I turned my dream into my reality

In 2016 I decided to leave the safety of a desk job to chase after a dream I had of running my own business with no guarantees that it would sustain me financially. That was four years ago and I haven't looked back since! What was once a side hustle and a dream, has now become my reality.

I think we so often get caught up in the fear of failure that we talk ourselves out of trying things. So  instead of worrying about all the what ifs, I simply asked myself what is the worst that could happen if it didn't work out? That I'd have to go back to work. I gave myself 12 months to put all my efforts into pursuing my dream to see if I could make it work and four years later I still haven't looked back.

Now I didn't make the decision to go full-time lightly. I planned, I saved, I educated myself. Heck I was even scared to call myself a photographer in the beginning, to ask for money for something that had started out as a hobby. I set myself financial targets, I saved so I had a buffer of cashflow when I went full-time. I invested huge amounts of my time, energy & money into learning new skills, pushing myself to be better at my craft and my business (and this never stops). In the first couple of years I sacrificed any spare time to make my dream work. I've never worked so hard in my life as the work I have done in my business. Yet I have no ambition of ever working a 9 to 5 again.

I wish I could tell you there's a secret trick or a get rich fast formula, but unfortunately there isn't. You just have to start. You don’t have to go all in, but you do have to actively pursue it. Then you keep at it. Little bits, often. And bit by bit you will get there. You’ll stumble along the way, that’s inevitable, but you get back up and try again. It will be scary, you'll feel totally outside your comfort zone but when you turn your dream into your reality you will feel empowered, the hard work will all be worth it and it will change your life!