Why You Need to Take a Leap of Faith
This is Not Safe
Imagine that you had the guts to go bungee jumping.
You strap on a long elastic cord to your ankles. You go up to a height of 100 feet or more. You walk to the edge of a bridge and look over.
You make a decision to trust the cord. You make a decision to trust the people who tied the knot in the cord. You make a decision to trust the sinews of your ankles that the cord is tied to.
You sign multiple pieces of paper that have something to do with waiving liability.
And then you jump.
photo by Nicolas Baltennek (Creative Commons)
There are two different elements at work. The Faith and the Leap.
According to dictionary.com the words means this:
Leap. To spring through the air from one point to another.
Faith. Belief that is not based on proof.
Two Things We Want but Never Get
The goal is to get from one point to another, to head out on a path with unproven outcomes.
When we bungee jumping the destination is down. In life the destination is our dream.
But most of us are waiting. We want a guarantee. We want to know the future.
If only we could predict two things.
We want to know where we will end up. A guarantee of success.
We also want to know whether or not we will make it through to the other side. A guarantee of survival.
We want to take the uncertainty out of the risk.
The Real Journey
People bungee jump because they choose to. There is anticipation about the thrill of the moment. The guts to do something crazy.
Others get to the top and chicken out. Their courage fizzles.
The people that give in may miss out on the thrill of the fall, but they also miss out on something even more valuable.
The moment of true victory is not in the falling. Gravity does that part for us. We fall whether we choose to or if someone else pushes us over the edge.
The personal growth comes in making the decision, conquering the Resistance, and doing it.
We win when we act out of self-awareness and self-determination.
The decision to voluntarily take risk without proof of success.
Your Leap
Your dream, your goal, you desire, your work, are all a leap of faith. The is to get from where we are now to a better place.
To stop staying where you are.
To get work done.
But before you can ever actually jump, you first have to believe in something unproven.
In this act, there is victory.
But even believing is not enough.
You have to jump. You have to begin.
You have to take that step over the edge of safety.
Are you waiting for proof? What keeps you from taking your leap of faith?
Sometimes talking about it helps you build your courage. Tell us about it in the comments.
