Do Something Scary

I remember signing up for a gymnastics course in college, even though I had never done gymnastics in my life. This is a sport that requires a flexible body and the willingness to turn yourself upside down and flip on a trampoline and a balance beam, defying gravity and inviting injury if you are in your twenties and do not have a gymnasts' body. 

I am not sure what possessed me to take the course, but I do know that I was curious and a little bit thrilled at taking a risk and trying something way out of my comfort zone. I figured if I was naturally talented at standing on my head for long periods of time, how different could this be?

Much different! I never did flip upside down, but I learned to love jumping on the trampoline and walking on the balance beam. I even stood on my head on the balance beam! Sure, I was not as flexible, muscular or slim as the other gymnasts in my class, but I had fun and I proved that it's never too late to start anything!

And when I look back on the thirty years since that girl took a leap onto the trampoline, I can say that some of my finest moments came from doing scary things. 

Here are a couple of highlights:

Going to summer sleep away camp with my three children as an art director, having never taught art nor gone to sleep away camp before. (This led to running art programs for the next ten years, both in camp and in my kids' private school, and discovering a hidden stream of income. I worked in exchange for camp and private school tuition, a huge salary that I didn't know I was capable of earning).

Buying a new home after my divorce. Scared me to death, but I love this place and am so grateful that I did it.

Going to coaching school three years ago and completely changing the focus of my life in my late forties. I knew I wanted to make a bigger impact on people, and I wasn't sure what that would look like. I met an old friend who was in the middle of her coaching courses and she was so alive, I signed up the following week. My life is exponentially better as I have finally found my life purpose.

None of this would have happened had I not taken a leap of faith to do what scared me. 

What scary things have you done lately?