Once upon a time when you were younger and the world around you was far more innocent, you stood at the edge of the pool. Maybe it was the edge of a pier, overlooking a lake full of marine life and seaweed dancing beneath the surface. There you stood in your swimsuit, wrapping your arms around yourself, looking out to the water like it was a terrible grade on your math test. Behind you, your parents called out to you.
“Don’t be shy! It won’t bite!”
Oh, but it will! You shiver as the words sink into your mind. They have to be kidding, right? Do they know what it’s like to jump into the deep end for the first time? I don’t blame you: tune them out. Ignore the other kids whispering about you from the water, your parents encouraging you, and everything else around you. You can’t ignore that your heartbeat is racing, though.
Badum. Badum. BADUM. BADUM.
You want to run away. You want to scream. Something in you is awaking every fiber of your being, begging you to run back to the shallow end, forget about this, and go back to playing with your floaties and your toys. But your swimming lessons would have been for nothing. Mom and Dad would be disappointed they bought you the new swimsuit, just so you could toss it to your bedroom floor and curl up next to your favorite book.
Then, two hands give you a gentle shove from behind. You scream. The water engulfs you. For a minute, you swear this is the end. I’m going to die. This is like Jaws. I’m not gonna make it! Your arms search for the surface. The air is cold against your skin as you come up for air, thrashing against the water like you’re battling the Kraken. Mom and Dad are giggling as you come up, wiping hair out of your face and glaring at them. You’re about to spit words out to them until you realize something. Your legs are keeping you afloat. Your arms are swirling around. You aren’t sinking. You’re swimming.
Taking the leap is terrifying. Sometimes, we need someone else to give us the shove. Other times, we look at the horrifying scene before us and jump in without another glance back or a sliver of doubt in our bodies. Imagine if you never take the chance. What would happen?
I’ll tell you what probably would happen: you would run back inside and hide away from the water a little bit longer. You would spend summers watching as your friends swim, all while you sit there in fear of drowning or looking like a baby. You would spend every single moment after that wondering “what if”. In case you haven’t heard, it’s the “what if” moments that will hurt you the most.
Nothing good ever came out of a comfort zone. Even entrepreneurs who didn’t want to work with people or sat in front of a computer and coded away amazing viral applications and websites left their comfort zones. If we spend our entire lives eating the same foods, seeing the same people, watching the same movies, and listening to the same music, do we really ever change? Do we even give ourselves the chance to become more than what we were that day at the pool, scared out of our minds just to get into the water? The answer is no. We remain the same, and even worse, bored with our lives.
So, if you’re the person who looks at the opportunity, feeling every bone in your body shake like a Chihuahua, and turn to run away, hold your horses! Take a second and think about it. What are you going to think if you walk from this now? Are you going to regret it? If you are going to regret it, turn back around and stare what terrifies you right in the face. Let your fear dissolve, even though you’re shaking and your heartbeat is knocking against your chest with a steady rhythm. Take a deep breath, let your toes curl over the edge of the pool deck, clench your fists, and close your eyes. Clear your mind. Take another long, deep inhale. Then at last, jump.
