“Lean into it.”
I hear it all the time. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, lean means to incline, deviate, or bend from, or to rely on for support or inspiration. Some might argue that the new definition of lean in is to grab opportunity. Words are powerful and, like anything else, open to interpretation. But from where I stand (firmly on both feet BTW), when you lean into something, there is no commitment and certainly no spontaneity; you are holding yourself back.
“Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities.”
― Gloria Steinem
While writing this article, I came across poet Robert Bly’s theory of leaping poetry which describes leaping as a leap from the conscious to the unconscious and back again; a leap from the known part of the mind to the unknown part and back to the known. Bly’s focus was on poetry but I’m gonna take a leap here right now and say his ideas apply really well to the metaphorical leaps we take in our lives.
What if you could rely on yourself for support and inspiration instead of simply leaning in to the idea? Have you ever considered that by standing on your own two legs, solid and strong, you’d be capable not only of leaping but of landing your leap firmly, like a dancer who engages all of their core to propel them where they want to go – and soar.
There will be many resolutions made at midnight on the first of the new year, and of the new decade: goals set, opportunities to explore. Don’t overthink it or plan too much. Take a moment to imagine what it would feel like to be spontaneous to trust the process and just go for it.
2020 is a leap year after all.
“We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal, and then leap in the dark to our success.”
― Henry David Thoreau
