I was talking to a couple friends of mine who are acrobats for Cirque du Soleil. Part of the conversation went like this;

“How did it feel the first time you fell?”

“It was terrifying. And I was nervous the rest of the day”

“How did you know you’d be okay after that, to go back and do it again?”

“Because we have to trust our partners and the people around us. (Pause) The minute we don’t, we stop trusting ourselves and play it safe. And that’s not any fun to watch.” We all had a big giggle after that.

Of course the net IS there but they have to constantly imagine that it is not and let go of any fear. And trust their people so they can shine and do unimaginable bendy things…When we continually live our life with a safety net, it actually creates a barrier to our freedom.

As we are creating the life of our dreams, we often reach a crossroads where the choices involve the risk of facing the unknown versus the safety and comfort of all that we have come to trust. We may feel like a tightrope walker, carefully teetering along the narrow path to our goals, sometimes feeling that we are doing so without a net. Knowing we have some backup may help us work up the courage to take those first steps, until we are secure in knowing that we have the skills to work without one.

When we live our lives from a place of balance and trust in the universe, and the people around us, we know we are supported – even though we may not see the safety they provide.

If we refuse to act only if we can see the safety net, we are allowing the net to become a trap, as it creates a barrier between us and the freedom to pursue our goals, or try new things or take a chance on that person we know would make us shine. And perhaps become unbelievably bendy? Change is inherent in life. Remove fear from the equation, and we can devote our full attention to the dream that awaits in front of us.

We attract support into our lives when we are willing to make those first tentative steps, trusting that the universe will provide exactly what we need. In that process, we can decide that whatever comes from our actions is only for our highest and best growth. It may come in the form of a soft landing, an unexpected rescue, or an eye-opening experience gleaned only from the process of falling.

So rather than allowing our lives to be dictated by fear of the unknown or trying to avoid falling, we can appreciate that sometimes we experience life fully when we are willing to trust and fall. And in doing so, we may just find that we have the wings to fly. When we believe that there is a reason for everything, we are acting with the safety net of the universe.