I LOVE this. And so agree. I love to live artfully.
Stand up for YOU. Words of wisdom from MTH’s Gina Zeidler:
Bottom Line. YOU are the most important thing. Not in a selfish way either.
Your health.
Your body.
Your relationships.
Your sleeping patterns.
Your happy.
Your nutrition.
Your rest.
All contribute to how good you are each day. They equal what you can give, do, or achieve in life. Yet most of the time we are the last things on our to-do list. Most of us are probably operating at about 40%. Only 40% of our God given talent.
These components above FUEL our business, our relationships, our photos, our designs because they FUEL US. So… put sometime and some action into your self today, and don’t let yourself feel guilty. Replace that thought with the knowledge of how much more it is going to help your business. YOUR family. YOUR job.
But you have to start with YOU. So again, WHY NOT YOU? WHY NOT NOW?
Gina Zeidler
I took these first two photos only about an hour apart last weekend, one of the sunset while driving away from Tampa and the other of the “supermoon” while entering my parents’ neighborhood in Florida. Did you see the moon? It marked my entire stay and will always be part of my memories of that trip. I was told that it had the potential to affect the tides to the extent that the major faults near California might be disrupted, which had me worrying about our friends and family back home and especially my little Claire bear who was being boarded for the first time … lucky for us all no such thing happened and all is well! The earthquakes in Japan two weeks prior put more fear in me than normal.
Grateful for the pretty sunsets and moon rises on my trip :) And for lovely weather to cruise with the top down!
Annabelle Grace. She spread so much love during her short stay on this earth.
Gary and I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Florida. Last Friday, two days after my long time friend Nicole got her new puppy, a Bichon Frise & Shih Tzu mix she named Annabelle Grace, my mom and I got to visit St. Petersburg and meet her. She was the sweetest little angel puppy! She looked so much like our little Claire bear, but with pretty brown curls just like Nicole. :) We had such a nice visit and took many, many pictures. Loved. her. up.
Just a couple of days later we heard from Nicole that Annabelle wasn’t doing very well and would have to go back to the breeder and then the vet. It was determined that she had contracted a bacterial infection. She was placed on IV fluids and watched carefully. Reports were mixed, with the latest being hopeful, but after a touch and go couple of days, SO sadly, Annabelle Grace passed away. I got the news from Nicole just after landing back in Santa Barbara and couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. She is sorely missed, but will be forever in the hearts of all who knew her.
To see the rest of the photos from our afternoon loving and documenting Annabelle in all her cuteness, click here.
I finally blogged about MY Making Things Happen experience. It was a few weeks ago but it’s taken me this long to feel like I could write about it the way I wanted to. In a clear way. Hope you enjoy :)
This is what I (and 27+ others) was up to on Wednesday. It was beyond words. It was everything I had imagined and more. I am SO BLESSED to have been there and to have come away with an amazing team of support and cheerleaders to encourage me as I move forward with my purpose.
“I am fulfilled. I am the best version of myself every day which allows me to be an awesome wife and (eventually) mom, as well as a cherished and valued creative.”
—My “I am” statement from the end of the workshop on 2.23.11
Thank you Lara for this image!
More on the blog next week. :)
Our fearless and loved leaders Lara, Gina, Natalie and Emily on MTH2011 Vegas:
Making Things Happen Las Vegas. Mike, Melissa, Marissa, Jennifer, Christine, Lisa, Noel, Amy, Aimee, Mapuana, Suzanne, Kelsy, Janet, Alison, Shayla, Kate, Courtney, Jane, Emily, Danielle, Amanda, Monica, Angel, Erin, Danica, Lynn and Eve: you realize what you did on Wednesday, right? You did the work. You stood up tall and you walked. You made. it. happen! And the best part… this is just the beginning!
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. - Marianne Williamson
Go get it, Vegas!!! Love, Lara, Natalie, Gina and Emily
I’m taking the one week challenge {clear the clutter} via @MTH2011 :: are you? http://j.mp/gM1gzK (Taken with instagram)
Nobody messes with my pup! Claire had a bit of a rough start to her Saturday morning, but we all made it through in the end. More on the experience here.
