The Great Leap
You have seen it in the movies many times, the bad guy or gal is being chased by the hero or heroine, and they are running across the tops of buildings, and the bad one is jumping between buildings with hundred foot drops between the buildings, and they jump from building to building, ever bigger chasms between them, until the jump get super big, huge, and dramatic. And what happens next? The bad guy/gal makes this amazing jump… and sometimes makes it… and then the hero/heroine has a choice… do they take the jump, and risk their life? Or do they stop and not make the jump? And risk the audience thinking they are coward or afraid. But when they do jump… The crowd goes wild… Loud cheering and Oooohs and Aaaahs sound throughout the theatre. And they catch them and good prevails over bad.
But sometimes, as I said, the good guy or gal, does not make the jump, they hesitate and are caught. And also, in another variant, the bad guy/gal tries to make the jump, BUT they miss and do not make it all the way across the chasm and they fall to their death. It is a hundred foot drop, and a lot is at risk. Good thing it is just the movies so the stunt people do not actually die…
But what if this was YOU and the Next Great move in your life and your career. And you need to make a big change, perhaps starting a new business, or transitioning from one job to another, or to a job or a role with much bigger reward potential, but also much bigger responsibilities and risks. This could be YOUR GREAT LEAP. You are chasing the FUTURE YOU. You are chasing the VISION of where you want to be in your life. For this to work, first, you have to have a big dream or a big vision. If you don’t, then that is where you may need to start. Find something worth dreaming about. Find a big enough dream that it will INSPIRE you to be the best you can be. Find a big enough WHY to get you motivated and get you moving, to get a faster velocity in your life.
And after you DO have that Big Dream, that Big Vision, now you start moving, you probably get excited and make some good progress.
But at some point you will run into obstacles, challenges, and some of them might be very big challenges, things you have never done before, things you are worried you can’t do, or won’t do well enough, you worry you might be good enough… and you may find yourself on the edge of the tall building, with the hundred foot drop, with a chasm below you, a step in front of you. What do you do next? Are you afraid? Are you frozen? Do you jump? Do you stand there paralyzed?
In the movies, these are seemingly impossible jumps, 25 feet, 50 feet, even 100 feet. But it might only be 6 feet in your version. But you still may be paralyzed. After all it is 100 foot fall and death sits waiting at the bottom. So do you jump?
Usually people will walk up to the edge of the building or cliff and look down and freak out. They get themselves even more panicked and fearful. Maybe not the best move. But you do need to know the reality. If you fall there will be consequences. The Hero is not the one who is fearless in all situations, rather the Hero is the one who takes action despite their fear. So it is healthy to have some fear before you take your great leap, but not to let it totally paralyze you.
Also, even when you have mastered your fear, should you jump right from the edge? From a dead stop? Or would it be better to move back 25 or 30 feet and get as much speed as you can before you make the leap? Accelerate into the jump and you will go farther and increase your chances for success.
And you also should make sure that it is possible to make the jump. Let’s get real about this. I would prefer to make the jump, rather than fall to my death. How about you? So a clear headed evaluation is also a good idea. Evaluate what is the best that can happen, what is the worst that can happen, and then determine given the current conditions, what is the most likely thing to happen, and then decide whether you are going to make the great leap now or not?
What if you are not ready yet? Well if this is your business life, or career, then another perfectly reasonable step is practicing, and getting coaching and training. Treat it as an athlete treats it. If you want to win jumping or leaping contests, then you train, you get feedback from your coaches, and you practice practice practice. You don’t start making your first jumps with 100 foot drops, but maybe only on level ground. And your jumps start getting longer and longer. Then maybe you step it up with a 3 foot drop and then a 10 foot drop. Until you are able to jump it every time… And then you are ready for your Great Leap.
As much as I love Nike Commercials, there is more to succeeding than just doing it, than just leaping… You also have to practice, train, get good coaches, and when you fail, learn from your mistakes, when you get injured, pick yourself back up, heal yourself, and when you are healthy, get back in the game, and continue training and practicing, and making yourself better and better.