Thoughts from 30,000 feet

This very moment I am flying back to the USA over the same ocean that I crossed a little over 2 years ago to begin another chapter in my life in a land far, far away.  It was a decision that I made completely on faith.  There were no guarantees of what was waiting for me in Singapore.  The level of uncertainty was unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life.  I was moving my life 10,000 miles away, alone, with only the potential of making an income. Nothing was guaranteed.  I didn't even have a set salary.  I had no where to live and only the bags I was allowed to check in on the plane.  I remember very vividly sitting in the dark cabin of the plane on my way to Singapore via Japan.  It was on the leg of the flight to Japan that I met a very interesting man who had a 30 year career as a brick layer from Pennsylvania and was on his way to Japan to train with a Ninjutsu master. I had never heard of Ninjutsu before but apparently they are quite the badasses.  I was literally overwhelmed with a gamut of emotions ranging from fear to excitement to peace, strangely enough.  It was something I never would have thought I would have done in my life.  My life was always about playing it safe.  I would challenge myself but in a way that still felt safe.  I would put myself in challenging situations to grow but nothing even close to uprooting my life and moving across the world with not much more than faith that things were going to work out for the best.  


Fast forward 2 years, and I am on the same flight going in the opposite direction for a visit to my home of where this major decision was first made.  It is amazing to me how it all started with a decision and a commitment.  As I reflect on my life, I realize that the most of the powerful experiences I have had all started with a major decision taken in full faith.  I am not referring to a decision on what to eat for dinner, although I guess in a way those decisions can effect the direction of your life in some way.  I am talking about making major decisions that scare you.  Decisions that take your breath away.  Decisions that make you feel sick to your stomach but you know in your heart that it is the path that must be taken.  The most powerful experiences in my life, and yes that includes the painful and not so pleasurable ones, all began this way.  They all began by stepping out of my comfort zone into the unknown.  They all began with a decision and a commitment to stand by that decision. 

Many times we shy away from making these types of decisions because of fear.  We fear that the pain of stepping into the unknown is going to be more painful than what we already know.  Even if we aren't fully happy with our current circumstance, the fear and uncertainty of something new and different is enough of a deterrent to steer us way from what could be a wonderful destiny.  We seek the comfortable and the known and miss out on what life has waiting for us in the vast, yet potentially wonderful world of the unknown.  If we truly want to experience the amazing gifts of this world, we must venture out of our cocoon and seek a bit of adventure.  If there is a piece of you that is yearning for growth and opportunities for greater fulfillment, take a step into the unknown.  You just may surprise yourself with what you are capable of.

Love,
Matt