Leap of Faith

This post is more of a personal therapeutic tool for myself that will hopefully reach others.  Doesn’t it always seem that you and your friends are going through the same situations at the same time? Though this has its advantages, it can also have some big disadvantages.  On one hand, you can be there for each other and understand what the other person is feeling.  On the other hand, you have no one to offer you advice on the subject.  All you can do is continue to be compressed in the same situation and cycle over and over. 

Most of my friends and I are embarking on new adventures.  We are standing at the crossroads of our future. There are plenty of directions we can go in.  We can either stay where we are and not continue on.  We take a right but the street may be blocked or under construction.  We take a left but know it leads to the not so good part of town but may get us to our destination faster.  Or we have the option of moving forward. 

We are taking the next step in our life and we are all terrified.  We constantly discuss the issue, bouncing back and forth between decisions.  My sister has been a great sport but I know she can’t take anymore “pros and cons for this decision” discussions with me.  As she is going through the same thing herself.  Therefore I am here to break out of this cycle and try my best to offer advice to myself, my friends and peers. 

This post will be dedicated to those who are in the process of taking their next big step. This could be a new job, a big move to another place, attending graduate school or within a relationship. This is the most stressful situation to be in.  It has often been described as a “limbo” by many of my friends.  Some of my friends are waiting for others to make their decision for them and feel powerless in the situation.  Others are just not sure which opportunity to take.     

The next big step could be positive or negative however no matter the outcome our lives will forever be changed.  We know we can’t stay where we are but the thought of moving on paralyzes us.  We are paralyzed by fear.  There is a fear of rejection, fear of unhappiness, fear of financial instability, fear of loneliness, fear of not being good enough, and fear of being uncomfortable.  These intense feelings of fear force us to cling to the comfort of our current situation and not take any chances.

We are SO afraid of change that we have forgotten our positive past experience in which change made things better.  Did you not once take a chance going to college, a job, a move or a relationship? We are so afraid of the unknown that we hang on to the familiar no matter how unhappy it makes us.  I have put together a few thoughts that have helped me through this situation.      

Important Things to Keep in Mind:

You owe it to yourself to try.  Yes, you could fail but you could also succeed.

You aren’t happy where you are.  What is your current spot giving you and you giving it?

You deserve the very best.  Allow wonderful things to happen in your life.  So many times we refuse to believe that we deserve great things to happen in our lives.   

These ideas don’t just randomly pop into our heads.  They are something we feel the need to do and feel deep down is the right step for us.

Be open for great things to come into your life.  By fearing change we close ourselves off to these things.

Sometimes we have to stop obsessing over the subject, making pro and con lists, and just do it.  They don’t call it a leap of faith for nothing.