Stop Standing On The Edge And Finally Dive Into The Life You Want (Summer Shift Week 3)

And yet, you, you're still standing on the side of the pool.

You got your toes right to the edge.

You've dipped your big toe in the water.

But oh my gosh, that water is cold, and you know it's cold.

And so you keep standing there, you keep delaying, putting it off, thinking to yourself that you just want to do it.

Why can't I just do it?

And so you keep standing there, and your friends, they're yelling at you.

Get in the water, it's fine.

It warms up as soon as you get in.

My friend, this scene, this scenario, it's not a pool problem.

It's not a cold water problem, it's a life problem.

Because, my friend, if you've been standing on the edge of something that you've been wanting, but you've been too scared to actually go for it, well, today is for you.

My name is Kevin Lowe, and this is Grace and Inspiration.

And today, episode 449, we are in our third week of the summer shift series.

This series is here to help you make one meaningful shift each week to hopefully move the needle forward in your entire year.

Because I believe the summer is a perfect opportunity that we can have some fun, but we can also make some meaningful gains in our life.

And so that's what I'm doing inside of our summer shift series.

Again, this is week number three of a 12-week series in which we're helping you move the needle forward.

Now, in relation to today's topic, in regards to week number three, standing on the edge of the pool, the part where most people get stuck in life is the in-between.

They get stuck in this in-between.

They know what they want, but they don't actually ever pursue it.

Or maybe they pursue it to a degree, but they never actually take that meaningful step.

If we want to go back to our pool analogy, yeah, you put on the bathing suit, you went to the pool, but you're standing at the edge of the pool, you've never actually dove in that gap, that space in between, that's where fear comes into play.

Because we all start thinking about the what-if scenarios.

What if it goes wrong?

What if I fail?

What if the water is too cold?

What if I can't swim once I jump in?

Or what about that horrible feeling?

What about people who are gonna judge me?

Who, when they learn of what I'm trying to do, what I want to accomplish, what my dream is, what are they gonna think about me?

So instead, what happens so many times is we stay standing there on the edge, stuck in the in between, in this space in between what we want and actually achieving it, actually making it come true.

Maybe we think about the idea when we're laying in bed at night, and we say to ourselves, tomorrow is going to be the day, tomorrow I'm gonna do the thing.

And then we never do because we get scared and we think we'll just put it off.

You stand there on the edge while everybody else is in the pool having fun, doing the thing, yet you just can't make yourself do it.

If you have found yourself in this situation with anything that you can imagine, whether it's something related to your career, your own health goals, anything in everything.

If you found yourself stuck in the in-between, you know what you want, but you're too scared to go get it.

And maybe you haven't even said to yourself that it's actually fear or you being scared.

Instead, you've honestly been making up excuses that hold you back about how it's not the right time.

That, uh, that's for people who are younger than me.

I'm too old.

My opportunity has already passed.

If that's you, well, my friend, this is meant for you.

What I'm saying today is meant for the person who is stuck in this in-between.

It's the exact same scenario as you standing on the edge of the pool, too scared to jump in, too fearful of the cold water.

And let's be honest, life, I think maybe the human nature, it's there to protect us, but it's also getting in our way.

Because when you're standing on the edge of the pool, you already know what's comfortable.

Yeah, maybe the pool deck might be hot, but it's comfortable.

You, your mind, your body, would rather just remain in what's comfortable, what it already knows, than it would to experience the unknown.

Because at the end of the day, isn't that always the thing that holds us back?

It's the unknown, the uncertainty of it all.

It's easier to just stay comfortable, to stay in our routine, to not venture out.

Because if we venture too far, then what happens?

What's next?

Now, the thing that I want you to understand though is that looking at this metaphor of the swimming pool, the water's always coldest right at first.

When you dip your big toe in, of course, it's freezing.

But the people who get to have fun, who get to enjoy it, who get to reap the uh rewards of it are the people who dove in, anyways.

The people who realized, you know what?

