Good morning and a happy Monday to you! I used to think that saying "Happy Monday" was ridiculous because I was rarely excited for Monday. Monday used to mean going to a job I didn't love, doing work I didn't love, being away from my daughter during the workweek and wondering what it was all for. I had this dream in my heart that I was working towards and it felt like I'd never reach it.
Sometimes when something is just out of reach, you need to simply move yourself forward. Take a step. Reach harder. Extend your arm and your hand in a new way, until you can feel what your reaching for with your fingertips. See? It's not that far. It's not that crazy of a dream. So why not go for it?
For years I heard "take the leap and have faith that the net will appear!" Well, that's a beautiful idea and yes, it would certainly be a leap of faith. There are situations, though, where you also need to be realistic and mindful of what you're reaching for.
If I'd started this photography journey at 22, fresh out of college, it sure as heck would've looked different from the one I actually took. Maybe I would've gone full time much quicker. Maybe I would be living somewhere else. Too many maybes there to think about. Instead, I choose to think about the journey I am on. I got married. I began taking photographs while working full time. I had a baby, still worked full time, still took photographs. Jobs and houses changed, and now I'm here, working on my photography full time, enjoying time with my daughter that I could only dream of three years ago, and loving it.
It's still not easy, though, and I doubt it ever will be. But it's what makes me happy and feel alive, and I am thankful for the way my journey has led me here. I'm thankful for a husband and family who support me, a daughter who gets to watch mommy work while finding time to also play. A year ago, I didn't know where I'd be at this point. I didn't expect this, but I'm taking this opportunity to build a life that makes me happy and hopefully gives something back to this beautiful world.
So where are you with your wildest dreams? Are you reaching out, unsure of how far it may be? Is someone telling you to hold back, stay where you are, don't take the risk? Are you scared, or feeling guilty that by jumping towards your dream you may fail, or fall, or let someone (or yourself) down?
I want to tell you to take the leap. Surround yourself with a supportive net of friends and family and people who believe you can do it and will hold you up if you fall. It's likely you'll fall, but you may also soar. You don't know until you try. And if you want it bad enough, you'll keep getting up and trying.
The things in life that we love don't come easy. Work, relationships, friendships, family - they all go through ups and downs, struggles, failures. But the reward when they flourish is so great, it makes the hard stuff worth it. It makes you stronger. It prepares you to face those voices telling you "you can't" or "you shouldn't" and know in your heart that you can and you will.
