I didn’t want to do it. Every cell in my body said “hell to the no!”
But I did it anyway.
I let go…
I ziplined off a 500 foot cliff. In a third world country.
It made perfect sense.
Actually, no. It made no sense at all…this jumping off a cliff thing. It’s programmed in our DNA to not do things that threaten our lives. And I’m pretty sure that jumping off a cliff is one of them.
Scary scenarios flashed through my mind: a crazy monkey would join me for the ride. Or…a rabid lizard would attack (do lizards even get rabies?).
This one looks like it might have the rabies.
Rabies or not, resistance raced through my veins.
But then…I let go.
I couldn’t hear my scream. Couldn’t feel my body. Gravity dropped from under me, as I glided through the jungle.
I saw the beauty in the world.
I went from…
resistance. to surrender.
cowardice. to courage.
fear. to love.
But…
the resistance was real.
I wanted to turn back.
To quit.
To stop the moment before it even began.
But…I also wanted to be kind of a…badass.
The kind of badass that leaps off a cliff…into danger.
Drama. Uncertainty. Jagged edges.
So I didn’t just leap off a cliff. I flung myself. Upside down…
Whether you’re an rockstar, renegade, or any other type change maker, you’ve probably faced this kind of resistance. It stems from another type of lizard.
And it’s rabidly fanatical.
It’s brainy belief systems that seem impossible to overcome.
It’s called the lizard brain.
The lizard brain wants you to stay the same. To not challenge yourself. To give into fear.
Here are five quotes to help you let go of the lizard:
1.”Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start being positive about what could go right” – Zig Ziglar
It’s easier said then done. But instead of thinking about all of the crazy scenarios that go through your mind, focus on what can go right.
Or even better…don’t think at all (yeah, I know. not easy).
If you think too much, you’ll never jump off that cliff. You’ll never see the opportunities. Creating moments of change. The beauty of possibility.
2. “Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Remember that you’re bringing some kind of beauty into the world.
The moment that you decide to make the jump (whatever jump you choose), it’s not about you. It’s about the creation of beauty. Your art.
3. “Let everything happen to you
Beauty and terror
Just keep going
No feeling is final
Rainer Maria Rilke
Letting everything happen to you means that you’llget more squinzies.
“Squinzie” is a word coin I made up when I was a kid. It’s the moment right before you make the jump. Squinzies are important in business. They challenge you. And help you evolve.
4.“The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask.” – Jim Morrison
Wearing a mask does nothing to build a human brand. When you take it off, you sharpen your social with the right strategy. And it makes it easier to see which platform works best for the real you.
5. “Audiences are harder to pleaseif you’re just giving them special effects, but they’
Take snippets from your past and recreate them with your own plot twists. Create content with context. Tell a better story. Build a stronger brand.
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