Don’t Wait til You’re Ready
The most powerful steps forward are always going to be scary
They call it a leap of faith for a reason.
When I was 20, I faced my fears and went Bungee jumping. Ever since I can remember, I have had a distinct phobia of falling (not heights … just falling). So the moment I stood on the edge of a tiny platform, 80 meters (260 feet) above the Rangitikei River in New Zealand, and jumped, is seared into my memory.
Mostly, I remember the act of jumping. I recall how the jovial bungee operators triple checked my harness and started the countdown, 5…4…3…
And I remember thinking “Sh*t, I’m not waiting til the countdown ends. I’m not waiting til I run out of time!”. So I jumped. Somewhere between 3 and 2, I muted my screaming mind, left my counting accomplices behind and threw myself into a swan dive off the bridge. And I screamed, and fell, and freaked out, and bounced, and landed safely in the river. And I can now proudly say that, in that one moment of my life, I kicked my phobia in the butt and THREW MYSELF OFF A BRIDGE, DAMMIT!
Today, I watched a fantastic video that reminded me of that occasion; a message that brought back into focus the important lesson I learned that day:
Life is about leaping when you can, not when you feel ready.
Here’s the thing: life is going to offer you a million opportunities to stretch your boundaries and spread your wings. Doors are going to open for you that will allow you to expand, test yourself, dig deeper, reach further, celebrate, adapt, conquer and become a greater a version of yourself.
But when you come across these opportunities, you are very rarely (if ever) going to feel fully prepared, fully qualified, or fully in control. Instead, if you are chasing your most potent opportunities, you will probably deal with feelings of discomfort, fear, unpreparedness and inadequacy.
So do yourself a favor — don’t wait around til you’re ready.
When an opportunity presents itself, grab it. Believe in yourself. Breath deeply. Silence your thoughts for one, single moment … and take that leap of faith.
Kim Forrester is an award-winning author, educator and intuitive consultant with over 15 years’ experience as a professional intuitive and spiritual teacher. She combines cutting edge science with traditional spirituality to offer the latest understandings of psi, consciousness and holistic well being.
