If you are a child of the ’80s, you didn’t just read that headline when you saw it. You sang it. And then you added…
It’s too high to get over. (yeah yeah) It’s too low to get under. (yeah yeah) You’re stuck in the middle. (yeah yeah) And the pain is thunder.
At this point, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, we probably can’t ever work together! Just sayin’. MJ knew how to write a song that sticks, that’s for sure.
When I first heard that song back in the summer of 1983, I think the only thing I wanted to start was fourth grade! Jackson was presumably talking about the media when he wrote it, but I found the words running through my head today as I was thinking about my best coaching clients.
They wanna be startin’ somethin’ in a big way.
When people find their way to me, they often are contemplating a leap of some kind. They’re starting businesses and blogs and nonprofits. They’re applying for promotions, or embarking upon health makeovers, or considering adoption. They’re ending relationships or beginning them, moving up or moving out. They’re getting out of debt or into a relationship with God. They’re starting something….because they feel a tug toward something that will light them up. They are genuinely excited by the possibility of what comes next.
But sometimes, the enormity of the decision before them masquerades as a boulder blocking their path. It feels too high to get over…and too low to get under.
They’re stuck in the middle. And believe me, the pain is thunder. Being stuck can impart the worst kind of pain. And we can convince ourselves to tolerate it for looooong stretches. But we don’t have to.
There’s always some ninja move we can pull that reframes the problem and illuminates an array of solutions. We can get the power of fresh perspective, of two minds being better than one, of sharing space and energy with someone who wants to see us succeed – and when we do, it’s almost magical.
That’s because when we’re stuck, we’re afraid to let go. Terrified of what will happen if we make the leap, we start to feel trapped in our current circumstances. But once we step out in faith, even just pointing a toe in our desired direction, we transform our fear into action, and realize we’ve always been free.
I love that moment most of all – when someone I’m coaching realizes she is free. Free to choose. Free to maneuver. Free to leap.
So how about you? Do you wanna be startin’ something?
Let’s light your path. Find me here.
Questions: When you think about the leap you want to take, what excites you the most? What scares you to death? Are you taking steps to lessen the fear and to amplify your excitement?
LOVE this!! It’s always hard to make that leap, but when I do it feels great, and I never look back. I also always wonder why I didn’t take the leap sooner. Thanks for the continued inspiration!
It worked for me, thinking just doesn’t get the job done. Great thoughts!