What’s something you’ve always wanted to do?
Well for me, that was skydiving. I’ve always wanted to pay $700 to voluntarily jump out of a moving plane at 14,000 feet in the sky. Why? Apart from being a little crazy, it was a way for me to feel fear, control it through executable action, and overcome the doubt in my mind. I use life enhancing activities to serve as metaphors for other facets of my life. This, I believe, keeps me on the right path to constant positive progression.
Whatever activity you end up choosing, the phases will most likely be the same:
1 .You’re excited
Anytime you DECIDE to tackle on a new challenging activity that gets you out of your comfort zone, you’re excited. It’s new, different, and uncommon. The adrenaline spikes and gets your blood racing!
2. You’re keeping calm
I look psychotic in the picture above. But that’s as close of “remaining calm” as I was able to pull off when knowing I was seconds away from jumping with a woman strapped to my back that I had met 10 minutes ago.
3. You’re beginning to absorb what the hell is happening
This is the phase I call; f***, I’m actually doing this.
4. You just do it
You’ve already invested money, time, and effort to get this far. There’s no point in quitting or giving up, just finish what you started and try to enjoy the ride. At first, it’s scary, it’s a feeling you’ve never experienced before, but if you LET GO and just do it, you’ll come to realize how amazing it is and how much you grow from enduring the experience.
5. You enjoy it
This is the part where you take it all in, when you truly absorb the amazingness of the opportunity. From being scared shitless, to just letting go and enjoying the experience of the moment, is hands down the most freeing you’ll ever feel.
6. You made it
When you go from deciding to accomplishing a task to actually checking it off your bucket list, you grow mentally, physically, and spiritually. In every aspect of life, I have found that stepping outside your comfort zone is always worth it. If it pushes you in a positive way and has lessons that you can learn from and share with others, it is always worth doing. It sucks at first, scary in the middle, but always gratifying in the end.
Remember: nothing worth doing is easy
