Sunday, February 12, 2012

Little Leaps

"The moment I jumped off of it was
the moment I touched down"
- from Thank You by Glen Ballard and Alanis Morissette

Listen. I want to tell you something. I want to talk about leaping. I have been thinking about it a lot this month because, of course, it's Leap Year and this is the month with one extra day. I want to talk about it because I’m not as brave as I’d like to be. But let’s just talk about it. We don't have to do anything drastic. Let’s get some coffee and discuss:     

The concept of leaping - making the leap, taking the chance - is something that sounds soo noble. So worthy. Soo…….I wanna do it.


After Steve Jobs passed away, I started reading all these great, inspiring quotes of things he had said - about just this sort of thing.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. Steve Jobs

The longer I live, the more I feel a sense of urgency about making those leaps and taking risks.
I aspire to Leap. I want to be a Risk Taker.
But in truth, I am a Dreamer of Leaps.
In these dreams I am brave.  I have vision. I have clarity.


Making a leap sounds like making a big change. A risky, big change. You don’t really know how it’s going to turn out so you have to just go for it. On the other hand, you don’t want to be stupid about it and go off the deep end. Or so the voice in my head keeps telling me. Take for example,  that woman who calls herself the Naked Cowgirl and plays her guitar in Times Square. Now, what happened there? Did she just wake up one day and say, ‘I am CHUCKing it all to become the Naked Cowgirl! I have found my life’s calling!”  


photo by james messerschmidt, ny times

Naked Cowboy vs. Naked Cowgirl in Times Square - NYPOST.com

It would be nice to get some clear signs – like a telephone call or “Leap Notice” but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work like that. I think the key lies in listening to that inner voice, and really trusting what your heart wants. “Stand in your truth” a friend used to say to me. I guess if that means your truth is becoming a naked cowgirl, then who am I to argue?


In case you – like me - find it hard to make a daring leap, I have devised a compromise.  I take little leaps. Even with little leaps, after a time, I can look back over my shoulder and see that I have put distance between where I was and where I am. And maybe someday, I’ll make the Big One………….
More coffee, please.


6 comments:

  1. You may end up regretting some of those leaps you took...but someday you'll regret EVERY leap you didn't take.
    My Momma said it long before Nike...Just Do It!!

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  2. I like to use the "death bed scenario" to get perspective, sometimes. When considering a "Leap", or any major decision, imagine yourself taking you last breaths, looking back on your life. Are you gonna think, I'm really glad I made that choice? Or I wish I'd done that differently? Hind sight is 20/20. Try looking back for insight into the future.

    If the death bed thing is too much for you, try looking back at the past few years. Are you happy with the choices you made and the reasons you made them?

    I've made a few leaps after looking at thinigs this way, and I'm really glad I did. Try it.

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  3. Yes, I think when one looks back, there is more regret over the chances not taken, than over mistakes that one made. I like your idea of little leaps. Perhaps I will give that a try myself. Even a little leap has to do some good.

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    Replies
    1. i must try harder to push the envelope. why is it so hard?

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