TAKING A LEAP OF FAITH INTO A BETTER FUTURE!
“In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take, relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make.”-Unknown
“I can’t take it anymore,” was the first thing I heard when I picked up the phone. “I just gave my notice to leave my job and I have nothing lined up.” she said. A sense of panic and defiance could be heard in her voice. She had been frustrated, sad, and angry for a long while. She felt unappreciated at work which was also felt at home, and she worked long hours away from her family. Her skills and experiences were not being leveraged and she was not being paid enough.
During the pandemic she was able to work virtually spending more quality time with her family even though work was hard. This gave her enough time to reflect on what mattered, like, spending time with family and friends, fulfilling her purpose, and practicing self-care habits. She realized she was spending a lot of time on things that did not matter to her life goals. She knew she wanted to leave, and had scheduled a time for that to happen. But on this day, she had enough and decided to take a leap of faith. She quit her job and jumped into an unknown future. She did not have a plan, or a job lined up. Fear set in – “How the hell did I get here?” What do I do now? What do I do next? Know that this fear does not mean you made the wrong decision. These feelings are normal and part of the journey when you take a leap of faith.
While I am talking about work experiences, the same applies in relationships and other negative circumstances that are coming to a boiling point. Too many people are miserable and choosing to wallow in their misery. They are choosing unhappiness over uncertainty. Can you relate? If you never take the chance on new paths, relationships, or choices, how will you ever know what you can accomplish?
Recent trends suggest people are taking the chance to the leap into the unknown. More people are choosing purpose over paycheck, happiness over uncertainty. And businesses are realizing that to retain satisfied employees and remain competitive they must make the shift to deliver on the experiences wanted by employees. Employees want to have more work flexibility, be valued, empowered, and have benefit that can better support their families.
According to MIT Center for Information Systems Research, businesses who understood this ranked in the top quartile and were 25% more profitable than their competitors. Think about it! What would your life look like if you took that leap of faith for a better future? What would you feel like? A leap of faith is an act of believing in or attempting something whose existence or outcome cannot be proven. Do you “believe” in you? Have you ever thought about making that big change in your career, business, relationships, or other situations? Just thinking about it brings a level of anxiety, worry, and regret. Normally you overthink it to reach a decision because taking a leap means uncertainty. You want to go over and over every risk and how to mitigate those risks. However, to take a leap of faith means to do so with uncertainty and fear whether a big or small leap. You will never have all the information required to control a perfect outcome.
• Stop working to control what you “think” is going to happen if you are not in control. You can ONLY control you.
• Stop being attached to a specific outcome that you believe is best for you. You do not always know what is best. Surrender to spiritual guidance.
• Understand the energy of control accomplishes less because your focus is narrower, scattered, negative, and always living outside of the present moment. The shift to lessen your control is hard.
Ask yourself these questions when you find yourself wanting to control everything.
• What am I afraid of if I let go of control?
• Am I minding my own business or am I embedded in someone else’s business?
• If you released control, would you feel free or more imprisoned?
When you are working so hard to be in control, you really feel less in control. When you truly surrender control after taking that leap of faith, you will feel calmer, peace filled, in your present moments, see more clearly, and see the bigger picture. You will accomplish so much more with the energy of surrendering control over that which you really have no control. Albert Einstein said, “The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe.” It is not about the universe. It is about you, your thoughts, perceptions, attitudes, and unique filters that process what you see, sense, and experience. If you fear making a change whether big or small, consider if your belief is a hostile environment of negative thinking and work to take the leap to change it into a friendly environment of positive thinking. I work to keep the universe friendly. Having this understanding helps me to see the better picture and take better leaps, so I can then achieve even better accomplishments. Work to hold on to your intention of what you want. There is no need to force your way to get it. Allow this to become a habit as you leap into the fear of the unknown and journey through to your BETTER future.
“Stop being afraid of what can go wrong and get excited about what can go right.”
As featured in:
