1, 2, 3… Go
Growing up, I spent my middle school summers attending a summer camp just an hour and a half drive from my house. Each morning, the counselors would blast music over the camp’s grounds, waking the campers up and rushing us to get ready for our morning activity. These morning activities included all sorts of things: bracelet making, field games, painting, and my personal favorite, the polar plunge.
As soon as I heard the beat of the music signaling that it was time to wake up, I would wipe away the sleep from my eyes, put my bathing suit on, grab a towel, and head over to the lake with my fellow polar plunge goers. The anticipation would build up on the short walk across the field separating the cabins from the lake as I contemplated my decision to jump into a freezing cold body of water before 7:00 am, but nonetheless, every morning, all of us campers would line up on the side of the dock, and on the count of three, jump into the lake. There was little time to think about what I was doing. I didn’t spend time contemplating the consequences of my actions or worrying about all the different situations that could follow. I just jumped.
Over the years since my summer camp days, I’ve found myself spending a lot more time thinking about what I am planning on doing rather than just doing it. Often, I prefer to have a clear idea of all the different outcomes of any situation so that I can be better prepared for what is to come. I map out all of the conclusions that could result from my choices– good and bad. I call my parents and friends and obsess over what could be or what may occur, playing the “what if” game to no end. Sometimes, I spend too much time thinking about the consequences, especially those I want to avoid, that I psych myself out and end up foregoing my instincts altogether.
While I am certainly a proponent of being thoughtful and intentional in your decision-making, I think there is something incredibly valuable in following your gut and just doing whatever it is that you’re contemplating doing. Rather than spending your time planning for potential outcomes that may not even occur, jump in, and figure it out as you go. You will never know all the joys, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, or growth your decisions may bring, unless you make them and commit to them.
Maybe it's not a polar plunge at a summer camp you are beginning to second guess, but it's applying for a job or an internship or walking up to a new person in one of your classes and making a new friend or sending an email to a professional you admire and asking to get coffee or even going to a new workout class alone. Whatever your “polar plunge” moment may be, just count to three and go. After the splash settles, you’ll be able to see and recognize the new opportunities and lessons you’ve welcomed into your life.