sinyee_fish

It was a scorching hot afternoon when we arrived at this beautiful lake. Filled with excitement and anticipation, I dipped my feet into the water and felt a shiver run through my body.

"Ooh... it's cold."

I kept walking toward the edge of the rock and sat down. By this point, the water was already covering half of my body.

A part of me was excited to go further, while another part was ready to turn around. "It's too cold", "it looks deep"...

I thought about something I'd recently learned in my coaching program: It's harder to be 99% than to be 100% all in.

"I'm going to test it out... now."

I placed a hand on my heart.

"To the part of me that's scared: I see you. I feel you. I know you want to turn around. It's okay to feel this way... and I love you."

I counted down from three.

Deep breaths. Let's... GO.

Then I went all in.

The water was cooling, refreshing, and enjoyable. Exhilarating joy and freedom flowed through me, and all I wanted to do was laugh.

Wheee.

I felt like a mermaid returning to the water.

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It's been an ongoing learning experience for me: it often takes far more energy to stand at the edge than to simply step in.

Going all in has never been easy, but more often than not, it's been far more rewarding than dipping my feet in or staying halfway.

May I always remember this moment.

And may I always have endless compassion for every version of me that's afraid, and all the time I need before I'm ready to dive in.