Well things are certainly shaking up around here. Sarah and Ollie have helped get us started and now they are gone we will have to fend for ourselves in the big wide world.
As you can imagine filming and organizing all this with a baby in one hand, camera in the other, no money and only the help of strangers is not exactly conducive to serenity, quiet refexion or personal growth….Or is it!
Strangely enough the more people I ask about change, happiness and life, the more I have realized something that for me was quite profound.
If you are like me you are always looking for those moments of happiness and joy when we feel the world is great and everything is going just as it should. What I have realized is that in these moments, as wonderful as they are we have literally stopped growing. Kind of like coasting down the hill on a bike. The real physical and mental growth comes from getting up the other side to enjoy the view.
So whilst I had envisioned a rather more serene and reflective Life Change Experiment, I now realize I am being presented with a far greater challenge and chance for personal growth.
To my amazement, when I actually make the effort to look at the problems as they arise like they are, ‘the last few reps of a painful but beneficial exercise’, the tasks seem not only easier but desireable.
I have even started playing a mind game where I deliberately search for areas of anger, frustration and upset and use them as direct pointers to the areas I need to learn to let go of.
It never ceases to amaze me how simply refraining a thought can totally change how it affects us physically and mentally. And its also highlighted the fact reflected by many of the Life Changers I have interviewed, that you don’t need books or seminars or gurus because your greatest lessons are all around you all the time.
TERROR SKYDIVING & A BREAK THROUGH
As I mentioned on our daily facebook blog we went skydiving with the guys from goskydiving.com.au. They fully believe skydiving is a Life Changing experience and suggested, for its greatest effect, rather than trying to be calm and cool, try and feel as much terror as possible before you jump.
I have jumped before and im not easily shaken being an ex marine, but I was up for a challenge and did just this – I thought long and hard about imminent death, how it would feel when the chute didn’t open, what my family would say at my funeral and what ploughing head long into the ground would feel like. I let every rattle in the plane be a fright and Iallowed my stomach to churn all the way up.
By the time I was at 14,000 ft my heart was banging and I could feel the cold terror through my body. Rather than calming it I tried to make it stronger until the moment he pushed me out of the plane and instantly every thought just STOPPED!!
Its amazing how little goes on in your head when they push you out except the obligatory aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh.
The rush was intense, just as they promised but far greater than that, for the first time I had a new perspective on some of my other fears.
I have always had a HUGE hatred of being embarrassed or embarrassing others. This means I often pull the plug on things because inside im so uncomfortable. It also means I miss out on a lot of opportunities.The skydiving experience really anchored that strong silent calm place deep within, even when moments before my fight or flight fear circuits had been screaming blue murder.
The next day much to my amazement I was able to re produce this silencing effect when setting up our Winnebago without permission in the middle of a busy shopping centre carpark, with all eyes staring at us and management looking on ready to pounce.
Ordinarily I would have run a mile from this kind of confrontation but I just went quiet inside and imagined myself free falling and strangely enough it worked.It turned out to be a wonderful day. We met so many great people, got some awesome Life Change leads (including the wonderful people whos eco farm we are staying at as I type this), and put a lot of smile on a lot of faces .
I was astounded to actually see in living colour all the things I would have missed out on if I had done what my Amygdale had demanded when we first got there and QUIT.
July 31st, 2010
5 Comments on "The Zen of Skydiving"
Wow, what an experience. I would love to go skydiving. What did the shopping centre management do in the end. I bet they helped out.
I like the point you make about looking at your problems/challenges in life from the perspective of a growth opportunity, rather than running away from what is happening in fear, or experiencing it as a victim. Almost makes me feel a sense of peace about whatever obstacles lay ahead. Life really has its peaks and troughs and it’s supposed to, just look at mother nature! Let’s hope I remember to think like this when the next tornado hits
I’m sure that your fear of being embarrased or avoiding doing stuff that makes you feel uncomfortable inside is one that many many people share with you. Great to hear that you faced it and worked through it in the carpark, although I would also point out that you recently gave away all of your possessions, shared it with the world, started a blog and continue to share your feelings and experiences publicly as you travel along this journey. I think that takes balls….big ones! Don’t forget what you have already accomplished.:-)
You are so correct on the enormity of that nothing moment.
My idea of Zen is that you are SO in the moment, then and there, that are not in WANT or NEED of anything else! You are just there!! Such an amazing space that we need to take note of finding more often.
The thrill of sky diving WHILE giving to charity?! Yes, it is possible!
Great Ormond Street Hospital is working in conjunction with The London Parachute School to coordinate your jump anywhere in the UK.
The price would be £400, with £235 for the jump and £165 to go to charity.
This is a perfect opportunity to thrill yourself and help others in need at the same time.
Talk about a rush!
Keep posting stuff like this i really like it.
Comment Now!