for you. Put simply – you are awesome, and you are destined for greatness. How do I know? Well, because we are on the same wavelength. :)

Release Date of the Brand New Action Set: Wednesday the 16th of January 

Book it in your calendars, lovers. And help me count down the days!

Huge hugs and love,
Alex
xoxo

P.S. If you want more exclusive high-quality Photoshop Tutorials, now’s your chance – sign up to receive them in your inbox over the next few days! (it’s FREE!)

The post Finding Motivation appeared first on Alex Beadon Photography.

Hey you,

This week has been amazing – a beautiful photo shoot, unforgettable nights out with friends, my mom’s birthday (yay!) … what more could a girl ask for? It’s in moments like these that I have to remember to be so grateful for all of the amazing things in my life. I know you have so many spectacular things going on in your own life, so I dare you to really focus on being grateful this week – it will do you a world of good!

A wonderful thing to be grateful for is your creative business! No matter how big or small it may be – I know that it brings you plenty of joy, am I right? And maybe a little but of heartache .. but hey – the beauty is in the journey itself! So appreciate! :)

Speaking of journeys – how is that blog of yours doing? Are you happy with the impact it has on your business and on your profit levels?

The truth is we all want to have a blog with a huge following! Why? Because you and I? We are GAME CHANGERS. We want to inspire people and we want to change them for the better. And we want to be able to do this through our blogs!

But how do you create a blog with a following? Let’s talk about it!

If you appreciate this video please do the following:

1. Leave a comment below letting me know how you use YOUR blog to build business!
2. Tweet about it! 
3. Click the “like” button below! 
4. Pin the photo above! 
5. Tell ALL your friends about it! 

This video took me hours to create and HOURS to upload – I have no idea why, but I do apologize that it didn’t finish uploading till Wednesday – major fail! 

Big hugs and love to you

xoxo

The post How do you blog and build a following? appeared first on Alex Beadon Photography.

The post Inspirational, Motivational Video – don’t miss it! appeared first on Alex Beadon Photography.

A few days ago I received an email from a photographer named Ali.

She opened her heart to me and shared her problems with me, asking for advice.

What I realised through reading her  email is that I was going through the exact same thing... We both feel “stuck” in our personal photography journeys.

Forget the business side for just one moment, because we all know that there is so much more to being a photographer than taking photos for other people – taking photos for yourself.

I used to be the queen of taking photos just for me. Now? It’s literally been months since my last personal photo shoot, and a year since I’ve really been committed to my personal portfolio.

When was the last time you took a photo just for you?

Hear what I have to say on the subject in this week’s vulnerable Chatty Tuesday video:

I can’t wait to hear all about YOUR journey in photography below, and any remedies you have to feeling “STUCK”!

Big hugs and love

xoxo

The post The vulnerable side of my artistic journey … appeared first on Alex Beadon Photography.

Hey you!

Oh my gosh, this past week has been so busy! Not only are my Photoshop Actions about to be released for Elements users (yay!), but I’ve been reading the book “The Artist’s Way” and loving every second of it! It has been so inspiring!

This week I leave you with a Chatty Tuesday video that gives you TEN short photography-related question & answers! They are all raring and ready for you to watch in the video below:

Don’t forget to choose one of the questions and leave your answer in the comment section of the blog post:

• “What mode do you normally shoot in? Like in general as well as professionally when you are on shoots?”
• “When you first began taking self portraits, did you ever feel silly going out with your tripod and camera especially if there was people around? If so how did you overcome this?”
• “I’ve been thinking about investing in a reflector. Do use one? Do they help with harsh light when shooting outdoors?”
• “Do you focus manually or use the AF system?”
• “What is your equipment or go-tos for lenses, remotes, external flash?”
• “Do you have a studio?”
• “Do you have any tips for finding good locations?”
• “If you had to pick one really nice canon lens for wedding photography, which one would you pick?”
• “I am interested in buying my first DSLR camera – which do you recommend?”
• “Do you shoot in RAW or JPG?”

Big hugs
xoxo

The post Ten Photography Tips From Me To You appeared first on Alex Beadon Photography.

Things have been so wonderful lately. I think back over the past few years and I can’t pinpoint the precise moment in time when everything became alright. I can’t remember when I stopped asking myself, “Am I doing the right thing?”. I can’t remember when I stopped worrying whether I would make enough money or not. I can’t remember when I stopped feeling like a total fraud. But it’s stopped, it’s all stopped.

