There are many times in life that we reach a chasm. We find ourselves at the edge. The edge separates itself from the other side with a gap. We know we want to be on the other side. We can see it. The other side is a picture. A picture of hope coloured majestically by an artist. The artist that resides in our mind. What does this other side represent for you? What dreams are these? What pictures are these? 

Are these better health, wealth, career, life, relations...? Whatever it is, just keep them in mind for a moment and stay with me.

So we come to the edge. The distance between our ledge and the ledge on the other side is within our capabilities, yet we don’t jump. We could if we committed, get on to other side without falling into the gap. We really could, may be a little bruised but definitely could. Yet, we stand here frozen.

Most of us do not take the leap. We back away. We let fears and doubts get the better of us. After all, the edge and the road behind the edge is known, its comfortable. The other side is a marvelous dream, yet to get there, a road doesn’t exist. It will have to be a leap. The leap would mean the known road will be gone too. And so in our mind we dream, aspire, create pictures, even boast about what we can be and will be, yet when the time comes, the leap doesn’t. 

I feel sad. It is sad because its not that we cant do this, its just that we wont. What are we avoiding? 

A bruise that may take a couple of months to heal!

Some temporary pain.

Some temporary uprooting.

Some temporary set back.

Some society BS.

Backing away from the edge and going back to the known side, feeling like a failure, isn’t bad at all. This is really how success is created. I am very confident that when you do go back, every time that you do, you realise sooner or late that you don’t want to live on this side of the chasm. 

In my coaching interactions with people when I talk about this, I have come to understand a few things that represent this side of the chasm. You’ll have a story too about it. 

Here a few things that people return to, at this side of the chasm:

a nice (or not so nice) comfortable job (couldn’t leap for  reasons a plenty), 

self pity and cribbing to everyone on how someone else  treated you (couldn’t leap to face a little loneliness), 

status-quo health coz its too painful to try (couldn’t keep leaping everyday), 

same unfulfilling relationship (couldn’t leap to face society),

addictions - alcohol, tobacco, drugs, sex, shopping (couldn’t leap over the stupid chatter of the mind)

There are plenty but this covers most of us. Yes we come back to the known road, knowing that the leap is doable. The more times we come back, the more we realise that we don’t like it here. That part is good because you will probably back up, take a running start and hopefully run to the edge again and this time leap over. I would love to see you do that. Though each time we go to the edge and return unharmed into the comfort of this side something else happens too. It increases self-doubt, reduces self-esteem and makes the gap bigger that it is. It becomes bigger on every return, not in reality though certainly in yours.

Backing up is natural. Don’t be afraid. Failure is normal. No one succeeds first attempt. So many joys of parenthood would be taken away if children started succeeding at everything on first attempt. So failure is just natural. Its meant to happen. BUT by nature it happens so you can enjoy the success, not so that you can drown in it and give up! By accepting failure and not attempting another leap, you are really defying nature. 

Without failure there is no success. None that you will value anyway. So don’t worry about the times you backed up, and again and again. Don’t worry about those failures. They are bound to be there and its built in nature. Nothing you can do about it. Try again. I mean imagine if your parents accepted your failed attempts to walk as permanent failure and backed up!!! 

Backing up is fine my friend, back up, develop unease again with this side, take a run up and go leap over. Begin to recognize when you back up and commit then to getting on the other side. Awareness is the beginning to all change.

Run towards the edge. When you do, one of three things will happen.

For some, fear and doubt will take over and they will stop again well short of the edge and return. 

For some, they will get really close to the edge and then begin to doubt the other end, is it really that beautiful....? They’ll try to peep over, get a glimpse. They wouldn’t jump whole heartedly because they lack belief in the pictures their mind created. They wont give it their all. They will fall into the worst circumstances. They will fall in the gap. 

For some, they will commit. They will believe. MOST IMPORTANTLY they will let go of this side. They will take the leap of faith and make it to the other side. 

The more you fear the gap, the more you resist the leap, the bigger the gap becomes in your mind. Just in your mind. The size of the gap in reality, doesn’t change for all of life to come. It remains the same. Only your fears, inhibitions and doubts control it.

Come to the edge. Take a leap of faith. Its in the leap that you experience freedom. Its when you break free and are suspended in the air, for that moment, the time gets suspended too. For that moment you feel that you are living and not merely existing on this side. In that moment you have left the past and let go. In that moment you are clear of everything that was holding you back. In that moment, my friend, life changes. In that moment you connect,perhaps for the first time, to you. 

The leap gets you to the other side. In reality I know the leap isn’t just a moment. But hey!!! It IS. It is a series of these moments. And that is incredible because each time you are in the moment, your are fully aware of everything that goes on and you are fully alive. It is in these moments that you get to the other side and it is in these moments that you realise what your mind painted, was not even half as pretty as it really, truly is.

Your purpose, my purpose, life’s purpose is to move forward. Purpose is not to avoid the leap and find comfort in a routine. Purpose is not TV, Internet, Booze, Smokes, Drugs, Sex, Shopping. Purpose is not escape. Purpose is creating more, living more, leaping more, living more. Purpose is to live, purpose is not to merely exist. Purpose is to feel alive, purpose is not to feel frustrated. Purpose is to leap on to the other side and live. Purpose is not to get stuck on this side coz here the life will pass you by. On the other side you are the life.

Take a leap of faith my friend. not in me, not in anyone. Take a leap of faith in you. Leave the side. Leave the edge. Don’t hold on to anything. Leave the past. AND LEAP on. 

Don’t fear falling back. It just gets you ready again. Ready with a head up, start up so you can run again. This time run, run with faith and take that leap, the leap of faith.

yours,

Chetan