Do The Thing
Just start. Just dive in. Just do The Thing!
I'm finally doing the thing! Dreams, brainstorms, conversations about this site have been brewing for a long time, but -as with so many cool ideas- it remained just a sparkly glimmer of a thing, up in my head hanging out.
Imagine you got invited to go to a really gorgeous lake with a ROPE SWING*...
*Speaking of rope swings: The summer after college, I lived in a large house in DC with a group of friends where we were gifted with a back deck that jutted out over a deep and densely ivied ravine. The deck featured -most importantly- a rope swing. We'd gather together after work to commiserate our introduction into properly-cubicled, tragically-boring young professionalism, swooping away our cares like wild Tarzans and Janes, very illegally, over the city.
...Back to my analogy. So, you're invited to go swingin' and swimmin'. How fantastic! You checked the weather (85 and not a cloud in the sky - your perfect forecast), picked out a super sassy yet adventure-appropriate bathing suit, and told your mom all about your fun plans! The day arrives. Your friends are outside to pick you up. You're fully slathered in the finest all-natural/organic/fragrance-free/gluten-free/mineral-based/vegan sunscreen with a (certainly embarrassing yet screaming to be inflated) exotic-animal floatie in one hand and Coyuchi towel in the other. And you:
Sit there on your bed, oddly ignoring the honks from your friend's car/the enticingly warm breeze flowing softly though your open window/the opportunity to share the glories of a hot pink flamingo floatie and Twister towel experience because you started questioning... Maybe the lake is frigid!? Maybe you'll look like a flailing, airborne idiot if you even muster the guts to release from the rope!? Maybe there will be a ton of traffic and you won't even make it to the lake!? Maybe your Saturday is better spent running adult-y errands to the bank and Whole Foods!?
Get your adventurous ass out the door and do the damn thing!
Option 1 illustrates the paralyzing strength of our questioning mind to override what we know deep-down as magnificent opportunities to LIVE and CONTRIBUTE. I've certainly been a victim of my fears and self-doubts in the face of unfamiliar waters. But always without fail, it's when I dive in -gracefully or flailing- that I emerge changed for the better.
My greatest hope is that this site serves as my proverbial rope release. The sun may be hot and bright, but the lake is bitterly brisk. My swimsuit may turn heads and look faaancy, but I flail like a muppet in midair. It's awkward but then it's awesome. It's weird but then it's wondrous.
Just start, and then acclimatize, adjust, evolve, and awaken to realize that the gift is found in the gnarly waves of doing.
