getting ready to jump...

You'd think--having done it before--that getting ready to take the leap would get easier.

I mean seriously, you've been down this road in the past.  You've jumped.  You survived.  More than survived, in fact, you are who you are today only because you took that leap.  If you hadn't jumped nothing that 'is' today in your life would be the same.

Yet you find yourself afraid, the closer you get to the edge.

Now--full disclosure here--I've been accused of trying to leap too soon and would admit that, in the past, I've been guilty as charged.  Part of that due to straight up character flaws, part of it to circumstance(s) and urgency, part due in large part to immaturity.

That doesn't change the fact that there comes a moment where you 'know' that you've got to 'go'.

So what do you do with that?

Do you listen to the critics?  Do you slow down and think about it?  Do you examine the surrounding hills to see if there's any way down other than jumping?  Do you weigh your options and build a careful plan and consult with others?

Or do you just jump?

Eventually, you jump.

Before you jump you have to get to the edge of the cliff.  Getting there is a journey.  Chances are, any good thing you feel compelled to do, is going to be a thing you know is hard to do and that you won't be able to do unless you have the connections and experience needed to at least get the process started.  That 'filter' (connections and experience) is pretty good to start with.

For example, if you want to produce a movie but don't have a distribution company you can call to get them to vet the script and talk with you about 'foreign' you're probably not ready.

That kind of thing.

But say you have those connections.  Say your experience is fairly deep and broad.  Say you're--to some small degree and for better or worse--a 'known' commodity.  Say you do have the people to call and they're calling you back and the things you need to happen--albeit baby, BABY, steps--are starting to happen?

Well then, if that's what happening to you, regardless of your industry or the thing you're contemplating doing, take it from me (a guy who's jumped a few times), you should keep walking towards that edge.

Along the way, keep yourself accountable to key signposts ie: make sure you're getting the things you need to 'get' to keep moving forward and to your better-half, talking incessantly about the thing you're about to leap into and listen to what they have to say.  Listen very carefully.  If you're blessed to have a good friend or two who are wise and will tell you truth, once you're about ten yards or so from the edge, ask them to talk to you and see if they can talk you out of it...

(If your Dad's an 'Oracle' listen to him)

If they can (talk you out of it), you should turn around.  If they can't and--best of all--if they start showing signs of wanting to leap with you, or at the very least, want to help you jump then you should close the final few yards...

And jump.

Exciting times friends.  There never was a better time to start something than in a social and economic downturn.  Legends, fortunes and movements were made by simple people who faced their fear and 'did it' when the chips were down and people and markets were ready for change.

Ready?

T