Go’ ahead and jump! Are the words that my dad kept repeating, as I stood on the edge of the swimming pool contemplating jumping into the deep end. I would run up to the edge and then run back. Look down into the pool and run back. Pacing back and forth, saying to myself “I am brave” “I can do it” Mentally I could see myself jumping in, feeling the sensation of the water, and swimming for hours. So after contemplating for what seemed like an eternity, I took 3 steps back, ran and jumped in – SPLASH!!!!! After jumping in I was unstoppable! I kept jumping in over and over, but it all started with the initial JUMP.
Perhaps there is an idea, a business, a gift that you are itching to use, a goal or dream. But you have been going back and forth afraid to jump. If you are like most of us, at some point in time, we have all been apprehensive about taking that initial jump. Let me share a few things that will help and hinder you from making that JUMP!
1. Fear – Yes plain ole fear! If I jumped, I was afraid of the unknown. If I jumped I wonder what would happen, what people will say, maybe I’m not good enough, what if they don’t like me, what if no one supports, what if no one buys the product, etc. Those kind of fears kept me from pursuing my dreams for years. When in fact I should have been replacing my fear with thousands of reasons why I need jump and accomplish these things. Guess what? When I finally jumped none of the things that I was fearful about happened. Fear will keep you stuck, and the years will just roll by . . . . and you will still be wondering “I wonder what would have happened if I would have . . .?”
2. Do not wait for the conditions to be perfect – I am a perfectionist! So I will work on something, and rework it, and then rework it again. When the fact of the matter is it doesn’t need to be perfect. Don’t get me wrong I think we should always use and present the best we have at the time. Always moving in a spirit of excellence. But remember visions, ideas, goals, are PROGRESSIVE. They are constantly moving. They are constantly being tweaked, improved, added to, subtracted from. What is perfect to us today may not be perfect to us tomorrow. Don’t wait for perfection Go’ head and jump!
3. People Who You Think Will Help May Not – This is a hard lesson to learn. The people who are closest to you, or the people you think would be the first to lend a hand, support financially, to push and encourage you, or even there just to listen to your dream may not be the people you are expecting. So don’t get discouraged when the ones who you thought would be your biggest supporters are not. There is no need to be angry with them. Just know that there is someone else who will help, and other doors are waiting to be opened for you. You will receive support, help, and advice from unexpected sources.
4. Stop Comparing Your Work With the Work of Others – As the saying goes “Comparison is the thief of joy”. I became increasingly frustrated as I kept on comparing my work to that of someone else. So every time I saw someone else’s ministry, book, website, pictures, product, tagline, etc. I would look at whatever I was doing and compare it and I would be depressed for a week. And all my progress would stop. Do you! There is no one that can do YOU better than YOU!
5. There may not be a model for what you are doing – Have you ever had an idea or project you wanted to accomplish, and was trying to explain it to someone? But they really didn’t connect with what you were saying? Searching high and low for a book, manual, or seminar to supply guidance and direction? And yet nothing and no one is really able to give you any guidance. Maybe what you are trying to do has never really been done the way you are going to do it. Or the people around you are have never even thought about the things you are thinking about. The idea you have is novel, creative, and may be ahead of its time. So just because its never been done and there is no blueprint or model, do not be deterred or dissuaded. Trust yourself, go forward and watch it move from vision to reality.
Now Go ahead and make a BIG SPLASH!!! The world is waiting!
