“Unless you are willing to experience new things, you’ll never realize your full potential” – Wim Hof
One activity that has always been on my bucket list is to skydive. As the years went by, my responsibilities increased, a family, bills to pay etc. and as the primary provider in the family, skydiving was frowned upon. Most have heard the saying “Why would you want to jump out of a perfectly good plane?”
This summer, my wife and I traveled to Switzerland and as we were planning the trip I noticed para-gliding is really popular in Switzerland and brought up the idea. An idea that was very quickly challenged as my wife reminded me of her fear of heights which translated into I would be para-gliding on my own. As I thought about para-gliding, watched videos and read reviews, my logical side concluded para-gliding as being a very safe activity. So, I reserved a para-gliding flight for two. I told my wife this and she said somewhat calmly “Okay”, knowing she had several months before she would have to possibly face her fear of heights.
As the day neared for the flight, so did the anxiety and trepidation, with multiple conversations about getting a refund and not taking the flight. But, in the end, I am so proud of my wife, she faced her fear head-on, she did the flight as did I. Experiencing running off the side of a mountain and floating thousands of feet in the air is the closest thing you can get to flying. It was so peaceful, so beautiful and has made me feel comfortable that skydiving is a reality I am willing to face in the near future. My wife, no, para-gliding was enough : )
The quote above came from one of my favorite alternative guru’s, Wim Hof, in an article I read just prior to my trip to Switzerland. I thought about that quote prior to para-gliding and think about that quote as I am faced with challenges, fears and situations outside of my comfort zone. A few pictures from the trip are below.
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