So it’s Leap Day. I’ve been thinking about this day for a couple of weeks and reflecting on the many leaps I have taken in the past few years. The first big leap was leaving the corporate world behind in 2013. The second leap was to stay home with the kiddos. The next leap was to decide to return to work. And, the most recent leap to become a entrepreneur. All of them pretty big leaps, some may say.
When I look at the list, I think some of the leaps were definitely easier than others. My most recent leap as a business owner probably seemed the scariest at the time, but upon reflection, it probably wasn’t as scary as leaving the corporate world. That still probably tops the list. Staying home with the kiddos was a leap of a different kind… so much of mainstream identity is what you “do” and I felt like my identity was as a working mom. So a leap to stay-at-home mom felt like a huge shift.
BUT, were they the huge leaps that I thought they would be? Nope, not exactly. Sure, each leap all had an element of gains and trade-offs. But were they great big jumps across a gorge of uncertainty that I thought they would be?? In many ways, no, they weren’t. I still got up. I still went thru my day. I just did it slightly differently. In all the cases above, once I chose to take a leap, it was more like a small step. Then another. Then another. And another. Think of it more like a staircase. Each step building toward whatever it was that I was “leaping” to.
So what does this all mean? Turns out, there is NO leap! What feels like a chasm a mile wide is really just a bunch of small steps that you put together. And that’s a good thing. It means that you can create a plan to get you from one side to the other. It means that you don’t have to risk it all to begin creating that “thing” that you always wanted. It means that whatever it is that you want to do or want to be is totally achievable. I am going to say that again – Whatever it is that you want to do or want to be is totally achievable. It means that you don’t have to leap, you just have to decide to take the first step.
As Leap Day comes to a close, I encourage you to spend a few minutes reflecting on any big leaps you have been wanting to do, meaning to do, but haven’t acted on. Pick one to focus on. And then, take one small step toward making it happen.
xo,
Kelly
