You don’t need the perfect plan
I knew exactly how I'd jump.
I'd have to jump at least 2-3 feet away from the cliff wall or I'd hit some of the jagged rocks on my way down. If I wanted to land in the deepest part of the water (which I did) I'd need to jump even further.
To successfully jump off the side of this Costa Rican waterfall I'd have to launch my terrified body 4-6 feet away from the wall.
I'd have to jump with confidence.
I did not have that kind of confidence.
As my friends swam in the pool of crystal clean blue water below, I stood at the top of the waterfall and waited. I didn't have a phone to scroll through. I experienced every minute of it. I never jumped.
Having the perfect plan to jump is not the same thing as jumping.
There are two truths in this story.
A plan doesn't create the confidence you'll need to take action.
Not jumping isn't painful. Telling people you're going to jump and not jumping is what's painful.
You'll have no proof in the beginning that you'll be successful doing what you love. You haven't done it yet. You can't know.
Don't get stuck making plans for how you'll jump. A thoughtful, “I've thought of everything” plan won't create confidence. It can't. Confidence isn't created by thinking alone. Confidence is created through the combination of intentional mindset work and intentional action steps. It requires both.
A year before Costa Rica, I went spelunking in Spain in a group. The guide led us through a maze of underground caves with at least a dozen smaller waterfalls to jump off. He chose a route that started with small cliffs. By the end of the trip, I'd jumped off of at least a dozen cliffs, one the size of the waterfall in Costa Rica. I loved it.
Don't start with the highest cliff.
Run your program for free through a local church. Take on three unpaid clients. Write one section of one chapter. Sell one piece of art at any price. Share one poem. Write one post. Tell one person. Introduce yourself to a stranger by your real work, not your job title.
It's not a cop out.
Confidence is created by taking action that makes you feel just a little uncomfortable, day after day. Jumping off a cliff before you're ready is traumatic. Jumping off the side of the pool until you're good at jumping is not.
Go take action today.
Do it with a sense of urgency and be gentle. This is a healing, loving process or it doesn't happen.