Yeah, it's gonna be cold.

I bet it's freezing.

But after a few minutes, I'm gonna get used to it and I'm gonna get to enjoy this day.

I'm not gonna be standing there wondering, what if?

I'm gonna be living it out.

I'm gonna get to end this day with a smile on my face instead of regret.

That's what I want for you.

I don't want you to regret your life, I don't want you to regret the things that you didn't do, the choices you didn't make, or the choices you did make to never actually get in the water.

You decided that you were okay.

Well, you didn't decide that.

You pretended it.

You made yourself believe that you didn't really want to get in the water after all.

Yeah, you didn't just did your hair.

You didn't want to mess up your outfit, even though you had on a bathing suit.

You didn't want it to get impacted by the chlorine.

So you make all these crazy excuses as to why getting in the water just wasn't the right thing.

Instead, you sit back down in the lawn chair and you're sweating, you're hating life, and yet the whole time you're lying to yourself that you want it like this.

My friend, that is not what living is about.

Life, living, it's about taking chances, about diving in, even when the water is cold.

It's about going for it.

We only get one opportunity at this life.

Every day is a gift, it's a blessing.

We never know what tomorrow will hold.

So if you find yourself at the edge of the pool today, my friend, for goodness sakes, go ahead and jump.

Now, the breakthrough that I want you to really understand.

If you find yourself in this in-between, you're standing there, unable to move forward.

I want you to understand this important lesson that I'm about to teach.

This important thing I'm about to try to get through is the simple fact that it doesn't take a monumental leap to make a big impact.

You don't even have to have it all figured out.

You don't have to even feel ready.

You literally need one thing, one simple decision.

A decision that you're just gonna take the next step.

And when you make a decision to take just the next step, you eliminate the fear.

You no longer give it permission to have control over your life, over your destiny, because you're gonna take the next step.

Now, the next step doesn't have to be monumental.

You don't have to climb up to the high dive and jump in the pool that way.

No, you can just slip into the pool from the edge.

But the important part is that whatever the step is, that it's actually meaningful, that it means something.

It can be small, but not so small as to just dip your toe in the water again.

No, you have to actually get in the water.

The step you take has to be meaningful, but it doesn't have to be massive.

So for this week in our summer shift series, I'm gonna leave you with this challenge.

I want you to name the pool that you've been standing beside.

The thing that I keep saying that I'm gonna do when conditions are perfect, when I'm ready, what is that?

What is that thing that you lie awake at night thinking about, dreaming about?

And yet when daylight comes, you find yourself making excuses.

What is it for you?

What is that thing?

What is your swimming pool that you want so badly to dive into, to get to experience, and yet you've been holding back from?

Name it, declare it, say it out loud, tell it to a friend, tell it to your family, let your dream be known.

And then the second part of this challenge is I want you to figure out what is the next step you need to take to make it come true.

Is it you picking up the phone and making the phone call?

Is it you sending the email?

Is it you signing up for the class?

Is it you hitting record on a podcast?

Whatever it is, I want you to figure it out.

I want you to ask yourself, what is the next step I have to take?

And of course, that comes after declaring exactly what it is that you want.

My friend, I want you to have the life that you were meant to have.

I believe me and you, we were meant to thrive in this life.

And that's what I'm here to do is to encourage you to indeed stop just living and start thriving.

Starting right now, starting today by diving into the pool and getting to finally experience that amazing sensation for yourself.

My friend, I'm Kevin Lowe.

This is Grit, Grace, and Inspiration.

Again, we are in the midst of the Summer Shift series, helping you to make some monumental gains in your life each week throughout the summer.

Please be sure that if you have not already subscribed to the podcast on your favorite app like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you like to get podcasts, please be sure that you have hit the button to follow the podcast.

That way you get served up the newest episode when it is released, which is each and every Tuesday morning.

So, again, this is great grace and inspiration.

Get out there, my friend, and enjoy the day.

And more importantly, go ahead and get off the side and just dive in to the pool.