Hello Friends & Happy New Year!
I am so excited to be posting not only my first blog post ever, but my first blog post on my own webpage!!!
A common tradition with this time of year is to reflect over the past year and make a list of resolutions to try to make the new year better than the last. This business and website has been a resolution of mine for the last 3 years. Why haven't I pursued it sooner? Well the answer is simple: I was afraid...and I still am! But that is why I am doing this. It is time to take the leap and go after my dream; no matter how scary it may be.
For so long the root of my hesitation was the fear of failure. I would worry over things like,"What if I never become as good as I want to be?" "What if I can't grow my business?" "What if people don't like my work?"
But the BIGGEST question I worried over was, "What if people don't like me as a photographer?" The fear of rejection was keeping me from going after what I'd only dared to dream about. I'd thought and prayed about this business for so long and when I was truly worried about failure the Lord kept bringing this specific verse to me.
Proverbs 16:3 "Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will succeed."
I've come to realize this little verse holds a lot of truth. I was worrying about my success or failure from the wrong prospective. I have never wanted to be a photographer so people would tell me how beautiful my photos were. I have always wanted to use photography as a tool to be a light & bring joy to others by investing in my clients. Photography is something that brings me joy & as long as I continue to commit my actions to the Lord and remember that He is #1, I'll be just fine. That doesn't mean I don't expect trials to come now & again. I am more than aware that this business may never truly take off. However, I cannot let my fear of failure keep me from finding out what the future holds!
I have to say a huge THANK YOU to my family & friends who have been encouraging me and supporting me as I have started this journey. Another special thank you must go to my talented friend Kari Bowman of KariMe Photography. She has been a great mentor during the last few years, whether she knew it or not, and she has been more than helpful in sharing advice on getting my business off the ground and how to mold it into what I envision it to be. Kari took these photos for me during our mentoring session last year so that I could use them when I was ready to launch Lauren Melanne Photography. That day has come and I am so excited!
If you are reading this and currently afraid to go after something you want, let me be the first to encourage you to go for it. We are officially in a beautiful new year and it is full of new and exciting opportunities!