“Challenging, satisfying work gives you energy”-inspired today by The @MarthaStewart Rules & ready for @MTH2011! (Taken with instagram)
How do you learn to trust your gut? You walk. Walk the walk and embody the talk. It feels awkward at first… to step into a new life. Stepping on new ground. Terra incognita. Put one foot in front of the other and act with integrity. Fall down. Get up. Fall down again. You will get up stronger. Before you know it, falling doesn’t sting like it used to and you have built new confidence, momentum and… you have changed. My eyes were opened yesterday in Tampa to a truth. Failing is a gift. I would go through all of my failures a hundred times over if they would ripen, refine and get me to here. Every mistake I make teaches me and makes me step stronger, with a clearer purpose. With a more defined purpose, we build power to sprint. The key: you have to take the first step and start walking. Get clear. Get real with yourself. Authenticy and integrity breed purpose. Clarity breeds action. How do you know what path to take? Step out of the fear and Walk. Fear paralyzes us, action gives us courage. Thinking about what you want forever won’t get you anywhere but stuck thinking about it. Acting on it - no matter how many times you stumble on the way - will take you there. Take a step - a small step or a big one - just start walking toward your goal. You may trip, but has that ever completely stopped you? How do you get better clients who pay you your value? Mirror what you want to get back. Give clients no choice but to hire you by actively showing them how you can change. their. lives. Because, you know what? You can. Game-changing business is not about services, prints, your camera, timelines or thicker letterpress. It’s about anticipating desires and giving clients an experience that makes them feel something… that makes them feel ALIVE. In order to make someone feel alive, first feel it yourself. Walk the walk. How do you reach that huge lofty what-seems-like-impossible dream? You walk. Take a step into that dream. I did. I stepped and I fell and I got up and fell harder and got up and fell flat on my face - and I still do and will all my life - but I will never stop walking through this incredible journey. I know with all my heart that walking through fire is worth living my purpose. Fall down seven times, get up eight. The bumps and scrapes heal. Reflecting on my journey from ballet class to moving to New York, quitting acting to be a personal trainer, tragedy after tragedy, the pain of severely disappointing my parents with my choices, learning the hard way that they love me no matter what, seemingly-randomly falling in love with wedding planning, starting my own tiny business with zero know-how, falling in love with Ari, moving across the country with him and getting married in Vegas after dating for only five months, Ari leaving for Iraq, deciding I needed a project to keep my mind occupied while he was at war, starting a blog before the days of Twitter and before most people knew what a blog was, the blog almost overnight turning into a tiny little magazine that I first made on Microsoft Publisher, that turning into a real magazine, getting a circulation deal because I put my passion out there and asked for it, teaching myself InDesign because I couldn’t afford a designer, trademark smackdown, losing it all and getting back up again, moving to North Carolina… and I could go on an on and on. You cannot find my path in a book. It’s not pretty, but it’s exactly the way things were supposed to be. God wanted me to walk, to fall hard, to learn to trust only Him. If you really want something, you make it happen. You do not wait or sit or dwell or let fear paralyze you. You start walking. Walking starts by first standing up. Stand up and put one foot in front of the other right now. If I can go from leotards to Lhuillier… you fill in the blank. I am not more extraordinary than you. You were given gifts that were meant to be shown to the world. Walk. Act as if you already own the life you desire. Walk in those shoes. Soon, they will be come second-skin. How do you start a business/rebuild a powerful thriving business? How do you get out of “overwhelmed” and start really living? You walk. Sometimes through mud, jagged rocks, thick weeds, thorns and on thin ice. But, you will get to the other side because you are walking through it. You get stronger. But, if you do not walk, you will not get to the other side. Step strongly. No mistakes, only lessons. Plant those feet on the ground. You have this. Walk. - Lara
P.S. Thank you, Brooke and TJ, for this shirt that reminds me to trust. To walk. I love it and you. Photo by Gina, iPhone photo by Natalie. Let’s do this, Atlanta!
Lara may not be more extraordinary than me or you (see above), but she’s an amAzing motivator! So can’t wait to meet in a few weeks at MTH Vegas!! Thanks for the pushes, Lara.
Oh, what a beautiful morning! Oh, what a beautiful day! The weather is perfect. I have my Claire bear back. We’re walking around our neighborhood on this beautiful 68° January morning.
I’ve been awfully silent on the blog front this past week, I know. It’s crossed my mind so many times that I need to write, but I’m in such a state of flux and growth with what I want to make my business that I’ve felt selfishly introspective and unwilling to share my thoughts. They are many, believe me!
I don’t trust myself to be fragile publicly, I think it must be against human nature. My endless battle with perfectionism stalls me out more often than I’d like. If it’s not perfect (or as close as I can get it) I don’t want to move forward. Lucky for me, my sweet husband is the yin to my yang and nudges me to move forward despite my reservations.
Which is why I posted that I’m available to be a second shooter for weddings on a popular photography forum when my tendency is to slow-roll things until I feel the timing or my mood is just right. Why I took my {other} blog off construction mode even though it’s nowhere near where I want it to be eventually. Why I created a Facebook page for my professional self… he’s helping me make it happen :)
Thank you, Gary!
“The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions.” - Leonardo da Vinci
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“Committed people rule out excuses.” - John E. Newman
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ACTION
Enough with the excuses, I want to be all in!
Operation Making Things Happen 2011 is on!
This is it. I’m making things happen in 2011! I’m SO excited to say that I’ll be attending MTH2011 in Las Vegas next month!! I can’t wait to meet the women I’ve been following and connecting with for the past few weeks over the Internet and to learn the steps to find clarity and make things happen both personally and in business this year. To celebrate I took some time for myself today and got my nails done in a super fun, bright color called Koala Bear-y :)
Another awesomeness that happened this weekend was that I finally upgraded my camera! I’ve been researching and shopping for months (with much help from Gary) and finally hit purchase yesterday. My, what a difference 5 years of technology makes!
