WHY MY DAD JUMPED OUT THE WINDOW

Why my dad jumped out the window 

When my dad was 10 years old he tied a bath towel around his neck and turned it into a cape and jumped off the fire escape on the second floor of his apartment building in Brooklyn, New York.

Why?

Because he was Superman.

He spent a great deal of his childhood listening to Superman on the radio and reading Superman comic books. He was so inspired, motivated, and fascinated that he felt that he, skinny, Jewish Lewie from Brooklyn, could be Superman too.

My dad jumped. He landed in a box. He lived to tell about it on the baseball field the next day. He was so proud of what he did. He was definitely Superman on the inside.

He’s done a lot of things in his life since that prove this. Too many to mention but the most recent one is founding a new company when he was 71 years old. (He still works there 7 days a week, at age 75, and he’s hiring, by the way.)

I guess I’m my father’s daughter. I have taken some crazy risks in my life. I moved to Europe on a whim when I was 21. I became the first English teacher in Prague that same year. I moved to Holland because someone I loved lived there. I left a very safe and well-paid job to follow my dreams and create a new industry in language coaching.

Unlike my dad, though, I don’t have a Superman inside me.

I have a cheerleader.

She’s so much fun to have around. (Oops, I mean ‘inside’.) She tells me “DO IT!” when I hesitate. She tells me “SAY YES!” when I am not sure. She tells me “YOU GOT THIS!” when I doubt. She has rainbow-colored pom-poms and throws glitter in the air after every jump. I love her so much.

When was the last time you had a Superman in your head? Or a cheerleader? Wouldn’t it be great if, instead of hearing a voice saying “You’re not good enough” you actually heard a voice saying the opposite? Every time? How would your life change?

It’s really easy to get that voice in your head. Superheroes beat the bad guys, right? And the negative voices in your head – the ones that make you feel less worthy, that compare you to others (someone will always be skinnier, hotter, richer, and smarter than you anyway, so why bother in the first place?), that plant the seeds of doubt and shame and hesitation in your head – those are the bad guys. Get the Superhero/Cheerleader Squad in. They’ll kick some ass.

They’ve been waiting for you to let them in for so long.

And when you do….
….you’ll feel unstoppable.

Know why?

Because you will be.

Sending you a bath towel. And some glitter.

wit lof,

Buffi xxx