Before I dive straight into a truth that I have come to know personally, it only makes sense that I provide you with context.

Ever since I was conscious enough to know that bowling was my passion, I knew I wanted to attend Wichita State University. For those of you reading this that are not clued in on the college bowling scene, collegiate bowling and Wichita State are synonymous. They have more national titles than any collegiate bowling program (twenty, that is), and two of the most experienced coaches in the sport of bowling. It doesn’t take a genius to see why attending WSU quickly became a dream of mine.

Flash forward to 2015, and I decided to make my dream a reality. I officially decided to attend WSU.

As an avid dreamer I was no stranger to the unpopularity of my ideas and aspirations for the future in the thoughts of others. You see, when you create an idea in your head and make a plan to pursue it that others feel is above their own reach, they tend to be a bit critical of it.

When I began to announce my decision for the fall of 2016 the responses I received, varied, for lack of a better expression.

From the people I loved, I was told, “I support you and am so happy you are following your dream.”

From a close friend I had already made at WSU, Holly, I received an ecstatic, “JAKE. ARE YOU SERIOUS? THIS IS AMAZING!”

These responses made me overjoyed for the path I had ahead of me.

But my favorite responses of all were the “Be careful”, or “Those big colleges are a trap”, or the icing on the cake, “You? Wichita State? Do you want to bowl?”

I found myself explaining my decision tirelessly as if it somehow rationalized it, not for the listener-at-the-time’s understanding, but for my own. Every time I received one of those delightful responses I felt like I owed them an explanation. I had to prove to them why my decision was clearly the best, right? It was as if my subconscious was telling me, “There has to be a logical reason and you don’t want this person to think you’re crazy.”

I found myself doing this so much that I had conjured up a cookie cutter overview of my decision including “how low the tuition cost was, the incredible opportunity to learn and grow as a bowler and a person, and the amazing people I knew I had to look forward to meeting.” I had it rehearsed. I could regurgitate it at the drop of a pin.

While this response couldn’t be any more accurate, it was a complete waste of my time. What I came to realize was that as soon as I led a conversation with “I am going to Wichita Sta…”, the ears of my listener automatically turned off. There was conflict. They couldn’t understand my decision. Their perception of who I was, and my perception of who I was were two completely separate beliefs. I knew what I wanted my reality to be and that I was going to make it happen, I was hell-bent on it.

Now, I cannot tell you that none of those negative remarks bothered me, or that I was always confident in my decision because that just wouldn’t be the truth. The reality of the situation was that the feeling of security in my decision that I was seeking never came to me until I was into my first week at school. I had as much knowledge on what to expect as any random passerby would have had. I was scared. Moving hundreds of miles from home and your feeling of security is not an act you do without strong conviction. No matter what I did, I couldn’t shake the feeling of, “Is this right?”

From where I sit now, however, I can pinpoint exactly why that was:

I had yet to jump.

Scared and uncomfortable, I had to make the leap.

And so I did. I plunged head first into my dreams and embraced the fact that the discomfort I was feeling would play a vital role in my growth as a bowler and as a person. I made a promise to myself to welcome adversity with open arms and never be discouraged, for everything I was doing had a purpose and a reason, whether I saw it or not.

The first of three weeks of tryouts had come around and to my surprise, I found myself invested more in the people around me than the bowling itself. Yes, everyone is trying out for selection spots, but I have never been a part of a more selfless process of collaboration in my experience with bowling. I felt like a part of a family who genuinely wanted to see each other do well and play team.
It was definitely a turning point for me. What it meant to be a shocker bowler was revealing itself right in front of me. Being a part of the program means so much more than just bowling. Being a shocker bowler means:

• Being an encourager
• Being compassionate
• Being accountable for your actions
• Wanting success for others as much as you want it for yourself.
• Dedicating endless amounts of hard work on the lanes, in the classroom, and at your job.
• So much dreaming and sheer belief in what you and your team are capable of that you begin to believe every positive affirmation that you’ve ever told yourself to be true.

You see, my perception of reality shifted. I no longer viewed Wichita State in a bowling exclusive manner; I knew it was where I was meant to be as a person. Sometimes you fit directly in places and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it’s where you belong. For me, that’s Wichita State.

What the ‘advice’ of others failed to include was experience. There was no first person credibility. None of the warnings I received were accurate in the slightest. Looking at it from where I sit now, the contrast between what others believed my reality to be and what I created my own reality to be is astonishing. Had I taken the false beliefs held by others to be true, I know my reality would not be one of my creation. It would’ve been the creation of a Jacob who decided to take the safe route. The Jacob who never jumped.

What I am trying to get to in the midst of all of this is that you don’t owe anyone an explanation for your decisions in your life. If you know you have a passion and feel a conviction to chase it, for the love of God, DO IT. Stop trying to rationalize every detail to others as to why it all makes sense, because at the end of the day you create your own reality. Your version of reality is going to be vastly different from anyone else’s for as long as you live, so attempting to convince others who have no interest in yours, to believe in yours, is a royal waste of time.

So trust in what the future has in store for you; Take the jump you’ve been “waiting until you’re ready” for, because the truth is you’ll never be ready.

You simply jump.