Just Do It.

Picture this:

The sand crunched satisfyingly beneath her toes as the young girl prepared to push off. She perched precariously on the edge of the swing, her tiny hands curled around the chains with enough intensity to turn the knuckles white, her face the picture of concentration. For a minute she held her breath, excitement palpable, and then she pushed off. Higher and higher she swung, her hay-coloured hair whipping about her like a cape. An exultant grin lit her face as the swing reached a height at which she could just peak over the tops of the houses down the street. One final, powerful swing backward saw her concentration return. With a squeal of excitement, she let go of the swing and launched herself forward, her arms spread wide as if she could fly.

I’m not sure about you, but thinking about launching myself out of a swing set now, at 19 years old? I’ll politely decline, thank you very much. As an adult, I’ve learnt my lessons. Broken bones, chipped teeth, grazed knees… and who knows what kind of heebie jeebies are lurking in the sand, just waiting for the opportunity to take a nip at my precious toes?

And yet… in the same breath, I kind of wish I could take that leap. Or rather, I wish I could take risks without any thought for the potential consequences.

As we grow older and enter into adulthood, we are no longer able to launch ourselves into the unknown with absolute faith that we will be able to pick ourselves up at the bottom. We worry, we delay, we allow ourselves to be dissuaded by potentials. Potential consequences, potential downfalls, potential problems. Until finally we convince ourselves that our ideas, our goals, are impossible.

What I've come to realise these past few months is that you can’t allow yourself to be afraid of the unknown. Any action comes with consequences. Any excitement comes with a little bit of fear. Success doesn't come without a little risk and sometimes happiness means taking yourself out of your comfort zone.

Everyone has desires, aspirations, dreams and goals. Invest in some knee pads, tuck your elbows in and just go for it. Talk to that guy you've been crushing on. Quit that job. Move to a new city. Wear that dress. Get married… or hell, get divorced! It’ll be difficult, it’ll be scary, but I tell you what, you have no idea how clear the skies can be until you've made a decision to change your life for the better. To do what’s right for you. 

My message today I guess is simply this:

Take a leap of faith.