“The longing is larger than the fear, the desire more fierce than the pain…I had to leave the life I had built and go forward to meet the life for which I longed.” — Oriah
Sometimes in life, our skin stops fitting quite so well. We become restless, we are no longer in love with who we are, our surroundings, and the things we have chosen for ourselves. Our beliefs about ourselves and our purpose are trying to change.
We are ready for growth, but we are often afraid to let go of the “good enough” lives we are living, in order to have the great lives we know we deserve.
I like to view these moments in life like standing at the edge of a cliff looking out into the beautiful unknown.
95% of people stand at the edge, they see how amazing it looks out there, they can see that other people made the leap and were fine, but they are scared. So most people either stand there watching and wishing all their lives, or they turn and walk away, back to the dull monotony that they hate.
It’s 100% normal to be scared of something new and uncertain.
But here’s the secret…
The 5% of people who conquer fear and make the leap into the unknown, those are the people who:
- Actually reach their big dreams and goals in life
- Look back at the end of their lives without regrets
- Find true happiness and satisfaction
- Create lives full of amazing memories
They aren’t any less scared than the rest. They simply choose not to let their fear hold them back. My life has felt like a whole series of jumping over the edge of cliffs and I have never regretted jumping. But…the moments before the leap, the days, weeks, and months leading up to it are often terrifying.
And then I do it. I let the fear wash over and through me, and I conquer fear by stepping off the edge anyway. Sometimes I feel like I’m tumbling, falling, drifting, and I’m not sure I made the right choice. But, eventually, I look back at the things I left behind and I’m glad I let them go, because I’ve leveled up to a brighter, happier, more aligned life.
And it feels amazing.
Sometimes, when you’re a successful, high-achieving person, you’re afraid to try something new because you don’t want to be bad at it. You don’t want to fail at something or make a “wrong” choice in life.
But there are no wrong choices in life. There are only the 95% of people who wake up one day regretting that they didn’t change course when they had the chance to, and the 5% of people who are willing to be honest with themselves, face and conquer fear, and change directions when it’s time.
When we are standing on the brink, we often have to change beliefs that no longer serve us. We may have to break agreements we have made to others and to ourselves. Things may get uncomfortable for a time. And that’s ok. When I look back on these moments of growth, I can see that they have always led me closer to the life for which I longed.
So, when you’re standing in that pivotal moment and the choice comes to you: to leap or stay in your comfort zone, I want you to ask yourself these questions:
- What’s the absolute worst thing that could happen as a result of taking this leap?
- If the absolute worst thing happened, how long would it take me to get back to where I am right now in life?
- What am I actually scared of (this one takes some digging and honesty)?
- If I had 1 year left to live, what would I do?
- Is there a really good reason NOT to do this, or is it just the fear?
- What does my heart/intuition/inner child say?
Let the answers to those questions help guide your decisions.
You’re no longer wandering through the forest, looking for the right path to take. You can see it…all you have to do is let go and take the next step. So many good things are waiting for you. Trust your heart, trust your intuition, and trust the process. You can do this.
