How Committed Are You? Go With Gusto!
How Committed Are You? Go With Gusto! Safe is Risky. Sometimes, you have to take a LEAP.
Photo by Weston Eichner on Unsplash
“Progress always involves risks. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.” — Frederick B Wilcox
Maybe it’s because I used to coach baseball with an aggressive style of play. We would always take the extra base. The defense had to field the ball, make an accurate throw to someone who had to catch the ball, and make the tag.
Some guys were nervous to run, though. Timid. For what? Put pressure on the defense to be perfect. All you have to do is run.
That was baseball. This is writing.
Write the words. Hit publish. Send it out there.
Nobody will read your words if you don’t send them out. I know you want to get it perfect, or even more perfect-er. Too bad. Make it readable and send your story out. And then, start writing your next story.
Don’t check your stats right away. Write.
Writing is simple. The key to writing is to write. Thinking comes later.
You might be great at writing. You are improving. But you still haven’t taken that last, crucial step. The “LEAP.”
On this day, this special day. Take your foot off of first and play ball a bit more aggressively. Take the “LEAP” and hit Publish.
The idea for this story came from an invitation (it’s open to you, too) from
Melissa K.
, who uses the word “LEAP” as a motivational prompt. Here is her story:
A Letter to Myself (And YOU) on “Leap” Day/Year: A Journey Beyond
A Lesson intertwined with a Twist of a Challenge-Melissa Gray was my inspiration
Dear Self,
Every four years, the calendar bends, offering a day that mends. A “LEAP” day, a gift, that sends us toward healing, as the journey ascends.
This extra day, like the rare moments we seize, to confront our past, to find our peace.
Like echoes from a cave of trauma, in time, may cease, as we embrace the “LEAP” and we release.
Remember the slam of the car door, the panic, the fear. The slam of that door in the driveway, echoing clear. But, “LEAP” day teaches, as it draws near, we’re more than our past, more than our tears.
Amid this reflection, let’s not forget- be kind to ourselves is to reset. Healing isn’t just about the bets we place against our former states — it’s about embracing ourselves with grace.
The “LEAP” is a bridge from then to now, a chance to reflect, to wonder how. Our strength has grown, under each vow, to live beyond the shadows, to take a bow.
From the window of our soul, we peek, at the future we thought was once so bleak. “LEAP” day whispers, with a mystique, of the power within, unique and antique.
Why does this matter, you may inquire? This day, this moment, this “LEAP” higher? It’s a testament to our inner fire, burning through trauma, igniting desire.
Yet, it’s also a call — to treat ourselves with kindness, patience, and compassion unsmall.