When our youngest daughter (Ellie) started crawling, she had a habit of picking up every small object in her path.

– Scraps of food

– Hair ties and bobby pins

– Tiny toy accessories

It was like a Roomba and hoarder had a baby.

AND THAT BABY WAS OURS

She’d put each item in a death grip.

And keep on crawling on her tightly wound fists.

This strategy worked for Ellie… for months.

Then, she wanted to to walk.

So, we got this visually offensive monstrosity out of the basement so it could grace our living room for the next few months…

In hindsight, we definitely should’ve registered for this one ⬇️

(Much more Instagram friendly, right?)

But hey, after three kids, we’ve learned that the uglier the baby toy, the more they LOVE it. So we’re rolling with it.

And laughing at the previous version of us that thought we’d keep everything in our house neutral.

Anyway…

Almost immediately, a huge problem developed.

Every time Ellie stood up and put both hands on the bar, she walked beautifully.

However, every time she picked up even the smallest object and held it in her tiny baby death grip and then tried to walk…

She took a few steps…

Lost her grip on the bar…

And fell.

Because she was literally holding on to something that was holding her back.

As we were watching her, we couldn’t help but think how much she reminded us…

Of ourselves.

She was letting a small thing (maybe even a good thing) that she liked keep her from having the big thing she actually wanted most.

As a parent, it was hard to watch because we knew that once she learned how to walk, she could hold those small things in her hand if she wanted.

But more likely, once she hit her goal of walking, she’d forget all about those small microscopic “treasures” on the ground.

Because she’d be so much happier.

Because she’d be able to see and reach so much more.

Can we ask you a personal question?

Is there something you’re holding on to that’s keeping you from moving toward your dream?

Something you LIKE, but it’s actually keeping you from something BETTER?

Is scrolling social media stealing your precious minutes away?

Are you checking your email before you even get out of bed in the morning?

Maybe you know you need to shut off Netflix at night?

Just like Baby Ellie, we can all unintentionally hold onto things we like, without realizing what it could be costing us.

This week, we’d encourage you to identify one area of your life where you’re holding onto something you should let go of for the next fourteen days.

Let’s make a commitment to let go of that thing for fourteen days, then see if we really miss it, so we can all get one step closer to our goals and dreams, together.

SHOOTING & EDITING COURSE

If you know the thing that will bring you closer to your goal or dream is the right education, we’d be honored to guide you in your photography journey through The Shooting & Editing Course. But whatever that looks like for you, just know we’re cheering for you.