Find tropical tranquility anytime, anywhere . . .

Sometimes we have big decisions and choices to make. Oh, the pressure! I wrestled with one myself recently. I was hesitant to take a leap of faith and just go with my gut. What if I was wrong or made a horrible mistake? I wore myself out just thinking about it.

Taking a leap is hard work. Especially if you’re like me and not much of a risk taker. I love the sweet comfort of everyday rituals and regular routines. To me, the thought of a big change feels like a massive tidal wave of impending doom. YIKES!

But we don’t grow or evolve when we’re complacent or resistant. Taking a leap now and then makes us flexible and strong, even better. Change is natural and good. And isn’t everything hard before it gets easy?

So . . . I decided to slow my thinking down and try a more tranquil approach.

With An Island Perspective attitude, I set out to cut through all those negative sand dunes I had created in my mind. Those pesky thoughts can sure cause us trouble. But they can also be managed in a more productive way. We are the boss of them!

With a fresh new perspective, I was able to break down my big leap into tiny, manageable hops. Somehow, thinking about little hops made the whole thing less scary.

Here are my 5 hops (equivalent to a giant leap!)

Hop 1. Get quiet.

Calm yourself down. Turn off the noise around you. Ponder your motivation for taking a leap and changing your life. Surround yourself with a soft blanket of love. Nurture your heart and soul with courage and reassurance.

Hop 2. Collect your wits.

Get your thoughts in order so you can be rational and objective. You may be feeling stressed and overwhelmed. That’s normal. Go deep and tap into your core, the place where you find your authentic inner wisdom. (We all have this!)

Hop 3. Write it down.

Take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. At the top, write PROs on one side and Cons on the other. As quickly as you can without thinking too much about it, make a list on each side. If you can’t examine this list objectively, get a trusted friend to help you.

Hop 4. Prepare yourself.

Create a mental picture of your giant leap. Imagine your “ideal” outcome. Then try to visualize other possible perspectives, even the ones that scare you. See yourself coping with each one of these as lucky breaks that turned out even better.

Hop 5. Let go.

Nothing is guaranteed to be “safe” in this life – not even staying in your tried and true comfort zone. Trust that every outcome has some good in it. There is nothing that can happen to you that you can’t handle. Gather your gumption and leap!

Just try. Take chances. Make mistakes. There’s a joyous path to change – in learning and growing and expanding yourself in ways you never dreamed possible. Celebrate your attempts because you really can’t lose.

Don’t let fear hold you back from that secret passion burning deep inside of you. Believe in your ability to make good decisions. Tickle your soul with a brave new change. It takes just 5 tiny hops to make your own giant leap of faith!

Tell me how you “hop” into positive leaps in your life.

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Join the island tribe at facebook.com/IslandPerspective.

Are you ready to discover your own inner island? Here’s the complete guide: An Island Perspective – Finding the Path to Tropical Tranquility

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