Jumping Down ... or Leaping Up?

I gathered tonight with a group of the best friends I've ever had and we shared our observations from the past year along with some great soup and great wine and it got me thinking about a lot of things (surprise, surprise).

One of the things we were talking about tonight was how it feels/felt to take a leap out of Corporate America to the entrepreneurial world (four of the five of us have done that). One friend who formerly owned her own company and went back to Corporate America a little over a year ago is considering making the leap again. But this time it will be much different.

She said the first time she lept it was quite scary. She didn't really know exactly what she was getting herself into and it felt more like jumping into a cavern, hoping that a net would appear to catch her on the way down.

As she described her current state, she had a much different take on her next leap. Returning to the corporate world was something she had to do for various reasons, but it's soon time to hit the road again. Only this time she feels she's leaping UP, not DOWN. It's a much different place for her to be leaping to something on a higher plane than when she first left.

I wonder how often we find ourselves leaping from something instead of to something else. It's a simple distinction, but with a huge shift in perception.

Next time you need to make some sort of change in your life, consider where you're leaping. There is certainly a time and a place for each. But the view is different if you're jumping down or if you're jumping up. Just notice what you notice on the way!