Leap Before You Look

Ready for a Change?

I love listening to podcasts and they certainly make cleaning the house or mowing the lawn a lot more pleasant. One of my faves is The Imperfects and I try to listen pretty much as soon as an episode drops.

If you’re not familiar, The Imperfects podcast is all about mental well being. It checks the fact that we might look at someone’s life from the outside and think they have it all together but that we really have no idea of their full story, and that everyone is imperfect. There are other threads as well and it’s can get kindov' heavy but it’s also very funny (maybe you don’t share my sense of humour, but it tickles my funny bone for sure).

A recent episode topic was loneliness but that’s not what this blog post is about at all. As usual, something that has nothing to do with anything triggered my weird-o brain to make some weird-o connections. 

How does one motivate to do new things, take on new projects, or perhaps change the direction of one’s life?

How does one actually move forward?

My way?

Well I have three very different processes.

Number one I believe is called Analysis Paralysis but the hubby and I lovingly call it ‘doing a Jeff’ after a friend who agonised over buying a camera for so, so, so long it became humorously agonising for everyone around him. 

Sometimes I ponder something for years, make my pro and con list, research everything around it, project best and worst case scenarios, and then? Never even move forward with it.

Number Two is what I call Testing The Waters.

Sometimes I’ll do something that if successful will trigger something larger (the larger thing usually scares the crap out of me). If the first thing doesn’t work out then the decision is automatically made for the bigger, scarier thing - it won’t happen and I’m off the hook.

Case in point:

Applying to teach a class to my peers at the two most recent Pilates Method Alliance International Conferences. Holy heck, I was selected and then once I said ‘yes”, had to rise to the occasion two years in a row! It also happened when I was dancing. I put in independent artist grants for a couple of dream solos and damn if I didn’t get awarded the money and had to follow through! 

The third way of approaching a project or a goal is what I call the Leap Before I Look method.

This is where I decide to do something and figure, I’ll figure it out as I go. (The hubby is somewhat sceptical of this method because sometimes when I leap I land with a splat and guess who has to scrape me up off the pavement?)

In the Leap Before I Look method I announce out loud that I’m going to do something big-ish or new-ish. This public declaration forces me to get the ball rolling and also gives me accountability because, I said I was going to do the thing so I’d better do the thing!

 Look, sometimes this Leaping doesn’t work for me at all...

I’ve been telling folks about my plan to 1. create an online Beginners Pilates course and 2. that I’m itching to start a podcast for years now. Have I made much progress on either one? Not so much, but hey, let me know if you want either one and give me a boot in the arse, would ya’?

Another way to look at the Leap Before You Look method is:

Do The Action Before The Motivation Arrives

photo by Alexas_Fotos

Bet you thought I’d forgotten but we’re finally ready to tie in The Imperfect’s podcast episode on loneliness. Yay!

This idea, of doing the Action before the Motivation arrives, came from the show, and while I’ve heard about it before, for some reason this time it was light bulb central!

photo by Wilhelm Gunkel

The idea is simple:

If we want to change our mood or our emotional state we can’t wait until we feel motivated to do so! 

The action actually has to precede the feeling - we have to do the thing BEFORE the motivation arrives!!!

What?

Let me say that again, we have to take the action before we feel the feeling!

Hello? Okay, I mean I know it’s not a 100 percent direct correlation but…

It’s def (in my mind at least) the same thing as Leap Before You Look!!

photo by Kristopher Roller

That's the simple - but not simplistic -  idea from the podcast that lit up my brain.

Yes, turns out my Leap Before You Look method actually is a good way to get something done, allowing you to change and grow. (hmm, perhaps this just ‘Fake It Til You Make It’ said in a different way - it matters not)

One of the hosts likened taking action before the motivation hits to taking opportunities you might not feel ready for. You have to be willing to take a risk. Even if you fail, you’ll grow in some way and don’t forget, we all fail and a failure is just gives more information on how (or perhaps how not) to move forward.

Most of my motivation and drive around getting new projects off the ground happens when I Leap Before I Look - this is when I move forward with excitement! However, sometimes by necessity, there has to be a smidge of Testing The Waters with a sprinkle of Analysis Paralysis on top. 

Take for instance the Move & Create retreat that I'm hosting in a few day's time. I started noodling with the idea when I realised my new larger studio would support something like this. That'd be at least a year ago, maybe longer. What I didn't count on was the studio completion taking so long and though I tried not to overthink it Analysis Paralysis was somewhat unavoidable!

When the completion date got closer, I Tested The Waters with my friend Karen to see if she thought it was a good idea and to ask if she'd be my first guest teacher.

She said yes (somewhat tentatively at first) and then I moved into full on Leap mode really having no idea how to host such a thing or how I'd get people to come. (Once again Karen came through with her contacts!)

Move & Create comprises a movement class and a creative workshop with morning tea sandwiched in between, all while enjoying the beautiful bucolic surrounds of my Schtudio.

Look I’ve never done anything like this before so could it flop? Could I splat?

Of course!

Even if it does flop (& I don’t thing it will) I will keep offering retreats in the future - my brain is buzzing with possibilities.

Since I decided to Leap I’ve already gained confidence and the motivation is there to make these retreats a success and expand them - stay tuned.

 photo by Kid Circus

I'm off to start baking the tasty treats that I'm going to serve for morning tea.

Be well, xBec 

Joe said this in relationship to doing Pilates but I also think it’s just great advice for life!!!

The information contained above is provided for information purposes only. The contents of this blog are not intended to amount to advice and Rebecca Forde disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on any of the contents of this post

cover & social photo by Amel Majanovic