How to choose your parachute!

Standing ready to jump at 20,000 feet

Thinking about doing something…… maybe starting your own blog, maybe starting your new business, maybe doing a new task. Does it feel like you are at 15-20,000 feet looking out of a plane and not sure if  it is time to step out or not!

Wondering if that package strapped to your back that they call a parachute is really going to open?

Going skydiving is in my bucket list….. but I have not taken that plunge yet!, and maybe in the back of my head it is because I am not really sure if I have faith in a sheet of material stopping me from going SPLAT!  But I do know how to choose a parachute… find out how below

The Inspiration

This post is inspired by a conversation with someone and contemplating taking the jump about launching a new project, a new direction in life.

The Parachute that never fails

It was a perfect example of how in life  we are often confronted with situations which feel like we might as well be standing in that plane contemplating the jump. The difference in life is we all have one parachute that WILL always open. That parachute is your community.

Why can I say this with conviction…. because it has been proven over and over again. The story behind how I got to doing this blog and the formation of the Samuel Morris Foundation are prime examples of a community rallying behind someone standing on the precipice and in every disaster we see communities rally around to support people who need assistance. Communities support people in a multitude of ways every day, more often than not in unseen and often unacknowledged ways.

There are many terrific examples of communities supporting each other. I am part of a few communities out here in the interweb thingy… BUT communities are full of amazing people who either directly or indirectly are having a significant influence on what I am doing, not just here at the blog, but in my other undertakings and in life in general.

Sometimes we can feel like we are all alone and that nobody really gets where we are at.  In reality, we are all part of many communities, and those communities are full of people who are ready and willing to support you in growing and taking those chances that have you scared and wondering if you are really prepared to jump or not.

How do we choose our parachute?

We already have in many ways, our parachutes are our relationships with the people and places that we hang out with and in, they are the people and places that we have invested our time and energy in, they are the people and places who we have helped out in the past, and who may have helped us out in the past.

We are not limited to only those communities, as there are also many new communities like the ones mentioned above that are waiting for you to find them. These are communities of people and places that are full of information and advice we need to help us succeed, and full of potential relationships that could change our lives forever.

Regardless of whether it is a community that we are already a part of or a community of which we are wishing to become a member they are a community because they share desirable characteristics with us and if we spend time building relationships within those communities they make a parachute that is guaranteed never to fail us.

Who represents your parachute?

It would be great to share some examples of parachutes that have prevented us from going SPLAT and created a soft landing for us. So let us know in the comments who represents your parachute.