Take The Leap
I am three hours away from leaving my hometown on a one-way ticket to Asia. My small carry-on, sitting in the corner of my bedroom, has been packed for weeks. I told my girlfriend that I had packed it because I was so excited to leave, but if I’m being honest with myself, a large part of why I packed early was because I was afraid of leaving and I had hoped that the packed bag would convince me that I wasn’t.
My cell phone has been disabled and put into storage, I’ve attended all of the going-away parties, and there’s nothing left to do but get on the plane.
Thoughts race through my mind at a rapid pace. What if I hate it there? What if this is the last thing I need right now? What if I’m homesick the entire time?
I take a deep breath, the wind in my lungs dissipating my worries.
Fuck it. Take the leap.
What call are you afraid of making in your life?
Is it time that you ended a relationship with an old friend? Do you need to leave your partner because you know she isn’t the one for you? Do you hate your job?
You have a few decades left to live… are you going to spend them being miserable? Maybe miserable is too strong of a word, but your life is calling for some drastic action right now.
At a certain point, after you analyze, prepare, and decide what you need to do, you just need to take the leap.
The decision is obvious, but the reality is terrifying.
We all experience that. As men, we are often afraid to admit uncertainty or weakness in any form. I experience nervousness, fear, and uncertainty just as much as any other guy (maybe even more because I am so relentless with myself about becoming self-actualized). There is nothing more normal than fear. There is a quote that I love that goes, “The more personal, the more universal”. It’s basically saying that every little thing that you think that no one should ever find out about you (because it is SO embarrassing) is a sure sign that everyone experiences that same feeling. And probably on a frequent basis.
What is not normal, is having your life be run by fear. Some fear is healthy, an over-abundance of fear is damaging and limits your entire life in every way.
See that girl you’re attracted to? Go talk to her. You don’t know what to say? Start with “Hi”. Then go from there.
You know the job that you feel stuck in and you dislike so much? You can leave it. You can find another job. That other job might have to pay less for a while, but guess what, you’ll be happy again.
Do you feel like a lot of your friends don’t really have your best interests at heart? Stop hanging out with them. The great thing about living in a world with seven billion people is that you can choose to make new friends. Sounds good right? Try it out!
So what call are you not making in your life?
As scary as it may seem, you will probably grow from it… just as I am about to grow by moving to Asia for a while.
Is it scary? Absolutely.
Is it worth it? Always.
Take the leap.
(Ps. As I write these words I am now two months in to my travels and have already grown so much as a person (and wrote three books). I took the leap and it was worth it. Like it always is. I’ll be posting a video of my travels soon)
(Update: Here is the video that I alluded to… my first month traveling/scuba diving/rock climbing through Asia – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4n58ZgCy76g )
