Or maybe I should call this stepping out of your comfort zone.

Because it certainly isn’t comfortable when you’re getting ready to jump off a cliff into the unknown. At least that’s what it feels like when you decide to take that step you’ve been wanting to take for so long, but just couldn’t bring yourself to do it. I

I’m sure most of us at one time or another have had a version of the cliff dream, usually when we’re trying to make a difficult decision about a new opportunity, or we’re just feeling like life is taking us in a direction we really aren’t sure we want to go in.

In that dream we’re standing on a huge cliff which overlooks a vast canyon, one so big we can’t even begin to see the bottom; in fact we’re not sure there even is one. There’s no railing either, to prevent us from falling. So when we get to the edge it gets pretty scary, especially if you’re like me and afraid of heights. And you stand there, looking around, knowing you have two choices.

Either run back to where you were, or take a chance and leap into a free fall, trusting the Lord that you’re making the right decision.

We usually wake up from that dream before we make our choice, though, and until we make that decision in our real life, we’ll never know where the decision we make in our dream will take us. Will we plunge into the abyss, or will we spread our wings and soar into an entirely new adventure?

In your real life that cliff is only a picture in your mind. But it represents so clearly the way you feel when you’re on the verge of having to take a chance and make a difficult decision; one that could either turn your entire life around or cause you to stumble and have to pick yourself back up and start over again.

“What if I fall? But oh, my darling, what if you fly?” How many times have we seen that quote? In so many places. But it’s so true.

So what holds us back from taking that leap of faith? From stepping off the cliff of opportunity and taking a free fall into our life’s next chapter?

Actually, there are a lot of things.

Fear is the main reason. We’re so comfortable where we are that we’re terrified to take a chance to do something new, although it’s something we really want to do! We’re scared we’ll fail and what’ll happen then. What if no one likes you – or what you’re trying to do? But what if they do like you? But what if you succeed instead of fail?

Lack of self-confidence goes along with fear so many times. However, many people aren’t really as much afraid to take that leap as they are thinking they don’t have what it takes to be successful in what they really want to do. “I tried that before, and I messed up.” “I don’t think I have what it takes to do that.” “I don’t think I’m good enough…” But who says you’re not? Besides you?

Procrastination is one of the biggest reasons we don’t take that jump. Oh, we plan to. We even know how we’re going to do it. Unfortunately there’s always something that we still think we need to do before we take that chance. You think you need to wait until everything is perfect. Or you have to do one more thing. Which never gets done. It’s just a convenient excuse. And then someone else runs past you while you’re standing at the edge of that cliff and takes the jump ahead of you. And soars like you want to. So why do you keep putting it off? That could’ve been you already!

Distractions are all around us. They’re everywhere. You’re getting ready to send that email to a potential employer and all of a sudden you get a phone call and one thing leads to another, and the email is forgotten. Or you plan your day, even making a list of what you need to accomplish. You’re barely through the first item when you suddenly remember something you HAVE to do right then, and before you know it, you’re so distracted by everything else around you, your list is totally forgotten. So you decide to forget it and start again fresh tomorrow. But tomorrow brings more distractions, and you just can’t seem to get past them. So what’s more important? Taking care of all the little distractions, or putting all your energy into what you say really matters most to you?

Motivation should be easy if you really want to accomplish something great; something important to you. But many times our motivation isn’t as strong as we think it is. We’re so comfortable in our own little zone, our own “box” that we just can’t seem to make that jump, as much as we say we want to. Are you afraid you won’t be as comfortable in someplace new? What if that new place you fly into is bigger and even more comfortable after you get adjusted?

Depression can hold us back from advancing, from taking that leap. And many times we don’t even know we’re depressed. Depression can be caused by any number of factors. Most often we’re unhappy with our life because we feel we aren’t going anywhere. We may be unhappy with our careers, our personal life, or a combination of both. Depression can paralyze us and prevent us from not only taking that leap, but from enjoying life around us. And sometimes the best cure for depression is pulling ourselves out of the black hole we’re stuck in, and finally making that change. It’s hard. But the benefits are so worth it.

What’s holding you back from taking that leap?

What if you fall?

But what if you soar to greater heights than you ever imagined? You’ll never know until you try!

It’s time to close your eyes and jump!

And let us know what happens!