There’s a lot about skydiving that compares to any intense experience that we have for the first time, such as beginning a marriage, going after a new challenge, or launching a new business. Whatever we imagined it would be like, it almost always surprises us with how sensorially overwhelming it is.
My husband was a Marine Corps pilot, so he couldn’t believe I decided on a spur-of-the-moment invite to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. Free falling from 13,500 feet–that’s close to 2 miles up–is both exhilarating and shocking.
PRINCIPLE: People may not understand why you are doing what you’re doing, but just because they wouldn’t do it, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t.
As I look back on the day, from the get-go I was oblivious to what lay ahead. The dropzone was a beautiful, tranquil, resort-style place, full of smiling professionals and chattering jumpers, new and experienced. There was a bar-b-que picnic area where my husband was tasked with waiting and watching the grandkids. The mellow, light atmosphere completely belied the intensity of the skydiving experience.
PRINCIPLE: Expect that there will be the unexpected. Tranquility will often be interspersed with new insights, stress, fear, and pleasant surprises.
At check in, my daughter and I registered and signed waivers, while my son-in-law talked about his hundreds of solo jumps like they were a walk on the beach. When our pre-jump group was called, we headed to Ground School, where we watched a movie, then met our instructors. You better believe there’s NO WAY I would have even considered jumping without being tightly strapped to the chest of an expert skydiver (plus it’s the law). My instructor, who had already jumped 5 times that day, was a top-level skydiver and a very handsome comedian; however, he was quite firm, brief, and serious as he instructed me about the equipment and the few things I needed to remember to do and not do. Any question I asked he answered with “That’s above my paygrade.”
PRINCIPLE: Make sure the people you’re investing in and depending on have the credentials and experience to protect you from the pitfalls and help ensure your success.
I deliberated back and forth and decided at the last minute to hire a videographer to jump with us. Best decision ever! There is absolutely no way to remember or share the incomparable experience of a first jump without a video.
PRINCIPLE: It can’t be all nose to the grindstone. Make memories. Be in the moment, and then record those moments in a journal, in photographs, in video. Find and record your joy in the journey.
Next I got strapped into my harness–the first real dose of reality. My daughter, her friend, and I made some jokes for the videographer and then headed with my son-in-law, my instructor, and the rest of our jumping group to the aircraft. In the video you’ll see another jumper laughing and dancing her way to the aircraft, while I was making vain attempts to smile instead of grimace for the camera.
PRINCIPLE: Nearly everything’s better with a dose of humor. Don’t take yourself or your business so seriously that you’re not having fun. If you’re not laughing every day, you’re doing it wrong.
Inside the plane, it was loud, and we were packed in like sardines. I wasn’t too worried about the jump (yet), but I kept asking if flying like this was safe! No seatbelts, all 20-some of us lined up facing each other on opposite sides of the aircraft–in fact I was sitting very awkwardly on my instructor’s lap. Not even enough room to sit up straight. My son-in-law sat on the floor at the end of the plane, forearms on bent knees, head back, eyes closed, pretty much like all the other seasoned solo jumpers. My daughter and I had gotten separated, and she was to my left with people between us–too far and too loud that we could only communicate by expressions. Her face was saying “oh-god-oh-no-okay-wait-okay—Mommy!!” That expression turned to sheer panicked terror as the back door opened and the solo jumpers one by one, including her husband, disappeared completely sideways as though they were being ripped from the aircraft. Not at all what I thought jumping “down” would look like!
PRINCIPLE: Expect and be prepared that you will experience a whirlwind of emotions when your new undertaking becomes real. Things will often not go or appear as you expected.
The next thing I knew, my instructor was inching down the bench toward the door, with me still on his lap. And then, in seconds, we were at the door’s edge, everything he had taught me registered, I put my head back on his shoulder…and we jumped!
PRINCIPLE: Fear, uncertainty, and even failure come from not being prepared and not being aligned with the right people. You’ve GOT TO know that your processes are valid and that your mentors are credentialed and trustworthy. Then you can jump into your new experience/reality/venture confidently, successfully, and even joyfully.
Next time: Jump! They Said . . . It’ll Be Fun! They Said… PART II: THE JUMP
To Your Abundance,
Beth Strange
