Skydiving Part II & The Elite Percent

The second shock was the deafening sound of the wind. My jump instructor, who was literally strapped on my back, his mouth inches from my ear, could only communicate with me by touch and hand motions. The force of the air was shocking as we dropped 200 feet per second and within seconds reached 120 mph (terminal velocity). And by the way, there’s no way to look dignified with that much wind doing a number on your skin. I looked like a basset hound with her head out the car window. I’ll be sharing the incredible video of my jump on my social media.  Watch for it!

I was so shocked by the whole free fall experience that I might have missed the incalculable thrill and beauty of it had it not been for my jump instructor. Before we jumped, he gave me this advice, “Don’t look down; keep your head up and look around. If you focus on the ground, you’ll miss the best parts.” As soon as we left the plane, he made sure I was following his advice. He kept me focused on what was important: getting into the right position — arms up, legs back, head up, look around, experience my surroundings, and even start posing for our photographer.

After about 60 seconds of mind-blowing free fall, my instructor pulled the canopy cord. When the chute opened while we were descending at 120 mph, it felt as though we had been jerked into a rapid ascent, but I learned later that we were actually still descending. The irony was that everything was going right, and I didn’t even know what direction we were heading. But my elite jump instructor did.

PRINCIPLE: When you are in an intense life or business phase, you may think things are going great when you are really in danger of failing or making a critical mistake. Or things may be going really well, but you are speeding so quickly that you can’t see that you are right on track.  Experienced, successful experts can tell heads from tails.

I have to admit that just before we pulled the cord on my first jump, I thought about the possibility of failure. For just a brief moment, I let myself imagine the worst possible scenario. But when the canopy deployed, I relaxed.  I was able to remove my goggles and experience the pure bliss of slowly floating through the air, looking at our incredible earth and sky, for five whole minutes. While I was loosening up and taking in the view, while experiencing a new sensation of hanging motionless in the air, my instructor was still working, ensuring that we were in the right position for a successful landing.

PRINCIPLE: Just because things are going well, doesn’t mean you can stop working, innovating, growing, and learning. Self-satisfaction can take the air out of your chute pretty quickly. In my case, it also meant that I still needed my instructor. There was so much I still didn’t know. A lot of people who work with strategists or consultants drop them as soon as things seem to be going in the right direction.  This phase may just be when their strategists can help them the most.

Landing was a breeze–perfect–entirely because of my instructor’s expert skill and coaching and my obedience.  I noticed other tandem jumpers not faring so well. One tandem team went head over heals at about 30 miles per hour because the student didn’t implement each move as instructed.

Once free from the canopy and on my feet, I was surprised that I, an infamous non-crier, was moved to tears as our cameraman approached and asked me how I felt.  I had just had a life-changing experience.

PRINCIPLE: The strategist’s most important job is to make sure that you have a positive, life-changing experience. And second, that you enjoy the ride. At the beginning of almost every new adventure, everything seems to be happening at warp speed. It’s no wonder that most entrepreneurs don’t survive the first year. A seasoned strategist’s job is to reassure, direct, and calm you AND give you every opportunity to thrive. There are so many new and moving parts, which is why you always have to skydive in tandem at least five times before going solo. There’s just too much to remember, too much to do, and too many things that can go wrong.

I think a lot about elite performance–every day.  And I’m constantly reminded that being elite is no small thing. My darling son-in-law is a Special Forces Green Beret; as such he has made hundreds of solo jumps, in daylight, in the pitch black of night, from so high that they require oxygen masks, and from so low that their chutes barely have time to open.

About 1% of active duty soldiers are Special Forces. It’s no easy task to become a Green Beret. Training is grueling, physically and mentally, and can take up to two years. Only about 860 soldiers a year graduate to Green Beret — that’s out of 480,000 active duty soldiers (.18%). In my son-in-law’s Special Forces unit, the lowest ranking soldiers are experienced Staff Sergeants (E-6). That is elite!

Some of the most elite skydivers are so good at what they do (and probably a little out of their minds) that they even throw their parachutes out first, then catch up to them, and put them on while careening toward earth.

In 2015, USA Swimming had 362,320 registered swimmers; 49 made the Rio Olympic team. That’s 0.0013%. That’s elite!

The Fortune 500 represents 67% of the nation’s economy. Recently, only thirty-seven of those companies had a woman CEO.  According to the 2010 U.S. Census, there were 157 million females in the U.S. My calculator would not even give me a straight answer on this one, but I think that’s something like 0.0002%. Those are some elite women! (I know, some of those females are not old enough to be CEOs, but the percentage would still be incredible.)

