The Problem with Taking a Leap of Faith | Lessons That Inspire | How to Overcome Fear

“On your mark. Get set. Go!”

Free of hesitation and thought, you race valiantly toward the finish line. You have your eyes set on the prize and nothing and no one will stand in your way. That trophy is as good as mine, you quip to yourself, MINE! I’ve trained for this. I’m born for this. I can and will do this.

But midway through the race a funny thing begins to happen. You start reminiscing about all of the other races you ran but never won, about the races you started but failed to finish, about giving your all and still coming up short.  Doubt, anxiety, fear and embarrassment cloud your focus. The finish line blurs in the distance. 

You continue to run but your stride is unsteady. Your resolve is waning. What am I doing, you ponder. What was I thinking? 

If any of this sounds familiar then you too, at one point in time or another, have had a problem with taking a leap of faith.

I think we, people like you and I, tend to romanticize what it means to take a leap of faith.  Perhaps we imagine stars aligning, lighting the way toward our destination. Perhaps we envision everything we need for the journey magically appearing and becoming available for our immediate use and pleasure. Or maybe you’re like me:  imagining white clouds parting to unveil golden sun rays that seem to glisten and single me out in a crowd of  about a thousand people. Oh and angels, lots of singing angels perhaps even chanting my name…and doing a sort of angelic wave if you will. Hey, don’t judge me. Whatever we conjure in our thoughts is often quite the opposite in reality.

See, the problem with taking a leap of faith is us, more aptly, you. You are the problem. {yea, I went there}

When the going is good, you can run swiftly with the best of them. When it’s not, you question every minute thing condemning yourself to relentless bouts with fear, anxiety, doubt and criticism. Why? Because you forget that leaping requires you to perpetually transcend the boundaries  of our comfort zone.

Think of your comfort zone as a prison; one engineered and reinforced by false beliefs formed from the negative thoughts and decisions you have accumulated during your lifetime. 

Leaping in faith mandates that you yield to the still, small voice inside you that whispers you can achieve. It means you run the risk of traveling a path that may not be well received or understood by colleagues, friends or family. When you move beyond the trappings of your comfort zone, you take the road to a freer, more joyful life.

Live. Leap. Be Fearless.

Stay Focused on Your Goals

In a race, when your focus shifts from the finish line to anything else, it slows you down. It’s impossible to maintain speed and momentum, if you’re constantly looking back. You’ve got to keep your goals, objectives and plans in the forefront of your mind. This will not only reinforce where you’re going, it’ll keep you energized and  looking for ways to get there faster.

Be Honest About What You Want or Feel

Once you’ve taken your leap, be on the lookout for signs of trouble: stagnation, frustration, lack of desire and commitment, despair and feeling like you’ve settled for less than you deserve. These are all symptoms of a greater issue: lack of honesty. To truly take a leap successfully, you have to be honest about what you want or feel. If you really hate it or don’t want it, admit it!! This frees you to identify your true desires and preps you to take steps to see them actualized.

Believe in Yourself

Don’t sentence yourself to failure by continually reminding yourself of your flaws, shortcomings, past failures, and lack of perceived accomplishments. You’re stunting your progress before you even have a chance to take a step. Stop it, now! The past is just that, passed.  You ARE smart enough, strong enough and courageous enough to cross the finish line. YOU ARE! Start acting like it.

Keep focused, be honest and believe in you!

Thanks for visiting!

Don’t Begrudge Your Problem, Use It!

 

 

A season of suffering is a small assignment when compared to the reward. Rather than begrudge your problem, explore it. Ponder it. And most of all, use it.

Your pain has a purpose. Your problems, struggles, heartaches, and hassles cooperate toward one end–the glory of God.  - Max Lucado

 

Many of us, regardless of income, age, or race, know a thing or two about suffering. We’ve confronted the ugly face of cancer; we’ve tasted the bile tinged flavor of sickness; and we’ve gone toe to toe with hardship, disappointment and feeling inadequate.

