I have been congratulated a bit lately, not only for the photo shoots I have done but also for having the courage to 'just do it' and start my own business.

It makes me a little uncomfortable but it has occurred to me (somewhat belatedly) that this is actually a big deal. Fancy that! I thought I might share a snippet of the story just in case someone else might also find the courage to take the leap! If you don’t want to read on, just read this.

I believe that if you wait until you feel you know everything or until you are the very best at what you want to do, you will never start.

Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.

William Shakespeare

After 15 years in corporate Australia, working for IT and telecommunications companies at management level, I made the choice to have children. OMG! How would the suits ever fit? Does anyone actually make maternity wear at Veronika Maine?

THIS is the first and will remain the greatest change, challenge and most amazing accomplishment of my life. Having kids has totally changed my perspective and sitting in a meeting with 10 other 'execs' yakking on about the impact of budgetary constraints on recruitment and development funding, started to get REEEEEEEALLY boring to me.

I had to pick up my daughter at 5.15pm to get her home before the wheels fell off her cart. This forced me to question the use of every second of every day so I could still excel at my job but within the hours that The Little General would allow me to work ;).

There was no way I could miss the pick up, I mean who else was going to do it? My hubby was earning more (just!) than me, he wasn’t likely to go on paternity leave anytime soon :) and the fact remains, I would never have had him stay home while I was at work with the corporate blah blah. We both would have been miserable.

This was an awakening of enormous impact. I actually didn’t want to do that work anymore. Now please understand, I was happy to take home the very comfortable pay packet and my husband was happy too. Losing it would literally change our lives. But then weren’t we already changed? No more Friday drinks after work, no more nights out without a babysitter on the clock.

So while on Maternity leave with gorgeous girl #2, aka The Ratbag, we made just a few changes. We moved states for his new job, bought a new house, started a renovation, bought a new winter wardrobe (because you rarely need a puffer jacket in QLD) and quit my job!! Change has never really bothered me but we went for gold this time!

In a new town, with two little kids and very little sleep, I decided to take a shot at doing what I really wanted to do. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep that clouded my judgement but I picked up my long neglected reading glasses and started to study HARD! I figured at first that if it didn’t work I would always go back to a corporate job, but as I got further into the study and closer to my goal, I realised that if I didn’t do it I would not only regret it forever, I most likely would never have the chance again.

I have changed my life and I couldn’t be happier. Its not easy, its scary, its personal and all fingers and toes are crossed but here I am diploma in hand, camera ready.

Just in case I haven't said it enough.....now I LOVE MY JOB!!

Photo of me is compliments of Tracy Hebden, another upcoming Canberra Photog. Thanks!