Take that chance, they say!
Do that crazy thing you've been thinking about!
Open that business! Get a degree! Sell all of your stuff and move to Hawaii!
Photo courtesy of Christoffer Engstrom
In the "wellness" industry there are a lot of motivational quotes and ideas passed around.
(If you've followed me for any length of time, you know this isn't a dig. A good quote is like a steaming cup of coffee on a cold morning - I love them - with a dash of practical and BS-free cream, that is.)
Believing that we can do something big and life changing is a miraculous feeling. The hatching of an idea is like giving birth to a new part of yourself...suddenly we're excited, growing, creative, and...scared.
It’s scary taking up more space in the world.
But the thing about giving birth (to an idea or a baby) is that until the day arrives, you don't know exactly what you're giving birth TO.
(I mean the ultra sound might tell you that you're not giving birth to a lizard, but it doesn't tell you exactly what that baby is going to look like, act like, and sound like. And that's okay when it comes to babies, right?)
So...what if this idea you're giving birth to doesn't look like you thought it would?
What if you leap and just face plant into a drained concrete pool?
What if the business zaps your bank account and closes within a year?
What if you flunk out of college?
What if Hawaii is not actually as great as you thought it would be?
The thing about taking leaps of faith (in creativity, love, careers, ANYTHING) is that they might NOT work out. In fact, they probably won't work out the way we think they will.
The.way.we.think.they.will.
Maybe our version of the "appearing net" is a booming new business within a year.
Maybe our version of the "net" is a Master’s degree AND time to see friends and family.
Maybe the "net" in moving to Hawaii looked more like rain forests and hikes than sitting in Honolulu traffic.
Maybe the ACTUAL net is a lot of hard work, late nights, and unglamorous moments that look nothing like we thought they would. Those nights might last a long time, they might feel pretty brutal, and we might not have tangible success that we can touch and feel and show for…a while.
Maybe ever.
Does that mean we shouldn't leap?
Does the invisibility of the net (sometimes over long periods) mean that it's not there?
What if no net appears?
What is worth doing anyway?
What idea do you love so much that you're willing to give birth to it- no matter what?
What is worth taking a face plant into a concrete pool for, if it only means that we get to dance with our dreams and yank them out of ourselves and into the world?
(I'm sorry; we’re sticking with the birth analogy here.)
What passion do you have burning so brightly that you don't CARE how it comes to life, as long as it does?
What are you willing to eat the "shit sandwich" for?
*If the “shit sandwich” is a new concept for you, here's a summary (courtesy of Mark Manson):
“What unpleasant experiences are you able to handle? Are you able to stay up all night coding? Are you able to put off starting a family for 10 years? Are you able to have people laugh you off the stage over and over again until you get it right? What shit sandwich do you want to eat?”
Find the pulse of that dream you feel beating inside of you.
Then, ask yourself some questions…
Am I willing to eat the shit sandwich for unknown periods of time?
Am I willing to sacrifice my time, money, and energy as I give birth?
Is it worth it to me, even if the net doesn’t appear?
Am I willing to trust that there’s always a net, it just might not look like I think it should?
Am I willing to leap, and trust that I can build my own net as I go?
Am I willing to dare?
Is it worth it?
Leap, and the net might NOT appear. What is worth doing anyway?
xo Melissa