The Story to Full Time: The Patient Pursuit

After reading Part I and Part II, I’m glad you’re still here! This one’s all about my Patient Pursuit towards becoming a full-time photographer and launching Becca Rizzo Photography. This was all a very a hard season for me, but it led to something really beautiful, humbling, and fulfilling. My hope for you is if you are going through your own #patientpursuit, keep the hope and stay the course. Something amazing is waiting for you.

I remember one day in particular that I thought I couldn’t do it anymore. I was working my day job on top of my blooming photography business. I was over-worked, overwhelmed, and stretched way too thin. To put in bluntly, I had reached a breaking point.

I remember sitting in those four grey walls of my cubicle crying. (I wish I could say that was a one-time occurrence during that time, but in full disclosure it was not.) So, I did what I normally did when I was having “a day” and walked outside for a breather. The upside of corporate work life? They usually have nice courtyards.

I ended up calling my dad and within minutes the tears were flowing. I was sharing with him all the weight I had been carrying at the time, and explaining that I felt trapped. I felt trapped in my day job because although my business had picked up A LOT, I didn’t feel like it had picked up enough to actually quit, but at the same time I couldn’t continue on like this much longer. To which he replied, “Honey, if you quit your job now, you’ll figure it all out. You’ll land on your feet. You always do.”

I laughed and cried at the same time. I mean, what dad encourages her daughter to quit her safe, secure, and “normal” job to go after something so up in the air? Well, thankfully my dad does.

“Well, safe and normal…that’s never been you” he said. “You’ve always done things differently.”

Now just to be clear, my dad wasn’t just giving me some off-the-cuff advice, but he was saying that he believed in me and he believed I could succeed in whatever I put my mind to. I’m thankful I had an amazing support system during that time (and still do). Although I knew in my heart it wasn’t the right time and God was telling me to wait a little longer, I knew that when the time came no one in my life was going to try to talk me out of it. And that honestly felt really good.

After that phone call, I wrote a letter to my future self on the Notes app of my iPhone. Now I don’t normally write letters to myself, but it just sort of poured out of me. I wanted this to be written as though I had just quit my job, so I could read it throughout my Patient Pursuit as a reminder of hope…a reminder that one day what I write in this letter will be true.

I began with the idea of writing this letter for myself, but I ended up writing it with others in mind who may be in the same place I was in. It’s for everyone out there who is in their own Patient Pursuit. It’s a reminder to keep the faith no matter what path you’re walking, knowing who you are and who you want to become.

This was on May 31, 2019, exactly 9 months before I worked my last day at my day job.

Today I did it! I have officially quit my day job and am now a full-time photographer! And I am just so thankful.

Here’s what I want you to know: if you’re chasing something, a big and wild and seemingly impossible dream. Or shoot, even a goal that you know is very attainable, you must realize that things take time. I wanted this for sooo bad for soooo long but I learned that things like this take preparation. Things like this take hard work. This was such a beautiful and hard season but I grew so much personally and spiritually. For me, God had to do work in me and in my heart to prepare me for this and I’m so glad he did because even though I have wanted this for so long I wouldn’t have been mature enough or confident enough to handle it.

I would have still been comparing myself to every other photographer on the internet. I would have still given up time with the people I’m closest to in my life because I was too busy. I would have not prioritized my time with God where I could talk to him and learn from him. I would still not know what it means to love myself for who I am in Christ vs loving myself for my achievements. I would have still put business on this pedestal as an “I’ll be happy when…”

But God knew.

He knew my heart needed this season to be the confident, faithful, obedient woman I am now. I eventually learned to flip the script: One day I said, “God I’m not chasing this business anymore. I’m chasing you instead. I’m chasing your will and your purpose for me. Whatever it is, that’s what I want. That’s what I’m chasing.” Y’all, this was a daily battle. This was (and is) a minute-by-minute choice. This was NOT easy! But I learned to TRUST hard. I learned to SURRENDER. I learned to CHEER OTHERS ON despite wanting what they had. I learned how to PATIENTLY PURSUE something worth pursuing. 

I am so thankful I’m at this point. But the work is not done. My journey is not over. And I will continue to chase my purpose and trust that God will always point me in the next best direction for whatever he has planned for me.

Now…re-read this and imagine you’re saying all this to yourself. This applies to literally everyone dreaming or hoping or planning for something you don’t have yet.

Flip the script. Change your perspective. Don’t chase whatever that “thing” is…Chase God instead.

You’ll be left with a full heart and security no one can match.

All glory to God. 

If you haven’t already, go back and read the other parts of The Story to Full Time and how I launched Becca Rizzo Photography.
Part I: The Beginning
Part II: The Hustle
Part III: The Patient Pursuit
Part IV: Making It Happen