Sometimes letting go is the most important thing we can do in a situation that is bringing you stress and negativity – you choose!
Recently, I had a client that let’s just say was anything but easy to work with.
Nothing was good enough from the moment I arrived at the studio to when I delivered the final photos. Negativity followed this person like a dark cloud all through the shoot and of course the vibes I was getting was anything but collegial.
Not surprisingly, all of the others in the team were great and seemed to enjoy the photoshoot, commenting on how much fun it had been.
When I did deliver the final photos, it was clear that it wasn’t good enough. In this person’s mind the edits were wrong, the lighting was wrong, and final product was poor at best. This is when the demands for the RAW files began…
I explained, as outlined in our contract that this isn’t part of the final product, but this of course also didn’t sit well with them.
At some point in the back and forth as the angst grew, I decided that letting go was going to be the only way to move forward. Although that being said, I’ve used them in some new posts that will be coming out in the coming days and look just fine to me and others.
Emailing them I explained that I had deleted all of the final photos and began uploading the RAW files… and not surprisingly there was nothing but radio silence.
I’ve realized over the course of my life, that somethings are just not worth the aggravation. If they want to edit all of the photos themselves, let them go ahead.
I’m sure I’ll get a poor review, and I’ll be happy to respond but it’s just an example of the added stress placed upon us by external forces of which we have little to no control.
It’s moments like this that you have to take a deep breath and ask yourself if it’s really worth it to be stressed about a specific situation. More importantly you need to Identify your options and choose a path forward. Maturity allows us to look at the situation through the lens of your collective experience to decide on what your next step will be.
Sometimes we hold onto the rules too tightly, instead of weighing up our options and choosing a less stressful way forward.
Many may see this as a win-loss situation, but I would argue that it’s less about that and just a part of life. We all face hurdles and obstacles in both our work and home life, but it’s how we handle them that is the defining moment.
Sure, I could have been bloody-minded about the situation and continued to refuse letting them get what they wanted, but in the end my services had been paid for and so I decided to give them what they wanted.
It was the path of least resistance, but whether I provided the RAW files or not was irrelevant. They just needed to get their own way, although once they have what they wanted it still may not get them what they want.
The photo editing process is complicated to say the least, but all the power to them to want to do it themselves.
This situation reminded me that it’s okay letting go from time to time, and that sometimes the level of stress in our lives is ours to monitor and maintain.
We can choose to let go of situations like these or add them to the day-to-day stresses that we already face.
Since this interaction, I’ve updated my contract to be very specific about what I deliver and more importantly what I do not. No more reading between the lines, explicit is best.
I’ve also decided to be a bit more discerning in my choice of clients.
You know when you first interact with a potential client you get a vibe, trusting my gut and not moving forward with someone whom I don’t quite align with is okay.
If you get this vibe from day one of your relationship, it’s okay to decide not to move forward with them even though it may have been a well-paying gig.
If they are challenging from the get-go, then what I’ve learned is that it’s not going to be get any easier to work with once you’re in the middle of a project or delivering the final product.
It’s best to decide after a few interactions and if you’re not feeling a good connection in terms of the job then respectfully decline to move forward and encourage them to find another provider who may be better suited to their needs.
Letting go of situations like this, or extricating yourself before they become a client is best for both you and the client.
A great reminder and life lesson!
Until next week.
Ciao!