We’ve lost jobs. We’ve lost marriages. Some of us have even lost children or loved ones. Let’s face it, suffering is all around us. It doesn’t matter if you’re an Atheist, a Muslim, Jewish or Agnostic; suffering is not a respecter of persons. It does not discriminate. It is not exclusive; and it never takes any prisoners.

But did you hear what Max said? 

Rather than begrudge your problem, explore it. Ponder it. And most of all, use it. 

Suffering affects us all but so does empowerment. We each bear the responsibility to explore our suffering and use it to fuel our inner selves–use it to drive us forward.  We are beacons of hope in the making. We are pillars of strength with the ability to reach beyond ourselves–beyond our sphere of comfort–to help guide others through life’s rough terrains into safety.

Your pain has a purpose. 

Whether it’s to help your friends, strengthen someone’s resolve or just to serve as a reminder to others facing similar situations, there is a purpose for the hell you’ve been through. Your triumph over the painful things in your life functions like a well lit lighthouse on an otherwise foggy night.

None of us like to suffer; but if your heartbreak saves the life of someone else, wouldn’t you say it’s worth it? If it gives someone just one more reason to hang on and not throw in the towel, wouldn’t it be worth it? What if that someone were your sister, your uncle or your son’s best friend? Would it be worth it then?

Problems, struggles and heartache are temporary; hope, triumph and love are eternal. Don’t begrudge your problems use them.

Daring to Dream a Better Dream – Speak To It

Dare to dream. Reads like a tired cliche people say when nothing else presents itself. Feels like empty chants of unfulfilled visions and aspirations chanting in unison, willing something more into existence. Sings like a failing melody etched in wayward sharps and flats, causing even the most level headed to cling to little more than a dollar and a dream because “hey, you never know.”

For some, daring to dream is synonymous with two words: unattainable reality. Before it can even be entertained, seriously pondered, or given the chance to present its case before the grand jury, it is struck down, mocked, and impaled before an arena filled with well-meaning peers, co-workers, family members, and others who have our ear. There, on the stage of our mind’s eye, an open spectacle is made of those things we desperately cling to even in the face of evidence that attests to failed plans, broken dreams and verdicts riddled with judgment and shame.

“You will never…you can never…it will never…” Stop. Play. Repeat.  In record time, it tops the Billboards with hit albums not even the King of Pop can compete with. ”You will never…you can never…it will never…”

STOP. EJECT. DISCARD.

Dare: to have the courage to contend against, venture, or try; to confront boldly.

Dream: a strong desired goal or purpose; something notable for its beauty, excellence or enjoyable quality

Dare to dream: having the courage to boldly venture or try to attain a strong desired goal or purpose notable for its beauty, excellence or enjoyable quality. 

Daring to dream is not about sitting, wishing or entertaining wild visions of grandeur. It’s about being deathly afraid to let go of familiar things but choosing to do it  in pursuit of something better and more fulfilling. It’s about swimming upstream against the currents of naysayers, traditions and status quo to embark on your own story, told in your own voice and etched through time in your own hand.

It’s about recognizing the realities of fear but not giving it more power than it deserves. Fear grows when you feed it–so don’t.

It’s HARD work making a dream come true. Not because of lack of finances, funding or even a decent business plan. No. The real battle isn’t fought on paper, at the bank or even with a sponsor. The real battle is fought inside you–specifically, inside your mind. It doesn’t matter if you have the perfect plan for your dream, without believing that it will happen–that you can do it–your dream will remain what it is now, a thought.

On April 27, I took my own advice and launched Write Now Communications aka Selena’s Write. I’ve been working as a freelance editor and writer for several years and well, I dared to dream a better dream, one which fear could no longer rule.

Is it scary? At times, definitely. I’ve always worked a 9 to 5. Is it all roses? Absolutely not. It’s tough. And sometimes, it just hurts. The unknown, the stress, the what if’s. But that’s what daring means remember? To have the courage to contend against. 

Chances are you’re a contender too. You’re here. You’re moving beyond your own setbacks, painful past, or hard-learned lessons. You, like me, are refusing to be confined to your place as a ________ (insert label). Instead, you have decreed to the universe that you will not retreat; you will not surrender; and you will not compromise. Your dreams are yours. Dare to dream a better dream.