At jumping off points in your life, do you take the leap?
Jumping off with a resident sting ray
In the midst of planning for our Gadabout Gals trip to Belize, I came across of a picture on Instagram of a young girl jumping with abandon off the pier of our vacation rental. It spoke to me. That girl seemed to embody a fearless abandon that I longed for at the time. I knew I had to recreate that scene for myself. I wasn’t about to let that young thing have all the fun.
It was scarier than I expected on the day of the envisioned jump. I had a cheerleading squad on deck to encourage me that I am that girl. I have a rule… no swimming in water I can’t see clearly what I swimming with. Even though the fear was real, I jumped. I did not look as carefree as that young thing, but it was a rush. I don’t remember how I exactly got out of the water, but I’m sure it was in record time.
Later we learned that there was a resident sting ray living under the dock. I pondered my jump. Would I have jumped if I knew about our pet sting ray we affectionately named Franklin?
Jumping into the crystal blue
When the Gadabout Gals planned our epic trip to Italy, I had no plans of brave adventure. I felt more romantic than fearless. The group planned several boat trips with Blue Star Positano to frolic on the Amalfi coast in crystal blue water. It is gorgeous!
On a day trip to Capris, our captain Massimo anchored us near a cave to go swimming. I was thrilled. Crystal clear water meant that I can see everything! Great! That is until our captain started to throw bread crumbs out for the fish. I freaked out!
This time I could see exactly what I was swimming with. Was I really ready to jump in? Would I be able to swim into the amazing cavern????
Yes, of course!
Jumping off points
My stories of tested bravery has me thinking about jumping off points in life. How do you respond to the times when you face fear. Do you jump? Or do you wait until you are ready?
Would I have been ready to jump off the pier in Belize if I knew I would be swimming with a resident sting ray? Yes, of course. I jumped in the crystal blue waters of Amalfi, despite the fish I knew I’d be swimming with.
In the new book, Everything is Figure Outable Marie Forleo addresses the idea of starting before you are ready. She uses a technique called future tripping. Most people view future tripping as the tendency to worry about the future at the expense of the present. Marie flips that trip to ask herself, “In ten years, will I regret NOT doing this?”
There are two types of pain you will go through in life: the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. Discipline weighs ounces, while regret weighs tons. ~ Jim Rohn
In other words, would my 60 year old self regret not taking the leap in Belize or in Italy? I never want to disappoint my future self!
How many times do we miss out on an amazing rush of adventure because our thoughts convince us that the worse case scenario is definitely in our future?
Or worse yet, how many times do we miss out on any opportunity in life because you did not feel ready? The truth that Marie Forleo reveals is, “You are never ready to do the important things you’re meant to do.”
Manage YOUR jumps
It is very simple. Manage your mind, manage your life. The way you think about the opportunities to leap matter.
Thoughts produce feelings, which create action. It’s all the thought, Feel, Act Cycle. After years of wondering if there was something seriously wrong with me, I learned a couple tools that I wish my twenty year old self knew. In my FREE guide to Unlock The Secret To Knowing What You Want In Life I share how YOU can use the power YOUR thoughts to create the life you really want. I am living proof!
~Tiffany
And the birds fluttered around her writing “YES” in the sky!