10 tips for LEAPING outside your comfort zone

This post, written by Dr. Lissa Rankin, was originally published on OwningPink.com on April 2, 2010.

Today, I’m going to be on television for the first time (View From the Bay, ABC TV in San Francisco at 3pm PST!) Thing is, I hate cameras. But it’s all in service to my mission. I believe that my work- Owning Pink, my book, the Owning Pink Center- is like air for a world that is suffocating. We have been so stifled by trying to put ourselves in boxes that don’t fit that we have forgotten how to breathe. We have beaten ourselves up and suffered in silence. We have settled for living lives that are less than vital. We have isolated ourselves so that we feel completely alone in our struggle to be free. I believe it doesn’t have to be this way. I believe- together, with Divine guidance, we can change the world (no biggie). When you boil it down, I believe in YOU.

So today, I will talk about how life’s too short not to take risks and offer tips for how to live a balanced life, even if you can’t live a balanced day. I will overcome my fears and articulate my message with grace and poise. I will be authentic to who I am, even if they have to bleep me! I will let my freak flag fly…

Because life IS too short not to take risks. Going on television to be the ambassador for Owning Pink is yet another Pleap (pink leap of faith). I believe that if I leap, all of us will fly.

10 Tips For Taking A Leap of Faith

Ask yourself this question. “If you knew you were going to die in a year, would you still be living the life you’re living?” If the answer is no, you might want to rethink things.
Identify your desire. If you don’t know which risk you’re dying to take, it’s hard to pleap. Be very specific about what you desire. If you can’t figure out what you do want, get clear on what you DON’T want. That will guide you.
Don’t obsess about the Hows. Figure out the Whats and leave the rest to the Universe.
Recognize and honor what’s holding you back. Assess your fears to determine whether they’re genuine fears meant to protect you (if I jump off this cliff, I might hit the rocks and die) or irrational fears that are merely holding you back (I might lose everything and people will think I’m crazy). It’s okay to feel the fear. Just don’t let it rule your decision-making.
Think things through to their worst possible outcome. What’s the absolute worst thing that would happen if you took this Pleap? Follow it through in your mind. Most of the time, the nameless, nonspecific fear is greater than the actual worst case scenario. While it sounds pessimistic, doing this can set you free when you realize that the worst possible outcome- while icky- isn’t bad enough to keep you paralyzed.
Ignore what everyone else thinks. This is about you and YOUR dreams. If you poll your family, friends, colleagues, and partner, you’re likely to get talked out of your dream.
Pray for guidance, then watch for Signs from the Universe. You don’t have to do this alone. Surrender.
If you’re not sure whether it’s time to Pleap, wait. When the time is right, it will be evident. You will feel it in your gut. You will no longer be satisfied with standing on the ledge. If someone pushes you over the edge against your will, spread your wings. FLY.
Practice radical self-care while you’re considering Pleaping. Nurture your body, rest your mind, feed your spirit. Pleaping is hard work.
Believe in YOU. You can create whatever you desire. You are powerful beyond measure. If you live in love and act from your heart with pure intention, you will never fall flat on the rocks.

So let me encourage all of you to do what I’m doing today. Get out there and Pleap, if your heart tells you it’s right. What Pleap are you dying to take? What would you do if you sent your brain to time out and just lived from your heart? What action step would make you giddy with glee? What fear is holding you back? How might you release those fears to pave the pathway to true mojo? What first step might you take towards making it happen?

Jumping off cliffs right and left- WHEEEE!!!!

Lissa

Dr. Lissa Rankin is an OB/GYN physician, an author, a nationally-represented professional artist, and the founder of Owning Pink, an online community committed to building authentic community and empowering women to get – and keep – their “mojo”. Owning Pink is all about owning all the facets of what makes you whole – your health, your sexuality, your spirituality, your creativity, your career, your relationships, the planet, and YOU. Dr. Rankin is currently redefining women’s health at the Owning Pink Center, her practice in Mill Valley, California. She is the author of the forthcoming What’s Up Down There? Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend (St. Martin’s Press, September 2010).