Happy Leap Day! What a perfect way to end a month of nothing but love, love, love here at Oh My! Handmade Goodness but to celebrate this day that, once upon a time, was the only day women were allowed to cast their butterfly nets and openly propose to men in some areas of the world.
Thank goodness that’s behind us.
Most people believe leap day only arrives once every four years, but that’s not the case for creative souls. Their leap days are far more frequent, their nets are huge and their resilience is astounding.
One of two things just happened when you read the paragraph above: you either shook your head in hell-ya agreement or you shuddered with fear. Leaping is a joy to some and a scare to others. Perhaps the only shared experience is the sliver of doubt or wonder that roots your soles to the ground or propels them through the air.
Creatives tend to leap with, and in pursuit, of passion. You see it here on Oh My! all the time. In the last several days, Adriana, one of the big giveaway winners, actually took a leap on camera as part of her happy dance while Daniel Ralsky of Satchel & Page advised hopeful creatives “…to just dive in…” in his Meet the Makers interview.
Both Adriana and Daniel make leaping seem so simple when in truth it’s a mixed bag of exhilaration, anxiety, energy and restlessness. Embracing your own possibility is as much a factor on your upbringing and environment as it is your mind and moxie. That’s because the world conditions us to proceed with caution, sometimes to a fault. It’s hard to block outside influences, especially when you’re trying to pay bills, budget, support a family and live. In truth, you need to respect your circumstances and work toward your goal fully knowing when it’s time to make a leap.
I am wired to leap. I do it with my entire heart and soul. I can’t help it. This wasn’t always the case. There was a time when I stopped leaping completely and eventually I began to see that comfort really didn’t equal joy for me. In fact, comfort started making me feel claustrophobic. Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy receiving a regular paycheck with the bells and whistles of benefits and a retirement plan. I just didn’t enjoy being part of a system with so many rules, reports, regulations and—the killer—restrictions.
Thank goodness that’s behind me now.
Through trial and error, rising and falling, and living and learning I now know leaping is a journey of hope. I believe it’s a matter of wrapping your head around the power of possibility; of knowing your passion; of owning your process. Leaping is not a single act. It’s a series of commitments we make to ourselves to live up to our full, passionate, purpose.
When we leap into our promise, we really uncover our potential. Wondering where to start?
Join me today. I’m lifting my feet off the ground and launching Leap, 29 Empowering Promises Worth Making With Your Soul. It’s an e-book full of soul-poking, mind-motivating, inspirational ideas and exercises to help you get your feet off the ground and embrace risk. There are four, 8×10 prints included in the book for you to print and frame (nice little visual reminders to leap through the day).
To help make your first leap of faith, I’m offering the $29 ebook for half price for the next four days—which means it’s only $14.50 until March 4, 2012 at 12am EST. If you use the code OMHG (at any time, not just during the sale, but until March 31, 2012) I will donate 30% of the your sale to the Spark Creative Retreat Scholarship Fund. Because if you’re brave enough to make a leap of faith, it’s also nice to pay it forward.
Are you a leaper? Why or why not? Please share your thoughts.
