--- title: Take That Leap of Faith description: Niels Steeman has jumped over Singapore, Norway and Dubai. The leap that actually frightened him was admitting he needed help to get his health back. author: Niels Steeman date: 2026-09-11 section: The Deep Health Files canonical: https://thesecondhalfcommunity.com/deep-health-files/leap-of-faith --- # Take That Leap of Faith *From my book “Thrive”* Niels Steeman, Health & Lifestyle Coach, 11 September 2026 Health is Wealth. Skydiving has been more than a passion since I started throwing myself out of planes. I’ve been obsessed with everything surrounding the material, the events (called boogies) and staying in touch with fellow jumpers to bring the sport more towards the foreground. Questions ranging from “Do you have a death wish?” to “Can you breathe while plummeting to the earth?” resonated through the room when the topic came up. It is an ultimate adrenaline rush that many want to try, yet remain hesitant to do so. The thought of trying remains much bigger than taking that leap of faith. Or, as they say in the skydiving world: “You will probably never know why birds sing.” The sport has taken me to numerous places. I have jumped over downtown Singapore, the fjords of Norway, the beaches of Thailand, the deserts of the United States and United Arab Emirates, the scenic landscapes of rural Poland, it is all logged in and ticked off. I still see it as the ultimate escape from the real world, a means to get away from it all and put my knees in the breeze. And it all started with a leap of faith. Turning thoughts and dreams into an actionable reality. ## When the Fun Turned The fun only lasted up until my mental tipping point reached an isometric status and the needle of laughs and high levels after safely landing another one turned in the wrong direction. Anxiety crawled in, and the fear of not knowing what would happen overtook the once-predominant smiles. My excess weight. Diminishing mental consciousness of my true being, and my inability to turn the compass needle back on track became obstacles to ever seeing the shrouds dissipating again, turning the fun side of skydiving into a dark cloud of fear. I became truly scared at one point of ever seeing a friend posting an amazing formation on his profile, affirming that that leap of faith would turn into a leap of failure if I didn’t even try it again. And it all came back because I was not taking care of myself. The word “try” is connected to all of this in so many ways. Let’s try this or give that a go. We have all those imaginary must-dos in our head, dreams that we one day will do when the time is right. Let me tell you, the time is never right. ## Roots or Legs The concept of leap of faith has a dual meaning for me in this context. The fear of never jumping again overtook my life for quite some time. On the one hand, it was a comfortable feeling, secure and locked in my bubble. Why do I want to go back to something I was enjoying so much, but no longer? OK, I’d tried it, and it was time to move on. I felt that this was the path to evolve. On the other hand, we are born to explore, to seek out new challenges and encounters, to boldly go where our future self wants to go. Otherwise, we would have roots instead of legs. The leap of faith took a turn for the better in realising what my previous “self” had enjoyed so much was something I could experience again in its full glory. > The obstacle in my life turned into a path. ## The Bigger Leap Since the second quarter of 2018, I have taken my biggest leaps of faith. Jumping out of a perfectly good plane seems to be peanuts now compared to seeking help to get me back on track. Finding the right persons who have been there, knowing what goes around in the body when you’re no longer on par with your former self, was of the greatest importance. Weight loss may be the most visual aspect of any transformation to thrive again. Yet, the biggest gains were made mentally. ## When Trying Harder Stops Working Taking a leap of faith also circles around seeking help when your own health solutions and beliefs are exhausted. You can continue trying or working harder on the same method you started years ago. And it does not show even a single shred of fat cast aside in favour of lowering numbers on your bathroom scale. The food (and even some parts of the health) industry is not working to our advantage these days. We believe that what we eat is the same as what we ate generations ago. Many human beings try harder, but don’t see the results. We are told that we have to work out every single day, that sweating to the bone is the way forward. The pistons to make your bodily engine run smoothly work best when jumping in with full faith. But if you do not see results, you continue on the same path, yet you know that you have seen a better you in the mirror, and it may be wise to take that leap of faith. --- Published by [The Second Half Community](https://thesecondhalfcommunity.com/). Columns reflect the views of their authors. Free to join at [thesecondhalfcommunity.com](https://thesecondhalfcommunity.com/).