Oh my, this fear within me runs deeper than I realized. This part of me that wants to keep playing small and hiding behind everything and anything takes up more space inside of me than I thought.
One foot moves forward, ready and oh, so willing to take that leap once and for all. To soar into the unknown. To fly higher than it has ever known.
The other foot holds back – chained to the past and chained to the known. It knows that I am safe here. Unhappy, but safe.
The leaping foot tells this afraid foot that it will all be okay – that we can finally be truly happy if we believe that we will be okay in this new space. It tells it that the potential for lasting happiness exists in this new world – this world where faith is our safety net (thank you, sweet Julia for this beautiful way of looking at it).
The chained foot thinks it over and moves one step forward – still dragging this heavily weighted fear. And then it stops. What if we’re not safe? What if we fail? What if we end up even worse than we are now? What if we land flat on our face? And so it takes a step back – cowering to these questions.
It’s just too scary, it tells the leaping foot. We better just stay here for now.
The leaping foot, however, doesn’t give up very easily. It knows that this leap is essential – that it must leap in order to begin to live again. And so it gathers every ounce of courage it can find and leaps anyway. Not caring that the other foot might not want to come along. Not worrying about where it will land.
It knows so deeply and so completely that the universe will support it. It knows that the loving community around it will support it. It knows that if it didn’t leap soon, that it may never be brave enough to leap again.
And guess what?
This inner strength – this deep fortitude – this knowing that came from something so much bigger than itself – all of this was so powerful that it leaped with such force that it ripped the other foot from its chains, so they could both leap into this amazing world together!
This is the kind of power that we all have within ourselves. This is the kind of faith that it takes to leap into our truest lives. This is the kind of knowing that we all have to step into the unknown and embrace it, thrive in it, and love it.
And this is what I remember about myself (and all of us) when I am feeling afraid. This is what I remind myself of when I feel like I can’t go on. This is what I tell myself when I worry – when I am paralyzed. I remember my strength and my faith. I remember that my soaring self is so much stronger than my chained self.
And I leap. And not only will both feet be there to hold me up when I land – the universe will, too. This is what keeps me going. This is what keeps me moving forward. I have stepped into my power.
Jodi Chapman is the author of the inspirational blog, Soul Speak; the upcoming book, Coming Back to Life: How an Unlikely Friend Helped Me Reclaim My True Spirit; and the bestselling Soulful Journals series, co-authored with her husband, Dan Teck.
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