I’m a lawyer. Which, almost by definition, means I’m Type-A to the extreme. Which means that I collect data. That I search for answers. That I analyze and re-analyze. That I look at things from every angle. And that I then, for good measure, I look again. And then – only after making absolutely sure that I’ve thought through every possible scenario, do I act.
Normally.
Sometimes I move forward without the afore-mentioned precision. Sometimes I take a Leap of Faith.
A Leap of Faith doesn’t mean doing something COMPLETLY foolish (at least not for us Type-A people). You still have to consider ramifications and possible outcomes. But sometimes, if you analyze something to death you will forever remain stagnant, never moving forward, never living up to your full potential, never really living.
Sometimes you just need to decide that it’s time for a Leap of Faith.
In my personal (i.e. non-fitness related) life, I can count on one hand the scenarios that I’ve taken a Leap of Faith and it’s paid off: Going away to college out-of-state without knowing a soul; Leaving the law firm I had been at for 13 years and starting my own firm; Leaving my marriage after 16 years and two kids. These were all crazy hard decisions to make, but when I made the decisions and actually moved forward, they were the right decisions.
In my fitness life, I can probably also count on one hand the Leaps of Faith that I’ve taken: signing up for a ten mile race (which, really, seemed IMPOSSIBLE at the time I did it, but now is a piece of cake; this race started me down this whole serious running path); signing up for my first marathon (which, really, put me down a path that has enriched me in so many ways that I can’t even begin to describe them here); deciding to start cycling this year (and buying a crazy expensive road bike, without ever having pedaled 10 feet!).
The Leaps of Faith that I’ve taken – in both my personal life and my fitness life – have been the scariest things that I’ve done. But they have also been the most rewarding. Sure, there was the possibility that I’d fail when I took the plunge. But there was also the possibility that taking the plunge would be the right decision, the best decision.
So, next time you are thinking about whether to sign up for that race or class or physical challenge that seems impossible and crazy, ask yourself “Is it time to stop analyzing and being afraid and just take a Leap of Faith?” You just might surprise yourself and taking the plunge might be the best decision you could have made. So take it from me – a seasoned veteran of life and fitness: Look. But then Leap.
Cindi Matt is a mom, a lawyer, and a marathoner. Cindi frequently looks and leaps both in life and in fitness.
