I realized something the other day—I talk a lot.

I’m not just referring to how my mouth tends to move a lot and noise comes out. It’s worse than that.

What I’m referring to is the fact that I spend a considerable amount of time talking about countless life experiences, moments and people that I want in my life, and in reality all it ends up being is just that…talk.

It starts with an idea, dream, or goal that turns into a frenzied state of brainstorming and excited chatter, which is followed by an extensive process where I plot, plan and map everything out, and then talk some more. I get excited. I take baby steps, which feel like huge gigantic leaps to me. I talk about it constantly. I put together plans.

Then everything comes to a screeching halt.

I stop brainstorming, I stop planning, and I stop taking steps forward. I stop believing in the feasibility of my dream.

I stop.

Self-doubt layered on top of uncertainty is the sure-fire equation for an immediate ceasefire. When I don’t have the answers to all of life’s most asked questions, the fear becomes so paralyzing that I slowly let the dream, whatever it may be, fade away.

Reading this back to myself now, I can’t help but feel sad. Sad because I’m able to let go of things that ignite a passion in my soul all because I don’t understand how I’m supposed to make it all come together.

The problem is that we’ve been programmed to believe that we need to have all the answers.

That we need to carefully consider each step in our lives and only when we’ve done an outrageous amount of research, planning and preparation, should we even dare to take a single step forward.

Only once we understand every single possible outcome of a decision should we feel confident enough to take a chance.

Well, I’ll let you in on a secret that I’ve spent the past few months discovering—life doesn’t work that way. I know, it’s a shocking revelation. While this may seem like a simple concept, I believe it’s one that many of us fail to grasp.

My question is this: if we can trust that the sun will rise each morning and set every night, why can’t we place that same level of faith in ourselves? In our dreams, our desires, our passions, our life’s journey? Why don’t we have the same blind faith in ourselves that we have in the amazing universe that exists around us without having to question how it all happens? 

I don’t need to see the snowflakes falling in October to know with absolute certainty that it will snow in January. So why is it that I need to understand the exact point where my life journey will lead before even being willing to take a step out the front door in the morning?

If we’re waiting for the perfect conditions, we’ll be waiting forever. If we need to understand exactly how every decision will impact the rest of our lives, we’re going to be stuck standing motionless. If the only choices we make are based on the fact that we’ve done tireless research and planning so that we can turn to our loved ones and confidently say we’ve made the “right” choice, we’re only fooling ourselves.

We can do the research, we can plan every moment right down to the smallest detail, and we can prepare for every possible scenario to unfold. But guess what: life will still throw you a f*cking curveball.

What I’ve come to realize is that’s exactly the point.

There will always be a curveball. There will always be a moment or person or situation or experience that we never could have accounted for. The curveballs will catch us off guard and mess with our balance.

We will fall on our face a hundred times in life all to learn that we can get back up each time. We will come to realize that mistakes happen no matter what path we take. What matters most is when we’ve shaken off the dust and pulled ourselves back up, are we in love with the life staring back at us? Otherwise…what’s the point?

Imagine that instead of constantly questioning if we’re making the right decisions or following the right path, that we pause for a moment to close our eyes, take a step in the direction that speaks the loudest to our souls and find some faith in ourselves.

Think about that for a moment—then start living. Let go of what you think life is “supposed” to look like and spend each day knowing that your journey will bring you exactly where you need to be.

Take a leap of faith into your own life.

I promise you won’t regret it.

Author: Nicole Grosel

Image: Author’s own.

Editor: Nicole Cameron