I participated in an online summit for small business owners last week, and I heard someone say, “leap before you look.” I started thinking about this and have been for days. I have always tried to play things safe, and I often get stuck in a place of overthinking and never actually make a decision. I began wondering what it would look like in my life if I leaped before I looked.
Each of us makes hundreds of choices every day, some small and some big. Many of those decisions are made with virtually no thought; which way to turn to leave our neighborhood, what we put in our morning coffee, or what toilet paper to buy, as these decisions are ones we have made over and over again. Those more significant decisions can be harder to discern the next best step, and many of us don’t do anything out of fear that whatever we do will be the wrong choice. When we worry that we will get it wrong, it is easy to do nothing and wait it out. Lack of action gets in our way and prevents us from moving on to the next big opportunity.
Everyone has that voice in your head that helps guide you; your gut, intuition, the Holy Spirit, whatever you call it, we all have it. Sometimes it is easy to listen to it, and other times we ignore it repeatedly. Often when we ignore that little voice, it gets louder and louder until we can no longer ignore it. Does our intuition get it wrong sometimes? Absolutely, but for me, it is right far more than it is wrong. When I listen to my intuition, I trust myself and the universe that things will work out as they are supposed to. In the times I have ignored my gut, often out of fear, I created a struggle that didn’t need to be there. I stayed in a marriage I knew in my heart was over, spending time trying to “fix” it instead of leaving when my intuition said to causing years of stress, anxiety, worry, uncertainty, fear, and more. I have not tried so many things because I overthought what trying those things might lead to. I played out every possible scenario in my head, and the outcome I always imagined was the worst case, not the potential and opportunity. So many of us avoid decisions because we don’t know what’s coming next or feel uncertain that we will make the “right” choice.
So, what happens if we leap before we look? What happens when we make decisions quickly, trusting that our intuition usually steers us towards the direction with the most potential? What happens when we learn that many choices are not as big as they seem but a series of much smaller decisions that, when added up, create something big? Going for it feels big and scary. We fear that we will make the wrong choice leading to failure. But, how often do we not have the opportunity to course-correct our choices? If you turn the wrong way on the street, you can make a u-turn or take a different route that may not be the most convenient option but will get you to your destination. Virtually every choice we make is not permanent, and we have the ability to shift things making different choices with the new knowledge we have.
Is leaping before you look always the right option? No, especially when that leaping goes against our intuition, values or is potentially harmful. When we trust our gut and leap without all that looking, wondering, over-analyzing, fear, and judgment, amazing things can happen, often without wasted time, energy, and worry. What giant leap are you not taking? What big leap are you looking at with fear instead of wonder and excitement? If you are ready to make that giant leap and see what life has to offer, reach out and let’s see what kind of magic happens.