“We’re approaching the ground in three, two, one…” And bam!
There was a little bit of an abrupt stop there, but I was fine. Most importantly, I was alive! Brandon quickly found me and we said our thanks to our jumping partners, then we headed toward the truck.
“How was it?” He laughed.
“Not bad. Not bad at all.” I replied.
That is one day I’ll never forget. There are so many amazing things that we can experience on this earth. I’m glad that I have friends like Brandon who nudge me, well push me, to discover these new things. Whether it’s sky diving, bungie jumping, scaling the Grand Canyon, there are so many activities to enjoy.
Brandon would ask me weekly, and then daily, want to go sky diving? I would decline, but he was persistent. I felt the discomfort and the fear of doing something I had never done before. We all get that feeling at times.
Guess what? Discomfort. Uncertainty. Fear. Those are normal emotions, but instead of being frightened by those emotions, we need confidence in knowing that when those emotions are present, there is something special waiting on the other side. There’s achievement on the other side of discomfort. There’s success on the opposite side of fear.
We have the courage inside of us. Once we discover that strength inside, we’re able to take big, BIG jumps in life. I found the courage to take a big jump that day. I want you to find that courage as well because it’s there, it’s inside of you. I know it is.
And when you find it, guess what happens next? You’ll have the confidence to take that leap, that jump.
And you’ll land into more achievement, more progress, more success.
Just jump! ∎
LEX GILLETTE
4x Paralympic Medalist, 4x World Champion & Keynote Speaker www.awarenessties.us/lex-gillette Lex Gillette has quickly become one of the most sought after keynote speakers on the market. Losing his sight at the age of eight was painful to say the least, but life happens. Things don’t always go your way. You can either stay stuck in frustration because the old way doesn’t work anymore, or you can create a new vision for your life, even if you can’t see how it will happen just yet. His sight was lost, but Lex acquired a renewed vision, a vision that has seen him become the best totally blind long and triple jumper Team USA has ever witnessed.
43 AWARENOW / THE OUTSIDE EDITION
www.IamAwareNow.com