If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.
I’m just let that going to sink in for a second.
Are you letting your fear (and excuses) be more important than your dreams? Ugh. How convicting is that! I am SO guilty of this. Saying oh yeah…I’ll do that next year…. brushing things under the table. Coming into this week was kind of scary (and super exciting of course). I am currently in Las Vegas with 15,000 other wedding photographers. I have wanted to come to this conference (WPPI) since 2008. This year, I am actually here. I flew by myself to the other side of the country to be surrounded by people I have mostly only met online….pretty nerve wracking stuff. But I made it. I’m here. And I am SO EXCITED to hear so many people I admire speak, and to learn from them. In reality this week is easy compared to next week. Now that I’m here I have to challenge myself to be bold in introducing myself to strangers, I have to take TONS of notes, and glean as much knowledge as possible. Next week is just up to me though. Next week I have to execute. I am saying this for myself but I want to say this loud and clear for all of you though too:
Achieving your dreams is up to you. You can’t count on other people to give you permission. So here today in this space I am. I am giving you permission to chase your dreams. I am telling you to do one thing today that scares you. Be it personal or professional, it is up to no one but you.
Being the kind of risk averse person I am, I have to write lists first, and make notes. If this is you too, it’s ok. Actually write down what it is that you want to do. Be really specific. And then underneath it right down what you’re scared of. Rejection? Failure? Being laughed at? Then below that actually write what you think could be the most awful possible consequence. What’s the worst that can happen? How bad would it really be? Is it worse than where you are right now? I honestly doubt it is.
Now take a second and ponder. Think about some of the biggest, coolest things in your life. I don’t know about you, but for me, each thing on that list scared the crap out of me at one point. How freaked out were you to step out and do them? How rewarding is it to say you have done them now? Action trumps fear. What do you actually need to do to accomplish your dreams? Again, write this down. Be as specific as possible. Then write down what you think are your biggest obstacles. Are the people you’re spending the most time with helping your or hurting you? Are they daring you to dream bigger? Or are they sucking up your life and energy? What else do you need to re-evaluate?
As I look at the goals I posted this January, I know I’m tracking on some of them…but some I had already forgotten! And it’s only February. I know. So here’s to taking action, conquering fears, and putting yourself out there! The first step is the scariest. I’ve been reading people’s blog posts about how awesome WPPI is for YEARS and now I’m here thinking “what the heck took me so long?!”
I’m not going to post a pretty picture to close this out. I don’t want to give you the impression I think this is simple, and can easily be broken down into some cute catch phrase photoshopped onto a picture of a waterfall. I want you to to actually write down your dreams and goals. And then I want you to go accomplish them. And know that I am here, and I support you! I’m not an expert, but I love talking through things with people 
Always feel free to email me.
And can you do me a favor? If you like this post at all, or really even if you hate it…. can you let me know your thoughts in the comments below? Thank you. Seriously.
5 Comments
Awesome post! Thank you for your encouraging words – better start thinking about what I can do that scares me a little
Em, I think this is a really good call to action. I think we often get caught up in the here and now and forget about what we once wanted. I think at the same time we should ask ourselves the question ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ We’re never too old to be figuring out what we want to do with our lives.
Having made some decisions that others would call ‘crazy’, ‘reckless’, and ‘down-right stupid’, I must add that when dreaming big, be ready for and know that others will question you, will criticize your decisions, and most importantly: people will lay the fact that they themselves never took risks upon you and make you seem foolish for doing so. Do not let the fact that others have not dared to dream big be a deterrent to your own dreams.
Whether that be to go to a conference in Vegas, take a course at a community college in something you’re interested in, or quite your job and move to the other side of the world. I encourage risks. If you risk nothing you will gain nothing, and have no one to blame but yourself.
And guess what, sometimes the risks will not work out. This does not mean you have failed. Thomas Edison tried 1,000 times to make the lightbulb before he got it right. He said: ‘I didn’t fail a thousand times, I found a thousand ways not to make a lightbulb. I only needed to find one way to make it’.
Keep pushing Em. Keep dreaming. Keep risking. I will leave with a Mark Twain quote. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than those you did”.
FGK
Well, Emilia, I loved it.
It hit me in a very personal way today…sometimes I don’t even let myself dream or verbalize dreams I have because of fear. I can’t wait to hear what all you’re learning. WPPI…yep, it’s on my bucket list. Hoping for next year. 
Today I rented a car by myself in Philadelphia and drove to New Jersey. Not that big of a deal, but when my company cc decided not to work and I hadn’t put in my personal cc, I kind of freaked for a minute-before remembering my debit card. DREAM? Keep walking forward in faith and not fear! (Bigger things in the future) Have a great time at WPPI.
I’m so glad you made it to WPPI this year, and that I was able to meet you! Keep pushing on to your goals!