It is the beginning of a new season, and with it comes new opportunities, new life and new beginnings. I woke up this morning, feeling the change in my spirit. Although the routine felt familiar, the atmosphere had changed.
Sitting in an oversized chair, I watched as the steam from my coffee danced into the air in a silent melody and dissipated. I couldn't help but think of the similarity to life, here one minute, gone the next. The sun pierced through the wooden shutters and filled the room in scattered pools of light as the birds sang a new song welcoming this long awaited season, Spring.
Have you ever felt like you are standing on the edge of a cliff, and the only way forward is to leap into thin air? That somehow you’ve got to muster up the courage to jump into the absolute unknown and trust that everything’s going to be ok? The map ends here, but you know that there is so much more out there. More to see, more to feel and more to experience just within arms reach, but too far to grasp without leaving the security of the ground beneath your feet.
In these crossroads, there is always a choice. We can go back the way in which we came, or set up camp at the edge of the cliff and live out our days watching the sun as it rises and sets upon the valley of what-if’s….
Or, we can jump.
For some time now, I've felt that I am on the precipice of a new season, but fear has been holding me back, keeping me complacent in a false sense of security. I admit I have set up camp there, and it’s quite comfortable. However, as each day goes by I can’t shake the feeling that there is more to life than my little camp. In fleeting moments, I have caught glimpses of it and it draws me closer to the edge. But each time I get close, I hear the voice of fear whispering “What about all the hard work you put into surviving here?” “What if there isn’t anything better out there and you have to start all over?” “What if no one catches you and you plummet to your untimely death?” And I turn around and head back to camp thinking, “maybe tomorrow.”
Why do we live our lives always thinking “maybe tomorrow?” Fear wants us to believe that there will always be a tomorrow, but the truth is that tomorrow is just an illusion that keeps us from taking action today.
The seasons change without fear. Winter gives way to Spring, Spring to Summer and Summer to Fall. Nothing stops them because they are not dictated by emotions or feelings. The changing of the seasons is held in balance by a Force far superior to our feelings, and that Force never changes.
Maybe that's it. Maybe if we stop putting our feelings on a pedestal, and start trusting in something bigger than ourselves, our eyes will open, our paradigms will shift and we will see our surroundings in a new light. Maybe then we will find the courage to step into the great unknown.
Personally, I've had it. I am sick of waiting for my life to start from my little camp. I know that there is a bigger world out there and that the plans for my life include hope and a bright future. Plans that will take me farther than I could ever go walking through life guided by my emotions. Now hear me when I say, emotions aren't always a bad thing, but when they hold you hostage in your current situation, it's time to reevaluate who is in charge. Insecurity, fear, shame, stress, anxiety and complacency need to get out of the driver's seat. By succumbing to these feelings, you are freely handing over control of your life, and they will always steer you in the wrong direction.
It's time to take back the reigns. To quiet those voices that tell you it can't be done, and to take the risk of stepping into something new and unfamiliar. What do you have to lose?
"In life, if you don't risk anything, you risk everything." -Anonymous