LEAP A manifesto about taking risk, enduring challenges, and leaping into your passion.
by Steven Gunter
PART
1
The purpose of this manifesto is to encourage you to do something scary. Not because I want to frighten you, but because I want you to finally do what you always dreamed of doing. I think you’re worth it; and I think we all need you to do the work. Thanks so much for reading. Feel free to share it. But most of all...go ahead...Leap!
Here’s To The Crazy Ones - Steve Jobs
Leaping Is Scary It’s meant to be. How else could the world separate those who are willing to do whatever it takes from those who just say they want to accomplish big things. Leaping is reserved for the “crazy ones.” I take it that you must be one of the “crazies” otherwise I don’t suspect you would have read this far. Nice to meet you! Great accomplishments can be reached when one decides to leap; but it certainly doesn’t happen without great risk. And oh, by the way, there’s no guarantee you will be successful--that’s not a promise leaping makes. It only guarantees that you will discover something new about the world...about others...but most importantly...about you.
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How brave are you really?
How brave are you really? Are you courageous enough to challenge yourself? Are you you committed enough to give it your very best even when no one else notices? Are you driven enough to keep going even when things aren’t going well? How many punches can you take before you decide to quit? I’m not so sure you can answer those questions if you haven’t already taken the leap. Some things can only become known with risk and time. But hopefully, you already have the mindset that it doesn’t matter how hard it is, how long it takes, or how much recognition you will receive. All that matters to you is that you get the privilege of doing the work--with every bit of passion in you. So, are you ready? There’s the cliff...go ahead...Leap!
The Leaper’s Creed REPEAT THIS EVERY MORNING WHEN YOU WAKE UP: I am a leaper. I don’t know everything that I think I need to know at the moment but yet I will leap. I am a leaper. I don’t have all the resources I think I need at the moment but yet I will leap. I am a leaper. I’m not sure of the many obstacles that await me but yet I will leap. I am a leaper. Others believe that my idea is crazy and I should find something to do that’s more secure but yet I will leap. I am a leaper. Fear attempts to persuade me to reconsider but yet I will leap.
Thanks for reading! If you found this manifesto to be valuable it would mean a lot to me if you shared it with someone you know!
I am a leaper. Staying comfortable feels safe but it’s actually quite dangerous. Therefore, I will leap. I am a leaper. There is much more to be gained than lost, therefore, I will leap.
Leaping takes “other people” out of the equation.
I am a leaper. I understand there is risk but yet I will leap. I am a leaper. I am strong in mind, I am strong in faith, I am strong in vision, therefore, I will leap. I am a leaper. I leap for the people I love. I leap because I have no other choice. I leap because I must; because this is who I am.
A Case For Taking The Leap
What other choice do we have. The alternative is to maintain the status quo and do what everyone else does: keep it safe and steady, be compliant, and wait to be picked by someone else. The problem with this approach is that the future is always determined by someone else’s plan for your life instead of your own. Is that really what you want? Do you really want to take the easy route and settle for the decisions and plans of others? Leaping takes “other people” out of the equation. It becomes all about the decisions you are willing to make and the actions you are courageous enough to take. Bottom line is it’s all on you. You can’t say “the boss made me do it” or use any other excuse for not giving it your very best. When you leap, you don’t have a choice other than to give every ounce of passion to your work because there is nothing down beneath to break your fall. Either you leap across with everything you got or you live with the consequences, and the shame, of not giving it your very best.
Thanks for reading! If you found this manifesto to be valuable it would mean a lot to me if you shared it with someone you know!
But Part of Leaping Is Failing And this is a marvelous truth. Failure is a good thing...when done right.
Failing fast allows you to fail while it’s still cheap.
It’s common, in our society, to believe that failing is bad and when you fail the game ends. But the truth is, failing provides valuable insight, and failing fast provides that insight expeditiously. When you fail fast, you get the opportunity to learn about what works and what doesn’t, then get back to work--fast! One can also delay failure, this type of person wouldn’t be considered a leaper, with the intention of minimizing risk, limiting mistakes, therefore proceeding cautiously. However, this is nothing other than a deferment of failure. The difference between failing fast and failing later is measured by time and money. Failing fast allows you the luxury of failing while it’s still cheap and when the time spent isn’t overly extensive. On the other hand, failure delayed, out of a common practice of timidity, becomes expensive and an absurd amount of wasted time. The overwheming majority of us aren’t playing a zero-sum game where winner takes all. Most of us get to fail then adjust, fail again, then adjust again, until suddenly our leap from one side to the other begins to look something like this:
Thanks for reading! If you found this manifesto to be valuable it would mean a lot to me if you shared it with someone you know!
