Will you stay in the water?

You did it. You jumped. You made the leap you have desperately wanted for so long; possibly for your entire life. But the courage it took to do it, the strength it took to finally show up for yourself, is only the first step into the journey. As hard as it may have been, the jump is the free fall… The moments before and immediately after are tough. It took so much thought and preparation and prayer. It took guts. It took pain. It is exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time. But once you’re in the water, once you’re wading in the decision you made… will you stay?

When — not if but when — the hurtful, doubtful comments start surfacing to the waves around you, what will you do?

Will you retreat to the inarguable safe, yet all the same suffocating, shore? Will you go back to everything you know is no longer good for you? Just because it’s easy? Just because it’s familiar? Will you flirt with the temptation at clinging to the jagged rocks of criticism; knowing all it will do is cut you to the core and completely cut off your journey across the water? Will you let the comments of others who don’t know your journey, who don’t know you, drag you down like a Siren?

The life raft that is your “why” — your health, your family, your happiness, your calling — has to push you across the ocean to that island you envision. You have to want that island, that level of health, freedom, and higher purpose, more than anyone else. No one is you. No one is going to get it like you do. It was placed in you, for you. You cannot expect anyone else to want it as badly, or go after it for you. It won’t happen.

You will have some helpful shoves along the way — the look on your spouses face seeing you healthy & on fire, the encouraging words of others who root for you, the little “AHA” moments that mean to jab but only propel you forward. You need these things, but you cannot rely on them. The life raft that is your “why” has to be enough.

You will be misunderstood. You will be judged. You will be lonely as all get out. But you won’t let that Siren pull you down. You won’t retreat to shore. You won’t cling to the jagged rocks, so easily in reach but so very detrimental, halt you. You won’t let those who are specifically rooting for your failure – those who don’t get pushing for more because they too are pretty darn scared of that ocean in front of them – dictate whether or not your make it across the ocean to your island.

But you have to ask yourself: Is this safe shore really what you want? Are you truly happy there? Are you truly healthy? Are you truly on fire for where you are and who you have in your life? Are the people surrounding you truly your people, even when you are being your most authentically real version of you?

You & your “why” will wade through. Some days will be sunny with mild waters, filled with pleasant happenings & bubbling comments. Some will bring more jagged rocks than you can fathom, denting your “why”, your life raft, so much you wonder whether or not you will make it. However, dented & winded, you will press on. You won’t retreat to the shore… that will only bring you more pain than the journey — the pain of a life half lived and a dead dream.

I made the jump. I’m staying in the water. Will you?

Big Sea-Salted Hugs,

KP.