Sometimes You Just Gotta Jump!

You can creep towards your ultimate goal, and one of these days you might even get there. And, of course, you might spend time planning and visualising your eventual outcome. All well and good. But the time will come when you have to make a decision. It can be a frightening moment, and one you might revisit time after time, because each time you do, you back off from it. You step away from the precipice, back to safety. But inside you’re a little ashamed that you couldn’t gather up enough courage to jump.

But sooner or later, you just gotta take a leap into the unknown. Yes, you might fail. Truth is, you probably will. But that’s how you learn, and that’s how you gain confidence. Because, although failing can be painful, at least you’ve made an attempt. You stopped lingering on the sidelines and you decided it was time to jump. And that’s a good thing.

Procrastination is the coward’s way out

Procrastination is a killer. Watch out for it. If you see it lurking in the shadows, change course immediately. Get away from it, and keep away from it. You know damn well it will strangle your efforts and do its best to kill your dreams. Its only purpose is to stop you taking a chance. It’s a fearsome enemy, but behind its gruesome exterior, it’s just terrified that you’ll make a fool of yourself, or make a dreadful mistake. So it trips you up and slows you down. It leads you down one meandering alternate route after another in the hope that you’ll forget your goal even exists. Or if you remember it, you’ll be so confused about whether it’s even attainable that you’ll be ready to quit.

Do you want to give in to the amnesia that procrastination has in store for you? Are you ready to forget the whole thing and quit on your dreams? Are you okay with the idea that ten years from now you’ll probably wake up one morning and ask yourself, as you wipe the sleep from your eyes, what the hell happened to all your lofty ideas and plans? Where did it all go wrong? Why is your life such a failure?

Or are you prepared to take a deep breath, step forward, ever closer to the edge, and take that leap? It’s scary, you better believe it. It’s dangerous. Out there, on the edge, you’re a second away from jumping, and possibly falling. If you get it wrong … oh, the thought of that. If you get it wrong, it could be disastrous. You don’t want to even think about that.

Listen to someone who knows how scary it can be

If you’re feeling like that right now, this might well be a good time to listen to what Steve Harvey has to say on the subject. He’s keen to explain his thoughts about it, and he speaks as one who’s stood on the cliff edge a bit too long, until he felt he had to jump. He’s been there, and he knows the fear that can grip you. If he makes it sound scary, it’s because it is. But he knows it’s scary, and he knows you have to jump anyway, even if it means you fall. Because, in the end, it’s better than living your entire life on the sidelines and never really taking part in the game.

And take the time to read some of the comments below the video on YouTube. This video, and its heartfelt message, has changed so many people’s lives. Watch it again and again, if you feel the need. If you think you might be ready to jump, it could change your life too!