Jumping In: Stop Procrastinating and Take Action
Updated: Jul 5, 2021
Have you ever gotten a vehicle stuck in the snow or sand?
I mean, so stuck it ain’t moving.
So stuck you’ve gotta stop strangers and ask for help?
Recently, I did just that.
A big F150.
Looking back, it was quite predictable that it was going to happen.
See, I’ve never driven a truck in the sand.
And after moving to Hawaii, I swore to myself and my woman I would do some research before taking it out on the beach.
But I was pulled.
Pholihale State Park was just so gorgeous, I couldn’t not drive out on the sand.
The truck was lifted, had proper tires, and 4-wheel drive.
Plus, there were plenty of people around if I did get stuck and needed to get pulled out.
So, I veered out onto the sand.
The truck sank a few inches as we made our way out, but we had a running start and things were looking good.
Cruising in line with the shore, we set out for a place to park and set up camp.
I cannot recall if I noticed it right away or if it happened all at once, but before I knew it, I had slowed down enough for the sand to start taking its toll.
We spun out for a bit, then nothing.
Long story short, our trip to the beach included me digging sand out from under the tires with a collapsable shovel we borrowed from some locals.
Embarrassing?
You bet.
Frustrating?
Absolutely!
But in the end, no one died, we got the truck out, and I learned a lot about how not to drive in the sand.
Plus, I got a great story I can use to share with you the practice of jumping In.
Jumping In
The practice of diving head-first into something new and figuring things out along the way.
The practice of not waiting, not asking for permission, and not holding back.
As one author put it:
"...jump off the cliff and grow your wings on the way down."
Why?
Because it's so easy to get caught up in the process of researching, planning, and preparing that we never take action.
Because over-analyzing and excessive assessing can cause us to miss out on some incredible opportunities.
One week passes, a month, a year, 5-years and nothing has changed.
But when we jump in, all of that changes.
We're no longer waiting and we're no longer planning.
Instead, we're in it.
We're living it.
We're caught up in doing it, in taking action.
We're living life.
Win, lose or draw, we're experiencing something incredible and learning along the way.
It's through the method of jumping in I've been able to experience:
Living in China
Training and fighting in Thailand
Riding a motorcycle cross country
Building a business
Competing in BJJ tornuments
Living in Hawaii
Working on boats
Learning to drive on sand
And much, much more.
Taking Action
So, the question is, where can you jump in?
What have you been putting off?
Is there something you’ve been “preparing” for that might just be a means of procrastination at this point?
What are you overanalyzing?
Identify these areas and here's my challenge to you: turn the wheel towards the beach and drive.
Take action.
Stop waiting.
Stop plotting.
Stop planning.
ACT.
Jump and grow your wings along the way.