How I plan to fail in 2014

I love New Years!!  Partly because we always have a huge party to celebrate the New Year and partly because I seize any opportunity to re-evaluate my life and ponder and plan what I want to change.   I do this at New Years, on my birthday in March, at the beginning of Summer, start of Fall... pretty much anytime I can as I think it is the key to actually seeing growth in myself.

So after much pondering leading up to 2014, I decided that I will plan on failing on some things this year!!!

YES... I'm planning to fail in 2014!!!

Before you think I've gone a little "cray cray"... let me explain.  I've never really been scared of failure in my life... I fully admit I experience fear (like with spiders, heights, blood, being seen without make-up, etc.),

but I'm not scared of failure... 

if something lights a fire in my heart, 

I am the first to jump on it and go for it.  

If it works out, GREAT, if not, 

live and learn and move on.

There is a pattern in my life of me trying somewhat crazy things... this is what led me many years ago to try out for my college volleyball team despite never having really played (and yes, I made the team)

It's what made me jump at a job in inner city Winnipeg working with street kids (and wandering all alone through some pretty dangerous areas of town... much to my mother's chagrin!!  I just kept telling her "Mom, if I'm meant to be shot, I'm not going to drown".  I'm sure that calmed her!!!!)

It's also what led me to take a chance with this guy who caught my eye one night sitting in Bible Study at church (I still have the note I wrote out to phone him when I knew he was out... I rehearsed it over and over to make sure I sounded calm, cool and collected when leaving a message!!  It worked!!!  He called me back, we talked for hours and the rest is history!!!)

Years later after "finding scrapbooking"... I entered the biggest contest out there at the time... Creating Keepsakes Magazine's infamous "Hall of Fame" contest and got chosen and published in the 2003 edition!!!!  (It was only honourable mention, but it ignited my passions and long story short, led me to my first front cover with Better Homes and Gardens Magazine and regular appearances on TV that I still do to this day!!!

And THAT led me to probably the craziest BHAG (Big Harried Audacious Goal) I ever had... I took a HUGE risk and planned, coordinated and hosted a Scrapbooking Cruise... and I had NEVER EVEN BEEN ON A CRUISE SHIP BEFORE!!!  Talk about biting off more than I can chew... but it worked and I did it again and again as it made for some of the best adventures of my life and friendships that I am eternally grateful for!!!

So you see, I could go on and on about how my life is FULL of taking chances and risking failure (btw, not all of my BHAGs work out!!  Sometimes things don't go as planned... but I don't let it knock me down and out... like our favourite fish says... "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming!"

And this year, 2014, I am planning to fail because I'm setting up some pretty crazy goals... one I've already failed!!!

Perhaps you have heard about "365 Grateful"... it's a challenge to take a photo each day of something you are grateful for.

Well... I've already failed!!!!  

And it's only January!!!! 

And I'm a photographer!!!

  

BUT IT'S OK!!! I knew full well I would fail!!!  But that doesn't stop me from trying and still taking photos some days and striving to be more grateful in my life in 2014.  In fact, it's my word of the year for 2014 (and this photo is one of the ones I DID take of my orchids from that handsome guy posted above that are blooming beautifully)...

So although I'm planning to fail at the official 365 Grateful challenge, I am NOT planning to fail at being more grateful and taking photos of random things I wouldn't otherwise photograph that make me happy and grateful for the abundant blessings in my life... I just won't do it every day and that's ok!!

And one more way I plan to fail in 2014...

I mean, it's bound to happen...

And I'm bracing myself for it now...

Because I don't want THIS failure in particular to stop me...

I'm going to take a beautiful photo of a beautiful woman... and she's NOT going to like it and she will NOT see it as beautiful or see herself as beautiful.

And there will be nothing more I can do about it except hope and pray that one day she will see herself the way others see her and especially the way God sees her... a beautiful creation worthy of celebration for simply being alive.  So in anticipation of this inevitability, I'm choosing to focus instead on all the women who DO come through my studio who not only LOVE the experience, but also LOVE their photos... like Tanya... wife, daughter, devoted hockey-mom, scrapbooker, friend to many and much more that makes her truly beautiful (inside and out)!!!!

Yup... I am bound to fail in my BHAG of photographing every day women and capturing beautiful photos for them... 

but that's ok... 

and I will persevere 

because I know the truth :)