Untethered

Have you ever gone parasailing?

You’re gliding through the air, likely higher than you’ve ever been without looking through the window of a building or fuselage, being pulled along by a boat via a very sturdy rope.

And then you’re cut loose.

Actually, the boat just turns, creating slack in the rope. But the feeling is that of being untethered. Free floating with nothing to anchor you or pull you in the right direction. It is incredibly exhilarating and slightly terrifying. Your mind knows that you’re still connected to the boat; your body insists that with nothing to pull you, you will either crash into the water or simply fly away. Within seconds, the tension returns to the rope and you realize you’re still being pulled, just in a different direction. 

That moment of free float is what I’m feeling right now. Last Friday I retired from my corporate job to pursue my coaching practice full time. Since making the decision two months ago, I have been waiting for fear, doubt or panic to set i - there has been none. I know this is the right path for me. I know it in my gut. And after 30+ years of being pulled along by a sturdy rope connected to one or another large corporation, I am untethered. 

This moment is exhilarating, but there is no terror. The boat has turned, and I am the captain.