Nothing presents us with comfort-zone busting challenges like standing on the edge of a psychological cliff with the intent of leaping into life’s unknowns. Taking risks and having courage in the face of growth-producing challenges can bring us face-to-face with inner terror.

Life places us all on that cliff at one time or another.

We encounter the edge in various situations, like changing the status of a relationship. Maybe it happens when when we switch a career or a location, vary a hairstyle or launch a project. Taking risks can scare the crap out of us!

Growth, at its finest, happens when we embrace this emotional/ psychological challenge and take the leap off the precipice. The certainty of personal growth, however, does not prevent backing away from the rim out of panic. 

For a long time, I trembled on the brink of that cliff. Faced with the challenge of sending my blogs out into the wider world through this blog site, I allowed apprehension to pull the rug of courage out from under me.

Distractions to taking risks

Dread kept me seeking distractions. Taking many forms, depending on our personalities and conditioning, distraction uses different tactics. Maybe some of its strategies sound familiar to you: 

• We keep ourselves in the preparation phase, finding more and more to do to equip ourselves for the leap. 
• Other people’s dreams and priorities become our priorities also. Therefore, we keep busy with non-relevant activities.
• Unfinished tasks, hiding on back shelves, suddenly become extremely important. They, too, are non-relevant actions.
• Self-judgment screams in our ears. It won’t be good enough! I’m not really called to do this! I’ll embarrass myself!
• We compare ourselves to others. We make up they are so much better.
• We imagine how our leap into the unknown will result in a dire financial future and ensnare us in debt or bankruptcy.

Actions that help increase courage

Fear cannot operate when you engage in action. Here are some actions you can take immediately:

1. Get into observer mode.

Inwardly step away from the mind and watch it. List the ways it stirs excuses and fans emotions about the action to which Wisdom calls you.

2. Shift into this perspective:

The benevolent Space into which you release yourself opens its arms in friendship and acceptance. Rather than imagining a crash at the bottom of the cliff, see yourself submitting to a guiding Presence that lifts you gently and carries you to your heart’s desire.

3. Read the following daily: 

Read this quote by William H. Murray before, during, and after you jump.

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, and always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:  

That the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves, too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents no man [or woman] would have dreamed was possible.”

4. Just do it!

At some point, your inner peace depends on stepping out! Make taking risks and having courage your personal experiment. Find out what happens.

You are nothing less than awesome!