"Life is a traveling to the edge of knowledge, then a leap taken." D. H. Lawrence
In 1296, the good people of Florence, Italy, decided to up the status of their city by creating a church worthy of their new economic and cultural well being. Their vision was one of grandeur; to design a church that would be more useful, beautiful, powerful and honorable than any that had ever existed before. No small undertaking!
However, it wasn't until 1418 that a new generation finally figured out how to execute a plan to cover the enormous hole in the roof of the church of Santa Maria del Fiore. For decades, through the pouring rain and blistering heat, the church floor had remained exposed to the elements.
The reason -- no one had the knowledge of exactly how the dome could be constructed! While the Florentine's goal was to build the largest cupola on earth, the science of the day had not yet reached the point of knowing how to do so. And yet, the building and expansion of the church had continued through the decades.
My favorite part of this story is not about the architecture or even the brilliance of Filippo Brunelleschi, who successfully masterminded the project of constructing the dome. My favorite part is the faith of the Florentine people. For generations, the building of their church continued with no solid assurance of how the massive project was to be completed. They simply believed that someone would come along equal to the task.
Before Italy gave birth to Michelangelo, Leonardo di Vinci, Galileo, or even Brunelleschi, it had produced a people who expected great things could and would be accomplished. And, because of their faith, Santa Maria del Fiore has one of the largest and most beautiful domes in the world.
By definition, a leap of faith is an act of believing in or attempting something whose existence or outcome cannot be proved.
It is the essence of the human experience to push the boundaries of what is, and believe that there is something else, sight unseen, that could be. It happens every day. Falling in love, choosing to have a child, buying a home or moving to a foreign country, it's all a leap of faith.
How to take your own leap?
1.Visualize what you want, but don't get stuck on how it looks. New jobs, new relationships, new adventures can show up in many different packages! Be open to many possibilities, and not attached to specifics.
2.Realize you cannot fail. Worst case scenario, you learn a new lesson.
3.Trust in yourself, your abilities, your intuition and most of all, a universe that conspires on your behalf.
We live in a time of information overload. Yet, neither GPS, Google Maps nor Wikipedia can guarantee the outcome of a leap of faith. Life is risky business, and a bold and courageous life is even more so!
There's good evidence in history, however, to believe that if we are willing to risk the leap, you will be rewarded. I see the evidence daily, as I walk by Brunelleschi's dome on Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy.