First steps require courage. First leaps require even more.

Taking that bound into the unknown is a skill in itself. What some people might think of as reckless behaviour can be born from a sense of curiosity, wonder and the courage to find your own path in a sea of the unknown. It might seem easy and safer to stay in the secure reality that you’ve built around yourself. But, especially in today’s world of constant change, being ready to take the necessary courageous step of leaving the nest is all the more important.

Remember when you first started school. What was it like going into that new world? The screams of young, excited children whizzed past you to start a new adventure!

Were you able to run headfirst into the challenge, undaunted?

Maybe you weren’t scared of leaving the family nest? Perhaps you were excited to have this opportunity to do something for yourself. Was this reckless and foolhardy behaviour? Of course not! This was just being ready for the next step of your life, the challenge to leave the comfortable world you’d been growing up in.

Unless maybe you were scared?

An unknown environment. Strange, unfamiliar faces at every turn. Your parents were nowhere to be seen. Instead you had tall, imposing figures glaring over you and a strange, snotty crowd of classmates for company! You might have felt more alone than ever before.

No one and nothing had properly prepared you for this first leap of faith. You’re just a scared little kid clinging to the most stable thing you can see. You’re hoping there’s someone to rescue you.

How did you manage to push through the fear you felt every day?

First steps can be very different. Contrast this memory with another of your first steps as an adult—for example, taking your first steps at university or work, ready to see the world.

Taking comfort in the courage you showed in the past helps give you the same sense of courage in the present. In looking back, you can move forwards.

As we grow, taking control of our lives and finding our own path can appear scarier and scarier. Having the courage to leap and not let fear stop you making changes in your life is a great quality to have. something that you should embrace as much as possible.

Your desires, ambition and passions are all on the line; ultimately, it is up to you and you alone to take that first leap of faith in the direction of progress.

This blog is one of a series of reflections on “The Spiral Staircase” a personal emotional tracking and management tool which is part of “The Key to Business and Personal Success” by Martyn Pentecost. Find out more here.