If you had called me last May and asked me how my life was going, I would’ve been surprised that my phone rang. Then I would’ve preceded to tell you that I spent all of my time eating, sleeping, studying, watching Netflix or talking to my family. Last May I was cowering in a corner.
If you called me today and asked me how my life was going, I’d expect it. Then I would tell you that I barely have time to eat, sleep or watch Netflix because I spend all my time studying, at sorority activities, going to church or attending club meetings. After that I would explain that there are a million things I do in a day that I probably forgot to mention and that I’m having the time of my life.
Everything changed when I jumped.
For me, jumping meant transferring from a small college near my hometown to my dream college, the University of Alabama. It meant turning off that horror movie full of “what-ifs” I let play over and over in my head. It meant removing the word “can’t” from my vocabulary. It meant a lot of praying. It meant leaving everything in my life that I had ever known to be comfortable. Mostly, it meant really living. Celebrating another of Saban’s National Championships here in Tuscaloosa, late-night ice cream runs, falling in love with my major and joining the perfect sorority were just the highlights.
For you, jumping might mean driving cross-country, or applying for college. It might mean interviewing for your dream job. It might just mean asking out that cute guy across from you in Starbucks. But, whatever it means, I think you should do it.
Don’t get me wrong, it won’t always be a Hallmark movie. Hard conversations, failures, bad days, tears and anxiety are all nearly guaranteed. Maybe things will be rough at first. Maybe when you jump, you’ll learn that you didn’t land in the right place and you’ll have to overcorrect. That will be difficult.
It will be more difficult to wake up in ten years and still be wondering what could have happened if you had jumped. Take it from someone on the other side—everything changed when I jumped. It was the best decision I have ever made.