A Leap Of Faith

Have you ever had the courage to take a leap of faith? Maybe you're not even sure what I am talking about here, assuming that I am perhaps referring to some sort of religious act, or something along similar lines. For those who may not know what the phrase "leap of faith" even means, it's defined as "an act of believing in, or attempting something, whose existence or outcome cannot be proved or known". Even the definition may still not give you the clarity and understanding around exactly what it refers to. A leap of faith is basically when we make the decision to proceed with an opportunity, despite the odds, in the belief that we can achieve success or benefit from it. That belief can come from self-belief, through trusting in our own skill and ability. It can perhaps come from placing our trust in someone else's advice, or their support. It can come from having a "nothing to lose" attitude. It can come from desperation for change. It can come from sheer drive and determination to achieve a desired result. One thing that's for sure, a leap of faith is just another way of saying "taking a risk". Whether it's something significant and life changing, that's on the line, or perhaps something with less importance, either way, we are taking an element of risk. The first thing to focus on, when we talk about taking a leap of faith, is what the reward is, what that goal is that we are actually taking a risk for. Are we taking a leap of faith for something significant? Are we taking a leap of faith to better our lives, and enhance our future?

As humans, when it comes to taking risks, the way our brain is wired, our attention is immediately directed to the negative possibilities and outcomes of proceeding with an opportunity, rather than looking at what we can gain from it, what the actual reward is, or where we can benefit from it. Naturally, we don't want to in any way place our survival in jeopardy, and for the majority of people worldwide, such individuals don't want to in any way disrupt their way of living, or routine, either. Humans seek comfort, safety, and assurance, and much of that comes from what they already know, and what they are accustomed to. When we talk about negative possibilities, after the risk of placing our actual life in danger, the next most important factor, to most people anyway, is undoubtedly the financial risk. If there is any potential that we may lose financially from proceeding with an opportunity, then that is usually a big enough deterrent for most people not to proceed. Even if there is the potential for great financial gain and prosperity, without any assurance and guarantee that we can indeed achieve that, the fear of actually losing financially is just too great a risk for most people. The funny thing is, what opportunities actually guarantee success and financial gain? Any potentially lucrative opportunity will always require some form of investment and risk, but most people fail to understand that. There's a false expectation among many people that you can gain wealth and profit through minimal investment, minimal effort, and minimal energy. It's why you will see numerous people line up to purchase lottery tickets each week, because they genuinely believe that the 1 in 8 million chance they have of winning, will eventually come to fruition, just as long as they keep trying. People would rather part ways with lots of money to purchase lottery tickets, over time, over investing their time, energy, and funds, into an opportunity that has far better odds of generating them wealth. Money is such a huge reason why people are too fearful of taking a leap of faith. The fear of financial loss is too overwhelming in comparison to the determination of financial gain.

So money is one reason why people are afraid to take a leap of faith, and I touched on how people also won't take that leap of faith if there is the potential of disrupting their way of life, their routine, and their daily schedule. You see, we are creatures of habit. We like to set up a method of operation, as such, in the way we live. We take comfort in establishing a routine, and sticking to it, because we feel in control and we feel knowledgeable. Our routine may be getting up at 6am, having breakfast, showering, driving to work, working all day, driving back home, dinner at 6pm, wash the dishes, do a quick tidy up around the house, sit down to watch some television, and then bed at 10pm. We continually do this day after day, and it becomes comfortable for us. We may not necessarily like the job we have, nor may we like getting up at 6am, but it's what we do. Then an opportunity may present itself, perhaps one in which offers us the potential to achieve our goals, or create wealth, yet it requires us to be spending 4 hours a day working on the actions that will generate such success. All of a sudden, we become inconvenienced. Where are we going to find 4 hours in our day? We don't have time before work, and our favorite television shows are on in the evening, not to mention we are exhausted from being at work all day, so we wonder where we will find the time. We also question the fact, that again, we aren't guaranteed success, so is it worth all the effort and energy? Anyone who has ever achieved their goals and success would well know that sacrifices are necessary, in order to achieve success. There is always ample time for the actions that are working towards our goals in life, so that all comes back to attitude. If you question that an opportunity, that has the potential to achieve your goals and success, and wonder if it's worth the effort and energy, then clearly your goals and the success you desire, are neither a strong enough driver or motivator. If there is something you truly desire, you would be willing to make sacrifices and apply the effort to, that's a fact! So along with the potential for financial loss, the risk of disrupting one's daily routine and the possibility of having to exert effort and energy into something that may not eventuate, become another reason why people shy away from taking a leap of faith.

Finally, there's that self-belief. It's sad to think of the talent that goes to waste in this world. Within each of us, there is so much potential, yet for so many of us, that potential never becomes revealed, because we restrict ourselves from displaying it. By remaining in our comfort zone, by not taking risks, and by not pushing ourselves into situations and circumstances in which we need to create solutions, we keep our potential hidden. Only through times of trial, adversity, challenge, hardship, and pain, do we ever have the opportunity to show our true potential. It's in these times when we are forced into being creative, forced into making tough decisions, forced into taking action, and forced into resolving issues, that we finally show what we are capable of doing. So many of us underestimate what we are truly capable of achieving. We adopt this belief that we are not skillful enough, we don't have the capability, we don't have the talent, we don't have the knowledge, we don't have the resolve, and we don't have the nous, to be able to create the success we desire, be it through an opportunity presented, or from scratch. We doubt ourselves and our abilities, and as a result, we short change ourselves on what we can actually achieve in life. When it comes to opportunities to achieve our goals and create success, we are too fearful of taking that leap of faith because of that doubt. How can we ever know what we are capable of achieving if we never give ourselves the opportunity to do so?

The message is a simple one, that I want to give you today. Life is short, and we are all on borrowed time, we know that. Why continue to waste our days away, if we are spending them continually unhappy, unsatisfied, unfulfilled, and unsuccessful? If you haven't achieved what you want to achieve in life, then why haven't you? Why haven't you achieved your goals, or as a minimum, why are you not on the journey towards achieving your goals? Sometimes in life, you seriously just have to back yourself, back your instinct, trust in your abilities, and create that willpower and determination inside of you to go for your goals. There will be times you will need to take risks, as they are unavoidable if you want to go on to achieve success, happiness and prosperity. Guaranteed, there will be times that taking certain risks won't pay off, it's inevitable. Failure is part and parcel of the road to success. What matters is that you are continually making decisions in the best interest of what is going to create a future blessed with success, happiness, and prosperity for yourself. Keep taking risks, keep failing, but keep on trying, because perseverance and patience, along with hard work and belief, will eventually pay off. Don't ever be afraid to take a leap of faith, and back yourself in. You have such wonderful potential hidden within you, so don't keep it bottled up, because within your potential also lies your success!

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