When I was young, one of my favorite things to do was jump rope. I loved playing Double Dutch with my cousins, but Oh. My. God. It took what seemed like an hour for me to jump into those fast-moving ropes. I needed to wait for the right time and then I would make my move. “One, two, three, four…19, 20, 21…” I’d count while rocking forward and back, waiting for that perfect opportunity to jump in and quickly attune my feet to the rhythm of the ropes hitting the pavement.

“32, 33, 34, 35…” I’d say as the sweat ran down my face. Not because it was hot, but because the longer I waited to jump in, the more embarrassed I’d get.

“Alright, already!” my cousin would shout. “Jump! What are you waiting for?” What was I waiting for? Well, the right moment. I mean, calm down, Cuz. I’m researching here. It’s important to calculate the speed of the ropes and the wind velocity, so I will know the opportune time to make my move. Whatever.

I was simply procrastinating. I was fiercely competitive and didn’t want to mess up. I wanted to jump the longest and have the fanciest footwork. But, there was that one problem. I had to jump in. It didn’t matter that I studied the best neighborhood jumpers or practiced for hours if I didn’t actually get into the ropes and get my feet moving.

When you jump in, you’re committed and that can be scary, because you are putting yourself out there. But ultimately, to get things moving, you’ve got to jump already.