On jumping off cliffs

I did something today that was scary. It was really, really scary. I can't go into details because it involves other people and so unfortunately, I have to be very vague. I've debated for a couple days about whether or not I should do what I did. I went back and forth on the issue. Sometimes it seemed like a good idea and sometimes it seemed like a very, very bad idea. But this afternoon I was reading my friend Rochelle's blog and she had written about taking risks. She made the great point that if we never take risks we can miss out on some of life's greatest opportunities. So, I decided to take the risk. I still don't know the outcome of the risk but I realized some very important things. 1) I may not get the outcome I want. And if I don't, my life will not have changed at all. I'm not out anything. My life will continue on exactly as it is right now. If I do get it, great! That would be fantastic. But ultimately the right thing will happen and my life will take the right path. 2) I'm a stronger person for taking this risk. I know this because I've gotten up the courage to take similar risks before and this one was easier to take. Mind you, it was still scary (as I said, it's taken 2 days to come to the conclusion to take it) but once I had decided, actually going through with it was easier than it was the first time I had to do something like this. I didn't realize until I jumped into this that I'm stronger about these things. 3) I'm a better person for doing this. I've done something that scared me. I've done something that made me vulnerable and put me out there. And I have more respect for myself for doing it. I don't think it's just me that reacts like this. I think these are probably principles that apply to everyone. So if you're facing a risky situation and you're just not sure what to do, look at the situation and decide what would happen if you didn't act and what could happen if you did. Most likely, you'll be better for it in the end. So walk up to the edge of the cliff, look at the wide expanse in front of you, and jump. I think you'll find that you'll fly. And if it feels like you crash and burn, when you look back, you'll find that you can jump off higher cliffs and fly because you dared to jump off the first one.