Fear of the Unknown
As per our holiday tradition, we watched the movie Elf a few days ago. One of my favorite scenes is when Buddy the Elf, played by Will Ferrell, rides an escalator for the first time. He wants to go up and get to his destination at the top of the escalator. However, the motion of the escalator is new to him.
After a few false starts, he steps hesitantly on with one foot, which moves forward with the escalator while his other foot is firmly planted on the platform. In the end he does end up getting where he wants on the escalator, albeit in very painful-looking splits — I had no idea Will Ferrell was that flexible!
That scene reminds me of the challenge that we all face once we decide to move in a new direction. We don’t always have a force that will whisk us away in the right direction (like an escalator).
Most of the time it is our own energy and decisions that power the forward motion. Yet with or without an escalator, we hesitate to let go and step off of our firm ground – our comfort zone – and into the unknown.
Make a commitment to motion
Buddy struggled with committing to the motion and to the unknown. His fear kept one foot rooted in the known, and made it impossible to make smooth, solid motion forward.
He failed to make a commitment to the new direction.
Many commitments are necessary when facing a new challenge.
- A commitment to yourself to lean into the challenge.
- A commitment to learning something new.
- A commitment to change.
- A commitment to see potential failure as part of the coming success.
- A commitment to leave the old behind.
Once you have set an intention for yourself to move in a new direction, commitment becomes critical. If you refuse to fully commit to motion, you may make some progress, but you will be stretched out of position and have to deal with uncomfortable contortions while trying to keep a foot in each world.
I challenge you today to identify where you are still firmly planted in the current world that you need to leave.
We don’t have the luxury of an escalator that will eventually pull our remaining foot from that platform. Our only choice is to step off with both feet so that we can freely find the new motion.
Remember that we must let go of the current shore in order to reach another.
Reflection
- What are you holding onto that is keeping you tied down in your current situation?
- What might you achieve if you step off with both feet?
I can’t wait to hear where your motion takes you! Share your stories in the comments or send them to me privately.
And check out the other blogs in the series exploring motion.