Shaping Moments: Part 1

I’ve been thinking really hard about how I’m going to write this blog.  I knew it was important, and I knew it needed to be said, but I wasn’t quite sure how to put into words what I wanted to convey.

We have the opportunity to shape our moments.  What I mean is that we have the opportunity to live our lives, shape the moments of those around us, create experiences, and directly impact how a moment is captured in time.

Let me be more specific, and on a personal level.  It’s crazy to think that we have that much power with our kids: we can totally determine the joy that they experience in their childhood, how they perceive the world, and what they love to do.  Think they’d like soccer or ballet?  You get to help them choose.

Piper and Wren will have a plethora of photos to choose from about their life.  We were at the waterpark on Sunday with friends, and I remember thinking to myself, “Misty, put your phone away.  Live this moment with Piper while she goes wild on the slides.” Then I remembered one of my favorite photos from my childhood.  It’s me, with those float things around my arms, jumping into a pool into my mom’s arms.  It’s an epic photo (that I’ve currently searched the house for, and am fairly certain is living in our attic), but that image, that photo, shaped that memory for me.  I couldn’t tell you about that day – I couldn’t have been any older than Piper – but what I remember and can feel when I see that photo is just how happy I was with my mom jumping and being a crazy kid.

  Don’t get me wrong. Yes, put your phone away every once in a while. You don’t have to capture everything (my husband is currently reading this and thinking to himself “practice what you preach, Misty”).  I don’t want them to just remember that I hid behind a camera.  Here’s what I know: Piper & Wren will remember their childlike joy.  They’ll see Piper rolling around in the waves, Wren eating sand, Piper riding down the slide with me a year ago today. But shape those moments and those memories.

What’s the point of this post?  How does it relate to you and your business?

It’s extraordinarily important for you to remember that YOU shape the moments for your client.  You have the biggest opportunity to impact their client experience via social media, sharing reviews, giving them insight into who you are both personally and professionally.  What strategy fits your brand?  What do you want to convey to your ideal client?

For me, it’s simple.  I want my clients to know that I am authentic.  Truly and honestly, what you see is what you get.  I’m the second part to my better half that I totally don’t deserve, I love my kids, I’m a mom with a ton of faults, I work hard every day for my business and the businesses around me, and I’m a fiercely loyal friend.  I want my clients to know that I understand the importance of time with family and friends, and that I’ll do whatever I can to make sure that their businesses succeed without sacrificing that time.

So while this post is more personal, part 2 will go into how to attract your ideal client, the importance of professional photos, and how to stay authentic and shape those client experiences for your potential clients as well as your current and past clients.  Look forward to seeing it soon!