Monday.  What will the rest of the week be like?

What about the year?  How will 2012 be?

It’s the Bay Area.  Is it going to rain anytime soon?  Will my scheduled shoots be rained on?

How am I going to be able to pay for groceries?  Will I have to start couponing?

Can I keep my car?

What will my photography career be like in 2 years?  5 years?  10?

 

I don’t know.  I just paid my bills and I feel a little…

 

Uncertain.

Have you ever felt that?

There’s a lot of uncertainty when I made the big leap and left my stable career on July 1, 2011.  One of the biggest turning points by far.  There’s a lot of questions that I ask myself on a daily basis, some of them hitting the surface, some of them deep, and others, deeper.  Things like, what am I going to do tomorrow?  Oh, maybe I’ll wake up early,  join all the mommies and grandmas at the grocery store, maybe go to the gym before lunch break for 9-5’ers start, and start working when I get back home.  Or I ask myself other questions like, what am I going to sacrifice in my life next?  A dream home?  Can I survive being financially poor for the rest of my life, yet feeling lovingly full doing the things I love and am passionate about?

I think large businesses have the same thoughts like us little people do.  Uncertainty happens.  Failure happens.  Can we weather the storm when it comes?  Will a storm come?  How will we survive, and with every business plan, what is the exit strategy, if any?

Eleanor Roosevelt said:

do

one

thing

every

day

that

scares

you

 

After coming back from the Bahamas, Miami, and the ever-so-awesome Scott Robert Photography workshop, I’ve been on an ultimate high.Emotionally.  And I still am today!  Blog post here.  I left for the Bahamas and Miami uncertain about how 2012 will be like.  Coming into 2012, I had a handful of wedding inquiries, two weddings booked for 2012, and one for 2013.  My ultimate goal is to have twelve or more weddings.  So honestly, at the end of 2011, my feelings for 2012 was uncertain.  I am perplexed and hoping the weekend warrior and new technology hadn’t taken over!  (see definition of weekend warrior in my mentor’s blog).  Can they prove me wrong or will I overcome that fear someday?

You have the ultimate control of your LIFE.  You are not a backseat passenger.

How am I dealing with it?

Some of the things I do to help me deal with uncertainty is  having a mentor, staying positive and confident, and continuing to work on my craft.

From day one, I chose to invest in a mentor.  Not any ‘ol person, but someone who is successful.  Someone who you’ve followed and know can bring someone from zero to the top in faster time than it could normally take.  Successful in their own business.  Known in the industry.  Accolades.  Press.  Awards.  Someone who can teach you, and tell you your faults and help you grow from them.  Someone who sees FAITH in YOU and WILL help invest time into you.  Reinvents themselves, over and over.  Someone who will give you the tools to succeed farther than where they are, today.  That someone, Scott Robert Lim, I started following on Xanga since 2004.  Having him as my mentor has helped me minimize uncertainty, helping me build from the bottom to where I am today.

Carpe Diem.  Seize the day.  “You put the shine in SUNSHINE” – I enjoy reading my {Instant} Happy Notes every day!  These come with 101 Sticky Note Surprises that make you smile!!  Ok, jokes and corny-ness aside, I like to stay a happy and positive person.  I do struggle, but my outlook on life is optimistic.  Sometimes, I feel the more adventurous I am, the happier I get.  A few years back, someone who was once a really good friend of mine, believed in zodiac signs.  Ever since her influence, I realized that, while not exact, it’s pretty true, for me at least.

Sagittarians have a positive outlook on life, are full of enterprise, energy, versatility, adventurousness and eagerness to extend experience beyond the physically familiar. They enjoy travelling and exploration, the more so because their minds are constantly open to new dimensions of thought. They are basically ambitious and optimistic, and continue to be so even when their hopes are dashed. Their strongly idealistic natures can also suffer many disappointments without being affected. They are honorable, honest, trustworthy, truthful, generous and sincere, with a passion for justice. They are usually on the side of the underdog in society they will fight for any cause they believe to be just, and are prepared to be rebellious. They balance loyalty with independence.  – Astrology Online found through a random google.com search

In 2012, I’m also going to work on my craft.  Improving my photography is going to be my top priority, because I gave up something big in 2011 to give me more time to invest in myself.  Attending workshops have always helped improve my craft, and I will be ultimately crushed if I have to sacrifice attending Scott Robert’s International workshops this year.  (In 2010 and 2011, each and every international, er, one week workshop has been life changing – every single time.)  Doing personal shoots will also help me discover and practice techniques, and help me express myself.  Ballet are the things I love and used to do, and beautifying women is another challenge I am going for this year.  Improving my craft is my number one priority, it supersedes working on my business – the business and money will come with time.

These goals, ambitions, and whatever sacrifice I need to take on this journey to crush my fears, I will get there.  No regrets.  What are you scared of doing, or want to accomplish in 2012?

xoxo,

Michelle

 

Travel Schedule for 2012: