couple weeks ago, I hosted a Champagne Mixer for some fellow photogs!!!! Nothing fancy, other than the champagne... we all sat around and chit-chatted about some of our dreams and things that tend to hold us back in this industry.... I think what we found is that there are two things that hold us back... 1) Ourselves... and 2) Those around us. 
 
We tend to let other people dictate our steps in life -- and although we should value and appreciate the opinions of those we care about, sometimes those are the people that hold us back the most despite how much they try not to... We also tend to hold ourselves back -- whether it's because of our fear of failure... or our fear to succeed.  
 
My fear has always been success. 
 
I often times put myself in the position to ride in the shadow of others or dumb myself down to make the other person more successful, just so that I don't have to step up and actually succeed at something myself..... but after the Mixer, I realized that, that's not how I want to live anymore.... and it's incredible knowing that I can succeed on my own... because I'm finally allowing myself to. 
 
I still want to help others succeed, but not at the expense of hiding in the shadows... or playing dumb.  
 
We had a special speaker come, Sandra Goode... and she spoke about Passion and Perseverance. She talked about her own story... her struggles with cancer, eating disorders, divorce... and how she's persevered through it all. Her story itself is a true representation of how 'life' can try and get in the way a lot of the times, but that doesn't have to stop you from chasing your dreams. 
 
I soooo enjoyed having Sandra, and all of the other photogs there to sit and chat... eat.. and 'drank' Champagne!!!  
 
Here are some BTS photos from Jessie