About a decade ago, a woman who worked at the same university as me was sharing her need to make changes in her life. She had ideas, and a plan...sort of. The plan did not remove doubt, and it was doubt that kept the gears-large and small-from turning. A few days before our conversation, I had heard an expression, and shared it by passing it to her on a sticky note. As of a few years ago, she said that she still had the note on her mirror. The message: leap and the net will appear.

There are all sorts of encouraging phrases, from both secular and religious perspectives, whether it is the scripture about feeding the sparrows, or the popular "footprints on the sand" story. Secular adages include "you can't get to second base with a foot on first," and many more. All this tells me an important lesson:   doubt and fear about how to affect, or deal with, change in our lives is as human as breath, and since the dawn of time we have sought answers on how to deal with the struggles and doubts.

The common thread to all the "answers" seems to be a two-fold, universal truth: let go, and have faith. That wisdom has survived the ages and has been carried forward in lessons, parables, plays, scripture, books, poetry...and instinct.

I think often about the importance of the words to my friend from a decade ago, even though they weren't mine and they simply shared a universal truth in a different way. "Common" knowledge is often obscured by common fears, concerns and doubts. The reality of that sticky note sitting on a mirror somewhere reminds me of the common truth-let go, have faith-and how important it is for people to encourage and inspire others to remember what they know naturally in their hearts.

(PS: Happy birthday, dad. He would have been 100 today. In his simple ways, he regularly encouraged me to "do what you gotta do." I suspect he believed the net would always appear, some way, somehow.)