Let me let y'all in on a little secret: public speaking isn't one of my most favorite things to do. My heart beats a little faster. My palms get a little more sweaty. My brain works a million more times a second... you get the picture. : ) So, when one of my friends (who is also a school counselor) asked me to speak at Auburn Elementary's Career Day to over 100 second graders about why I love my job, my first thought was: "Oh goodness...no!" Then I placed aside my panic to remember my mantra (borrowed from my yoga instructor), which is currently: "let go, fear less and love more." With a nod to the "fear less," I told myself that I needed to get out of my comfort zone more (= out from behind my camera). I realized that being able to describe why I love my job to second graders isn't that much different than what I say when I speak to prospective clients. It's pretty simple: I love telling peoples' love stories.

All in all, speaking to the kids at Career Day was extremely rewarding! They were so inquisitive and full of energy. Some had ideas of what they want to be when they grow up (most popular answer: pro athletes), and some didn't. I encouraged them to keep an open mind always and to constantly work hard at everything. I shared some of my favorite photos (set to music by Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift -- crowd favorites!) and even did a demonstration at the end of how to take a good photograph. Hopefully the students got something out of my short time with them. Even if something I shared about my experiences made only a couple of them think about something they hadn't considered before, that's good enough for me. : )

[Since schools are strict about photographing kids, I wasn't able to take photos for my blog... but I did grab this frame the other day and it made me think of how I loved to blow dandelions as a kid!]