Last weekend found us at the River Limmat in Zurich. It was a lovely day and the river was running quite fast after the recent rains. We had come to float downstream, something many people do in the summer here in Zurich, some with floats or boats and some just like us with just our bodies With more than a little hesitancy we clambered our way down the bank and stepped into the river. The current pulled at our legs and all we could do was jump out into the flow. Immediately it was fun! The river was flowing fast and we floated our way downstream until all too soon we had reached the spot where we had to get out. Like kids we ran up the riverbank and did it all again!
It made me think about how often I have held back from jumping into the flow. How, because I had never done it before, I had stopped myself having a great experience. Only recently on a course I saw myself holding back yet again for fear of the unknown. However just as I had seen many people floating by on the river I knew that what I was holding back from was something that many people had done successfully before me. All I had to do was trust myself and jump in and literally let the flow take me. I did, and in doing so shifted my experience to one of confidence, and I felt very empowered.
I have often said to my clients that if you feel you are pushing the water upstream then you are facing in the wrong direction. Life is not supposed to be that hard. Sure it may be challenging to jump into the river in the first place, but the interesting thing is that once you are in the flow it doesn’t seem so scary because you are moving as fast as it is. It only looks scary when you stand on the edge, wishing you could jump in and not allowing yourself to do so. When I jumped I experienced that there had been nothing to be scared of and the flow has been fun ever since. But, you have to jump! Are you standing on the edge of the bank wishing you could jump in? Take five minutes now to get inspired. Would it be helpful to have a chat about your particular riverbank and see if there is some way you can get the support you need to make that leap? If so drop me a line and we can arrange a time to talk. Saying that I am on holiday until the 18th August but I will be in touch with you as soon as I get back. Happy August.
©2008 Jessica McGregor Johnson
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Antonia Harrison from Personal Development in the 21st Century
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