The Day You Decided to Take the Leap

Forgoing stability for the unknown is not limited to the lens of salaries and occupations. It applies to any situation where a gap exists between who you think you are today, and who you know you want to become.

As a human being grows into adulthood, however, things shift. Whereas an infant goes through the world with curiosity, an adult is expected to move about with justification. Life choices must be made with analysis, and interestingly, even inaction requires this type of reasoning as well.

While career leaps are glorified in today’s world, the reality is that most leaps are about something deeper. Ultimately, the most important jumps have little to do with our jobs, and more to do with our growth as a human being. And sure, doing fulfilling work contributes to that cause, but it’s just one of many parts of our identities that require... See more

Taking the leap is not some irrational act that is driven by the passions. When you understand the asymmetrical nature of manageable concerns vs. unimaginable benefits, taking the leap is no longer an emotional jump, but a logical next step toward the life you want to lead.

When determining whether or not one takes a leap, there seem to be better reasons to not make that jump than to do so. After all, the justified mind is one that understands loss aversion – one that wouldn’t want to trade the comfort and safety of the present moment for an uncertain and rocky future.

In the short-term, the expectations you have pre-leap largely carry over post-leap.

Oftentimes, taking the leap is framed as an irrational thing to do – something that plays more to the emotions than to reason. This is why when someone takes the leap in a professional setting, we dub this phenomenon as “following your passion” instead of “following your rationality.”

As long as that chief concern is one you think you can manage, the most rational thing to do is to actually make the jump. By not making that leap, you are voting to give up all unimaginable future rewards for a single concern you can predict and prepare for today.

While one’s potential is not a tangible good, no one would deny the reality of its existence. The reason why babies are so cherished is because of all the bright possibilities that await them; every life path is open, and the world is their oyster.

Life leaps come in varying distances.