Just take the leap

When I was a kid, about seven or eight, I remember standing at the top of a high diving platform, too scared to jump off into the water below. I had been full of bravado when I was on the ground and wanted to have as much fun as the other (mainly older) kids were having as they launched themselves into the air. But once at the top it felt really high and scary and I wasn’t at all sure that I was enjoying myself. It had felt so much safer on the ground. I had to get off the platform somehow and I only had two choices — climb back down or jump.

Climbing down wasn’t an option. I had wanted to jump off the platform, and jumping was what I was going to do. So I spent ages psyching myself up for the jump. I can’t quite remember exactly what it was that I was afraid of. The platform was in a safe spot with no rocks or anything underneath and I was a good swimmer. I suppose it was the fear of being airborne with no control for a few seconds before I hit the water — which is funny because what drew me to the top of the platform was to feel exhilarated while airborne before I hit the water.

In the end I stopped thinking about it and jumped.

I flew through the air then hit the water with a splash. I felt myself sink down a little before I swam up to the surface, exhilarated and alive.

And I loved it so much that I went back up again and again, each time doing different types of jumps until it was time to go home.

I have found myself at the top of a metaphorical platform many times in my life since, when I have been faced with the choice of climbing back down to the safety of where I had been, or leaping into the unknown. And in all of these moments it was the time when I forced myself to stop thinking about the ‘what if?’ and just make the move that I had the most incredible experiences. These moments include buying a one-way ticket to London when I was 21, jumping out of a plane at 26, changing careers and starting a business and heading off on Remote Year this year.

These moments challenged me, but I each time I landed on my feet, exhilarated and alive and ready to take another leap.

What leaps are you going to make in 2016?