The Course for Brides / Wedding & Family Photographer

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Posts tagged sisterhood
#39daysofselfcare Day 12: facing fear together
 

Day 12 of my 39-day self-care challenge

On Mondays I go to Rosehill Blooms to work remotely. I go because being away from my big monitor (for photo editing) forces me to work on other things, that I would otherwise put off.

Right now I’m re-doing my website to include my new offerings. Even though I’ve dreamed, strategized, piloted, practiced and prepared, I still feel terrified to step into the next phase of my career.

My mindset coach calls this the Terror Barrier. It involves worry & doubt in the mind, fear in the emotions, and anxiety in the body.

But the spirit holds steady. The spirit (or “pussy” as Mama Gena would say) knows that the things that scare us are the compass for where we should go.

RUN, DON’T WALK spirit says.

I was doing the opposite — I was crawling — until I realized the best solution would be to have someone hold my hand.

Sarah doesn’t drag me through, or give me tough love, like a drill sergeant. She holds space for me to feel the fear and do it anyway. She gets down to business (she’s one of the busiest, most productive wedding pros I know). And I sit next to her and work through my terror barrier. Every now and then we pause for a dance break or a karaoke break... because obviously.

You see, once you hit the terror barrier you can either keep going or stop. But if you stop, you stop. Your goals stop, your desires stop, your dreams stop. So yeah, you can stop, but stopping is, like, actual stopping.

There’s no way around the fear. There’s no shortcut or overpass. There’s no way to avoid the discomfort.

There IS a way to enjoy it though. Because when you understand the REASONS you’re feeling like hell, you can get excited. You can remind yourself that reason you suddenly wake up at 3am is because you’re actually doing something. You’ve finally stepped into action and shit is happening. And it’s the thing you’ve been wanting and wondering and fantasizing and ferreting away in your heart like a little secret love.

And those are comforting thoughts. Comforting and exciting and great.

And then you can go back to sleep.

So today for #39daysofselfcare I packed my lunch and my laptop and went to sit amongst the flowers and my friend, in Rosehill.

 
#39daysofselfcare Day 9: Finding Self-Confidence in Sisterhood
 

DAY 9 OF MY 39-DAY SELF-CARE CHALLENGE

There was a time in my life that, every time someone would tell me I was beautiful I would think “yeah, but you don’t know how fucked up I am on the inside.” I knew I fit society’s beauty standards, and yet I still felt awkward, insecure, lonely and ashamed. I was scared of attention. I literally took the alleyways because fewer people could look at me then.

And you know what? This only changed within the last couple of years! Especially when it came to being sexy and feminine — ho boy was I uncomfortable with that!

But look at me now. Dragana Paramentic took these beautiful photos for her new project, The Goddacious Experience. She’s mighty talented, and I was feeling hot as hell!

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So how did I make this transformation, you ask? Two things: SISTERHOOD and DOING THE WORK. That’s right.... personal development, specifically in a community setting. Don’t get me wrong — I’ve done my fair share of one-on-one counselling and coaching. But I couldn’t get to HERE alone.

Through (my coach) Catherine Farquharson’s group of 70, and Mama Gena's School of Womanly Arts’ army of 900, I have been surrounded by women who saw the light in me.
✨Who lifted me up
✨Carried me when I was down
✨Who I was strong for when they needed me
✨Who celebrated one another’s wins
🔥Whose desires and accomplishments were so much more outrageous and huge and fucking important than mine, that it lit a fire in me to get there/
have that/
do that/
Be that.

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Today is Day 9 of #39daysofselfcare. I am at Dragana’s house for a self-love date. That’s right, we are getting together to praise & raise each other (and eat all the foods).

If you wanna love yourself more, get your ass a sisterhood, asap.

Get out of the alleyways. Come walk on the sidewalk where everyone can see you’re a Goddess too.

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Resources:

The Goddacious Experience (Toronto)

Catherine Farquharson’s mindset coaching group (global)

Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts: On Sisterhood (global)

If you are looking for SISTERHOOD, specifically with other brides who are planning their weddings, get on the waitlist for The Course! (global)