“Leap, and the Net Will Appear”

Have you ever hesitated in doing something for fear of:

• the unknown
• losing control
• failure
• not “enough” information
• looking stupid
• making a “mistake”
• commitment
• thinking you weren’t good enough

I sure have, and although it may seem like you’re the only one sometimes, I think that most people have experienced this.
 
I’m starting the year off with this post, because it applies not just to finances but all of life, and I want to encourage all of us to step out boldly this year instead of hesitating due to fear.
 
When we hesitate, we have a sense of control because we’re still able to pull back. We’re able to pull back from the edge of the cliff, from the unknown, from looking stupid, from making a mistake, from failure… I have done this SO many times in my life. However, by hesitating and not making a commitment, we’re also not able to move forward. We’re stuck getting the same thing we’ve always gotten… NOT fully living.
 
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” ~ Henry Ford
 
Can we agree that when we take initiative and act with commitment and purpose, all sorts of things can occur that would never otherwise have occurred? Meetings with people, new relationships, material resources, increased self-respect and motivation, and new ideas for the future.
 
Even if we fail, we learn and move forward, but hesitating and not taking action causes stagnation.
 
So the only thing that stands in our way of moving forward is us -- our own hesitancy and fear.
 
And if you’re not facing fear, you’re not growing.
 
“A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” ~ William Shedd
 
Consider the quote by American naturalist John Burroughs, “Leap, and the net will appear.”
 
I love this quote, and when I first saw it during a coaching class I was taking, it hit me powerfully!  I pondered whether there was recklessness involved, but honestly, that’s the point.  While we don’t want to be reckless, if we shy away from any risk, we can become paralyzed by what we tell ourselves, by our fear, etc... I know; I’ve been there. I tend to want so much information before doing  something that I’ve missed a lot because of not stepping out boldly.
 
And what’s a bit ironic is that some of the things that I was hesitating on and that I was thinking were bold and risky, in hindsight really weren’t. I had built them up in my head to be more fearful than they ever really were.
 
Can I get an Amen?!

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7


What I’ve learned and am still learning is that “leaping” includes stepping into the unknown and scary over and over again, but it gets easier when you experience growth and forward progress from each leap. You begin to trust your own instincts more and earlier.

 “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
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Even the crashes reveal new learning and new pathways along our journey, as we become a new and better version of ourselves. No one is perfect. We’re all a work in progress. If we are willing to be open to seeing the challenges and “failures” as keys to learning and growing, we can keep moving forward.
 
The main point is: What we learn and who we become by taking the risk and “leaping” is the achievement itself.  The results don’t matter; it’s the act of leaping and the process of becoming a better version of ourselves that is the payoff. 

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, BEGIN IT; boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” ~attributed to Goethe
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Question: What bold step (even if it’s small) will you commit to so that you can experience growth and forward progress?

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