The Benefits of Taking Risks // On My Mind Monday 

This weekend on the drive home from a family session & dinner in Burlington, I was thinking about the compelling benefits of taking risks.
My appreciation and willingness for taking risks has grown tremendously and corresponds directly with choosing to be an entrepreneur.
As business owner, I have been taking risks since day one. Leaving behind a solid 9 to 5 job, steady paycheck, my beautiful apartment in Washington DC, and a career in e-commerce fashion photography to pursue my personal wedding & lifestyle photography business was a colossal risk, and I am forever grateful I took it.
The most beneficial risk I have been taking everyday is meeting and connecting on a personal level with potential clients.
Whenever I am meeting new people, I am taking a social risk. I push back my fear of being judged/liked/appreciated and… just go for it! By taking these social risks, I have been lucky enough to cross paths hundreds of incredible people. Taking a social risk is intimidating because the stress of not gaining someone’s approval always seems so overwhelming. But, passing up an opportunity to meet someone wonderful would be far far worse.
Taking social risks has pushed me to meet and befriend different walks of people who are completely like and unlike me. I have developed integral relationships with so many individuals that have truly shaped me and my life. Taking social risks has driven me forward and has enabled me to become who I am today.
It is important to remember that with every social risk I take, although I cannot control the outcome, I can control my actions and be proud of the hard work and effort I put in.
My advice for you today, whether you are a entrepreneur or not, is to take risks. Go for it! You will never know what you can accomplish until you try. In order to grow you need to change, and in order to change you might need to take risks. The fear of taking risks is never as strong as the regret you may face by not.

A ship in harbor is safe – but that is not what ships are for. // John A. Shedd