I awoke this morning to an achy jaw an hour before the sun even rose. Not because I had anywhere to go that early, but because I had so much on my to-do list to prep for the weekend and I had to be at work an hour away by 8 AM.  I knew that the upcoming month had 17 shoots which all were preceded by an 8 hour work day.  A meeting the night before meant I got home at 11PM, set up my camera for an epic star trail shot (only to have my battery die and me fall asleep waiting for 30 minutes to be up- #fail).  This added up to about an 18 hour day- typical.  All week has been stress overload.  Stress that I put on myself almost 100% of the time. It never comes from other people, I just want to do a good job, but I need to come to the realization that I’m only one person, and I’m definitely not superman.  I’m doing my best and giving 100% of myself, and I need to be okay with that, and realize that there just aren’t enough hours in the day to accomplish EVERYTHING on that list of doom.  And you know what? That’s okay. My jaw hurts from grinding my teeth through the night. Breathe. That’s what I keep telling myself. Two days in a row now I needed to set an alarm to remember to eat dinner. Yesterday was the first day in, I don’t know, maybe EVER, that I said to myself, “what do I need to do for myself? What is most important for me to accomplish today.” Not what other people need from me, but what do I need?

After dinner at my desk I took some time to reflect.  If I’ve learned anything in the last two years it’s the big dreams take a lot of upkeep. Similar to a child, or a puppy, it needs constant care and attention to develop and behave the way you want it to. I don’t have experience with either of these- and I’m certainly not saying owning a business is equivalent by any means to either having kids or having a puppy. I’m just saying man- it’s a lot of work. Shout out to all the moms and dads out there raising families AND chasing your dreams. I commend you, and think you deserve an award.

So with having 2 months of work to upload and catch up on and a constant chain of emails and meetings and phone calls and sessions, it’s safe to say it’s one of those weeks where Christina Perri – Human is going to be on repeat.

But after all that, after the “crying on the bathroom floor” moment. I realized one thing. My dreams are worth it. So that’s what I’m here to tell you. All those late nights? They’re worth it. All those “I’m going to have an anxiety attack I just want to curl up in a blanket and eat ice cream and cry” moments? I don’t blame you, but it’s worth it. It’s worth it to chase your dreams. It’s worth it to know that some day, you will be waking up working FOR your dream job and not just TOWARDS it. So I’m going to throw a corny lyric out there for you all of you at your breaking point right now. Keep moving, keep shining, keep the faith, because it’s all about the climb. So- to all you crazy dreamers, your dreams are worth it. Pick up the pieces after the “crying on the bathroom floor” moment and push forward. You are not alone in this climb.

So there it is you guys. This one’s for the dreamers. The up all night, awaking before the sun each morning just so you can chase that dream that’s been at the tip of your fingers and the forefront of your mind for years. Your dreams are worth it, and you are exactly where you need to be.