A jump from the edge of space.
Breathtaking. Thrilling. Daring. Groundbreaking. Record-breaking.
A phenomenal human accomplishment. An incredible mental risk.
I was holding my breath last night as I was watching Felix Baumgartner jump out of his capsule at an altitude of 128,100 feet.
Me and millions of people all around the world.
Whenever someone takes a leap of faith of comparable magnitude, the entire world gathers and watches in awe. There’s a feeling of collective accomplishment, joy and pride that spreads all over the world. The hero is praised with every form of superlative, showered with love, attention and money and the focus of every story.
But what about the leaps of faith we take every single day? The risks us “regular” folks dare?
Are they any less significant? Are they any less newsworthy?
Nope, not in the least.
Taking a leap of faith means something different for all of us. There’s no right or wrong leap. There’s no small or big leap. There’s no better or worse leap.
Every leap is phenomenal. Every leap is worthy. Every leap takes courage.
Yes, there are those that are aired on TV with millions of people cheering, trembling, hoping.
But then there are those leaps like quitting your job after a day, leaving your country behind, separating from your husband or deciding to have a child that happen every single day all around the world.
There are the leaps that save lives in silence, that embrace insecurity in private, that rally communities in little. Those are all leaps that go unnoticed by the general public, but they’re nonetheless are immensely significant in the lives of individuals.
In the lives of people like me and you.
You are a hero in your own right. [Click to Tweet]
Don’t let the big leaps intimidate you, but focus on your own, brilliant, daring risks and be proud of them. Always.
Which leaps of faith have you taken recently?
Ohh mannn, even my “bah humbug” self had to smile at that one. I’ve read the articles, but had no interest in the jump until I saw it here. 🙂
Leaps? My big leap is staying here in Holland and with my partner despite the challenges. I’m doing all the preparation I can and working towards goals and really trying not the engage in a lot of worrying about the too-far future. Taking the leaps without over-thinking is a learning experience.
That’s awesome! It takes so much commitment to stay with someone even if circumstances aren’t the best. So, you’re a rockstar. As for not worrying too much about the future: I know that us humans do that more or less naturally, but one thing I’ve learned is that things never ever happen the way we plan them. So, being more relaxed about the possible outcomes of what we want is the best way to live, but it may be the hardest….
Beautiful post! One of my favorite sayings from Wayne Dyer talks about regret. He said that if you truly want to do something from your heart, that you will NEVER regret doing it. It is only in not doing it that you may have regret. I find this to be so in-line with this post of taking a leap of faith, because if you, from the bottom of your heart, want to do something, and you do it even though you are scared as hell to do it, you will never regret that. In fact, I highly suggest when you take those leaps, to write them down and remember that YOU DID IT! I love to think of those times, and say to myself “you could have easily not done that, but you did it!!!” And like you beautifully said in your post, those little things are just as significant as jumping from space. It’s our own little personal jump from space, and it might be something that you’ve never had the courage to do in your life before. Do it and be so proud of yourself for doing it! 🙂
I love that quote too, Paul! And you’re right, it fits perfectly. I love the idea of writing it down because we so often forget all the things we’ve already achieved, all the mountains we’ve climbed and all the risks we took. I really love your energy, Paul. Thanks for sharing it with us!
Incredibly inspiring post and it speaks leaps of truth! I have always felt like I was meant to do more with my life than to work at a day job (nothing wrong with this) but all throughout university, I always felt like I was different from my friends because I had no interest in doing what they all wanted to do (which I didn’t understand at the time). The leap of faith happened shortly after I started my “self education” and discovered what my passion was. I started multiple business and focused on finding ways to try and improve the lives of people I encounter. At first it was really hard because I had to get over a lot of negativity, lack of money from not working a job, but I decided to take the jump, and now I wish I had done it a lot sooner because I finally feel liberated. It is still a huge struggle because there are many ups and downs throughout the year, but the difference now is, it’s a struggle I *want* to have.
I believe everyone is capable of taking a leap of faith for whatever it is they want. It’s different for everyone, but it isn’t any less significant. They just have to believe that it’s possible and not reserved for a “certain types of people.”
Thank you for sharing this wonderful post!
Will, wow. Thanks for sharing your story here. That’s huge. Following your heart (or your destiny?) is not always easy, but if you feel that it’s the right thing, it’s a small price to pay. I had to laugh when I read that you were different than your peers. Though I really went to university, I was always different than my classmates in high school. We’re kindred spirits, Will. 🙂