Advice I Give Myself

I was standing on the edge of the bolder watching everyone jump into the rolling river.

“Jump.” I tell myself. “Just do it now, the longer you wait the harder it will be.”

 I just stand frozen looking down into deep water seeing nothing beyond its surface but darkness. What am I waiting for?

“Jump!” I think again. I’m frozen to my spot, hidden in the trees where no one can see me and my fear.

“You will hit a rock and die.” The fear creeps in with force now. I look up and out. I watch another frozen on their own rock. I picture myself shattered on the rocks below. I watch a kid jump from the highest position.

This is how I feel as I embark on something that means I have to jump, a risk.  After years of  standing on that rock, I am here at this day.   I was waiting for perfect circumstances but they did not come. The thing with excuses is that they are always easy to find if you want a reason not to do something. You will always find one.  It is easy to stay paralyzed forever.

We can stand on our rocks, hidden from the world but we could miss some incredible experiences. Sometimes in life we have to take risks. Risks come in all shapes and sizes but as I look back over my own life I know this one thing: I do not regret the risks I have taken. Even if they did not turn out the way I imagined they taught me something about myself and lead to better decisions in the future. I remember this as I take a leap into the air, hoping that I have jumped far enough to fall safely. I free fall down, not knowing whether when I hit the water will be warm and welcoming or freezing cold. Not knowing if my body will slap hard against reality or feel embraced by a new experience.

It doesn’t matter.

I take the plunge and

JUMP into my desires.

Your turn.