Just Jump!

As soon as I hit the water, I lost my breath because the water was frigid.

Just a few minutes before, I was standing above Lake Superior contemplating jumping into the lake from a cliff. The longer I waited the more difficult the decision became. The water was 52 degrees, and the air temperature was in the high 50s. The wind was blowing nearly 20mph. The hike back to my warm car was almost a mile. I imagined the shock of jumping in the crazy cold water. I thought about how cold I would be. I focused on all the reasons jumping was a bad idea.

You know the feeling.

You really want to do something, but you keep telling yourself reasons why you can’t or shouldn’t.

“It will take too long.”

“What will other people think?’

“I’m too old (or too young).”

“I am not qualified.”

“It’s too risky.”

“No one else has done it before.”

Excuses delay action. The longer we wait the easier it is to convince ourselves not to do something. Overthinking becomes our foe and doubts starts to win us over.

It’s in these situations that the very best thing may be to silence the internal critic and just start, just jump.

Here are some examples of when pausing too long can be detrimental:

– Having a difficult but necessary conversation with your boss or a co-worker.

– Interviewing for a new opportunity.

– Waiting too long to start a new venture.

– Speaking up when you see something wrong.

I know that I often write about taking your time, slowing down, and resting. My newsletter is called Pausitivity for a reason – pausing is good. However, there are some situations when pausing too long isn’t a good idea.

In those cases, you just need to jump.

The water was cold, but it was worth it. None of my pre-jump excuses were as bad as I had imagined. I didn’t have to take that long walk back to the car with regret.

And you don’t either.