Taking the First Step

Facing our fears when we have no other choice

A still image from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Hi everyone!

Welcome to the 17th edition of the Hello, Adversity Monthly Newsletter for paid subscribers. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break and that your 2026 is off to a great start.

Here in Connecticut, it is brutally, brutally cold. If there are any typos, blame my frozen fingers.

In today's newsletter, I’ll share what happened when I finally faced a fear I've been avoiding for years. I'll also tell you about a book I read that came at just the right time.

Let’s get started!

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Taking the First Step

There’s a scene near the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Jones, played by Harrison Ford, must cross what appears to be an insurmountable chasm to retrieve the Holy Grail from the chamber on the other side. When he looks down into the dark abyss below, his heart skips a beat. There’s no way he could jump that far and not fall to his death.

But as much as he wants to turn around and run in the other direction, he can’t. The Nazis have shot his father (played by Sean Connery) to ensure that he follows through on retrieving the grail, whose powers not only offer immortality to anyone who drinks from it, but would also heal his father’s wound. Turning back is not an option.

Jones consults his father’s diary, which depicts a knight crossing over the chasm — as if walking on air — to reach the chamber. Despite his fear, he realizes he has no choice but to take a similar leap of faith. Certain that he’s about to die, he closes his eyes, puts his left hand over his heart, and steps forward.

To his surprise, his foot lands on a hard surface.

Somehow, there is ground beneath him, even though he can’t see it. He hesitates, then takes another step. Hard ground. Then he takes another step, and another. With each step, he gains more confidence, quickening his pace until he reaches the chamber.

It turns out there's a bridge over the chasm, camouflaged by rock patterns that perfectly match the far wall. It is the ultimate optical illusion.

Not only is this scene about taking a leap of faith (“Only in the leap from the lion's head will he prove his worth”), it’s also a metaphor for facing our fears head-on, no matter our hesitation.

The latter is what I want to talk about today.