Through a last minute turn-of-events, this past weekend I ended up being able to go to Darling Magazine's photography workshop in San Louis Obispo, California. I never would have dreamed it would have been possible, yet there I was, standing at gate C9, carry-on in hand, ready (or not) to board my plane. I had questioned my decision so many times, but I realized, when it came down to it, the only real things keeping me from stepping forward were fear and that not-good-enough voice inside my head. Insecurity and doubt are something, I guarantee, every person battles at one point or another. And I almost let mine get the best of me, but I have this thing I do. If the only excuse I can come up with for not doing something is fear, I make myself do that very thing (obviously within reason please don't make any frantic dives off cliffs anytime soon). So I made myself step out of my oh-so-favorite comfort zone, and in return, I experienced a darling-filled weekend, full of learning and making and delicious-food-eating. It wasn't what I expected by any means, but it wasn't anything less than what God had planned for me. So here are some shots from two of the shoots I did over the weekend, one being of the beautiful Eromomen, and the other being some product shots I got to experiment with. Whether our stepping out immediately brings us joy and positive results, or it makes us grow and challenges us in unexpected ways, I think we all should be doing a little more of that and a lot less of the whole giving into fear thing. I'm proud of myself for doing something new, something I was afraid to do, and investing in my future. What will you do today that requires courage?