And I feel grateful because of everything I’m feeling. I feel amazing. I feel alive. I feel blessed. I feel fortunate. I feel rich in every sense of the word. I feel happy. I feel beautiful. I feel complete. I feel like life is finally giving me a huge sign that I’m on the right track. 

Deciding to follow your heart and do what you love for a living is a brave and courageous step. And while from the outside it may seem all “confidence” and “certainty”, it most certainly is not that way from the inside.

When you first start out there is no confidence. There is no certainty. And looking back, it’s hard to remember why I ever kept going when there was no reward in sight. I really didn’t know what I was doing. I really didn’t have much of a plan at all. I would wake up every day and go to sleep every night wondering if I had chosen the right path. Had I done the right thing? Was I wasting my time? Was I capable? Was I going to make it?  Was I good enough? talented enough? smart enough? Would I ever get to a happy stage in my business where I didn’t worry about these things? There was no certainty.

But somewhere in the midst of it all there was this glimmer of hope and of light. And there was faith. Plenty of faith. And of course, the passion. The passion pulls you through, you know? The reward doesn’t even really matter, because right then and there it doesn’t exist. But somehow you’re compensated by the addiction, by the art, by the passion. The dream in and of itself is so beautiful that it’s worth it. It’s worth all of the sacrifices you make. It’s worth all of the bumps along the way. It’s worth it.

 And so, I’m here. I made it. I’m on my own two feet. And I’m grateful. If only I could have read this post way back when I started, I would have known that it was all for a reason. That I was doing the right thing. That I was not wasting my time. That I was capable. That I was going to make it. That I was good enough, talented enough, smart enough. And that I would one day get to a happy stage in my businesses where I would never have to worry about these things again.

If you’re just starting out, and worrying the same things I used to worry about, do me a favor. Read this post from start to finish as if it’s a letter from you in the future. You will get there. It just takes time. And a lot of hard work. But persistence, consistency, passion and faith will get you there. Just you wait and see.

The post When you first start out there is no confidence. There is no certainty. appeared first on Alex Beadon Photography.

A pep talk. That’s what I need. And it goes a lil something like this:

Hey you! YES YOU! Get into gear, girl! Create something new today! Take yourself on a crazy (or not-so-crazy) photo adventure! Live outside the box. Go confidently in the direction of your beautiful dreams. One step towards it each day makes a difference – never forget that. Count your blessings. Be yourself and above all, LOVE YOURSELF. Because you are totally loveable.

The post Hey you! YES YOU! : A pep talk. appeared first on Alex Beadon Photography.

 When I’m there, all alone in fields upon fields of greenery, chirping birds, and random wildlife,  it’s like I’m flying high on inspiration every. day. There is something so invigorating and refreshing about it.

And now here I am, in the middle of the city, lacking any sign of the inspiration that previously flooded my soul. It’s just gone. And I sit here and blame it on the concrete, on the tall buildings and on the lack of green. Because obviously your surroundings affect your inspiration levels, right? So it’s a totally valid excuse.

Wrong.

I have not once grabbed my tripod, remote and camera and gone for a “therapeutic self portrait session” in the city. Not once. What’s holding me back? Fear. What if people look at me weird? What if someone I know walks by? What if I drop my gear on the concrete? What if? What if? What if? The “what ifs” are pretty pathetic. It’s embarrassig even admitting that these lame things are what have been holding me back. But you get into your comfort zone, don’t you? Of the countryside. Of the total lack of people. Of the rolling hills and chirping birds. And it’s hard to step out of your comfort zone. So hard.

 So how can I blame my lack of inspiration on my city surroundings when I haven’t even really tried?

So here’s my challenge – For you. For me. For us. :

1) Find inspiration! Research other self portrait photographers who live in the city. Convince yourself that since it’s been done before, you can definitely pull it off, too!

2) Remind yourself that caring what other people think is a total waste of time. Self portraits are fun. There’s nothing wrong with that.

3) Embrace stepping out of your comfort zone. Know that will only make you stronger.

4)  GRAB YOUR GEAR AND DO IT! No more excuses, my friend! Just. Do. It.

Are you in? :)

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