Taking a big leap of faith—it’s usually the turning point in movies that leads to a happy ending where everything comes together. Taking a leap of faith is when a character decides to muster all their courage and strength and do the thing she/he/they have been working towards.
We’ve seen this in countless rom coms when the guy gets the courage to ask the girl out. We’ve also seen this in Elf when Zoey Deschanel’s character musters the courage to sing, something she’s vehemently said she only does in private, in front of a crowd to summon the Christmas spirit so Santa can fly his sleigh.
Leaps of faith… they’re scary yet exhilarating, cause for trepidation yet necessary. They’re also relatable… or so we wish.
First, why is that moment so pivotal? It’s because one action leads to everything falling into place. Taking a leap of faith is central for all the other dominoes to fall, so to speak. It’s also a buildup.
In most movies, viewers see a character shying away from a certain action, having internal dialogue about not feeling confident enough, then taking a leap of faith and finally doing that action.
It’s the moment where everything comes together for that character; the moment where a character becomes who they are meant to be, who they have been striving towards, and who now lives the life they have been dreaming about.
As nice as that sounds, what’s described above is the movies; this is real life. Not everyone gets their big leap-of-faith moment when trying to become the person they see themselves as in their head. The Universe, God, Spirit, whoever you believe in, doesn’t lead us like that. And that is a good thing!
If life were like the movies, there would be countless missed opportunities due to lack of confidence, abilities, and internal strength. What the Universe does give us are frequent, less obvious opportunities that will lead you to your goal or desire—like a trail of opportunities. In the real world, we get many little moments vs. one big leap-of-faith moment.
This can be applied to external and internal goals or desires. For example, say you want to purchase a new car, but need more money to do so. The Universe will present opportunities to make money. They can be as “small” as babysitting your niece to “bigger” ones like applying for a promotion.
Similarly, say you love to sing but get nervous in front of big crowds. The Universe will present opportunities to develop your confidence to sing in front of others. That can look like singing in front of a small audience in a retirement home, singing at a park concert, and so on.
The key here is your ability to recognize what seems like a small moment and then taking those small opportunities! Instead of writing those opportunities off because they are not your end goal, look at them as experiences to grow and develop into the person who has achieved your big end goal. Saving money leads to a car. A small stage leads to a big stage.
It is hard to see your development and progression towards your goals and dreams when you’re experiencing it and not on the outside looking in. With that in mind, trust the process, keep working towards your goal in the ways you can, and have faith.
Have faith in those small moments and take “little leaps of faith” time and time again. You will only be able to see your progression and have it all make sense to you in hindsight.
The Universe is always on your side wanting to give you what you desire. The only question remains is if you will see and go for opportunities when they are presented to you, no matter how small they appear. Making the conscious effort to work towards your goals little by little is the fastest way the Universe responds by bringing you bigger and bigger opportunities.
