Here’s a new year’s resolution you might want to try. We’ve heard it all before. Nothing is impossible. Impossible is nothing. Just do it. No regrets. They sound empowering and life changing but do we really take these adages to heart? Admit it. What usually happens is a one or two-week glow before the old life resumes its ways again. Well, this year I’m going to change all that. I’m going to dive in and enjoy the water. I’m even going to make it a point to enjoy the tides and currents that come with it.
Diving in doesn’t require me to do leaps and bounds. I don’t need to jump through rings of fire or go on wild and wacky adventures. No. I just have to do what I like. In class, I could volunteer more and be more outgoing. There is nothing wrong with wanting to learn. There is, however, something limiting about always being conscious of the way other people perceive you.
In work, I can accept more responsibility. Despite the challenges it would certainly bring, I honestly feel that I can handle them. A lot of people are plagued with the fear of failing even though a little voice inside them is saying they can do it. Someone very dear to me once said, “To be good at something, you must first be willing to be bad at it. That’s how you improve.” Let’s get that notion of first-time perfection out of our heads. Even Neo, who was hailed as the The One in the Matrix, didn’t make that first jump, did he?
Diving in means different things for different people. The water level depends on how far along you are in your life. For someone, diving in could mean actually entering that coffee shop where a longtime crush frequently drinks cafe mocha. Or it could be something bigger like resigning from a boring desk job and jumping into a real passion. Whatever heights we would like to dive from doesn’t matter. What matters is actually making that dive. You might be surprised at the number of wonderful opportunities waiting for you after!