Spring (n.) \ ˈspriŋ : 1 a time or season of growth or development; 2 an elastic body or device that recovers its original shape when released after being distorted; 3 the act or an instance of leaping up or forward

Spring (v.) \ ˈspriŋ : 4 to be resilient or elastic; to come into being; 5 to leap or jump up suddenly; 6 to release or cause to be released from confinement or custody

If you haven’t read the last two posts in my Spring series, be sure to check out •SPRING INTO A NEW YOU: A Season of Growth & Development• (1) and also •Recover and Recreate• (2)! As part of a Blogger Challenge, each blogger in our group was prompted to choose something spring-related to write about. As I was generating my original post, I stumbled upon the dictionary definition of the word Spring. I was shocked to see how many meanings there were… each of them equally as inspiring as the last.

Fast forward to after I had read them all– Right click. Select all. Delete. Out with the old post. In with the new.

I had a whole new direction and so much to say! The result= dedicating a separate post to each meaning.

This particular post was inspired by the following:

Spring (n.) \ ˈspriŋ : 3 the act or an instance of leaping up or forward

LEAP UP.

“Leap” insinuates a big, powerful, energetic motion. Leaping means springing into action. Tiptoeing to the edge, testing the temperature of the water– these things waste precious daylight, leaving you standing by while others immerse themselves in the refreshing waters of happiness and success. Instead, I want to encourage you right now to LEAP UP and into change.

The age-old adage: •Look before you leap• teaches us that we need to think before we act. A common held notion is that we shouldn’t jump into something without first assessing the situation and possible outcomes. We need to think logically. Be reasonable. Weigh out the pro’s and con’s. Blah blah blah. I get it. And these can be good principles on which to base decision-making. BUT what happens when you get overwhelmed by the weight all of those possibilities!!!?? What happens when you spend too long thinking, reasoning, and assessing?

Well, first of all, spending too much time being stationery prolongs change and hinders us from taking chances. Sometimes, we take so long to evaluate a situation that the ship carrying the precious cargo of opportunity disembarks with another soul on board, leaving us waiting on the dock of regret.. yet again.

Furthermore, I don’t know about you, but “time” gives me the chance to overthink things and let’s just say, that rarely ends well. {{I mean, I will completely bomb a multiple choice assessment if I have time to re-check my answers, because I talk myself out of why my original gut feeling was wrong for some reason.}} Thinking instead of acting allows us time to formulate excuses and second-guess ourselves– which leaves us with the constant wondering of “what if.”

My most memorable life decisions have been those in which I just acted. {{I mean, I met Journey’s backstage crew because I randomly saw an outlet on a stage and needed to charge my phone, so I “leapt” on up there and plugged it in. Would I have met them if I took the time to think about the fact that this was totally trespassing? Of course not! I would’ve been strolling around Washington D.C. alone with no phone and would have never met my super cool new friends!}} Okay, so maybe don’t do as I do.. but seriously, I’ve truly found that just jumping in feet first has provided me the best outcomes. {{Granted, Lord Jesus knows I have had my fair share of “lessons“– but that’s whether I thought something through or not.}}

The feeling of leaping into something and taking a chance frees me from the bonds of the monotony that comes with doing everything the way I am “expected” to do it. Leaping up and DOING something, instead of sitting around and THINKING about what to do, is what souls of fire are made of.

LEAP FORWARD.

I have spent far too much of my life drowning in a wave of regret. It’s so easy for us to get stuck in the past, constantly reliving our mistakes over and over. There was a time when I would think back to things I had said or done and feel physically nauseous with shame and, at times, complete embarrassment. I would shake my head at my poor decisions, my naivety, my gullibility, my longing to feel accepted, my utter lack of a clue about the world. I wasted time. I wasted opportunities. I lost people. I lost parts of myself. It was hard to even breathe under the weight of all of my mistakes and regrets.

However, looking back at that pitiful, lost little girl, I’ve found that I no longer cringe at her memory. It may have taken me 26 years in this world to figure it out, but I finally learned to ACCEPT and FORGIVE–not just others, but myself. We sometimes find it easier to forgive others for their transgressions than ourselves. I have plenty more to learn and am in no way an expert on life, but I do think the things I’ve been through and mistakes I’ve made have transformed me into someone much stronger and wiser. For that, I have learned to be grateful for the bad parts of my past, as well as the good. We can’t continuously beat ourselves up over our mistakes when there are PLENTY of people out there to do it for us. We have to stop living in reverse. Shift that car into drive and enjoy the ride ahead.

In case someone needs to hear this today:

We cannot change what we have done.

We cannot change what has been done to us.

We cannot change who we have been.

We cannot change where we have been.

We cannot change what we have said.

We cannot change what we have lost.

We cannot change the past.

But we CAN leap forward TODAY… out of the past–> into the present–> and create a better future.

Challenge:

1. Think of something(s) you want to do. ((Do I need to mention here that I’m not referring to anything harmful or illegal? You never know these days so I feel that I should clarify that.))

•What have you felt pulled to do?

•Have you been presented with an opportunity of a lifetime but fear of the future, self-doubt, or “ifs” have been holding you back?

•What is your dream?

•What do you need to change?

•What makes you HAPPY?

Picture it in your mind. Write it in the comments so we (aka maybe just me) can help and cheer you on!

I’ll go first by posting in the comments something I took a huge leap on!

2. Whatever it is, DO it.

That simple. Do not think about it. Do not sit around, trying to reason or analyze things until you talk yourself out of it or the opportunity for true happiness passes you by!

LEAP UP and take action for the things you want. Spring into your best life.

Let me know how it goes!!!! Xoxo

My original post was written as part of our “March Bloggers Challenge” hosted by Miss Molly! Huge thanks to the following Bloggers who joined in the fun! Readers, feel free to check out their March posts!

https://www.earthtoconnie.com   https://www.avidreaderdiary.wordpress.com   https://www.Spiceandnice.bloghttps://meganelizabethlifestyle.com  https://peerlessprose.com/blog   www.dammitkaren.com  www.maybemissmolly.co.uk https://bookmarkingstories.wordpress.com    www.countingbluebirds.com  https://lifestylesteps.video.blog www.smartmoneygreenplanet.com   https://watchaguru.com  http://www.lifemakeupstyle.wordpress.com   http://thedecemberedit.com  www.thewriteone.home.blog