I’ve been a bit tense lately. Four events in two weeks, and working on a training program to launch speed networking nationally at the beginning of next year. A lot of what I’m working on amounts to invention – brand new stuff that I have no experience with.
I said to my husband Adam, “I feel like I’m about to jump off a cliff”.
To which he responded, “Throw down some sand.”
Thrown by the seeming non-sequitur, I articulately replied, “Huh?”
“Like in Indiana Jones,” he said. “When he sees that great gaping chasm and then steps off to find it was an optical illusion, and a path was there all along. Throw down some sand and you’ll see it’s not a cliff at all.”
As you can imagine, that stopped me in my tracks.
I love this mental picture, but am struggling a bit to complete it.
If the chasm is my fear of the unknown, and the path that is the optical illusion represents the unseen solutions that are available to me, but what about the sand? What does the sand represent?
I’d love to hear your ideas!
The sand is the knowledge that uncovers the path, the unseen solutions.
The sand is Potential.
The sand represents faith (or doubt, which I see as much the same thing)… use your faith or your doubt to get you through the ‘stepping off’ moment. I think that doubt is the ability to look forward and see monumental possibilities and measure ourselves against them… the doubt means you see the path, and see that it is long and difficult, and you see what you need to do and it is a lot. Just make sure that when you cross the bridge, you take some of that sand with you. You might need it again.
It is whatever you have in your hand. Look around, what resources are already in your reach that can assist you to achieve your goal.
The sand is just a physical representation of what you are already doing: stepping out in faith (or doubt), but stepping nonetheless. The sand is just there to give you more reassurance about what you know to do, which is jump off the cliff. You can’t get there (success, more money, more speed networking, speed networking training) from here without diving into the abyss.
So since you must jump, and there is no actual question of that, the only real question is whether when you jump, you’re going to giggle with delight about the rush of air coming at you and the thrill of the drop, or if you’re going to scream, “Oh #*%!” the entire way down and miss the free joy ride you were offered.
I was never a big Dead Head, but I always think of that chorus from the Grateful Dead’s song, Hell in a Bucket, “…I may be going to hell in a bucket, babe, but at least I’m enjoying the ride, at least I’ll enjoy the ride.”
WOW – every comment is terrific! And you made me remember something. The sand wasn’t used until AFTER he made the leap and found the path. Does that change any of your answers?
Only that after we make the initial “leap of faith” and are surprised by the initial outcome, we know that there is “more” on the walk ahead and using the “sand” or “whatever we have in our hands” will give us more information in order to continue the journey safely.
The sand is our friends and family, there to help us realize that what we are chasing is actually attainable. Indy was able to leap, and THEN throw the sand to help understand why. Some people need to throw the sand first, but I would be willing to bet that most entrepreneurs would do it just like Indy. But only because we know our family is there to tell us, “See, I told you that you could do it!”
I’m rereading everyone’s posts and am just getting chills, because I’m so inspired. Thank you all for your responses!
The Sand stops the reflection, (of your fear of the unknown), bouncing back into your eyes. The sand allow Indiana Jones to see where his next step needed to be (before it looked like glass or a mirror).