Just Start...If not now, then when?

Pulling from a conversation I had last night in the lead up to see the new year in, as well as hanging at the beach today and observing a girl learning to surf, my message to you is just bloody start.

I decided at 14 years old that I wanted to be a photographer. I took my first step towards that at around 18 yrs old, but didn't get really serious about my dreams, until I was 21. That's nearly 7 years of dreaming and not really doing. My goals grew as I grew. Owning a studio out of home, and to become one of the go to photographers in my area was my dream. At 40 years old I can say I accomplished my goal. During those years of wanting to see my dreams become a reality I had the following said to me....

- If you buy that camera will that make you feel like a real photographer (said by someone in the industry) - You shouldn't share your tips & tricks because others may copy. Yet to me sharing is caring & you'd be hard pressed to find anything original these days, just a twist on something already been done. - You will never be rich. To which I say, define rich. What does rich look like, sound like, act like. What & how much does one have to have to be able to say they're rich? - No one will pay that much for photography, you should charge way less than that (said by someone not in the industry or the game of business)

And now that I reached my goal, these are the words I now here. - You're an amazing photographer, I love your work Char, it's magic (yep magic is the word that was used) - Thank you so much for making me feel so beautiful, I love my portraits. - Can you please teach me as I want to become a photographer too - How do you do it...parent, run a business, keep up on social media & socialise - I wish I could do it. - I wish I could take a risk like you have

I will be the first to admit, I was a terrible photographer for quite some time, in my view anyway. We are usually the toughest on ourselves. Yet it was my desire that saw me continue to push through everything no matter what. Through all the comments dished out to me no matter what. To get back up every time I fell down or went off track.

People will always fire their limits at you (especially at the beginning) when they see you pushing outside your comfort zone, challenging yourself, purely because they don't understand the ideas in your head, the industry you're in, they wish they could take a risk to see their dreams through or because they're not playing in the game of life or business that you want to play in.

Yet when you've done the work, mostly behind the scenes, then that's when the cheers begin, the 'How did you do it' , 'I knew you'd do it' is said.

It's also through my photography journey that has seen me now start to call myself a writer & a mentor for women. No one else has given me these titles, I've had to give them to myself, It's up to me, no one else. And by doing so, once again I've been questioned...

- What makes you qualified to mentor women? - How will you make money out of writing? - There are so many people doing that already, you should just stick to photography.

And again, it's my desire to help others, to share my knowledge, my experiences that is my driver. It's my desires that will see me push through all that is dished out to me. But it's up to me to start. It's up to me to be persistent, consistent, and to do the work.

So what's that one thing you're dreaming about? Go on and do yourself a favour - START!

How can you blend what you're doing now, with what you want to do? What are you willing to risk, put on the line. What are you willing to do to support yourself in your dreams. What can you do today. Are you willing to get back up, no matter who many times you fall down.

These are your dreams...no one knows your dreams quite like you do. Go after it, no matter what anyone else says to you, If you feel it, If you see it, If you really want it. You're half way there... The rest is up to you to do something about making it a reality.

Back yourself even if no one else does.