lets talk about #goals.

when I think about the fact that 5 years ago I was asked, "where do you see yourself in 5 years?" and I had a completely DIFFERENT answer than where I'm at now, I laugh a little...then cry inside a bit...then laugh again.

I know that the purpose of being asked that was to encourage us, as teens and young adults, to set goals for ourselves. but in turn, did that end up putting too much subconscious pressure on us? I'm a former nursing student, current education major, also survivor of mental health diagnoses. so many of my goals revolved around success in school and my relationship that when I failed, the weight of my failure often times was overwhelming. part of this was the feeling of intense fear that if I didn't achieve the goals I set for myself in that five year time frame, I would somehow amount to the failure.

now, I look back and I'm grateful for having been through what I have. it's given me the strength, courage, and confidence to take on relaunching my business, dedicating more time and energy to it, and making it happen.

if you would've told me five years ago that I would have to got through allll that, just to get here - where I'm truly happy, expressive of who I am, have fully embraced who I am, and embraced that not everything happens in the timeline we thought it might....... I would probably say "yep, lets do it all over again".

that's not to say that the heartbreak and the pain was nothing, but it is to say that it was worth it.

the pressure needs to be realigned. the pressure needs to be turned into positivity or positive reinforcement. while there will definitely be trials, reminders of my intentions always helped me stick to getting my head straight, or achieving personal goals. my intentions have always been to share the love of science and somehow integrate photography into my daily life. I've done so by becoming a secondary education major, and starting my photography business.

anywho, lets set goals to set less goals. lets go with the flow a little bit. lets take failure for what it is and not put so much dang pressure on ourselves.