If I could live in a season for the rest of my life, it would be Fall! However, just like seasons continue to change so do our lives, and we aren’t in just one for the entirety of it. Think of it this way, if you are a business owner, with a heart to do what you create for a living, but you have yet to set your prices, figured out all of your expenses and the thought of taxes frightens you… I want to tell you that this will just be a season. If you are a photographer finishing up your 2016 weddings, a year that you are proud of, but not quite sure what your 2017 will look like, this is just a season. If you are not a photographer or a business owner reading this, but you are going through a difficult time in your life or one that requires so much work now, this is just a season that you are in. If  you looked back to embrace where you were to where you are now, you would want to reach back to your younger self and tell them this. Tell them that you will get through it, that the hard work and drive was worth it, and that you figured out those hard hurdles that you never thought you would, which you do flawlessly on a weekly basis now.

There is purpose to your seasons, every single one of them, and though you may not know what they are at first, trust the process that you are growing. In a world where we see everyone’s highlight reels and not so much the steps they took on their path, I want to encourage you to take a look at your path. To acknowledge them and if you are brave enough, share them on your platforms. Take a look at the dirt on your path that you worked through and the significance of what you brought with you along the way. Teach others those very things, because there is beauty in being vulnerable and there is a world of people waiting to listen to something that is authentic.

Yes, Fall will always be my favorite season. Fall has Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday by the way, it was the time of year when Cory and I met, and we even had our first kiss on Halloween! I love scarfs, and fall clothing a whole lot better than summer clothes and I love the mountains during this time of year and the fall leaves. Every bit of it is symbolic to me and that is probably because Fall also had a season of my life that was the absolute hardest. What comes from the hardest season(s) is appreciation for the better ones. The seasons with the fall crisp air, golden sunsets and leaves of oranges, reds, and yellows blowing in the breeze with no sight of rain in the distance. The seasons where you watch those sunsets on a mountain with your dog laying on your feet to keep you warm, and the one you love arm around you!

That is why I am here to tell you that there is purpose to your seasons, and opportunities to learn and grow always a long the way, in each and every one of them. That in a difficult season you can still learn the kind of person that you want to be, how you want to help others and how you want to live your life. The good thing is that seasons change, and once that one is over you can look ahead knowing you are a stronger, kinder person that has the strength to get through and accomplish anything that they are willing to work towards! Your seasons will change but I promise you that you have amazing ones just around the corner.

Embrace where you were to where you are now, and know that your seasons have purpose!