Originally, this post was supposed to be published on January 1st. Haha! I had it created and ready to go — all I needed to do was hit that blue button! However, as I sat at my desk (read: couch) on December 31st creating my goals & dreaming for the new year, I didn’t feel excitement or anticipation. I felt anxiety.

What if people think my goals are dumb??? What if no one cares?? What if people think I’m just a big fat copy cat & not original — after all, a lot of these goals are similar to other photographers! What if I don’t do these things??

So, I didn’t post it.

And then I started thinking about why I didn’t post it. And I realized something HUGE about myself in the process. You see, I didn’t post my goals because I was afraid they were too big, or because I was afraid I wouldn’t actually accomplish them (although I think that was a small part of it too!). Instead, I realized I didn’t post them because I was only even writing them in the first place because everyone else was doing it. I was writing goals not out of a place of JOY and big dreams, but out of a place of COMPARISON. How silly was that?!

ESPECIALLY since I recognize just how important it is to share goals and dreams out loud. There is POWER in speaking dreams out loud, in putting a name to your fears and conquering them! But I wasn’t really sharing goals before. I was following a pattern…writing things I wasn’t even necessarily passionate about!

My time at Creative At Heart taught me so many things. It was full of reassurance, peace, JOY, and encouragement. We were told we were worth it; we were reminded to focus on the WHY, to look beyond the obvious & find the purpose. Someday soon I hope to put all of my thoughts & feelings in words…but until then, I want to share one big takeaway I keep coming back to.

Without dreaming, without planning, without being intentional, this life will be a blur. My job will be a blur, my relationships will be a blur, my time will be a blur. If I don’t intentionally decide on what I want my relationships to be, my business to be, my marriage to be, my LIFE to be, someone else will decide for me.

So yes, it’s good to set plans; to have the courage to dream. But, don’t stop there. Don’t just think about your visions, don’t just hope for change, don’t just wish things would happen for you…make it happen. And guys, making it happen requires action; it’s a VERB!

One of the most moving parts of the weekend was when Kat directed us to write down three dreams. Then, and this was the kicker,  she had us list tangible steps that would get us there and speak them out loud. After all, “a goal without a plan is just a wish”. And MAN, this blew my world! When I got home from C@H, I went back over this goals post & deleted a whoooole bunch of stuff — and added a lot of things in that I really wanted to work on! This is what I came up with :)

This year I want to…

1. Be more intentional with my time.

• Put my phone away during dinner & at least one ENTIRE weekend a season. I am so tired of feeling tied to that dumb rectangle in my hand. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my iPhone 6, but I love people more. Time for my actions to start reflecting that!!!
• Focus on the “ONE THING” in front of me. I am the QUEEN of multi-tasking, and I tend to think this works in my favor. However, that’s not always the case.
  • This year, when I’m writing emails or editing photos, I will close my other browsers. When I’m on a date with my hubs or out to dinner with friends, I will put my phone on “airplane mode”. No more Facebook ding pulling me away, no more notifications calling my name. I want to BE where I am, and that’s going to require some big changes!

2. Be more intentional with my business.

• Photograph 50 sessions. Of those 50, I would love for (at least) one of them to be a styled shoot, (at least) two of them to be anniversary sessions (Blog post on this to come!!) and  ten of them to be weddings!!! Just so you know, this number scares the crap out of me…but I went back and counted how many sessions I did in 2014: 37!!! Whhhat?! Who knew?!?
• Revamp and redefine my pricing packages. Guys. This has to happen — especially as I am upgrading equipment, continuing education, and investing in all those fun small business must-dos (yayyyyy taxes, equipment/liability insurance, CPA, web hosting, stamps, cards, and more!!).
• Share relevant photos with the awesome vendors I work with so they can show off their talent too!! PASS makes this super easy, so obviously I need to incorporate it into my workflow!

3. Be more intentional with my education & growth as a person.

• Attend two conferences, workshops, or mentor sessions with a photography focus! (Already halfway through this bad boy — thank you Creative @ Heart!!!) Specifically, I hope to expand my knowledge with OCF & reception lighting.
• Create space for a daily quiet time to start my morning. I complain that I “don’t have the time”, but I do. I just don’t make the time. I will do this by setting my alarm 15 minutes earlier with a verbal reminder written right there!
• Apply my passion of teaching to my business by hosting a beginner’s photography workshop or offering one-on-one mentor sessions for moms with cameras!! This also freaks me out, BUT I love teaching and I LOVE photography, so why not put the two together?! More on this to come soon… :)

4. Be more intentional with LIVING :)

•  Visit NYC for the weekend with my hubs! We live SO. CLOSE. and have never made it out there yet, which I hate! We need to put it on the calendar and make it happen.
• Have a girl’s weekend with just my mom and sister!
• WORK OUT! I want to set my timer and spend 30 minutes working out three times a week! Running used to be such a huge part of my life, and I miss it so much! Cleveland winters definitely make it harder…but I have a yoga mat & the internet, so NO excuses!! (Except that this one has been on my list since before January 1st and I’ve already failed big time at it…any advice?!?!)

So, there it is. GAH!! My ACTIONS for this next year. It’s funny, because a lot of these point directly back to a post I wrote last March…the first post I wrote actually when I started intentionally pursuing photography as a BUSINESS. Read it for yourself if you’d like, but the main thing I realized was that I could intend to do a lot of things, but if I don’t actually DO them, my intentions don’t really matter. It goes back to Kat’s point above: if we just think about our dreams, nothing happens! After all, direction, not intention, dictates where you’re gonna go.

So what is it then, that keeps our intentions from being our actions? For me, and probably for a lot of you, I think our lack of movement stems out of fear and complacency. We are afraid of messing with what we already have, we are afraid of the unknown, or of what people might think, so we become complacent: we are satisfied with what we have and don’t really feel the need to improve or reach out or take that leap.

And personally, I’m so done with that! I’m done with being afraid all the dang time!! I want to be BRAVE. I want to step out & do what I feel called to do, even if it’s a little odd or different or not the “typical” thing people do! I want to live PURPOSEFULLY and not just out of habit. In 2015, I want to be brave that I may trust and follow God in whatever direction this year takes me — even if it’s out of my comfort zone!

Brave, Trust, and Follow. These three words are what I keep coming back to again and again. May I have the courage to DO this year…not just the stress that renders me motionless!

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

You make me brave
You make me brave
You call me out beyond the shore into the waves
You make me brave
You make me brave
No fear can hinder now the love that made a way

And remember….

(photo via Lara Casey)

You can make it happen any day of the year :) We’ve got this!!!!

Love love love,

Sami