Taking a Big Leap and Learning How to Let Go of Fear

If you saw my post on instagram today, I shared about how I recently made a scary yet conscious and soul aligned decision to leave financial opportunity on the table.

I took a big leap trusting my gut and left a big revenue stream in our business behind.

$20,000 a month big: I said no and walked away from it.

In case your doing the math, don't worry I did It already: that's a quarter of a million dollars a year that I slashed from our business revenue simply because it "no longer felt good."

Years ago, I would have jumped through hoops to receive such beautiful income, but this past year, I decided to actually leave it on the table. 

My soul was calling me to bigger things and I trusted my instinct and took a big leap.

You can read the full post over on my personal instagram, for the details, but today I wanted to create a blog post for you about big leaps and learning how to trust your heart and instincts in life.

Being awake now for a few years, I have learned how to take risks that always lead me to something amazing. You can too.

 Taking Big Leaps

On the journey to reach any of my goals, whether business related or personal related, every desire has always been followed by a long period of "unknown territory."

There is an action, or a leap required and we don't really know what will happen next.

Taking a chance

a risk

a leap

Whatever you call it, it's hard.

And they are often followed by "waiting periods."

These are periods of time where we don't really know what the heck is going to happen, brief chapters and seasons of life where we question ourselves and wonder, "did I make the right decision?"

Here's the reality: If you want big things then you have to do scary things.

 And if you are over there reading this post going, "yeah, but Lauren, some of us can't take those types of risks," hear me sister: You only can't because you think you can't.

I wasn't always comfortable with taking risk. Growing up I was conditioned to play it safe and do what had the most amount of security attached to it.

• Ski on the bunny hill, not the dangerous one because you might get hurt.
• Apply for the college that is within reach, don't waste money on an application for that more competitive school. You might not get in and that would feel like a total failure moment.
• Pick the career path with the most financial certainty because let's face it, security is the most important thing ever.

These were just some of the small moments of my life that conditioned me into believing that risk was a terribly bad thing that should be avoided at all cost.

But as a woman who craves growth, this was incredibly challenging for me. Especially as a child.

Knowing you were meant for more.

Playing it safe felt incredibly incongruent with my design. I wanted to live a big beautiful bold life that was full of adventure, achievement and being seen. And to do that, I knew I would have to take risks in my life to get there.

 Sound familiar?

Then you might find yourself asking this question:

Do I take this risk not knowing what will happen after this big leap? Or do I stay exactly where I am right now?

The story of my life.

Are you craving to take a chance on something?

Whatever it is.... the answer is DO IT.

Your desires (in my opinion) are little downloads from Universe, Source, higher power

• Losing weight and purchasing a pricey nutritional supplement
• Buying a home and deciding to apply for your first mortgage
• Quitting a job to start a business
• Ending a marriage and filing for divorce

What do they all have in common?

Simple. A leap into the unknown.

The truth about big leaps and desires.

Any desire working through you right now is YOURS. I used to judge my desires and would find myself questioning them for months at a time. "Am I supposed to quit my job? Should I be really signing up for that class? Is that beautiful sexy red dress at the store meant for me?"

Yes. yes. yes. If it is working through you, It is FOR you babe.

Consider any desire higher source or spirit working through you saying, "hey babe, this is meant for YOU."

And by taking a big leap into the unknown you are telling the Universe you are listening.

"Hi universe, I am listening to you. Yes I am craving this next step of my life, and even though I have no idea what will happen on the other end of this decision, here I go!"

And then you leap into the unknown with a deep breath and fingers crossed that nothing goes wrong.

For the record, all of my leaps feel like the biggest and scariest at the time. And coincidentally, all of them end up being the best decisions of my life ever.

My divorce from my first husband.

Quitting my job.

Transferring Universities.

Starting a business.

Marrying my amazing husband.

ALL of these things were uncertain, and all of them ended up being amazing.

How to be a leap taker.

Start correcting your "I'm not safe" story.  Learning how to work that risk-taking muscle starts by first correcting the story that says it isn't safe to take a risk. It isn't safe? B.S. Every time you get in the car or cross the street, you are taking a risk girlllll. Start to look for all the ways you are already safe and supported. If you can, start taking small action steps to live with a new belief that you are safe. Buy the kitchen appliance without the 2-year warranty. Invest in the year-long gym package not knowing if you will actually follow through. Donate the 5 dollar bill you have to see how money is abundant and can be easily received and released. Start small. Slowly over time, you will start believing the world is a beautiful space to take risks in. 

Start working the leap muscle. All big leap-living starts with ONE choice to do something scary. And how you show up one way is how you show up everywhere. Let's face it, if you can't show up to sing Karaoke at a bar because you are scared of what other people will think of you, how on earth can you show up brave and bold on your social media platforms for business? Get comfortable expressing your truth and being more open in your personal life so you can find the courage to be seen in other spaces. Sign up for that pole dancing class, enroll in a new online course, or book that skydiving experience that makes your heart race but also makes you so excited. Do the damn thing and work that muscle baby.

Celebrate your leaps! This is a big one. When I was healing my old stories that made me feel like it wasn't safe to take leaps, every night before I went to bed I would get out my journal and ask myself, "what big leaps have I taken today?" As I wrote out my list, I celebrated each and every milestone. However small, I wrote it down. "I told that girl at the supermarket I liked her bracelet, even though I was scared she would think I was weird." and "I told my husband he looked sexy even though I was worried he wouldn't say it back." SEE how safe the world is! I told myself. Over time, I became a woman who took risks and I loved it.

Today, I am celebrating the following risks:

• I put myself out there and made friends at a new apothecary I visited.
• I got a tarot reading from a stranger and it was well worth the investment.
• I spent the entire day with myself and had an amazing time (even though I was scared to leave my husband at home on a Saturday thinking he might feel neglected.)
• I'm wearing a tank top that made my ego shout "your arms look bad" and I still feel sexy anyway.
• Tonight  I am going to see Aladdin with Matt. He thinks it might be bad, but I told him "We are taking the risk!"

Tonight, why don't you celebrate your risks babe. Your higher-self will thank you, I promise.

xox

Lauren Eliz Love