This 4th grader has more intestinal fortitude than many adults I know. She is a great example of what we all do before taking the leap.

We try to talk ourselves into it. We obsess, we interrogate, we obsess some more.

We feel our nerves, sometimes we shy away from the edge, and we generally believe we’re not capable.

Then, with the encouragement of a guide, a mentor, a friend, someone around us, we give it a go.

When we come to the bottom of our 20 meter jump, we realize that it was the anxiety at the top of the hill that made it feel so crazy. We confidently say that a 60 meter jump is nothing now. We can do it because we’ve got experience with the smaller jump.

But that first jump… it’s a doozy!

When it comes to making a commitment, we hem and haw quite a bit, don’t we? But once we make the commitment, once we jump, all we can do is surrender to the process. Try not to “snowplow” on our way through the jump. Keep it straight. Essentially stay committed to the course.

When we come out on the other side, we’re whoopin’ and hollerin’ and generally thrilled with our result. We don’t bemoan our form, or how poorly we did something. We DID it, for crying out loud. That’s enough cause for celebration right now.

But a decision alone is not enough. Did you hear her at the beginning? “I’ll do it… here goes something.. I guess…. I’m gonna jump…”

Did you hear that small voice of her friend at the top of the hill? “The longer you wait, you’ll be more scared.”

Finally not only does she decide to jump. She commits to it. She actually jumps. She leaves the comfort of knowing the person she was before the jump, leaves her “old testament” and literally leaps into her new testament. This is what Queen Latifah calls a “life stopping moment” where life as we knew it ceases to be. It STOPS. Because we’ve begun something new.

“World changing ideas are born out of evolution. Breathing life into those ideas is what becomes the revolution.” - Simon Sinek

When I was a teenager, I read Jump and The Net Will Appear by Robin Crow. Not a traditional book for young readers, but I was obsessed with reading anything I could get my hands on related to the music industry. Robin’s story is now one that resonates deeply in my heart because of the parallels our stories share. At 40, Robin was facing the end of nearly everything, when he was inspired to step into his new testament. At his home in Nashville he built Dark Horse Recording into the premiere recording studio that many music legends now call their home away from home. He’s since gone on to author best selling books, multiple albums, and has become a sought after speaker – all since the age of 40.

Who says you’re too old to pursue your dreams?

But you can’t keep standing at the top of the hill talking yourself into your dreams. You’ve got to jump.

Robin parlayed his commitment to his new testament into a wildly successful venture that now includes an institute to train leaders and music professionals as well as business minds across the globe. Not bad for his new testament.

Is it all rosy? No. And we’ll go there tomorrow. Today, though, make the commitment to actually jump. And act. Jump into your new testament and surrender to the process. Let the net appear, and enjoy the ride.

In the moment I was making tea, God speaks.

“You are that dried up bag of tea. When you allow the flow, you are filled, and you change the water around you.”

So when you’re feeling all dried up, like you’ve got nothing left to give. Let this video be your prompt to soak up the flow.

Say what you will about Whitney, Costner’s eulogy rocked it.

And I got to thinking about a tweet I saw a few months back when Steve Jobs died. Something about “will we cry when you die?” or something like that.

It really got me thinking.

Recently, my friend, Ted, turned 50, and his wife put together a “celebrity roast” to commemorate it. As part of the entertainment, I got to channel my inner Judy Garland and sing him “Over The Rainbow” until he cried (he’s a huge fan of Judy).

So it’s no wonder I started wondering about my own death. And who would really miss me when I’m gone.

To be clear, I’m not planning a funeral here, nor am I demonstrating any suicidal tendencies. This is not a “poor me” pitch to get a few people to tell me they think I’m awesome and they’ll be first in line at my funeral (wha?).

Actually, this is more spiritual than any of that.

See, me and God got our own thang going on, so if this comes across any way other than inspiring or entertaining, you’ve got me all wrong.

You’ve been warned.

I was praying this morning, as is my (usual) habit. As part of my PEACE System practice, I do my best to go into prayer and meditation each morning. This morning, I wrote down my scripture for the day (I’m lazy and use the daily scripture from BibleGateway.com, which today was 1 John 4:11-12), and went into prayer.

The scripture talks about how God lives in us if we love each other and his love is fully express through us.

Now I’m not what you’d call an eloquent pray-er. I’m more of a gum-poppin’ smart alec trying to figure out this whole God/faith/Divinity thing. So I am pretty blunt, direct, and to the point with God, because, I figure God created me, so God knew what God was getting into when God created me.

Of course, my snarky self began my convo with God thusly:

“Lord, it is written that when we love one another, you dwell within us. It is also said we can never be separated from you, so what happens when we are not loving each other?”

See? I told you, snarky.

And God spoke in that all-too-familiar James Earl Jones baritone that always makes me pay attention:

“I cannot dwell in a place where love does not abide. I stand at the door… waiting for the door to open and let love in.”

Then, continuing my earnest snarkiness, I reply:

“So then, and perhaps I’m splitting hairs here, but if we love some people and not others, are you ‘in us’ only sometimes?”

And Darth Vader’s reply:

“Love is not complicated. Any opening will suffice… Let love in. When you love, you are loved in return.”

This dialogue continued for a bit, until finally, I got my frying pan upside the head from God:

“You have said you wished for an eloquent eulogy. Who have you loved enough to deliver that eulogy? Who will stand at your death and count you as their dearest and closest? Who will mourn you? Truly, I say none will unless you first love them.”

So here I am. Wondering who I’m loving, how I’m loving, and what I can do to demonstrate love. With my family, my friends, my clients and colleagues, the world.

I’m clear that I’ve been put on the planet for something pretty darn big. I’m not clear on what that is, and perhaps I’m coming across as self-righteous or high and mighty or arrogant or whatever, but I don’t see it that way.

It’s not good or bad, it just is. It’s not always easy to be in the space of being about something big, but then again, what in life that’s truly worth savoring is always easy?

So my mission, as my life and business continue to evolve, is to focus more on love. It’s why I’m creating The Pancake Principle. It’s all about building a business founded in love.

I’m kind of freaked out at how these lessons keep unfolding in my life, but as my coach likes to say, we often teach the thing we most need to learn.

For you, dear reader, I would like to pose this question: Who are you loving in such a way that they will truly mourn you when you are gone? The more we love, the more we are loved in return. The more we are loved, the less we feel lack or scarcity or the “wanting” of life.
One of the last things from this morning’s session was this:

“Your first breath is a gift. Everything else is an exchange. Give love, get love. In order to give love, you must first let it in.”

So love deeply, and be loved in return. Love is a mutual reward.