“The quickest way to acquire self confidence, is to do exactly what you are afraid of.” Unknown

PICTURES!!! Yes, I am very intimidated by picture taking! Did you see what I just did there? I highlighted the word “very”, that’s how much I fear cameras. The interesting thing about this is that I LOVE taking pictures. I love taking pictures of nature, pictures of things I do, pictures of food, and especially pictures of my girls, who happen to be very photogenic. Me? Not so much. I actually am rarely in pictures, I avoid them like the plague, but I have realized lately that in order for me to leave some memories of myself in print for my children, grandchildren and generations to come, I need to start getting more in front of the camera, rather than behind the camera, and that’s exactly what I did this weekend.

I happen to have two fabulous friends who are amazing at their craft. One is a professional photographer and the other friend, a professional make up artist. How lucky am I? These women not only love me for who I am, but also support all the crazy ideas and dreams of mine, and most importantly, they encourage me to be the best version of myself fiercely.

A few days ago I received a random text from my friend Sonce offering to do a photo shoot with me! Wait, what?! Yes, ME! I am pretty sure I read the text twice, or three times. She said she was trying new equipment and was wondering if I would want to be her muse. She had already arranged with my other friend Juliette (don’t they both have such fabulous names?) about doing my make up for such photo shoot. I was very giddy the moment I received the text, very flattered and I spontaneously and rapidly replied, yes, not even giving it a second thought! The moment I said yes, and we started talking about the logistics of the when, where and what, the reality sank in and I felt fear invading my body. A million questions started inundating the decision I had just made. The first question was… “What have you done Maria??? You committed without giving it a second thought? Have you lost all your marbles?!” Then, many other questions started circulating my mind. “How will the pictures turn out?” “Would my cheeks look like chipmunk cheeks?” “Would the lights highlight my neck lines?” “Would the camera make me look bigger?” “Shorter?” “Would my smile look like myself when I don’t smile in front of the camera?”, “Would my eyes look puffy?” etc., etc., etc… I know it sounds a bit silly, but fears are fears, and we all have our own battles to fight.

After I had had enough of my own insecurities, I decided that I was going to be a mature grown up and stop overthinking the decision I had just made. I was going to participate in this photo shoot, and not only that, I would enjoy it too, and enjoy it fully! This was an amazing opportunity for me, and I should be feeling nothing but excitement, pride and gratefulness for this great offer.

The day arrived and before I knew it I was sitting on the make up chair, getting airbrushed, my eyes done and even my hair curled, how fancy of me! My friend Juliette even taught me a few makeup tricks (for which I would need one or two more lessons on 😉), and encouraged me try them at home for special occasions, or even grocery shopping, who knows! By the time we arrived at the photo studio, our friend Sonce was already waiting for us, in her very Sonce fashion. Full of awesome energy, excitement, big smiles and some contagious music playing in the background. I would lie if I said I didn’t feel the urge to leave almost as soon as I entered the space, but I’m glad I didn’t! Both of them were so encouraging, supportive, nonjudgmental and most importantly, they were so happy for ME about this opportunity! These are the kind of people everyone deserves to have in their lives… people who truly, deeply love you and want nothing but the best for you. Their love and appreciation for my presence there, made my fears and insecurities go away almost immediately and I ended up having a great time and loving my pictures.

This experience made me reflect a lot about myself and about who I am. It’s amazing to think about the distance we are willing to travel and the unnecessary suffering we are willing to put ourselves through about such ordinary, simple things in life.

I have always preached self worth and confidence to my girls. From the moment they could start understanding what words meant, I started speaking to them about loving themselves, loving their bodies, loving their features and embracing who they were born to be. Without realizing it, I was neglecting myself of that same self worth and confidence I was teaching them.

Think about the miracle of life and genealogy. It’s truly incredible to think that in all the billions of people in the world, there is not ONE other human being that looks 100% like us. Not even identical twins are alike. Each of us is special in a unique way. Nobody has the same smile, the same eyes, the same hair, the same skin color, height, weight, nose, and the list can go on and on and on. Embracing our uniqueness and celebrating our bodies, facial features and personalities, is an incredible way to honor who we were meant to be in the world.

Looking forward to many more “in front” of the camera action in the years to come, maybe even our very own and first ever family photo session. It’s time to embrace my uniqueness and start making some memories.

Say cheese and love who you were born to be! ❤