Leap of Faith

Have you taken a leap of faith? A leap that shook you to your core because you had NO idea what to expect when you took flight?

As I reach the two-year anniversary of my first sky dive I am compelled to reminisce & reflect. Well, to be accurate, the first time I attempted to jump a group of us were winded out for eight hours. It was a long day of waiting, bonding and nervous dialogue. When the decision was made that is was a hard NO to the jump, we all hit the wind tunnel and that was a great dress rehearsal as to how the free fall would feel. So there was a tiny bit of fear liberated as to what to expect after I jump out of the plane…

…What I was not prepared for was the beat up plane, shrilling sounds, doors opening  & closing at 5000 feet and witnessing just about everyone in the plane freaking the fuck out. I would say that was more frightening that the actual jump…

I remember the moment so distinctly. My tandem partner and I were the first to get on and the last to jump so I observed 11 other sky divers cry, sweat, swear, hesitate and flip out as they approached the window. During this ascent I was peculiarly comfortable. A friend of mine who had jumped before advised me to close my eyes when I arrived at the door and have the professional throw me out with him/her. As the moment drew near I was bright eyed and curious to see what I was getting into. I was ready. My partner and I shimmied to the window and I cranked my neck to look back and him and then locked eyes with the earth 13000 feet below me and he shouted, “are you ready?” and I yelled “FUCK YES”…and POOF, we were air born. It was a two second freak out and then the air caught us and it was just like the wind tunnel but a LOT colder, louder and REAL rapidly falling through the air looking like a bad ass.

We landed and my partner and I unlatched and I immediately wanted to go again. It was a rush that I had never felt before…I waited another three months and then went again with my best friend… 🙂

Now you may ask why I even decided to jump? Simple answer – I needed a wake up in life. I needed to get out of my comfort zone and feel ALIVE. And there is no better way to treasure your own breath when you stare fear straight in the eyes and say, “I got this”

Is sky diving an extreme example of how to spice things up, take a leap of faith or simply recharge? Yes. But for me, I needed it. Badly.

Recently I have found myself in the exact same position, needing a shake up…I have been teetering in this dwelling of comfort…living a predictability that was dampening my soul. I wasn’t writing, I was not dancing, I was not meditating daily, I was not expressing my soul that way I craved to…there was this stagnant energy I was holding on to that was KILLIN my vibe.

So I am in the midst of making some changes…more to be disclosed soon, but for now I can share that I am taking a leap of faith and its scary as shit, but there is a trust in the universe that my purpose in life is to motivate, encourage, love, share, inspire and change the world…Specifically to encourage others to be vulnerable, to live in the moment, honor their past but not be chained to it, to BELIEVE their story is just as important as anyone else’s. Our stories our personal but even more powerful if we can share them in a way to inspire the greater good.

My fear and courage faced off in my first sky dive and my courage triumphed. I have the character feat to remain calm in chaos. Not sure if that was the CCF NRO days of organized madness or just being at ease in the midst of crazy…regardless, this even temper in disorder has helped me tap into the self-assurance I needed to re-energize to make these shifts in life.

Leaps of faith are called leaps of faith for a reason. You must believe in yourself that you are an extraordinary individual and you will land on your feet. Mistakes will happen, bad choices will be made, failures will ensue, but all of these do not define you, they are not who you are. How you react, how you make the best of the reality and how you move forward is what makes you, YOU.

Nothing is permanent…moments are fleeting…change is inevitable…you control your happiness…life is a blessing…trust is built…confidence is an on going work in progress…leaps of faith give our life texture…a smooth ride is not always an exciting one…be bold, be brave and BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.