Part of the process is learning how to fail. All successful people have learned how to fail; but they have also learned the value of failing often. Here are a few ideas that may help you with your failures as you leap into and through your work.
All successful people have learned how to fail; but they have also learned the value of failing often.
4 Ideas To Consider About Failing 1. Become comfortable with failure being part of your life’s work. The more the better, but never forget to learn from the failure made, write it down, and try not to duplicate it. 2. Get involved or create noticeable projects that will allow others to judge your work. This gives people the opportunity to critique your craft and it gives you the opportunity to always think about delivering something significant. This certainly doesn’t mean that everyone’s criticism is going to be meaningful; but it does guarantee that you’ll put forth your best. Chances are, each time you engage, your work will become better. 3. Define what success looks like and what does failure look like. There is no in between. Sure, there’s progress, but anything less than success is a failure. However, you can progressively fail. Some would call it failing forward which is what most leapers do, until one day, after numerous projects and an abudance of experience, they succeed. 4. Get rid of the idea of perfection; but concentrate intensely on the practice of excellence. It’s a constant function of honing one’s craft, refining the small things, and after thousands of hours of engagement eventually it appears as what Michelangelo calls “The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.”
Thanks for reading! If you found this manifesto to be valuable it would mean a lot to me if you shared it with someone you know!
Leaping Is Risky
Risk causes you to act bodly and think outside the box.
And it shoud be. What other incentive would you have to make it work unless it involved risk? Safety doesn’t inspire creativity, it doesn’t produce grit. No, safety breeds complacency. The more safe you feel the less work you do. But throw in risk and you begin to discover new things about yourself that you didn’t realize was there. Risk causes you to act boldly and think outside the box. It compels you to take chances that you normally wouldn’t. Others are going to think you’re out of your mind by leaping. Who in the world is crazy enough to risk so much at your age? Who on God’s earth is foolish enough to risk so much with so little money? This is what the “others” say about leapers. Typically they’re friends and family who mean well but don’t quite understand the value of leaping. They don’t realize that the upside is so much better than the downside. Sure, on one hand, they’re right, you could fail and lose what you’ve gained. But for the leaper, that’s a far better outcome then to never have leaped at all. So, is this the type of risk for you? You’re the only one who can answer that question. I don’t believe it’s for everyone. Some people simply can’t take that kind of pressure--and that’s okay. But if leaping is for you then what are you waiting for? There’s so much to be done and waiting another day or another year isn’t going to make it less risky. At some point you have to come to the reality that either this is going to happen or it’s not; and rather it is or isn’t all depends on you.
Thanks for reading! If you found this manifesto to be valuable it would mean a lot to me if you shared it with someone you know!
PART
2
Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. - Martin Luther King, Jr. Leaping Requires Faith Not just faith to believe but to act on what you believe. That’s true faith; and leaping will test it. That’s a good thing.
Has your faith been tested lately? If it hasn’t then it needs to be. It allows you to play the game of life at a higher level. Sure, it can be frightening but it’s the only way to get you to believe. When everything else has been stripped away and you have no other place to look towards but inside of yourself then you know you’re faith is being tested. Such a big part of faith is not being able to see what’s around the corner all the time and that can worry most of us. But the other beautiful truth about faith is that although you can’t always see what lies ahead your intuituon knows that you’re on the right track.
Thanks for reading! If you found this manifesto to be valuable it would mean a lot to me if you shared it with someone you know!
Let Me Share With You A Quick Story No, the hard part was the fact that I didn’t know how I was going to take care of my family.
The year was 2008, and the NFL (National Football League) didn’t work out for me like I’d hope it would. My sports agent at the time was rushing around trying to get the Minnesota Vikings or Oakland Raiders to work out a deal after the Cleveland Browns decided to go in a different direction. But I knew that it was over. I told my agent that I appreciated his hard work but it was time for me to move on. The hard part wasn’t the fact that I was walking away from my dream of becoming a Hall of Fame football player. No, the hard part was the fact that I didn’t know how I was going to take care of my family. I was married with three children and we were struggling financially. We were on welfare and every approaching month was a mystery to my wife, Tammy, and I on how we were going to make ends meet. One night I couldn’t sleep. It was late, about 2:00 in the morning, and I had so much on my mind. Tammy and the kids were fast asleep. I went into our living room and stared out the window. I don’t remember feeling very much emotion that night. For the first time in my life I didn’t know what to do or what to feel. It was raining and as the rain drops dribbled upon the window tears began to roll down my face. I thought to myself, what am I going to do? The moment I said that something in me, don’t know if it was a voice, but it was certainly something of substance spoke back and encouraged me to take a risk. I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I must admit, it felt right. And so we did--we took a big risk!
