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Welcome to our blog! We are a husband & wife photography team based in Madison, Wisconsin who document weddings & anniversaries for joyful couples who believe in marriage. This blog is a journal about real love stories, marriage & our own adventures along the way. We are so glad you're here — please stay awhile!

MAISON      CALEB

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LIFESTYLE

Measuring Your Worth | Productivity Does Not Equal Identity.

March 15, 2017

Our identity is not found in our productivity.

That is the message of my post today.

It’s a post for the small business owner, the blogger, the photographer, the creative, the stay-at-home mom or dad … you name it. Your identity is not found in your productivity.

Do you believe that?

Honestly.

Do you?

Do you feel that you are a better business owner, a better parent, a better spouse, a better employee, a better person if you start the day with a mile-long to-do list and have every single thing checked off by the time the day is over? Don’t get me wrong, being productive is a really good and positive thing! It’s often when we work just a little bit harder that we see those big changes happening in our lives and in our businesses. Working hard pays off and success comes to those who choose it. We can’t just sit around and wait for our business to take itself to the next level. Or for that promotion to just happen. Or for the tasks around the house to complete themselves. I mean, we have to work. We have to do things!! BUT.

But, but, but. 

Do you find yourself thinking you are more worthy or more lovable because you’ve done x,y, or z? Or do you believe you are a better person than the next because of everything you’ve accomplished in any given day? What I’m trying to say is, do you find your identity in your productivity or your accomplishments?

Because gosh, I so often find myself doing this and let me tell you, it’s NO way to live.

Not fulfilling.

Not rewarding.

Definitely not joy-filled.

When we write these things out and really take a minute to think about them, it all seems so ridiculous, right?

We are not more “worth-knowing” or more “lovable” or a “better” person because of the things we have accomplished. But I believe, in one way or another, we all find ourselves in this position and believing these lies. That our productivity, our busy-ness, our to-do lists and check-marked boxes — they define us.

I’m here today to simply remind you that they don’t. They don’t define you. Your productivity does NOT define you.

We ALL have good days and we ALL have bad days.

Productive days and unproductive days.

Instead of measuring your worth in your productivity, I hope you’ll measure it in the joy you bring to others’ lives and in the love you spread to those around you. Because in my opinion, those are the things that are worth finding identity in.

Business

  1. I literally could have written this blog myself. Like, word for word, pound for pound, heartbeat for heartbeat. I think that there are some of us – and I’m not sure if it’s a Type A thing, or the result of being a goal-oriented, ambitious small business owner thing … But there is tremendous guilt over truly non-important things – like posting a blog a day late.

    I don’t have any words of advice or anything like that, but I want you to know you are NOT alone in this struggle. You aren’t alone in the go-go-go mentality, and you aren’t excluded from the pressure and guilt we feel as business owners, as creatives and honestly – as friends with our clients. ❤️❤️❤️

    • Maison Engel says:

      Aww, Ashley! Thank you SO much for posting this 🙂 Means so much to know we’re not alone!! And I definitely agree — it’s a combination of Type-A, the fact that we love our clients + want to spoil them, + the fact that our business is an extension of ourselves!! So important to check in on ourselves constantly! Anyway, sending love to you from WI!!!

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