Smart Women Take the Leap

The other day, I was listening to one of Madonna’s great dance tunes, “Jump.” It’s a fun song that makes me want to jump up and dance around the room. It also motivates me into thoughts about the “jump” in my own life–to take the leap to the next level. This got me thinking about how Smart Women take the leap into realizing their Big Ideas, Dreams, and Goals.

We all have passions and dreams inside of us. There may be times in our life when those passions and dreams can take a “back seat” to other areas in our lives, but they are still there—they never disappear or go away. They wait patiently for us to acknowledge them and take some sort of action—a leap toward them. As we begin to fantasize about those unfulfilled passions and dreams, we can sometimes fall into a trap of believing that they may never come true. Why? Because these dreams usually require change that’s really “big.” Change would need to occur in our lives. Change brings about uncertainty and being “uncomfortable.” Do you think I might be writing from experience?

Many of you know my story. I founded and ran an international marketing company for 12 years. It started as a part-time business because I needed to earn extra income. Over time (and a lot of hard work!), it became an international company that was very successful. This allowed me the opportunity to travel to wonderful places all over the world to do my work. When I became a mom, I realized that this was no longer the right path for me. After much soul-searching, I felt a calling to work with women to help them realize their own passions and dreams. Was it easy? No way! Was it challenging to make such a bold change in my life with two young children? You bet.

Every time I have taken the leap to my next Big Idea, Dream or Goal, it has never been easy. One of my mentors said, “Change does not always mean success, but success always means change.” If I think about each “leap” that I have taken, change was always present once I made the decision to do something new or different. I became a little uncomfortable each time and then after awhile, the “uncomfortable” became comfortable. It became my new way of being in the world. I did not always like being “uncomfortable” or taking the leap initially, but I knew if I didn’t take the leap, it meant staying exactly where I was and that was not an acceptable place for me.

How about you? Are you thinking that you need to make a change in some area of you life? Do you want to do something different? Are you ready to take the leap? I know that I am at the edge of something and I’m getting ready to take the leap into new areas of my life. For me, it’s about believing in myself and having faith in my decision. It’s about connecting with my passion and then making a solid plan to support it.

I invite you to think about what you want to take a leap towards. Sit down in a quiet place with some paper and colorful pens and begin to write down what it looks like. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of giving yourself permission to look at your life in a different way. You will need a good support system when you take the leap. Who will that be? Can you visualize those people? What resources or new information will you need to make it happen? You are 41 days away from 2009. Now is the ideal time for you to begin thinking about what you want to leap into in the New Year.

Sometimes the only feasible method of transportation is to take the leap.nn*****