7.12.2012

Fortune Favors the Brave // On Sharing Stories

I love my life, I regret none of my choices...the challenges I have faced & the choices I have made to overcome them have made me who I am today.
I regret nothing.

Yesterday I had a guest post up over on the Sole Sisters Film website about how a pair of cheap-o sandals got me to where I am today.  The Sole Sisters Film is a documentary focused on women's lives based on the stories their shoes would tell of them.  Their site outlines ways you can volunteer, read stories, share your own, & learn more about the film maker.  When I was approached to do this I thought about how wonderful an opportunity this would be to connect with others! If you've been around here on Five Sixteenths for long you may know that I am interested in how we as humans interact with each other & how, even though we may feel alone, we are more like others than we are different.  I am so passionate about this that this idea is reflected in my Artist Statement.  I was amazed at how the stories our shoes may share about us to help each other learn that we are not alone.

I shared insight on how a specific pair of cheap-o sandals got me to where I am today: feeling successful as a post grad even though I am not in the traditional sense successful.  I know I talk a lot about how I feel my journey post grad is going for me & I do hope you aren't getting tired of it!

The other day I put in my notice that in 3 weeks I will be leaving my current job & heading up north.  Something utterly terrifying.  But then I remembered this quote that I found through miss Kaelah's blog:
picture from my Lake Trip 2012, edited in Instagram, text added in Phoster
Fortune favors the brave.  I have always believed that once you take charge of the things you can control you will be successful & proud of yourself.  I've been stressing for the past month or so over jumping into starting a business.  I've had loads of help from others who are doing or have done the same & wish that one day I will be able to help out someone else going through the same journey.  Before Zach left, I filled out an interest form online for small business help in the new state I'll be moving to.  Tuesday I got a call from them following up on my interest form.  It was so nice to hear a kind voice on the other end telling me that they do this all the time (get people straight for starting their own business) & she'd like to set up a meeting.  After I told her that I wouldn't be in town until at least August, she told me she'd send me some info & that she'd love to meet with me when I moved.  This short conversation made me feel so relieved.  Perhaps, I thought, my dreams would be realized.

I've always told people to do one thing (with in reason) a day that scares you.  Lately I've been doing a thousand things a day that scare me & have seen how brave I've become.  Fortune comes when you shed your fears & try.  It is only through trying & failing that we succeed.  Ever tried. Ever Failed. No Matter.  Try again. Fail again. Fail better.
Over a year ago I packed up my bags & headed to a town where I'd be sleeping on a friends couch for the first few weeks or so.  It was a challenge I accepted months in advance.  I interviewed as many weekends as I could & finally landed an ok job.  I wrote in my Sole Sisters post about feeling like a failure after realizing that I couldn't meet the financial burden of moving on my own.  But if it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you. I am excited to put one foot in front of the other & challenge myself in order to learn more about myself.

I am excited to see where this adventure takes me & I hope I can remember all the shoes that have gotten me there when I get there, where ever there is.

In this past week I've hit some speed bumps, road blocks, & shed some tears...but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? Hopefully it will all turn out for the best.

If you'd like to, I'd love to hear how you've felt successful or how you've dealt with challenge or change.  I'd love to share in your experiences!







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2 comments:

  1. if it doesnt challenge you, it doesnt change you - wow, this is such an amazing line. i love it and i love you - no big deal.

    www.dysfunctionaleverafter.com

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