Is FEAR holding you back?
We all have something that scares us: public speaking, making a career change, moving to a new city, or asking that stranger you met out on a date.
Fear is often not a warning of impending danger. Instead, it is often a projection of our own insecurities. If we let it, fear will stop us from growing and experiencing life to the fullest.
Recently, on a vacation with my wife on the island of Kauai, I faced one of my fears. I have always feared heights, yet I fly every week for my work. My wife had a bucket list item for skydiving. She really wanted to experience skydiving with me. I excused my way out of it for 3 years, but she persisted and surprised me with a reservation for a jump with Skydive Kauai on our recent vacation.
The day before, I began to think about the jump. I wanted to act tough, so I hid my nervousness. That afternoon, we got a call from the jump team advising that their pilot could not fly tomorrow, so our jump would be postponed by 3 days. What a relief! I started to relax when the phone rang again about an hour later. It was the jump team again, letting us know they found a backup pilot and could fly tomorrow, so our jump was back on as scheduled.
The morning of the jump, we headed to the landing strip. We were greeted by a very welcoming team of a pilot, an assistant, and two jump masters. We loaded up, and away we went.
As we circled above, climbing to our jump altitude, I was watching out of the plane; It had no door, just a big gap in the side where we would eventually slip out of the plane. I was slowly losing my will to do it when my jump master advised, “Keith, it is time for us to slide to the opening and let our legs hang out”. I was so nervous. And the next moment, I was freefalling from 10,000 feet, and the craziest thing happened… I was immediately calm, not worried, and loving the thrill. The adrenaline of the fall was one of the best rushes I have ever experienced. The views over the Pacific Ocean were amazing; it was even more exhilarating when we floated through the clouds. There is an eerie quiet when you’re floating.
When I was back on the ground, as my wife had predicted, I started to think about when we could go again. I loved the experience and was very proud of myself. I had been thinking about this for three years when my girlfriend (now my wife) asked me if I would someday jump with her, and the tough guy in me said, “Yeah, for sure.”
The jump wasn’t bad at all. In fact, it was very safe, and once I was out of the plane, I felt totally secure. I now have a new level of pride and confidence that I can tackle any fear that comes my way.
What are you fearful of? What bucket list item that has fear written all over it are you going to tackle this year? Do it! It isn’t nearly as scary as you think it is.
Coach Keith
#bravery #bucketlist #adrenaline #skydiving #businesscoaching