The Jump Is Always the Hardest Part

Steve Harvey, a well-known comedian and game show host, once said this about achieving success: “If you want to be successful, you have to jump, there’s no way around it. When you jump, I can assure you that your parachute will not open right away. But if you do not jump, your parachute will never open. If you’re safe, you’ll never soar!”

So, what keeps us from jumping? Most of the time, it’s not laziness or lack of ambition. It’s fear. It’s not the loud, dramatic fear, but the fear that shows up as second-guessing, or the need for certainty before we move forward. This kind of fear tells us, “What if it doesn’t work?” or “What if I’m not ready?”

Life transitions are full of these moments. Think about all the times you’ve wanted to switch careers, start your dream business, or leave an unhealthy relationship. Transitions require a jump. What makes the transition so hard is, like Steve said, the parachute doesn’t open immediately. There’s always going to be a period where things feel uncertain or unstable. You may not feel confident or have your footing and you might question whether you made the right decision. Because of this, many people stay where they are, not because it’s good, but because it’s what they know and it feels safe.

When I went skydiving for the first time, I remember jumping out of the airplane and free falling for what felt like eternity. If I had on a heart rate monitor, I’m sure my cardiologist would have been notified. When the parachute finally opened, I felt a sense of relief and could enjoy the descent back to land. Life transitions ask us to trust before we feel ready and to accept that clarity often comes after action, not before.

Fear may always be part of the process, but it doesn’t have to be the thing that keeps you grounded when it’s time to jump.

I’ll leave you with this quote that I read in a book by Simon Sinek called “Together is Better.”

“It’s all fine and good to imagine what life would be like somewhere else. It takes some courage to leave and go somewhere new. To head out to the great unknown. But what happens if upon taking the first step, something goes wrong? Maybe it was a bad idea to leave in the first place? Maybe it’s best to turn back and stay put? After all, the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t. Or maybe, if you have the right people with you, they will give you the courage to keep going.”