I stand at the edge of the cliff.
Oh, my. It’s a long way down.
My parachute is strapped to my back and it’s up to me.
It’s time to jump, I whisper.
Heart pounding, my breath is short.

I’ve never done this before.
I know, I know: I must jump for the ‘chute to open.
In fact, I long for the leap,
to feel the wind on my skin as I fly, free, with the birds.
I know this is part of what it takes to be and do my thing in life.

But, I am afraid.
I stand alone, trying to muster the courage to jump.

Out of the corner of my eye,
I begin to vaguely see outlines of other sistahs and brothas.

The cliff ledge is lined with others,
ready to take flight with their visions, passions, and work in the world.

I am moved, inspired, and ignited with the sense that
I – we – do not stand alone.

And just then, a parachute flies by my spot on the cliff edge.
It looks so beautiful and carefree.  I want to do that.
As I look closely, I see there is not one,
but two people carried by the ‘chute.

This changes everything.
Yes.

This is what we do.
Our  kula {community}
encourages,
leaps, and
soars…
together.

And, for sure,
in time, we will learn to jump and fly solo.
Our turn will come to enCOURAGE others
in their own cliff-edge leaping and soaring.

We were made for this.

This piece was inspired by a story shared by a new sistah in our kula, Meg (click here to find out more about her extraordinary work).  Together, we attended Awaken Your Impact, a weekend conference created by the remarkable team of Rachael Jayne and Datta Groover.  They opened the first session with this video, by the one and only Steve Harvey, host of Family Feud.

I took my own leap of faith this summer, competing on the Family Feud with my amazing family.  It was both terrifying and one of the great highlights of my life.  But, even for that adventure, I did not jump alone.

As you watch this video, I wonder – how would it change things for you if you imagined having a kula to cheerlead, encourage, and companion you in your LEAP?

xo, dear loves.