Leap

James and I were sitting in his kitchen chatting when I noticed a small rectangular magnet on the side of his refrigerator. There was a message printed on the magnet in simple, neat text:

“Leap and the net will appear.”

Those words resonated strongly for me at that particular moment. I had recently left a great job—what some people would call a dream job—in order to invest more time in a business that I had started. I was turning my side gig into a full-time career, and had no idea if I was about to soar like a falcon or drop like a rock. It was an unsettling leap.

Risk and opportunity are frequent traveling companions. We often talk about “the road to success” or “the path to success,” as if succeeding at something involves a journey on solid ground; a journey where the main challenge is to keep moving forward, to put one foot in front of the other until we reach our goal. That kind of persistence is often a necessary part of the journey, but it’s not unusual for success stories to begin at the edge of a steep drop. To move forward, we first have to leap. The first step on the road to success is not a step onto secure, solid ground, but rather a step off of it.

Are you thinking of your own life right now, and leaps of your own that you’ve made? Maybe you’ve left a great job to start your own business. Maybe you once moved across the country to be with someone you loved or to build a better life for your family. Even some decisions that are much more common, like the decision to buy a house or to ask someone to marry you, can feel, in the moment, like leaping off of a cliff without knowing where or how you will land.

The big decisions in our lives, the big changes, often put our courage and commitment to the test. But what about this moment that you’re living right now? How committed are you to whatever it is that you’ve been doing today? Have you been taking baby steps? Are you tiptoeing carefully up to the edge, holding on to a secure rock, railing, or tree to make sure that you keep your balance?

What would it feel like to leap?

I’m talking about whatever you’re doing today. Leap into the spreadsheet that you’re working on. Leap into the code that you’re writing. Leap into the difficult conversation that you need to have with a colleague. Leap into the five, back-to-back Zoom meetings on your calendar. Leap into doing laundry.

It’s been said that “80 percent of success is just showing up.” This can be an inspiring thought when we need to start something that we’re not exited about doing. Unfortunately, in our busy lives, we can start to settle for “just showing up.” We show up, then switch to autopilot. Sometimes that’s okay. It’s what we need to do to get through a day. But “just showing up” can become our comfort zone. We forget to engage the other 20 percent.

Maybe this sounds very familiar to you. Maybe not. If it does sound familiar, what will the rest of your day be like if you choose to leap? What will happen if you reconnect, recommit, and fully immerse yourself in whatever you’re doing? What will be possible for you?

If you’re seeing an opportunity that requires a bigger change, a bigger shift, what will happen if you take the first substantial step in that direction?

What will the rest of your day be like if you leap?

What might appear?