Thanks for reading! If you found this manifesto to be valuable it would mean a lot to me if you shared it with someone you know!
We moved to Raleigh, NC with only $500 in our bank account, no jobs, three kids, a dog, and faith. Along the way we were met with many other challenges and many other reasons to doubt. But eventually the leap began to payoff.
So we changed our cards and we took a leap of faith.
When I entered the real estate business it was a leap for Tammy and I. We weren’t financially secure, we didn’t have a stack of money to live on while I took my time to build a pipeline of clients. Although I think life is less stressful for those who have the resources, for us it just wasn’t in the cards. So, we changed our cards and we took a leap of faith. The rest is history and today, instead of focusing on how we are going to survive, we now focus on the type of legacy we want to leave. That’s what leaping can do for anyone who’s willing to take the risk and fully commit.
But Allow Me To Add Make no mistake about it. Leaping is as much about giving as it is about getting. I can’t tell you that just because you leap you’re going to be successful, become rich, or win an election. Absolutely not! You must give value. In addition to being a risk taker leapers add value to the market. Their leap is as much about others as it is about themselves. Anyone who leaps out of selfish ambition will surely, and eventually, fail miserably.
Thanks for reading! If you found this manifesto to be valuable it would mean a lot to me if you shared it with someone you know!
Leaping Is A Gift Precious One A Very The gift is in the opportunity not the guarantee.
It doesn’t appear that way in the beginning because it’s nicely wrapped in challenges. That typically dissuades most people from not accepting the gift. They prefer to have something that’s low maintenance and requires very little effort. But for the leaper, they understand the privilege of leaping. They’re appreciative for the freedom that’s given to them to make something happen. The gift is in the opportunity--not the guarantee. The gift is in the journey--not the end. Because there are no guarantees and there isn’t an end. You get to constantly play the game and each level is different and more challenging than the previous one. Leaping is precious because, as far as we know, we only get one life to live and we don’t know how long it’s for. Therefore, we leap while we still can. It’s doesn’t matter how old you are. Colonel Sanders leaped at the age of 65 with nothing but a social security check and a recipe for fried chicken. But, there isn’t as much time as you think. Everyone seems to believe that tomorrow will always be waiting. That can’t be more further from the truth. Every moment matters, every opportunity matters, everyday matters. To think otherwise is to miss the precious gift of now.
Thanks for reading! If you found this manifesto to be valuable it would mean a lot to me if you shared it with someone you know!
Leaping Requires Persistence It’s not all going to workout on the first leap. Not on the second or third either. You have to take several--maybe several hundred. The trick is to leap...fail...learn...then leap again. The practice of perseverance builds one’s resolve. It’s the practice of many short races one after the other over an extended period of time. It’s the artist who’ve created a large body of work over several years. It’s the inventor who failed numerous times before finally figuring it all out.
The practice of perseverance builds one’s resolve.
But Then Suddenly You become an “overnight” success. After days of preparing then presenting. After months of training then running. After years of writing then publishing. Suddenly people begin to notice your work and recognize your name. They want to interview you and have you come on their show. But “overnight” success isn’t the reason why you leap. You leap because you care. You leap
because
you
want to make a difference.
You leap
because
you
need to discover.
You leap
because
you
have to create.
You leap because you must.
Thanks for reading! If you found this manifesto to be valuable it would mean a lot to me if you shared it with someone you know!
So, Here’s Your Opportunity...Leap! The next few pages are left blank intentionally. They’re for you. Think of them as a canvas for you to craft ideas for your next project, your next business, your next dream, your next leap! Can you think of anything more exciting and more significant than this? Maybe you can. But whatever it is you should leap into it. Starting today! So go ahead, let’s get it on paper, let’s commit, then leap! Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. You have no idea how much it means to me to have you think that this was worth your time. Be Well, Steve
Thanks for reading! If you found this manifesto to be valuable it would mean a lot to me if you shared it with someone you know!
info COPYRIGHT INFO The copyright in this work belongs to the author, who is solely responsible for the content. Please direct content feedback or permissions questions to the author: http://www.stevengunter.com/ ABOUT STEVE Steven Gunter is a Husband to Tammy Gunter, Father to three, and a proud REALTORŽ. Steve’s work is comprised of the marketing and sales of luxury real estate. He also keeps a daily blog on marketing, luxury, real estate, and art which can be found here http://www.stevengunter.com/blog/ . If you would like to reach out to Steven Gunter you can email him at steven@stevengunter.com.