What do these startling percentages tell us? — and no, it is not that the rest of us are losers. They tell us that to be among the elite in whatever endeavor you are pursuing, you need each of the following:

• A passion for and exceptional knowledge of your field
• A hunger for practicing, honing, and exponentially improving skills
• An exceptional mentor, guide, strategist, coach (yes, almost every CEO has a coach; many companies require it)
• Access to other elite performers to stretch you to discover just how far you can go

PRINCIPLE: In some cases being among the elite is comparative, as in the case of Olympic swimmers.  However, in most cases, the competition is between you and the person looking back at you from the mirror. Being an elite performer is not elitism.  It’s showing up, knowing what your highest performance levels are and performing there, working hard and smart, and never giving up.

Many high and elite performers complain that

• They have no one with whom to share their thoughts and ideas
• They are lonely or alone at the top
• They are the only thinking brain
• They aren’t being challenged in their current position
• They have hit a glass ceiling
• They are losing their energy
• Their personal and/or professional relationships are suffering
• They are succeeding but still feel out of control
• They know they have much more inside them
• Despite working harder than anyone, they still suffer from Imposter Syndrome

That is not an exhaustive list, but the idea is simple:

Despite achieving a level of success that most other people will never achieve, you know there’s something missing, but you just don’t know what it is or how to get it.

Exponential growth through masterminding was one of the laws of success that Napoleon Hill (Think and Grow Rich) discovered in studying over 500 self-made millionaires, including Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, John D. Rockefeller, and Charles M. Schwab.

I’ve created the 9 Elite Percent (9EP) Mastermind for high and elite level performers seeking what they are not currently getting, what’s been missing in their professional and personal pursuits.  I chose the number 9 as a membership cap because of the many numerical significances of the number.  9EP is an invitation-only Mastermind limited to 9 high and elite performers.

What’s inside 9EP?

• Personal and professional high-performance strategy 4 times each month in a mastermind setting with me as leading strategist.
• Focus on time, branding, money, relationships, respect, peace — whatever goals and dreams that you are willing to put in the work to achieve
• The chance to give and receive insights, experiences, and thought leadership at an extraordinary level
• Not just glimpses into, but structured direction toward, the actual life of abundance you crave
• A circle of like-minded, high-achieving peers to push/encourage/stretch you to the next level on your adventure
• A private social media community where you can learn from and connect your 9EP peers at any time
• A yacht retreat where we’ll relax, work, and learn together; enjoying a slice of the abundance we deserve

You don’t join 9EP.  Members will apply, be interviewed, and invited as fitting. Membership into 9EP requires, at least, a 9-month commitment. You may want to stick around for years. As membership numbers change, waiting applicants will be admitted, always with a cap at 9 members.  If accepted into 9EP, you will be open, honest, respectful, diligent, and caring. You will ignite the 9EP community with your passion for abundance.

Please feel welcome to contact me with any questions about 9EP.

Apply today by completing this APPLICATION and prepare to be transformed into higher levels of performance and achieve the abundance you deserve.

To Your Abundance, Beth Strange www.BethStrange.com     Qualified Elite Level Strategy clients will be joining me for a 4-Day ELITE LEVEL INTENSIVE aboard a luxury yacht in the Florida Keys.  You DO NOT want to miss this!  Message me for details at [email protected]

P.S.  When you’re ready, below are some ways you can work with me to achieve ever higher levels of abundance.  Please complete this Application to request an Initial Strategy Session: Join 9EP, the Elite Percent Mastermind: If you are an elite-level performer and leader with new heights to achieve, you belong here with other extraordinary, good people who are performing at–or who are on the cusp of reaching–elite percent levels within their sphere.  9EP is for you if you are committed to exponentially increasing ABUNDANCE in your professional and personal life–abundance of time, money, satisfaction, relationships–however you define abundance.  Limited to 9 Elite Percent Mastermind members and entered by this Application and invitation only, 9EP Mastermind requires a 9-month commitment. Elite Performance Strategy:  For service based entrepreneurs and elite performers.  When you are ready to work with an expert Strategist to make the kind of exponential progress that would satisfy you and bring abundance into your business and your life.  LET’S STRATEGIZE.  I assist extraordinary entrepreneurs and elite performers like you to think and plan even bigger and overcome roadblocks to abundantly idyllic lives and businesses.  I bring the experience, the training, the credentials and certifications, the scientific and strategic processes, and the expertise.  You bring your ready willingness to try, to plan, to work, to change, to do, and to dream big, exciting, and fulfilling dreams.  You will develop insights, breakthroughs, discoveries, and STRATEGIES. You will experience RESULTS.  Together we will powerfully face and tackle your plateaus, your stress, your roadblocks, your overwhelm, your inferiority, your fears, your fatigue, your excuses. Abundance Strategy is NOT for the faint of heart. We will dive DEEP. We will work INTENSELY. We will strategize POWERFULLY.  Apply here. Elite Level Branding Package: This is an exclusive opportunity for global brand expert, Beth Strange, and her team to assist you with the initial definition of your Brand Identity. Define your brand, develop your logo, design your business cards and letterhead, build your website. All done for you! We make it easy and fast to Red-Carpet-Roll-Out your brand to the world.