Faith can be difficult to understand and even more challenging to practice. But when you have faith, it provides focus, energy, and the courage to act — it transforms you. Today I’m sharing thoughts on the power of faith in your life, career, and for your soul.
Warmly,
Melanie Ott
Inspirational Thoughts
“Faith is believing when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.” ~ Voltaire
Faith does not make things easy – it makes them possible. ~ Luke 1:37
To Act, You Must First Have Faith
Have you ever stopped to consider how much you rely on faith every single day?
- You have faith the car across the intersection will stop at the red light.
- You have faith the electricity will come on when you flip the light switch.
- You have faith the pilot is capable of flying your plane.
Every decision you make, from buying a new home to crossing the street, requires a leap of faith. Whether you realize it or not, you have faith in something or someone, and you defer to it every time you make a decision or take action.
What’s Your Source of Faith?
Faith is defined as, “The firm belief in something for which there is no proof; complete trust.” I think of faith as the ability to trust something or someone from the very core of my being. While the word “faith” is often used in the context of religious beliefs, you can have faith in any number of things: principles, people, an institution, yourself, or the universe as a whole. Regardless of the source, faith provides focus, strength, and peace of mind.
Faith Transforms Your Life
The transformative power of faith is freedom from doubt. Faith speaks to your wholehearted commitment or confidence in something or someone; doubt is accompanied by anxiety and uncertainty. The more faith you have, the less doubt you have – and vice versa.
Faith allows you to take action with authority and conviction. It narrows and focuses your energy in the direction you believe to be true. It’s like a flowing river bounded within its shores, propelled forward towards the sea — its ultimate destination. Instead of losing its force by haphazardly diverting off in a thousand directions, faith sustains and builds your energy.
Faith Is A Feeling That Becomes A Reality
Each time you work towards a goal, believing in an outcome you can’t yet see, you are acting on faith. Imagine you want to start a new business. You put in long hours building, learning, and marketing. You invest in education, products, and tools. You take those actions because you have faith: faith in your abilities, faith your customers will value and purchase your goods and services, and faith that your hard work will be rewarded with success.
The same principle applies to anything you wholeheartedly desire, but can’t yet see – be it a new career, a relationship, a move, or any big change. At some point, stop deliberating, draw up your courage, and take a leap of faith.
Tips to Have Faith
- Take the first step. Maybe you possess only the tiniest seed of faith – and that’s okay. As Martin Luther King said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” As you move forward, your faith is likely to increase and each step will become easier as you see how far you’ve come.
- Trust but verify. Faith isn’t an excuse to act rashly. Be sure to conduct your due diligence before taking a significant leap of faith.
- Let go. It’s easy to say you have faith, then obsess over a Plan B, or even a Plan C. Maybe you just need to trust … let go … and see what happens. Sometimes the energy of faith creates the most wonderful reward.
- Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what will be. Perhaps the most difficult element of faith is continuing forward even when things haven’t gone according to plan. Sometimes failure is part of the process – and doesn’t mean your faith was misplaced. A relationship may let you down, or you may fall short of a goal, but having faith can help you course-correct and propel you towards a positive outcome.
Focus on the Future
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