My Favorite Moment on the Map of Life

Or a better question… have you ever felt like you’re just kinda lost? Wandering the human amusement park but not terribly amused?

Well, fortunately I rode that Free Fall ride many, many… many times as a teenager. It got me used to the various feelings and stages of doing wacky things in real life.  

I labeled 4 parts on the Free Fall Map of Life above, but I’m going to focus on part 3 today. To get a quick sense of context, here are the 4 parts:

Part 1- Wandering around, figuring out what to do next.

Part 2 – commitment. You’re getting buckled into the ride, and you start going up.

Part 3- The Decisive Moment. The magic of this ride is that they take you up in part 2, in a very slow controlled way. When you get to the top, they car pushes forward, and there’s a pause. That pause is The Decisive Moment. Just writing about it is making my heart race! It only lasts about a breath, but it’s enough to look around, look down, and think “Holy crap, what did I get myself into… this was a bad idea.” If you weren’t strapped in, this is the moment most of us would panic and try to get out. BUT, getting out here would be way worse for you than finishing the ride, right?

And yet, we sometimes do this in our lives. We commit to something and when we get to the “Holy Crap, what did I get myself into” we bail. And bailing here is as bad as finishing the adventure without the exhilaration of having done it.

There are definitely times in a project or adventure to accept your “sunk costs” and cut your losses. But this moment is not it. Thanks to Free Fall I recognize the how this moment feels – terrifying and insecure – and I know to trust the ride. I know that in 4 seconds I’m either to going to feel the world’s greatest high or I’m going to be kinda queasy. That’s Part 4.

When you’re in a Decisive Moment in your life, think of yourself as strapped in. No bailing, no turning back now. Do not get off this ride until it comes to a full and complete stop. If need a hand to squeeze, hit reply and tell me about it!

Also, don’t avoid the part 2 Commitment just  because you hear people screaming at the top! Focus on the people getting off the ride. Look at those happy, fully-alive faces and buckle up for your own ride!

Have fun out there!