This year, I am determined to make some huge changes.  To be honest, I try to make big changes every year!  Last year I started out with some major dreams, goals and ideas for not only myself personally, Sara-Anne Photography but also my family.  Then that all came to a screeching hault, on January afternoon.  (I will expand and chat about that more later in the month) but my point is that 2014 was spent just living in survival mode….it was by far my busiest year for my little business, but I wasn’t prepared (not sure we are ever) for all the changes and growth that it would take me through.    I was doing everything I vowed not to…all out of fear.

I was taking every single photography session that fit into our “profile”  out of fear …fear of if I didn’t then I wouldn’t be able to prove that I was a good photographer, that I was a good business owner that I was “successful”

I said yes to so many meetings that involved our community…some of them out of fear…the fear that I wouldn’t make the necessary connections that I needed to, that I would miss an opportunity, that I wouldn’t be able to prove that I was a woman who could “do it all”

I turned down opportunities (opportunities that would have been GREAT ones) out of fear…fear that people would judge me, that they would use my past failures to criticize and hurt me.

I missed valuable moments with my family…again out of fear.  My daughter looked at our undecorated christmas tree on December 17ths and said, I’m decorating the tree!  It hit me that this was so important to her…much like it was important for me to be at my sons’s soccer game but out of fear that I would loose money if I didn’t work, I missed out!  Moments that I can never have back, but out of fear chose to do something different.

No more!  I refuse to live out of fear anymore!  I can not let it govern my every thought!  There are so many great quotes about fear…I did a quick Pinterest search and here are just a few that I loved!

• Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.  G. Addair
• Sometimes the one thing that you are the most afraid of, is the one thing that may set you free
• Your largest fear carries your greatest growth

I have felt for a while, that fear keeps me from truly accomplishing all that I’m purposed for!  I know some of you think..wow…this surprises me, how can you be fearful…you have “accomplished so much”   but life circumstances over the past few years (if I’m honest, since I lost my mom) have me paralyzed in so many ways!

So this year, I’m learning, and it will be a long process, one that I know will involve some major growing pains, I’m striving to “not be afraid”  To be all that God has purposed me to be.  And you know what…that’s what I want for you!

Think about these things right now…yes, take a moment and just stop…stop looking at your phone, stop watching TV and ask yourself

• What truly am I afraid of?  Most of us it will be something that has an end result….but ask yourself that
• What are the circumstances that have made these fears paralyzing
• If I truly gave these fears over…what would that look like

Please don’t be afraid.  I’m choosing to each day make decisions that are not fear based.  Won’t you join me?  I hope that at the end of 2015…to be able to say:

I didn’t let fear govern me…that I lived in freedom!  That the choices I made, the goals I strived for were only out of the purpose to live and be all that God wants me to be!

Switching gears a bit….(I know random)

I had the amazing opportunity to photograph this sweet bunch of kids (grown kids) but these beautiful women…wanted to surprise the guys mom’s with a pictures of themselves.  They went to every length so that their surprise would not be spoiled.  Their session was awesome…loved working with them…so much fun!  And in the end, I think we achieved the goal…Mom was surprised and from what I heard, she carried around her prints for 2 days showing them off (I think she has much to be proud of)

Thank you so much Ashley, Amanda and Christine for allowing me to work with you all!  I loved your session (sorry there were a few hic-cups with the order) but I’m thrilled that you pulled it off and it was fun for me to be able to be a part of it!