Jump Back In

Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. (Howard Thurman)

I came across an email I sent my father a few years ago, back when I was a recent grad embarking on my first real job. I lived alone in San Francisco and had no friends. I worked 70 hour weeks and drove to Napa on the weekends to relax at my grandparent's home. It was a crazy, beautiful time.

I learned about silence, stillness and intuition. In some ways I was braver then than I am today. I knew less, feared less, and was on a mission to make it big in the City by the Bay.

6 months after moving to San Francisco I sold everything, packed a suitcase and ventured east to North Carolina. Career-wise it was the only choice available. At the time my career was all I had.

Through those early post-graduation years I journaled, meditated and poured my heart into work that was less than nourishing. I got emotional bumps and bruises along the way - the fast paced, cutthroat sales environment of an 'after startup' software company forced me to grow up and learn how to play the game.

Back then I believed in the secret, positive self-talk, and the magic of the universe. I was living proof that my thoughts became things. My trust in these forces brought me across the country, landed me an important-sounding title and helped me find a delightfully luxurious apartment.

Like a tarnished piece of silver, I still remember how good it feels to shine bright. My dreams have evolved and my responsibilities have deepened.

It's easy to get down on yourself when the hits keep coming, but the only choice we have is to jump back in. To take the plunge. To believe in the mystery and brilliance of the world around us. Of what exists within us. Ready, set, dive.

Image Credit: Dive – Laguna de Tiscapa, Managua, Nicaragua via visualpanic