January- Jump Review

Dear Inspirations,

I’ve always loved reading ever since I was able to read. I would beg my grandmother to let me walk to the public library and I was faithful to my Power-card.  As I got older I got out of the habit of reading simply because I don’t make time for it. “Reading is fundamental” we all know that. 

So, with that being said I am going to read one book a month. One book a month sounds easy, so easy that I was not able to complete it last year. This year I am not going to let it go. I am holding myself accountable. Here’s my January review of Jump by Steve Harvey.

Review

JUMP- GAVE ME LIFE 

After reading Steve Harvey’s book my soul is hopeful, renewed and enlightened.

I feel as though it was written just for me. I started the book January 1^st and I finished it January 15^th. The book is relatively short with six chapters. I love this book for a number of reasons but I don’t want to spoil it for you. The first one is the personal anecdotes that Steve shares about his personal life. I've  always been a fan of his since Showtime at the Apollo. After reading this book it is very clear how he became successful. He jumped. In every situation he had choices to make and every time he chose to jump.  

Steve made it clear in every chapter that “if you don’t jump your parachute will never open”.

My God, that statement alone spoke to me in ways that I can’t even begin to explain.

I feel like we all want to live a life that is purposeful but at the same time we’re all scared to jump.

Year after year, I’ve thought about things I wanted to do. I’ve envisioned them, I’ve prayed on them, I’ve wrote them down. But I have never jumped fully. I’ve been in and I’ve been out. I’ve got on that ledge and I’ve said I’m going out there to do this, but each time I’ve ran back.

Steve defines jump in so many  ways.

“Jumping is taking a risk, a leap of faith towards your dreams. Jumping is making a career move, Jumping is rectifying an issue in your personal relationships. Jumping is embracing the ambition that God has put in your imagination and you making a commitment to manifest it in your life” 

(Harvey and Lakins).

I want to JUMP. I want God to open doors in my life that I didn’t even know were possible. I want to live in such a way that my son believes that he is truly capable of anything. Not only because I tell him and teach him, but because I am an example of that.

Each chapter was a true eye opener and a testament of jumping. I really want you to read the book so I won’t go into too many details. However, I will share one  quote  and what I learned and from each chapter.

Chapter one:“The more jump, the more you will look back and be amazed at how far God has brought you” (Harvey and Lakins).

Every lesson that you learn in life prepares you for the next level of your life. If you never fail you will never know what it is to win. If you fail and wallow in that failure you will never be able to win. Jumping is necessary.

Chapter two: "Hope requires you to get out of your bed and make something happen every day."

When you jump, you must have hope that your parachute will open. You can’t expect for everything to be glamour’s at the beginning. Even when times get tough you must keep going because you have faith. I know this is why it’s taken me so long to jump in my professional life.

Chapter three:. "There is absolutely nothing in your life that God hasn't already pulled you through or isn't currently  pulling you through".

 God will truly bring you out of any situation. He will take that same situation and turn it into something good! When you find yourself in a situation those REAL ones will be there without you asking. I think this was one of my favorite chapters because it spoke real truth to Steve's life

  

Chapter four:"God can bless your steps if you are taking some. He cannot bless your steps if you are not taking any." 

Some times one jump ends up setting you up for your whole life. I look back on my life and I see the fruits of my jumps. It is no coincidence that I am where I am because every jump that I've taken has set me up for this moment. I need to be more open to sharing my gifts with the world  in ANY capacity. I am going to keep going

Chapter five:  "Your dream has to be tied to something that you are gifted at doing".

When people ask me whats my end game, I often feel intimidated or pressured to lie. I think the uncertainty of living up to that potential scares me. When I was younger I aspired to be a singer, and a piano player. Then for a  very long time I wanted to become a journalist and an actress.  In my mind I was going to be bigger than Oprah. In fact I had mapped out this master plan  to steal Oprah's story line and put my name on it. (so serious) I know now that my gift is bigger than news and being in movies.  I want to inspire people to be the best version of themselves. I believe that I have a true gift to motivate and inspire others even if it's just sharing a smile. I will eventually open a non profit organization that will foster those gifts. This chapter reminded me that no matter where I am today in this journey of life I am still going to come out on top! 

Chapter six: "Never let your past mistakes or your fears stop you from jumping"

It's easy to say "you know what A,B & C did not work. I am not going out there again and look like a fool. I know this to be true in my personal life. I've failed more times then I like to express and because I've failed I've allowed it to cripple my success. 2016 was a whole year of me not jumping because I was to scared. I don't want to live like that. I don't want my son to feel like if you fall down one time you can't ever get back on his bike. I am going to try new things this year. If it does not work SO WHAT! 

Inspirations, if you don't read anything else this year read JUMP. I'm yet blessed that my friend Casilya  thought enough of me to buy the book as a graduation gift. I believe that it was a true message in that book just for me. I am going to JUMP. I don't know the details of the jump, but what I do know for sure is that life is to short to stay on the ledge.

Drop me some of your favorite books in the comments! We're reading one a month!

Until we meet again

DearJasmineP. 

Harvey, Steve, and Leah Lakins. "Introduction." Jump: Take the Leap of Faith to Achieve Your Life of Abundance. New York, NY: Amistad 30, an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2016. N. pag. Print.