Scary But True

A local photographer, Joanne Cousins of Living Soul Photography, is doing a project this month called "Operation Confidence".  This is what the project is about:

We all have something that has helped instill confidence within us. One simple word, object, person, experience - with a greater story behind it.

This Project (which will run through the month of February) is a way of bringing awareness to people - everyday people like you and I....that no matter what we have gone through, or are going through, or may possibly go through in the future - every single experience we have builds us into the people we are today. People who have true confidence in themselves and love themselves for who they are and what they stand for. No matter what it is that has helped you gain your confidence, it is a beautiful story - one that just might open the eyes of someone else who may be struggling to find it within themselves; and we'd love for you to share it with us!

No story is too big or too small - just be honest with yourself, and think about what it is that has given you the confidence in who you are today.

There are some gorgeous images and some truly inspiring stories (click on the images to see the stories) in this project.

My life has been pretty good. There is no denying it.  Whether that is from circumstances, luck, the decisions I've made, or a combination of all three, I'll never know, but when it came time to write up a story for this project I didn't know where to start. When I contacted Joanne for some help, she suggest writing about someone or some thing that has influenced my life.

I of course, instantly thought of Coulee.

It is scary when I think of the impact Coulee has had on my life.  Her wild, crazy youth was the driving force behind me quitting my job and starting up my own business.  Who knew a dog could turn your life upside down so dramatically?  I honestly believe that if we had adopted a mellower dog, my confidence in my business plan wouldn't have been there and I probably never would have even considered creating such a business in the first place.

Here is my image and story.

'Friendship'

"This is probably going to sound silly and frivolous, but I wouldn’t be who I am today or doing what I do, if it wasn’t for my dog Coulee.

She has taught me all those things dogs usually teach you. Things like:

• It is important to greet everyone with love, each and every time they come home, even if they have only been gone for 10 minutes.
• It is important to eat first thing in the morning.
• Experiment with your food and don’t be afraid to try something new.
• Exercise can be fun if you do it with a friend.
• Afternoon naps are a necessity.
• Enjoy the simple things in life.

She also taught me that life should be fun and that if you aren’t having fun, do something different. It was because of her that I made a drastic career change. It is because of her that I now make much less money, but have a much richer life. It is because of her, I no longer sit at a desk surrounded by paper, but instead am surrounded by dogs and covered in fur and slobber.

It is because of her, that I laugh a lot more during the day. If she hadn’t come into my life, I have no idea what I’d be doing today, but I do know, it would be nothing like this."