Are you running? Running from your dreams? Running from the possibilities? I sure am. I’ve spent the first couple weeks of this new year running scared. Reaching for my dreams with one hand and putting on the brakes with the other. And then turning around and sprinting back toward my comfort zone.

When I asked you to join me in making this the year that we leap toward our dreams, I had a feeling that it was going to be hard. (Otherwise I would’ve done it long ago – we all would have, right?) But this is gut wrenching, faith shaking, pure terror hard. (Which is why you haven’t heard much from me here – I’ve definitely been in a state of fear and panic.)

And what I have realized is that it’s super easy to talk about leaping – taking risks – making positive, lasting changes in our lives. We can all write down our goals and plans and dreams and have every cell in our body honestly intending to take action and reach them. These are GREAT intentions, but intentions aren’t going to change your life.

Intending to be a writer is definitely not the same thing as spending time each day with your hands pecking away at your keyboard – filling the screen with your thoughts and then sharing them with the world.

Intending to get into shape is definitely not the same thing as stepping into your body each day and moving it – running, stretching, lifting, sweating, shaking.

Intending to be more in touch with your soul is definitely not the same thing as creating a daily practice where you take time to journal, meditate, and simply be still with yourself.

There’s a huge difference between intending to make change and actually taking action and creating change.

I’m definitely not knocking intention – we couldn’t take the leap without it. But we so often get stuck in this space – somewhere between saying we’re going to make changes and actually making them.

Do you know why?

Because we are afraid. It can be so scary to change – we don’t know what lies ahead. One part of us knows that we want to leap, and the other part says, “Maybe not today. Let’s just stay here in the known for a little while longer.” And usually this part of you wins this tug of war – it’s the path of least resistance.

But what if this time were different? What if you knew ahead of time that this were going to be the dynamic between your soul (who wants you to soar) and your ego (who wants to keep you safe)? What if you prepared yourself for any argument that your ego might throw at you and embraced it with love? What if you kept moving forward, even if you still felt afraid?

That’s what I am doing now.

I am leaping because I know that I have to – on a deep, soul level, I know that what lies ahead is beautiful and amazing and exactly what I have been waiting for.

So I took a huge leap of faith believing that the universe will catch me and boost me up to heights that I couldn’t even imagine.

And while it’s true that I have jumped into this possibility, it definitely doesn’t mean that I’m completely calm and trusting and filled with unwavering faith. Absolutely not – I am terrified, petrified, and almost paralyzed with fear.

But you know what I know for sure? When we feel that kind of fear, we’re stepping into something really good. We never feel afraid when we are in our comfort zone. But you know what else we never feel? Passion, exhilaration, or complete self love. These only appear when we take that leap of faith – push ourselves into the life we know we are meant to live.

And so, I choose to keep moving forward – fear and all. I am going to keep running. Only now it will be toward my dreams rather than away from them.

I hope you will, too.