Look before you leap.

Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

Be nice to the people you meet on the way up as they are the same people you will meet on the way down.

Such phrases become adages because they ring true over time. Each one provides the caution to think before acting, to proceed carefully, perhaps to move slowly – simply put, slow down and be careful. Okay, messages received.

However, let us look at the other messages within those same adages:

• Leap! Just take a look first – you may want to adjust your plan. (No suggestion not to leap.)
• You are raising chickens!! (No suggestion there will not be chickens, only the number is in question.)
• Go, baby, go! (No suggestion you should not continue, success is presumed, but do not hurt people to get there.)

Courage, confidence and enthusiasm are a recipe for success. Fortune certainly favors the bold – just do it and be amazed! But Fortune does not favor the foolhardy, and Karma will certainly remember every step of the trail. Every skydiver has a checklist.

Before you take off, take a deep breath, exhale slowly, and ask your self, “Where is the loss?” And if you cannot think of anything tangible that will certainly be lost by your next move (i.e. do not sacrifice the queen capriciously), GO FOR IT!

“I hope when you count the stars you begin with yourself, and may you embrace the moonlight with your dreams.”
– Dodinsky