Greatness and success is not born, it’s grown.

It’s been a while since I written a personal blog post – I apologise for the late inactivity leading up to the 2013-14 wedding season.

Recently, a friend posted a status update that struck a chord. This is especially applicable to those going through the daily nine-to-five grind.

Whilst many work towards the weekend posting “Thank God It’s Friday” posts and memes – I (and many other small business owners) work towards a successful weekend filled with weddings, pre-wedding shoots, coffee appointments and wishing for that one weekend to do sweet FA.

I repeatedly get asked “How do you cope with being a pharmacist and a wedding photographer?” or “You must be doing this photo thing full time” or “WOW you must be busy”.

Which then begs the question – why not quit pharmacy and just pursue photography full time? It would be a privilege for me to drop my 9-5 grind and only work two days and have a 5-day “weekend”.

You might start to go “I’m going to burn out” or “you’re going to leave this world working your whole life”, let me lead you to watch a documentary that popped up on my Facebook feed by a close friend of mine Cheechwhich pretty much explained how I grew with a strong work ethic and respect to those who go through the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyQ-I_YILlo

We live in the best state of the most fortunate country in the world. Don’t whinge when it comes to a little hard work.

Greatness and success is not born – it is grown, through hard work and pain. It is about swimming the highs, dealing successfully with the lows. Sometimes it is necessary to wake up 5am on the mornings, finish at 10pm. You might not even be able to sleep because you know there is an enormous weight that you’re bearing on your shoulders, often you feel like crying because you feel like giving up. On the flip side, the success you enjoy when your boss acknowledges you for your tireless hard work is nothing short of elation.

It is quite simply a choice. The only person who makes that choice is you.

To answer your question earlier about being a pharmacist of photographer, I feel accomplished doing both professions. I must admit my goal is to be a pharmacy business owner to serve the community and be part of the best healthcare system in the world. Photography gives me the opportunity to remind me of the success in relationships and love, and that life is not all about working 9 to 5. Yes weekend roadtrips to go fishing and picnics are a rarity nowadays for me, but it is just a matter of planning a weekend for it if you choose. And of course, do not ever forget time with your loved ones around you too.

I work on the mantra that the success you want with the one life you got depends on how much hardwork you are prepared to put in – and people who truly succeed are doing it better than you. Setting your goal with a specific timeframe and giving your 100 percent. And be humble about your accomplishments.

This is why jogging or running a 4km, 12km or even 21km course is now a favourite past time, because it exactly conditions your mind to think in this headspace. If you are looking for motivation, I suggest you try this!

I’ll end this post by saying that life is an amazing journey. It is an amazing privilege too. Work hard for it, love the people around you, set forth your goal and ‘run’ for it. And be happy and humble with what you achieve every single day.

Here’s to the first weekend of a busy November month – Tahnee + Steve, Christina and John, Charmaine and James, Laura and Matt, Sophie and Zahin <3 Love from your photographer and friend. K.