Happy Friday Friends!! We are so excited for this weekend- and not just because this Saturday calls for 60 degrees! YES- you read that right!! I'm so excited because I have the weekend off- no babies to photograph at the hospital, no photoshoots or client meetings scheduled- just two entire days of no working! I'm so excited to be spending time with my family! This is going to be one of the last free weekends I have until after Easter, so to say I'm excited is a bit of an understatement! ;) Oh, but don't be too jealous- there's already talk of more snow next week. sigh. :/
Taking time off when you own your own business can be so difficult, but it's so important to take some time for yourself- and most importantly to me, for your family! I'm going to try my very best to unplug (haha easier said than done on my part!!) and enjoy this early Spring weather we're going to get! One of my big goals for 2016 is to schedule days off- and stick to it. This is one of the negatives that people don't really think about when they think of people owning their own businesses. When you work a typical 9-5 job, you get to clock out, head home, and not think about the work needing to be done when you get back in the office on Monday morning. A lot of times, I find myself using these "days off" to catch up on work, but for 2016 I'm going to be serious about recharging to avoid burnout! I know I'm not the only creative & small business owner that over-extends myself, says yes to way too many things, & stays up late when the creativity and motivation hits! I know, you guys, it's so difficult to take days off- to tell a client no, you don't have that day available- but I know in the long run, I will be so thankful for that scheduled time off!
Taking these breaks will make me a better photographer, friend, wife, and mom. I never want to look back at my life and be thinking about how often I worked and how much of her little life that I missed. So, dear fellow small business owner, I want to encourage you to take some time off! Schedule some unplugged, planned days off to spend with your friends and family. I promise you- you will not regret it!! And please, help keep me accountable too!! I know I'm going to need that accountability!
And, because I know that was a lot of words, here are some of my favorite photos from our family session with Lindsey Hinkley this past November. (I know- shame on me for not sharing until now!!)
Ashley Eiban Photography is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia- serving Lynchburg, Wintergreen, Charlottesville, Richmond, Roanoke, and surrounding areas. Available for travel world-wide- we LOVE destination weddings! Ashley Eiban is currently booking weddings and portrait sessions for 2016 and 2017 weddings. Contact us today for additional information!