Off The Deep End

Come on in! The water’s fine!

Is this familiar? You’re at the pool, so excited to go swimming. It’s a beautiful warm, sunny day, and you can’t wait to feel that refreshing water. But then you feel how cold it is in there.

Brrrrr…! Yikes, that’s a little  too cold!

Doubts about your plans take over. Maybe you shouldn’t go swimming. Maybe you can just get some sun beside the pool. But, you really want to go in. Your friends are already in there calling to you, and they’re having a blast. So you finally decide to give it a go. 

How do you get in? Do you risk it and jump in at the deep end feeling the initial shock but then you’re good? Or do you slide into the shallow end one toe at a time, letting yourself acclimate as you go - even if it takes forever while your friends are spending their time enjoying themselves. 

I’ve done both, and I would have to say I used to be an all in kind of girl. Get it over with. That’s when I was younger. But as an adult, I’ve been a little more cautious. Taking too long to fully get in the water, shivering all the way while I watch with much respect as a friend takes a running jump all the way under and comes up freezing but laughing. 

And that’s also how I’ve been with sharing my art and building the life I want. Just a toe here and there, never getting to really enjoy the inviting water that is my dream life. Focusing on how cold I might be. 

A couple of years ago I began rethinking that strategy. We’ve been taught to avoid risks. We’ve evolved to have fear as our teacher and guardian to keep us safe from the things that could hurt us.

But sometimes jumping all in is the absolute best thing to do for yourself. Don’t overthink it, just do it! You can always get out and dry off. But think of the rush and the confidence you’ll have knowing you took the leap and rose to the surface feeling alive. 

For me it was taking a solo trip to a new county and continent to do an 8 day trek in the Andes. Was I scared? Absolutely! Did I change my life with that decision? Again, absolutely! It’s one of the hardest and best things I’ve ever done for myself.

And it was the catalyst for this studio and the life I’ve wanted to live for as long as I can remember. Is it perfect? Nope! Is that ok? You betcha!

I’m so glad I took that leap! And I’ll be jumping into more pools from now on. See you at the pool!