Moving Up To The Big Leagues

The time has come readership, I'm going "pro".  I already race in the pro/elite category, so what I'm actually talking about is life; I'm leaving, on a jetplane, to pursue a career in photojournalism.  I got a gig with a friend, taking photos, writing colorful commentary, and recording fun interviews with the über elite on the World Cup circuit for downhill mountain biking.  This is big, because it means I'm actually getting paid to do something I'm passionate about, and it also means I won't have to do
something horrendously remedial (at least for now) to progress my slip into adulthood.
It's going to be a traveling circus lifestyle, with bizarre hours, probably some stress, but honestly, I gave it a trial run in New Zealand while in Rotorua, and it was oh-so-cool.  I like a good hustle, and if involves friends and cool people/colleagues, then what more can I ask for?  I won't be getting rich, and likely won't be contributing to my 401k anytime soon - that's not the point.  Now, now is the time to get out into the mix; live; explore; experience; do.  Too often I read the words of a later-yeared adult who has been successful, and the one thing they all seem to say is, something to the effect of, "I wish I'd traveled more and pursued my hobbies instead of [this job].  I'm happy and secure, but I'll always wonder, 'what if'..."

I actually enjoy this kind of work, tt is just a tough lifestyle.

I don't want to be that person, sitting around reminiscing about what I could have, should have, would have done.  The world I was hurled into post-grad was not the one we were coached on or promised during our formidable years, so I see no reason to join the ranks of the miserable, grinding out a mediocre hustle just in the name of financial gain.  I've done all the shit jobs already: dishwasher, manual labor, basic retail...sure they are terrible (working on a farm actually isn't so bad, and I enjoy it for the most part), but they are jobs I can do at any point in time in my life; I won't always be able to go travel and pursue something risky and perhaps insecure.
But, I believe in my abilities, my craft, my ingenuity, my integrity, my willingness to "get shit done" and hustle harder.  The idea of visualizing goals, and making them happen through determination and grit is what I'm all about.  I'm thankful that people around me believe in me enough to support me, provide me with opportunities, and generally encourage me; It is vastly more challenging to go it alone.  I am doing this for me, but I am also doing this for others, to vicariously bring people along with me through words and photos (once again, like in New Zealand).  I think storytelling is amazing, and I enjoy the idea of being a part of history, even if it is in some little obscure niche.  Sitting idle is a slow, stagnant demise.  Life is about being out in the thick of things, and that is all I am aiming to do.  From effort comes reward; I am hoping my reward is having an office that is where ever I am standing, being a part of the narrative of life as it happens.