Despite getting into the cold plunge trend last summer (not so much this year), I still hate cold water.

So, when it came to getting into Lake Michigan on our first trip to the beach while we were in New Buffalo this week, I was tip-toeing my way in. The water wasn’t actually that cold for Lake Michigan, but it was cool enough I wasn’t excited about jumping in.

That was until Roman gave me the motivation I needed to get in without thinking about the temperature. Being the good big brother he is, Roman dunked Silas, which prompted me to go into protective mode and get him back for his little brother.

As soon as I saw Silas pop back up, I dove into the water to reach Roman quickly and return the favor for Silas. I snatched Roman, picked him up, and then dunked him just like he did his little brother to help him get acclimated to the water.

I didn’t have time to think about the cold water because I had to act quickly if I was going to catch Roman off guard.

Once I was all the way in, and I didn’t have to go through the torturous tip-toeing in, the water felt great and we all had a great time in the lake. There’s a chance that I would have never gotten in if it weren’t for Roman triggering the Papa Bear in me that felt the need to stand up for Silas, and I would have missed out on the fun we had.

The rest of the week, I never tip-toed into the water and just went straight in because I knew the reward was worth it and the “pain” of the cold was all in my head and not what I would really experience.

There are times in life, especially when you are pursuing your authentic life when the “pain” of taking action is all in your head. You’re better off diving right into whatever is in front of you rather than torturing your Self as you tip-toe in.

Maybe you can force your Self to dive in.

Or maybe you need a Roman in your life to give you the motivation to take action without thinking.

Either way, start diving into things more often.

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See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,

JC