I jumped off a cliff last month.  Didn’t see that one coming, but it called to me.  I love water and athletics, I was in paradise, air temp. was over 100 degrees, so it pretty much all made sense. I wanted to experience the thrill of taking a positive risk.  I push myself a little outside of my comfort zone each time we travel.  I realize there is only so much excitement I can have in my comfort zone, then it’s yeah I did this, yeah I did that.  Each time we go on a family trip, I am happy to say it is now customary that I participate in activities and adventure that is new.  I tell myself I have been building up to these things, and that I am ready.  This rationale usually works.  My husband often makes me feel bolder than I am. He’s quite clever in his approach.  Famous conversation after lift-assisted downhill mountain biking: “How did you know I could do that?  I didn’t even know I could do that!” He then says casually, “I just knew you could.”

Come on in, the water is just fine

After a half hour of scrambling sandstone in flip flops, I decided to take a breather and assess my energy level.  My family excitedly forged on.  I sat down on the cliff just before the jumping site to rest and observe.  I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I feel confident checking in with myself.  If I am unsure, I’ve learned to tell those around me that I need a few minutes.  Just like I tell my clients, I trust that they know the answer.  You are the only one who knows when it’s best to move forward, you just have to make sure you’re not standing in your own way.  Sometimes it helps to sit for a bit and watch how it’s done.

I’ve so got this

Honestly, you can do anything you put your mind to.  The secret is deciding.  Admit it, you are the greatest obstacle in your life.  Resistance and doubt stall the best of plans.  We are master creators of our levels of difficulty.  This part is about trust.  Trusting ourselves is paramount to victory.  How well do you trust yourself with what is best for you, at any given time?  I spent years of my life caught in indecision.  I’m done with that.  Now I recognize an immediate yes for myself, and I’ve learned often an “I don’t know” intuitively means no.

You good?  Yeah, you good?

While I was summoning my courage to make my way over to the jump site, I sat and watched my husband and kids with anticipation.  I noticed something very interesting; I was not just content sitting there.  My inside voice very quietly said, “I want to do that.”  I had to be quiet in order to hear it, but it came through clearly.  I’m not one to cave to peer pressure, perhaps that is why I initially kept my distance.  The only person I’m in competition with is myself.  Am I better than I was before?  Yes.  Ok, then.  My only desire is to meet or exceed the standards I set for myself.  This is what gives me lasting fulfillment.

You know you want to

Ever second guess yourself?  Does it happen often?  Second guessing is like a switch that automatically shuts us down.  I stood there at the top of the cliff and looked down into the water for a while. I watched other people courageously jumping next to me on the higher edge.  I noticed that the longer I stood there, the harder it was for me to jump.  I knew I wanted to do it, I knew it was as safe as it could be, what was going to make me go?  Hesitation can protect us to a certain extent; until it debilitates us.  We need to find the sweet spot between hesitation and action.

Yolo

You know that moment when theory turns into manifestation?  Several months ago my partner and I finished designing our new website.  She and I wanted a dynamic homepage, so we chose an image of a group of friends, having a blast, cliff jumping into water.  That afternoon as my husband drove us to this new activity, a tear came to my eye, as I explained to my step-daughter the profound synchronicity of recently choosing this unique sport for our website.  Before that day, I had never considered cliff jumping before in my life.  I jumped.