There is a common expression that talks about taking a leap of faith – stepping up, doing something new, taking a challenge, taking that risk that often results in a great reward but takes a great deal of courage to do.

I am sure you have heard many people use that expression or similar in business, new ventures and even generally about life – “just take the leap”. It is definitely one of those expressions that is easier said than done.

Like any investment, the greater the risk and challenge, the greater the reward. That is why taking a leap of faith in any area of our life, be it a business relationship or anything we have our hands on, is such a critical part to succeed in.

If you have seen the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”, you will find towards the end of the movie that Indie has to go through a series of challenges to get to the Holy Grail. One of those challenges sees him standing on the edge of the cliff, needing to get to the other side with no means of crossing.

Of course, being an action hero, he makes it across to the other side, finds the Holy Grail and manages to save the day. Not all of us are Indiana Jones, and not all of us will take that leap of faith, but if we look at the key in this movie we will see that everyday people can –  it is not just for heroes.

Firstly, when Indie reached the gap he had to cross, in his hand he had a diary or a research book put together by his father. Indie opened the book and he saw that his father had clearly researched and diagramed that he needed to stand in a particular spot and just step out. So with much dramatic music and Hollywood flare he goes about it and lands upon an invisible ledge that leads him across to the other side.

Taking a leap of faith does not have to be risky. Risk tends to indicate that you are not prepared for the outcome, or you have not done research. When you are required to take a leap of faith in your life, you can do the research required to ensure that you lessen the risk.

The second key is that Indie had faith in the research that his father had prepared. Whilst his father had not been in this situation before, he had certainly done it a hundred times in his mind to prepare. For us in our lives we are often surrounded by people who have experience, or similar experience, to the exact situation that we are going through.

Just like Indie was able to read his father’s research and had faith and trust in his father, we too can surround ourselves with people who can give us advise before we take the leap.

The third key is that when Indie reached the other side, Harrison Ford then acted out his typical Hollywood smile of relief.  Just before he stood to run off into the cave he turned around, picked up a handful of stones and threw them across the path. My first thought was he did this to show the path for his return, but that does not really make sense as he was willing to take the step without seeing the ledge, so how much more will he be willing to take it on the way back when he already knew it was there.

The way Indie smiles after he throws the rocks across the platform tells me that he did it more as a trophy – not just to show him the way back but rather to show him what he had achieved. The leap of faith that resulted in a positive advancement, was something that he could now parade as a trophy – he had been there, done that and bought the t-shirt.

When we go through a leap of faith in life, it is so important that you remember that you once jumped over a little gap. Each challenge will bring a bigger gap, but only a small step further then the last. We never get to leaping tall buildings until we first step across the small chasms.