10 little reminders, part 1

welcome to my new feature here at midnight black! this is going to be a 5-part series that will run every monday for the next month. i'm only 22 years old, but there are already things i've noticed over time that i know make me feel a lot happier and better about myself... if i can remember them. the problem is that a lot of these tips are based on cliches and really common phrases, so they're easy to forget or not take seriously. this series is a list of 10 little reminders that help keep me on track. i hope you all enjoy!

1. surround yourself with positive people. i think it's really valuable to have positive people in your life. i've had a lot of people in my life who always seem to be stuck in the negative. even though i am positive most of the time, it starts to wear me down when a friend or family member has nothing good to say. it's sad when you think of a friend and their good qualities are not what sticks out to you; instead you just think of the negativity they carry. i feel i've been steering clear of people that are stuck in the negative and surrounding myself with more positive people, and it makes me a lot happier. in the future i want to remember to surround myself with positivity, and even if it's hard, allow myself to let go of sources of negativity

2. it's never to early (or late) to start doing what you love. if there is something you love to do, i would say don't let ideas like "i'm too young" or "i'm too old" stop you from doing it. when i started doing photography, i had to make a conscious decision that i wasn't going to wait around for some "special moment." i just had to work with what i had and learn along the way. i've loved photography ever since i was a teenager. i used a simple point-and-shoot and would take pictures of anything and everything. later i got my own dslr camera and came along for a friend's modeling photo shoot, which fueled my interest even more. at college, i thought a lot about how i wanted to be a photographer someday. someday... then i thought to myself, why should i wait until someday in the future? why not now? so i set up a photoshoot with a girl from a near-by school who was into modeling. i was nervous to meet her and take her picture, especially because i'm a pretty shy person, but the photoshoot turned out amazing! i got lots of great images and from then on i was so inspired! the next couple of years i took more and more pictures of people for their modeling portfolios. the word spread that i was taking pictures, and last year i did two weddings and lots of senior portraits! i started making a business out of it! i love it, and i'm really glad i just decided to go out there and do it. i didn't have the fanciest camera or the best equipment, but that didn't stop me. if there is something you are passionate about, i really encourage you to just start now!

stay tuned for part 2 next monday!

*don't forget to enter my giveaway! winner will be drawn tomorrow!*