I am just back from hosting my first international retreat in Costa Rica. It went [mostly] great until a snowstorm in Toronto wreaked havoc on our trip home and we spent a lot of time waiting. A two-hour departure delay, extra time in the air while they plowed the runway, two hours on the tarmac while they found us a gate, two hours awaiting our luggage…resulting in some of us crawling into bed at 4:30 a.m. and others resting on the airport carpet for a couple of hours before their next flight!
Just prior to that part of our adventure, we talked about what we are waiting for, in the context of what conditions need to be in place before we’d embark on whatever next chapter was awaiting us. How will we know it’s time to act?
For some, there is a financial goal they want to reach first. For others, some key conversations need to happen. But for others, the question helped them realize that they simply needed courage and a nudge. Nothing else needs to fall into place. They just need to take the leap.
Speaking of leaping: part of our Costa Rican ziplining experience included an optional Tarzan swing. Definitely a ‘no gracias’ for me, but I was happy to watch from down below. I saw a mom step up to the edge, get harnessed in, grab the rope, and when the gate of the platform opened in front of her…she stepped back rather than forward. Then her dad took a turn. Same thing. Then her son. Same thing. Then her husband and two young daughters each took a turn, and they made the leap, with a loud yelp and a big grin! As I looked back up, expecting to see the next family stepping up to the platform, I was delighted to see the son back in the gate. This time, he too made the leap! As did his mom and then his grandpa.
That first step is a big one. It can feel like free falling. Sometimes we just aren’t ready. But with some inspiring role models and encouragement, we might be closer to ready than we think. Maybe your turn is not five years away, but actually only five minutes. And if your first attempt goes sideways, your second attempt may not be far behind.
As the trip was winding down, each participant wrote herself a postcard of commitment that she’ll receive in the mail a few weeks from now, reminding her of what she’s learned or determined to try. I haven’t read the postcards, but ahead of writing them, one person said she is committed to “just getting started.”
So, consider this your nudge off the platform as I ask you, with all the gentleness in the world, “What are you waiting for?”
