“Leap and the net will appear!” How many times have we heard that famous quote by John Burroughs? And the following quote from Goethe: “Whatever you can do or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” These words of wisdom seem to tell us that we need to follow the Nike commercial’s advice to “just do it.”

There is wisdom behind these words. It seems that often very little progress happens until we make that full commitment. Just taking that glorious leap into the unknown to go after something new in our lives brings us untold energy to create. Often you hear someone say after achieving success that they were told they were crazy—that their book would never be published, their invention would never be useful, their song would never be sung, or their happiness would not survive in their new location—only to find that they were incredibly right to follow their dreams and take the leap of faith.

The naysayers usually don’t mean harm. They are sincerely fearful and trying to save us from what they think will harm us. However, that is what is at the base of the naysayers advice: fear. If we want to live our lives life fearful of new things, then leaping and waiting for the net to appear is not the path to follow. If we want to take a chance that something wonderful could be around the next corner, then we may want to take that leap.

Here are seven steps of faith that may help us take that leap:

1. Have the desire for it. Feel the delight of the desire running through you!

2. Make the decision to fully commit to what it is you want to see in your life. As the Edgar Cayce readings say, “There is progress whether ye are going forward or backward! The thing is to move!” Just move even if it’s in the wrong direction at first. At least you are moving and eventually the right thing will happen. Standing still is the curse of creation.

3. Ask and don’t give up. We are children of the universe, and as such we have the right to ask and to expect.

4. Receive. When you ask, believe and expect that you will receive. No doubts!

5. Speak it. The power of words is unbelievable. Our world is the sum and total of our words. Our words have the power of atomic bombs!

6. See it. Incubate it in your mind. See it happening! Visualize what you want to see in as much detail as possible.

7. Act on it. With every action you take, take an action that will bring you closer and closer to your goal! For example if you want to take action on becoming an artist and developing that talent, you may want to take a class or two and see if it truly is for you. Go to museums. Put yourself in groups and situations where you will meet people who are interested in the same thing you are. You probably will not find support for your desire of becoming an artist if you spend all your spare time playing football or mountain climbing. You need to be around people who share your interest so that you will receive the support and enthusiasm you need to take it to the next step.

It’s very interesting to me to look back on my life and see where I have realized a dream of mine by simply making the commitment to it. When I am wishy washy about something, feeling this way one day and that way the next (which I have to admit is true about many things I’ve thought about), I don’t make much progress. However, when I make a commitment and leave the indecision out of it: Voila! Things start to happen. Some people call it single-minded focus: using your mind like a laser beam and expending all your thought energy on the goal you wish to obtain.

As a matter of fact, as I’m writing this I feel enthusiasm building for the next life creation I want to focus on, the thing that I want to create next in my life. Very often we may project our desires in the future tense—when I graduate, when I make this much money, when I get married, when I retire. All these “when I’s” distance us from our desires and from the power of “now” where all the power actually is. There is no power outside of our current moment. We must make the commitment now to live the life of our dreams.

When your intention, focus and desire is clear, so is the way. The net appears!