Have you ever stepped out of your comfort zone? Was it easy to do, or did you find yourself procrastinating to take the leap? How do you overcome fear?
I remember the exact moment that I knew I needed to start my photography business. It still did not become officially until about a year later, but I knew that after my grandma told me her best life advice was to, “Follow your heart,” that was when I knew where my heart landed, and it was in photography. The preservation of moments and raw emotions. I started taking more classes, practicing photo techniques, and doing sessions for family and friends until I started to work with my first clients who I didn’t know personally. It was exciting and exhilarating to see where my business was leading. It was all so new and felt so purposeful.
As my business started to grow, I knew that I wanted to do something meaningful and with purpose in my photography. My grandma was an inspiration to me, and she wasn’t just my grandma, she was truly also my friend, and one of the best. For nine years she had been dealing with cancer with such courage and grace. When I moved back home to be with her in her last few months of life, I talked to her, spent time with her, laughed with her, and got to know my friend even more. I like to think that if we would have grown up together at the same time, we would have been best friends. She was one to always generously help others and to make them smile. I have always wanted to nurture those same qualities in myself because of having her as a role model.
I have had an idea to work with others like her, others who demonstrate undeniable courage in their everyday journeys. This idea sparked what I have been calling With Love sessions. I want to capture images of people’s everyday courage, specifically those living with cancer. However, fear has kept me from actually taking steps to start these sessions. There is fear of rejection, fear of being misunderstood in its purpose, and fear of it actually going well. That’s right, fear of it actually being successful. That fear has paralyzed me into not going through with this idea and not taking even the smallest steps to making this a reality. I want to do With Love sessions for several reasons, but my grandma has been my muse and I believe I am able to give back to others using my talents and highlighting beauty in all situations. There are so many people in our lives that deserve to be celebrated and acknowledged in their strength when dealing with adversity.
When has the fear of being successful or doing something great stopped you from moving forward? What dream would you be working on now if fear wasn’t a factor?
In the last few months, I have let fear stop me from doing something that canI believe could be life-changing for others. Changing this mindset of fear has not been an easy one, and it is something that I am still working on, and probably will be for a long time, and that is ok. However, I know that I cannot sit back and not try. The regret of not trying might be an even bigger motivator to start taking small steps toward holding With Love sessions. How have you tried to change your mindset when fear stops you from trying? What is something that you would like to do in the next few months that you have been afraid to try?
As I get older, and wiser I hope, I believe that the regret of not trying is a greater loss than letting fear stop you from trying, so in these last couple of months I am fearfully, yet thankfully, presenting information about With Love sessions in hopes to create images that embody courage and strength for those, like my grandma, who have been living with cancer. If we don’t acknowledge our fear and push beyond it to try our ideas, we will never know where it could take us.
The unknown can be scary, but our bravery in still taking that next step forward could bring us to places we have never dreamed.
Let’s make a promise to each other and to ourselves. In the times when fear paralyzes us from action, let’s take a moment and ask ourselves why we are doing this and what small, less scary steps we can take to go beyond that fear. I believe all people are destined to do great things, both big and small, that can impact others and bring awareness to the beauty in the world. That is something that my grandma taught me, and this is something that I would like to bring to others in her honor. What motivates you to move beyond your fear?
Join me in my journey to starting With Love sessions in my community. Fear has stopped me in the past from following my heart to creating authentic images of individuals in all seasons of life to show that there is beauty in all situations. It has stopped me from even taking the easiest step of thinking of a tagline for With Love sessions and having a specific webpage made for these sessions. In the next few months, I will be sharing more of my story in how the ideas of these sessions came to be, why I believe they are important, and the steps I will be taking to get these going. You can follow the hashtag #WithLovebyStacy to see what happens as these sessions develop.
If you are interested in hear more, please make sure to join my Instagram account (stacycarosaphotography) and visit the blog for more progress. Bringing your ideas to a reality is scary, but don’t let fear stop you. When we are scared, our natural reaction is fight, flight, or to freeze. In our businesses, let’s work on not being frozen in inaction or run away from something that could be so magical, rather let’s fight for our ideas and our dreams, as we all have the ability to be brave. You and your ideas are authentic and important. You are enough and you got this!
