Your Courageous Life

Courageous Year Interview : Holly Truchan

(The Courageous Year was an e-course that I ran during the entire year of 2010. Later, I would parlay the content of that course into The Courageous Living Guide, which you can check out here!).

1.) Name: Holly Truchan
Location (City/State): Vancouver, BC, Canada
Website: www.unionphotographers.com and www.thelabourunion.com
Occupation: photographer

2.) When you started the Courageous Year, what did you decide would be the focus of that year? Has it shifted or changed?

At first my focus was to quit my part-time job and in doing so, end my career in respiratory therapy to become a full-time photographer. I had been wanting to do this and working towards it for the last few years. When I saw your website, Kate, I knew your e-course would help me muster up the courage to make the leap and I finally did it at the end of May.

So yes, my primary focus has shifted since I resigned and accomplished that goal. Now my focus is really about taking care of me so that I can live my life fully and be able to live my dreams. When I am taking care of me I can do what my heart has been longing for – living my creative life.

3.) I believe that each of us has our own idea of what “courageous living” is about. When you hear the term “courageous living,” what do you think of? And how does that term apply to your own life?

I think of so many things when I think of courageous living. Mostly it is about beautiful living as I live my life to my fullest potential. Living courageously is opening my heart and taking the time to listen and act on the whisperings of my heart. It still amazes me that when I am being me and trusting myself then magic happens. I’m also learning to be gentle with myself and I’ve discovered that as I do so, I am more gentle with others. It is all a practice, understanding that there is no such thing as perfection in life, just accepting what is happening now. I’m also now recognizing and rejoicing in the amazing abundance in my life. That there is so much beauty in the messy everyday. One of the biggest shifts for me with living courageously is seeing and understanding my fears, facing them and stepping past them.

4.) One of the first things that the Courageous Year taps into is the concept of BEing your journey, allowing all parts of your journey to exist rather than trying to push away the things that we’re less comfortable with. What’s an example of some way in which you’ve seen yourself work with a situation that was frustrating, uncomfortable, scary, or otherwise “not your favorite,” and then work through it while BEing your journey?

I had so much fear bubbling up and overflowing from me in the last few weeks of work as a respiratory therapist. I was so terrified about giving up my steady pay cheque. I have to admit that I wasn’t very pretty to be around at that time. I worked through it by taking one step at a time. By forgiving myself when I was not acting with integrity. If I got in a funk I would remember to choose joy & to seek out the things that bring me joy, which always turned me around. If things got hard or frustrating I learned to find the gold in them. I also had a great coaching session with you, Kate, and you helped me to understand what my fears were and where they were coming from. You gave me some wonderful tools that helped tremendously and continue to help me when the fear pops up. I also really started to notice and be amazed at how much abundance I have in my life.
I’m happy to report that leaving respiratory therapy and working full-time in our photography business was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. I keep on pinching myself as I’m living in my dream. Our business is doing well and continuing to grow and I’m having so much fun.

5.) You’ve told us a bit about who you BE, now tell us a bit about what you do! Feel free to share not just about a profession that “pays the bills,” but also about a chosen profession—the work that you’re most excited about.

I am very happy and proud to say that I am a photographer. I work together with my husband photographing weddings, pregnancy and families. I just love helping my clients capture precious moments in their lives with beautiful photographs. I think of myself as a visual story teller.

6.) What are you most passionate about, what excites you, lately?

I am passionate about my clients. It brings me so much joy to tell their stories with my photographs. I am also really enjoying going on local adventures in this beautiful corner of the world where I live. Right now I am addicted to the show “Stephen Fry in America”. It has all the things I love: travel, adventure and people’s personal stories.

7.) What’s next on your horizon?

Next on my horizon are some charitable projects. It is so important to my husband, Roger, and I, to give back and be able to share our work with others. I’m just at the beginning stages of organizing family portraits for a local organization. Last year we were lucky enough to visit orphanages in Cambodia where we took pictures to help them with their fund raising. We are working on ideas on how we can raise more funds for them and be able to visit again to see and show how well the children are doing.
I also am working on two ideas for some special new products for our clients. I’ll have to be a little secretive about them for now. I’ll just say that I am pretty excited about them and am having fun working on them.

Lastly I would like to add a crazy huge thank you to you, Kate. You have made a wonderful impact on my life. I have learned so much from you and am continuing to learn from you. Thank you for being your courageous beautiful you! Thank you as well for giving me this oppourtunity to share my courageous experience.

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A huge, big, wonderful thank you to you, Holly! ~ Kate

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The Courageous Year e-book goes live on September 5th!