Take the leap of faith

 Growth in any capacity requires a leap of faith, whether in life, relationships, work, or sport. This is because growth leads to the unknown. Growth leads to places we have never been before and that can sometimes be scary. Taking that leap of faith means that in you somewhere there is a belief in yourself and an idea or vision of who you want to be or where you want to go.

 One important thing to recognize about growth is that sometimes the change and growth were hoping for is not the change and growth that occurs and that’s OKAY! You can never be 100 percent certain that things will go the way you want them to. In fact I can guarantee that at some point they won’t. But if you didn’t have doubts and uncertainties then it wouldn’t require a leap of faith would it? Remember that change brings about an opportunity to recognize that misgivings and setbacks are part of the process. In order to continue to push through setback we have to be willing to take that leap of faith again. The worst we can damage is our pride and pride needs to be put in back in check every now and again.

My father instilled in me that when dealing with change, when trying something new, the worst thing that could happen is that there is no change. Worst case, you go right back to where you’re at. He always used it as a reminder that the benefits of change, growth and improvement far outweigh the negative.

Here’s a couple of examples:

1. You receive a new lifting plan but you’re intimidated to take the leap of faith and try something new in your workout routine

   1. Worst case- You try it and don’t like it and don’t do it anymore.

   2. Possible case- You greatly improved your strength and performance both on and off the field and coaches are taking notice.

2. Your parents want you to work with a Sport Psych but you’re nervous because you don’t know what it will be like.

   1. Worst case- You don’t like it, don’t think it works and you stop going.

   2. Possible case- You find to tactics that greatly improve your mental toughness and see improvements on your ability to perform in the game.

3. Your coach asks you to play a new position

   1. Worst case: You play bad and he moves you back to your original position.

   2. Possible case: Your coach loves you there, you get more playing time because others in that position can’t compete with you. You learn more about your previous position from seeing the game through a different angle and you end up loving soccer even more than  you previously did.

Whenever you find fear creeping into your mind remember that fear is the enemy of growth. Growth happens outside your comfort zone so when your feeling fear remember that growth is most likely creeping right around the corner. It sometimes take a leap of faith to get you to your next level.