Where to?

Popular Categories

connect:

North Carolina brand & portrait photographer, essential oils advocate, military wife, and your biggest cheerleader in creating your own better.  Because after all, better is where you belong.  Make yourself at home! 

Hi, friend!  I'm Corry.

We often see things like “Be Fearless”…”Once You Become Fearless, You Become Limitless”, etc. but….

I want to challenge that. I want to say to you, “Do It Scared!!!”

Do It Scared…

Here’s the truth, some people may be born fearless…hello those that scale Everest…those that LOVE fast cars…those that want to swim with sharks. My instant reaction is HELL NO!!! I cannot “be fearless” for any of those things. As a parent and former teacher, I’ve watched some children be fearless and daring in ALL things in life. They are the ones you want to wrap in bubble wrap on the playground. They don’t have the fear gene.

And yet on the other hand…are people who are imprisoned by their own fears. They may have anxiety and real fear, no matter how irrational, that holds them back from living normal life.

That’s what it’s like to live at either end of the fear spectrum. Fearless——–Fearful

I believe that most of us live in the middle. We don’t have an innate sense to chase crazy, dangerous life adventures….and we aren’t paralyzed in our homes with the fear of what lies just outside those doors.

In fact, I tend to have some anxiety about a lot of things. I do have those irrational fear “voices” playing in my head. Hello intrusive thoughts….But I choose to tune them out because I know I only get this one life and I’m here to live it to it’s fullest!

I’ll never forget the time we took the girls to The Big Island in Hawaii for spring break. We stayed in Volcano National Park. We hiked the rim of Kilauea…which is an active volcano. We walked down into the old lava tube caves. We trekked out to watch lava flow into the ocean at night. Sounds so cool right?!?!

Yeah, well…when I allowed myself to really think about a few things, I could feel the fear bubbling up inside. I even said to Kevin at one point “what are we doing with our children here? Like are we safe in doing these things?” He is the calmer of the two of us…takes calculated risks but has our safety and best interest first and foremost in his mind. But he said, “Corry, we are in a National Park that is run by scientists that know these things and are monitoring it all. They will not let us get in harm’s way just to sight see. Trust the process and adventure…let’s make the memories!”

And he was so right!! I had to get my mind right and DO IT SCARED! I had to be an example to our girls and get out there and do the dang thing! I could have “what-if’d” my way through the entire trip. But I’ve learned that there’s too much to do in life that I don’t want my fear to keep me or my family from experiencing it.

For those of us who are living in the middle-playing field of fear…I want to give you permission to stop waiting for the fear to disappear when you are getting ready to take a big leap or start something new or quit something good. It may NEVER leave. In fact, it may actually have a purpose. Hmmmm…think about that a minute. While irrational fears are hard extremes and easier to try to dismiss, the ones that keep us in good standing financially or keep us out of harm’s way or keep us playing small are actually our brain’s questioning of things to try to keep us “safe”.

Safe in our personal lives, safe in our professional lives, safe in our “dreams”. Safe.

I challenge you to not wait to be “fearless”…but to Do It Scared. Do It even if the fear is still there.

Leave the job.

Start the business.

Make the move to a new state.

Book the trip.

Get the puppy.

Have the new baby.

Send the teenaged baby off to college.

Close the business.

Do It All Scared. When we play it safe or say we can’t or we will “when”….we are allowing the roadblock to win. In fact, the fear we often feel is because we care so much. We want the new venture to be so amazing and we are afraid of failure. We want to make a move, but we are afraid of what will happen when we leave the old friends or job behind…because we care. We usually have a vested interested in whatever it is we are fearful of because we care and want only good things to come from our choices.

But here’s the thing…I am currently using skills from my past failures. I’ve launched things that have flopped. I’ve worked with people I should have said no to. I’ve moved and made new friends and kept the old friends. As long as you keep failing forward…what are you really afraid of?

I’ll never forget the conversation Kevin and I had when I decided to quit my teaching job. He had moved to Quantico VA to serve with the Presidential Helicopter Squadron, while the girls and I stayed back in NC. He would be there three years and me basically being a single parent, teaching kindergarten full time, and doing photography part time was simply overwhelming. He looked at me one day and said “what’s causing you the most stress?” I said “teaching…it’s just SOOOO MUCH! And I feel like I can’t be a good teacher and a good mom to our girls at the same time.” He leaned in and said “Then quit. Be done. Don’t go back after the summer.”

I was terrified of letting that part of my identity go, my colleagues go, my students go, my paycheck go. “But what if my business fails?” He said “but what if it doesn’t? You know what’s going to happen if you stay stuck in the stress and overwhelm. Make the choice. Take the leap.” That was in 2015…and the rest is history. I didn’t fail…I just did it scared!

So I say that to you…

Don’t let the fear keep you stuck. DO IT SCARED.

Do It Scared

Business

Charlotte Staton, Charlotte Staton Design

"A personal branding photoshoot with Corry was the best decision I have ever made for my growing business."

Julia Sampsel, The Simplified House

"The images from my branding shoot turned out beautifully and have made building my website and online presence so much easier."

Linda St. Amant, Sprinkled Designs

"To anyone thinking of booking with Corry, don't think twice! She truly understands how to make your business shine via photography."

Kimberly Turner, Frosted Cakery

"I knew having professional photos for my business was important, but I didn’t know how huge the impact would actually be! Highly recommend!"

Christy Grifaldo, Grifaldo Properties

"You can't help but smile and laugh the whole time you're shooting with Corry, making it so easy to work with her."

Because after all, empowered women, empower women.

While you're here, snag some of my favorite free resources!