Have you ever watched those rom com films, where there is that typical scene where a group of friends jump off the top of a massive cliff into the water… for fun? I have always been fascinated with the person who jumps first. How many of us wait for the person in front to jump first, so we can assess whether the water is safe or not?

If you take a closer look at the trends on twitter, or selfie pictures you will begin to see that everyone is increasingly beginning to look the same. The correct way to take a picture has even been provided for us, with clear distinctions between a “good” selfie and a “bad” selfie. The concept of “standing out” is a rare phenomenon and not one that is readily embraced. Although the number of articles on starting a business and becoming an entrepreneur is on the rise, most people are happy to do so within the confines of their safe and predictable routine. For many people, predictable means safe; and safe means reliable. The idea of not knowing or something being completely outside the constructs of a system, is far too much for one to handle. It’s like the ocean, big and overwhelming, so we would prefer to wait for another to jump before we take the plunge.

There are those who want to jump so badly, they have dreamed of swimming in the ocean and often watch with such admiration as those around them are walking on water and doing the impossible, standing up for social injustice, and using their talents to improve the world, but for reasons conjured up in their minds they have resolved to a life on the shore, where they will make the most of what they have and enjoy life’s little blessings.

I wonder, if they knew that jumping wouldn’t harm them, that failure was inevitable but wouldn’t destroy them, would they still jump?

Then are there are those who jump first, and are known to many as trailblazers, they must obtain confidence from faith; from something much greater than them because they step out and do something that hasn’t been done before, where there is no blue print or precedent, only a decision that jumping had to be better than staying put.

Finally, there are those that jump as a result of watching others step out and live their dreams, (and quite possibly, many fall within this category) they watch as those who have jumped first live their best life and this is invitation enough for them to jump also.

Many of us are the result of those who jumped first, said no to the status quo, spoke up when it wasn’t popular, stepped out without any guidelines and just jumped. Some of these people we know because as a result of their jumping they are household names, but there are also millions of ‘jumpers’ who are not household names they are simply maintaining a house. Maintaining a home, business, career, pursing a dream that doesn’t make sense to others and jumping into the unknown every day.

I’ll jump…but you first…