Take the Step...

I'm so late with my blog post because my internet conked out as I sat down to type at 6:50 am, and didn't come on until supper time. That hasn't happened since I moved here, so I figured in all of my paranoia that it was Shaw getting back at me for railing on against electronic media in my post yesterday. At any rate, it magically came back on, so I am quickly using this window of opportunity to capture what's rattling around in my brain.

I started a book yesterday called Take the Step: The Bridge Will Be There. I grabbed it from the library because I liked the title and the front cover photography of an out-of-focus bridge surrounded by green leaves and bushes. I started reading it last night, and I was struck by a curious sense of recognition; I am living the words of this book at this exact moment in time. I understand the concepts the author is trying to convey because I'm walking them out as living proof that the ideas work.

It was as though the planets aligned and everything was crystal clear in my mind and soul and I felt God speaking to me, which is no small thing. The writer, Grace Cirocco, talks about the dance between faith and action. If you have only the faith part working in your life, you'll talk forever about what you are going to do without actually doing it (she called it "analysis paralysis"), and if you are focused on the action side, you may have many projects on the go but lack a cohesive plan because you don't have confidence in yourself.

I immediately recognized myself in both of these states at various points in my life so far. I cringe when I think of how much time I've wasted dreaming and planning instead of doing, and also creating busy-work for myself so I wouldn't have to look at the bigger picture and realize that I didn't believe in myself and so my dreams were impossible to reach. Somehow taking that film course at the University of Calgary last fall brought all of it together into a cohesive whole, with faith and action walking shoulder to shoulder for once, and moving me forward toward my dream.

At the beginning of the book, Cirocco said, "Your body can't go where your mind has never been. What we need to do first is convince ourselves that we can do it, nurture faith in ourselves, and then take the step." This was comforting to me. Perhaps all of those years of dreaming about screenwriting success was actually paving the way to this time when I could bring action alongside of my faith to see the dream become a reality.

Take the step, and the bridge will be there. This is as true as any statement I've ever heard, and I plan to put it into practice. I've been writing regularly again for the last few days, and it's brought back that missing dimension of satisfaction and effervescent happiness to my life. I encourage you to wrap your fingers around your passion and move forward. All of the pieces may not be in place, but that shouldn't stop us from walking in the direction we want to go. Plan it, and then walk forward in faith, believing that the road will be firm under your feet, and it will all work out as it should.