It was a rare 70 degree day in January last Friday and my calendar said, ‘2014 Business Planning’ on it in bright red. It was in some ways the red of ‘Alert! Alert!’ and in other ways the red that gets you excited with urgency. Potential. Change. I don’t always love change. In fact, there are circumstances when I actually dread it. A friend moving away. A system that you’re so used to being shaken up. However, there are times when I love change. When it gets me excited to the point of giddy anticipation. My adrenaline starts pumping at just the thought of it, knowing that sometimes change brings about the greatest rewards. My parents instilled that in me. A love for the potential. The possible. The things that challenge us and shape us. The broadening of horizons. They used to say that to me frequently, ‘Mary, we want you to broaden your horizons.’ I heard that so often as I grew up and honestly, for the longest time I had no idea what in the world they were talking about. What exactly were they trying to say? Then as I got older, the fog began to clear and I began to understand just what it was they were trying to instill in me. An ability to take risks. More than that really, a desire to take risks. You see, they understood what I did not at that age. They knew that though risks are by definition, risky, they are also worth it.
I haven’t always taken the risky route in my life but I can say I haven’t shied away from them either. Some of the greatest risks that I have taken have proven to be on one hand the most difficult and on the other, the most rewarding. Perhaps most prominent in my mind was the risk of starting Mary Fields Photography, which has been one of God’s sweetest blessings to me. While I have no intention of becoming addicted to risk taking as I think that can be destructive, I do have EVERY intention of fashioning my life in a way where I am not afraid of them. A personal thank you to my wonderful parents for that mindset. With that instilled in me and with the beginning of a new year already well upon me, I sat down on the porch of my favorite Dallas coffee shop last week and began to dream. Began to broaden my horizons as a small business owner. It was slow going at first, knowing there is more to come, but I could feel the excitement creep up as I began to dream. Some of the changes are small, focused mostly efficiency, but some, well some are more focused on the kind of change that requires a little bit more risk.
I won’t bore you with all of my business planning today but I am excited about all of them. Perhaps my biggest excitement is that Mary Fields Photography will be traveling internationally this year and I couldn’t be more thrilled. God has been so faithful to LITERALLY broaden my horizons and I anxiously await all that He has in store for 2014. So, on this Friday, no matter where you are, I encourage you to consider how you yourself can put the fear of risk aside and broaden your own horizons.
Happy Friday!
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