INDIANA JONES and the RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK Take a Leap of Faith
By Jessica Sitomer
In the first five minutes of Raiders of the Lost Ark, Archaeologist, Indiana Jones, is told “There is nothing to fear here,” to which he replied, “That’s exactly what scares me.” He saw the golden idol from across the room, and after a quick test, which confirmed that the cave was indeed booby-trapped, Indy, had to take a huge leap of faith. He had to take step after step toward his goal, not knowing if his next step could trigger a poison arrow, the floor giving way, or the entire cave to collapse on him. Yet, despite his fear, he kept taking those steps, moving forward.
You are an archeologist of sorts. You believe there is a “treasured career” for you to discover, and yet, there are booby traps in the way of your clear path to success.
Many people choose fear. They passively wait for others to take the first steps to pave the way, only to find that by the time the steps have been proven, they’re behind the trend.
Others, you I hope, recognize you must be brave, that even when you don’t know what the next step will bring, you move forward and take the step trusting it will support you until you reach your goal.
Taking leaps of faith can bring up feelings of doubt, worry, fear of rejection, fear of financial ruin, anxiety, and paralyzation.
Remember, in every movie the hero, like Indiana Jones, must take the leap of faith to get the treasure. Here are some tips to help ease your concerns and quiet those negative beliefs your mind is so quick to bring up for you:
1. Be certain with uncertainty. It’s one of those sayings that doesn’t necessarily settle you, so you just have to accept it. You don’t know the future, it is uncertain and that you can be certain of.
2. When you take the right action you will be supported. Think back to risks you’ve taken that have paid off. Perhaps you pushed yourself to go out and met someone who hired you. Or you took a chance on no-pay project that not only sold and made you some money, it also led to more work for you.
3. When you take the wrong action it will not pay off to protect you and get you back on the right path. This is when you have to trust that sometimes, an opportunity is masked by a seeming disaster. Perhaps had your action paid off, you would have missed out on the opportunity of your career!
4. When finances are low and you know a small investment can take you to the next level of exposure and success remember, “Money is for making things happen!”- Sir Richard Branson’s Grandma when giving him 1K to start his business.
5. Success is never achieved in a bubble, you must have a team to support you. It’s easier to take leaps of faith when you have people around you to fall back on and help you along the way.
6. You will never get there, so enjoy the journey. Sounds negative, right? But actually, it’s the opposite. Have you ever noticed that when you set a goal and achieve it, almost immediately you think, “What’s next?” You will always be striving for something more, so enjoy your journey!
7. Let go of attachment to “the plan.” Is it important to plan? Absolutely! However, if you get too attached to your plan, you may miss better opportunities and extraordinary leaps of faith to take.
Indiana Jones always seemed to find an odd yet charming support group for his missions, and with their help and support he was motivated to take the risks and the leaps needed to reach his end goal.
And Action!
1. What is something you know will move your career forward, yet you’ve come up with obstacles for yourself instead of going for it?
2. Write about what not taking that action has cost you.
3. What would be possible if you found a way to take the action, you took the leap of faith, and it paid off? Write about what that would look like.
It was always clear for Indiana Jones, what treasure was at stake, or who needed to be saved. Nothing would stand in his way; no giant rolling boulders, no booby-trapped caves, not even a crazy guy with a knife pointed at him. What’s at stake for you is your dream and it MUST be worth taking that leap of faith or you will not reach it.
