Twelve years ago I looked out into the Atlantic Ocean on New Year’s Day with fear in my heart and uncertainty in my life. I had been fired from a “dot.com” company two weeks earlier with only two weeks of severance, no insurance for my two young children and only two months of savings in the bank. My wife and I had just invested every dollar we had and even took out a second mortgage on our home and $20,000 on a credit card to open what would be the first Moe’s Southwest Grill in Florida.
The restaurant was set to open January 13th and we had no earthly idea how we would pay our home mortgage and other bills since I planned on keeping my salary and job while my managers built the restaurant business. Now, it was New Years Day and I had no job, no salary and a restaurant opening that at worst would fail miserably or at best take a year to be profitable.
I thought of all this as I prepared to jump into the icy cold water-to take a symbolic plunge that this would be the year of NO FEAR. Regardless of the circumstances I was facing, this would be the year where I would trust and go for it. This would be the year I would be bold in actions and faith and humble in spirit. No longer could I do it alone. Now I needed a miracle and I decided to act as if my future depended on me and pray like it depended on God.
By jumping into the ocean I was declaring that no longer will I allow fear to cut off the flow of abundant and positive energy in my life. No longer will I allow fear to paralyze me. Instead of fear I would trust.
Today, as I write this twelve years later, I am preparing to take a different kind of leap to remind myself to follow my passion, live life to the fullest, surrender and to stay one step ahead of the fear that hovers around me. I’m going to attempt to ski down a mountain for the first time.
You see I’m a novice skier who is terrified of heights and broken legs. The last time I took my family skiing I stayed on the bunny slope but this time I’m going to overcome my fear and ski down the mountain. There’s no ocean to jump into here but there’s a mountain I must conquer.
And as I take on this challenge I want to invite you to ski down the mountain with me. Perhaps not on the slopes but in your mind. Decide to take a leap of faith in your belief system and create a positive shift in your mindset. The antidote to fear is trust and it is only a thought away.
No one is going to push you over the chasm of struggle to the life that you want. God will nudge you but you must take the leap with trust, determination and faith. After all, they don’t call it a leap of fear. They call it a “leap of faith” for a reason.
Tweet This: “They don’t call it a leap of fear. They call it a “leap of faith” for a reason!” — Tweet
You will always feel fear. Everyone will. But your trust must be bigger than your fear. The bigger your trust the smaller your fear becomes. And the more you trust the more you become a conduit for miracles. I know. A consulting project presented itself out the blue and we were able to pay our mortgage. A check came in the mail, the right opportunities came our way and somehow, some way my family and I were carried. A year after the restaurant opened I started this newsletter which eventually lead to me writing books, speaking and the work I do now.
No matter what happened in the past, New Year’s Day represents a fresh start and a new opportunity to create the life and career you want. All you have to do is jump in with all that you are and all that you wish to become.
P.S. People often ask me what happened to my restaurant. Well, thankfully I eventually opened 4 restaurants and sold them eight years ago knowing it was time to focus 100% on the work I’m doing now. Thank you for your support and for sharing this message with others.
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