Everything I Know About Chasing a Dream

My eyes fluttered open and I found myself off-kilter. Which is basically the fancy way of saying I woke up grumpy. The house was silent, my boys were sleeping, and the curtain waved from the breeze at the window, but my brows furrowed. This was strange because I'm normally a happy riser (I've been called annoying due to the way I bounce out of bed), yet I found myself in a place of frustration.

I wish I could just move past this point, I muttered under my breath.

Then I clamped my hand over my mouth. I couldn't believe I said it. Again. I uttered the same words a few years ago when I started my business, a time in life I wanted to quickly pass to ease the discomfort. It's like I wanted to tell Life, CAN WE SKIP THE VEGGIES AND GO STRAIGHT TO DESSERT?! I later realized those years taught me invaluable lessons…they taught me everything I know about chasing a dream.

I swore to never say I wanted to move past a point in life because I'm destined to learn something important.

So, what did I learn my first year in business?
It's about working three jobs.
It's waking up at 5am.
It's asking for help.
It's not going out to eat to afford the lens you're saving for.
It's asking people to support your dream, even if you hardly believe it'll become a reality yourself.
It's standing in line to complete paperwork at City Hall, only to realize you did it wrong…and wait in line all over again.
It's admitting you're wrong.
It's checking your blog and realizing there isn't a single comment.
It's writing on your blog again the day after.
It's losing a client, but finding your voice in the process.
It's failing.
It's about doing the work.
It's criticism from anonymous readers.
It's failing. Again.
It's about the small successes that feel like the greatest victories.

The lessons of yesteryear and the lessons I'll learn tomorrow are the most valuable part of the process…I'm slowly learning to take it for all it's worth.