Sometimes you just have to jump

 

In my life I have found that the easiest way to make a change is to close your eyes, hold your breath and, as Nike says, “just do it!”

Now why change? Well, in my book change is the best way to find out who you are, to find yourself by creating yourself. Sometimes I might try something crazy just to remind myself of who I am, or who I’m not. Self discovery then lends itself to contentment, after all, how can you be happy is you don’t know what makes you that way!

I have done a lot of jumping through my life, sometimes in small ordinary ways (challenging myself to sit by a cute boy at lunch that I didn’t know), other times in more substantial and extraordinary (running off to Europe by myself for months at a time). Each jump requires an amount of courage, determination, and the ability to give away a little of who you are for who you’d like to be.

One of my more ordinary changes has also been one of my most beneficial. After a yoga studio opened up across the street from where I lived, I suddenly had the urge to give it a try. Not a big deal for many people but the thought of trying something new and so unfamiliar scared the crap out of me. After months of putting it off, I finally found a friend to share the experience. Jumping always seems easier when you have someone to be your buddy. Anyways the story goes that I went, I loved, and I came back. Every time I came back I pushed myself to try something new; to push a little harder, to try a new class, to stay on my mat (in the yoga world, that means keeping the focus on your own practice, without concern for what others are doing or how they might be viewing you, one of my biggest hurtles), to take a workshop, to let myself become part of the yoga family at my studio.

After all that work of taking one big jump followed by many small ones I am happy to say that I am a regular attendee of a variety of different classes and workshops (whether a friend comes with or not), chanting, singing, moving around like a crazy person, hugging, trusting, and thanking are all things I have accomplished despite prior hesitation.  I am happy to have given away that scared self conscious part of myself and couldn’t be more thrilled with the stronger, more self assured, peaceful self I got back in return. 

Of course I’m not cured of my humanity, of my fear, of my hesitation; it’s a life-long process of jumping, finding your balance, creating a new goal and jumping again. As long as we jump, we grow, as long as we grow, we continue to live our goals and find our place in this world.

Trying something new like yoga seems like a small thing, but the discoveries that are made by pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can be life altering, mind altering. So go ahead, find a goal, set your sights, acknowledge your fear as a symbol for growth, and just jump.