Saying hello to 2016 and welcoming new opportunities

Looking back on these photos I think two things. 1. Oh how I miss summer and 2. Man I don't miss being fearful of my next goal and whether or not I'll achieve it.

You're thinking, "what??"

Last summer all I could think about was waiting to close on our first home and open a newborn studio. I felt like it was never going to happen. And here I am, in my own home with a studio upstairs from where I'm currently sitting. Two questions run through my mind. How did I get there AND if I accomplished all that... what goals could I possibly need to set for 2016 to allow my business to thrive?

How I got there

Last summer Rick and I debated on whether to look for a home or stay in our apartment another year. At the same time my parents were wondering if they should finally take the leap and move out of the family home and into a one-story home. As soon as they decided to start looking for homes we made the leap NOT to renew our lease on our apartment in order to buy the house in which I grew up! In that moment I knew where I wanted to take my business. We would have extra space for a studio. A studio where I could grow my business and really begin my journey as a small business owner. Then came the waiting game. Waiting for my parents to find their forever home in time! I spent the rest of my summer plotting and planning the layout of my studio in our almost-home. In the time that I wasn't planning, I was praying. I kept remembering to BE STILL. Be patient. KNOW that He is Lord. Know He has a plan. Boy was He right. Our move-in date was September 18th and I decided my studio WOULD be open by October. I feel like I never stick to any goal I set... but this one stuck! I photographed 15 studio sessions in the last 10 weeks of the year alone. It almost feels unreal!

"I need to pray and ask God to do what only He can do and then get out of the way so He can do it!"

What's next

I'll admit when I sat down to think of my goals for 2016... I felt intimidated by 2015. I know, weird right? Rick and I accomplished a huge personal goal of buying our own home and making my dream come true by moving into my family home. I opened a newborn studio and discovered my true passion of photographing new life. I managed to slowly build my newborn props into a giant closet full of timeless pieces. People are starting to associate me with newborn and baby photography, which is so much more than I expected considering I opened my studio in the last two months of the year. It scared me to sit down and try to top what I already accomplished. But if we're never moving forward, always standing still. Never trying to better ourselves and better the world we live in... what is the point? I decided I needed to set a handful of really important goals for myself and one special goal for those in need.

Say "yes" to work and projects that will better my business and my life (that means saying "no" to photo sessions in which I don't specialize.)
Learn everything I can about the legal aspect of running my own business (that means taxes. GULP.)
Rely on God. Sounds so very simple but I have a tendency to put all the weight of my marriage & business on my shoulders. I need to pray and ask God to do what only He can do and then get out of the way so He can do it!
Plan a successful summer of rustic, organic family sessions. I LOVE my families I photograph. I would never dream of giving them up!
Begin my Rainbow Bridge Project - Photographing one family per month with a terminally ill dog or cat (free of charge).

Thank you for being part of my journey in 2015, and sticking with me as I enter 2016 full speed!

Love,

Sarah

Headshot photos taken by Leah Harms Photography