A Leap Of Faith

What are you afraid of? Public speaking? Meeting new friends? Going out in public? I think no matter who you are, there is something out there that terrifies you, sending shivers down your spine just thinking about it.

As a society, we look at fear as a terrible thing and, for good reason, too. Fear can be debilitating, stopping you from doing things you’ve always wanted to do.

How many of you have dreams and aspirations you fantasise about every day but that fear of failure, that fear of embarrassment and discomfort, prevents you from ever putting things into motion.

You may think that to accomplish said goals you may need to get rid of the feeling for good. We look at the people we idolise and we don’t see a trace of fear in their demeanour.

We begin to believe that it is fear that holds us back and if we could just shed that emotion, then all that we could ever desire will be made more accessible.

Contrary to popular belief, fear is not something that is meant to harm you. It is there to protect you from harm. When faced with the possibility of danger our body has four modes of defence, two of the most common being fight or flight.

Either we stand and face the issue or we turn and run away. Whatever one is chosen, the ultimate goal is to protect ourselves. That is something that is an integral part of our genetic makeup. That’s why tasks such as public speaking are incredibly nerve-racking.

In that position, you are extremely vulnerable. Vulnerable to criticism, ridicule and humiliation. That feeling of safety is promptly stripped away and you are essentially exposed.

I wish I could sit here and list all the things you could do to abolish your fears and get moving toward your desires, but I would be lying. Fear is not something you can turn off and on, nor is it something that you can switch off completely.

Throughout life, you will always experience some kind of fear. So then, how do we move forward with fear? How do we push past this crippling feeling to get to where we want to be in life?

A while ago I was watching this film called, ‘Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse’, (amazing film, check it out if you have the time) and there was a particular scene that I feel responds very well to this question.

Miles, our hero, sits atop a skyscraper at night. Up until this point, his journey has been filled with doubt. His friends do not have faith in his ability and neither does he.

He’s failed time and time again and when faced with tribulations, he has always run away. But now with the world at stake and his friend’s lives on the line, he must make a decision. Whether to run away or face the issue head-on.

He positions himself on the glass panel of the building and faces the city below. Still terrified and uncertain, he ponders to himself when he will know when he is ready and at this moment, his mentor’s voice echoes through his mind, “You won’t. That’s all it is, Miles… a leap of faith”.

And with that he leaps off the building, falling to the ground at an alarming rate. He panics, thinking of a million ways this could all go wrong, but he composes himself and has faith in his ability to save his friends and the world.

I say all that to say this, being brave does not mean you are not terrified. Nelson Mandela once said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it”.

It’s okay to be afraid, it’s okay to be uncertain. What we do in the presence of fear is what matters. The best thing you can do is have faith in yourself and your ability.

Practise your craft, remind yourself of your strengths and understand that there will be times when it will get uncomfortable. Take those leaps of faith and watch how you build resilience and confidence.

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

- Marcus Aurelius